The Mandalorian is a space western television series created by Jon Favreau for the Disney+ streaming service. It is the first live-action Star Wars series, premiering five years after Return of the Jedi in 1983. But did you know who helped Disney when they ran out of Stormtrooper costumes?
When the crew of the TV show “The Mandalorian” ran out of Stormtrooper costumes in 2019, they turned to the local branch of a Star Wars fan organization, whose members came to join the filming in their homemade Stormtrooper costumes.
Stormtroopers to the Rescue
After running out of Stormtrooper costumes for the two most recent episodes of The Mandalorian, the team behind Disney+’s live-action Star Wars series turned to a local fan group for assistance.
A scene filmed for the final episodes of The Mandalorian Season 1 required more Stormtrooper costumes than the crew had on hand. As a result, series creator Jon Favreau and Lucasfilm’s Dave Filoni contacted a local 501st Legion chapter. The 501st Legion is a Star Wars fan organization dedicated to creating and wearing screen-accurate costumes of Imperial Stormtroopers and other franchise villains.
The 501st Legion was founded in South Carolina in 1997. The fan club now has over 13,000 active members all over the world. While the organization is not officially affiliated with Lucasfilm or Disney, members frequently appear in costume at promotional events or charity events, usually at the request of Lucasfilm’s Fan Events division. (Source: CBR)
Do Stormtroopers Have Lightsabers?
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the late Ralph McQuarrie, he was the visionary concept artist responsible for the majority of how the original Star Wars trilogy and thus Star Wars in general looked and felt. Darth Vader and his breathing apparatus, R2-D2, C-3PO, the Hoth rebels, all the film sets, and so much more – he was in charge of it all. Indeed, his drawing of Artoo and Threepio on Tatooine persuaded 20th Century Fox to fund Star Wars in the first place.
While much of what McQuarrie designed made it into the Star Wars universe, some elements, such as the Stormtrooper Corps, were removed or altered. Some of McQuarrie’s original trilogy concept art has been published in various collections over the years, and one of the earliest concept art drawings depicts stormtroopers wielding lightsabers. The people who can’t seem to hit a stationary object used to use a weapon far more elegant than a blaster rifle. (Source: Screenrant)
Are Stormtroopers Clones?
For a long time, casual moviegoers assumed that all stormtroopers were clones, but when J.J. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abrams and Lucasfilm cast John Boyega as a First Order stormtrooper. We even got a brief explanation of how the First Order recruits Stormtrooper candidates.
The First Order’s troopers are far more skilled than their Empire forefathers. And the stormtroopers’ predecessors, the clone troopers, were even more capable than the First Order. So, why would the Empire choose to discontinue the clone program in favor of investing in human recruits?
Stormtroopers would be more loyal than clones, according to George Lucas’ notes, which were revealed during a Star Wars Rebels panel at New York Comic-Con 2013. The exact quote was not given during the conference, but Lucas’ notes stated that clones were becoming too individualistic, while stormtroopers proved more patriotic. (Source: Screenrant)