Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s Sith Trooper Introduced at SDCC

As we wrote last week, there’s going to be a new kind of Stormtrooper in J.J Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Enter the Sith Trooper, which boasts blood-red armor and a black blaster. Also, a name that conjures the galaxy’s greatest villains, from Darth Vader to Count Dooku to Darth Maul. The Sith Trooper looks a bit like a mash-up of the new designs for Stormtroopers introduced in Abrams’ The Force Awakens (of which John Boyega’s Finn was a member), crossed with Supreme Leader Snoke’s Praetorian Guard from Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. The new-look troopers were introduced at San Diego Comic-Con, and Variety was on hand to capture some footage:

The Sith Troopers were revealed as part of an exhibit on the evolution of stormtrooper design at SDCC. When news of the Sith Trooper broke last week (courtesy StarWars.com) the question of who they serve was immediately raised. Are they the loyal soldiers for Emperor Palpatine, whose return was revealed—via his iconic cackle—in the first The Rise of Skywalker trailer? Or will they be serving Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who is now firmly in command of the First Order? Or will the Sith Troopers surprise us by being the enforcement arm of an unknown Sith Lord yet to be revealed?

We’re hoping to get a bit more information on how the Sith Troopers factor into the 9th and final entry in the epic Skywalker Saga. We know that The Rise of Skywalker has a lot of loose ends to tie up. Rey’s parentage, Luke’s status as a Force Ghost, Leia’s fate after the passing of Carrie Fisher, etc. So whoever the Sith Troopers are and who they serve will be a slightly less pressing, but we’re guessing still important, piece of the Star Wars puzzle.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20, 2019.

Featured image: Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX. Courtesy Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Studios