'The Mandalorian' Chapter 7 'The Reckoning': Everything you need to know about the black-stormtroopers in the episode
Stormtroopers come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and it can often get a bit tricky trying to keep a track of all the different classes of Imperial soldiers in 'Star Wars'.
However, the menacing black-suited stormtroopers in 'The Mandalorian' Season 1 Chapter 7 'The Reckoning' aren't new additions to the world of the franchise.
As you may have realized from the episode, these aren't your run-of-the-mill stormtroopers. For one thing, they definitely have better aim than their white-suited comrades, though that admittedly is a pretty low bar to clear.
Officially known as death troopers, these soldiers are an elite class of stormtroopers, each of whom is equal to a Rebel shock trooper like Cara Dune (Gina Carano).
Trained in unarmed combat, heavy weapons, demolitions, improvised weaponry, guerrilla warfare, and marksmanship, the death troopers are every bit as dangerous as their names imply.
Death troopers use armor similar to those used by shadow troopers and just like them, the death troopers are also experts at covert operations.
One major difference between the two classes of soldiers is that while shadow troopers were generally deployed as scouts and spies, the death troopers were more often used as bodyguards for high-ranking Imperial officers and as shock troops, trained to take out targets a normal squad wouldn't be able to survive.
Having the death troopers in the episode has two major implications. Firstly, their boss Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) was clearly a very important figure in the Empire since death troopers generally only served very prominent Imperial officials engaged in high-priority secret operations.
Secondly, considering their deadly skills, these guys are going to be a major threat to Mando (Pedro Pascal) and he's probably going to need a full army if he plans on taking them out. In fact, it might be a good idea to call on the rest of the Mandalorians, though who knows where those guys are hiding now?
'The Mandalorian' Season 1 Chapter 8 will arrive on Disney+ on December 27.