"Trooper" is a narrative in comic form, originally featured within Star Wars Tales 10, later compiled into Star Wars Tales Volume 3. Garth Ennis penned the story, John McCrea provided the artwork, Brad Anderson handled the coloring, and Steve Dutro was responsible for the lettering.
The tale unfolds through the eyes of an unnamed stormtrooper belonging to the 501st Legion, commencing with his boarding of the Tantive IV during the initial scenes of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
Within the loading bay of an Imperial Star Destroyer, a stormtrooper quietly wishes to avoid leading the imminent boarding operation. The prevailing strategy suggests that the explosion upon breaching the door should momentarily stun the defenders, granting the attackers a tactical edge. However, the trooper's experience paints a different picture: invariably, the first trooper through the doorway becomes the immediate target.
His thoughts drift back to his youth on Greater Marianas, a remote, underdeveloped planet plagued by perpetual dust storms. His father eked out a living as a hunter, selling animal hides, while the young man grew weary of the harsh environment, the nomadic existence, and his father's incessant lectures on the paramount importance of freedom and the abhorrence of its deprivation.
One day, an Imperial detachment arrived, declaring the planet under Imperial "protection." The young man's father voiced his opposition, resulting in his summary execution by a stormtrooper. "Pa had the freedom he was born with; the other guy had a blaster." Recognizing the demise of his former life, the young man implored the Imperials to take him along. The commanding officer stipulated that he must first prove his allegiance to the Empire by executing a randomly selected individual from the crowd. The young man complied. "To me, it wasn't evil. It was nothing more than common sense. A way off Greater Marianas."
The trooper then reflects upon the rigorous training he underwent to become a stormtrooper: a process involving the forced killing of fellow recruits, under threat of death, designed to strip away his humanity and individuality, instilling absolute obedience and prioritizing victory above all else, including self-preservation.
Returning to the present, the entire unit stands motionless as Darth Vader materializes, warning the Sergeant that his troops must be prepared for the task at hand. The Sergeant, visibly shaken, assures Lord Vader of their readiness. The trooper overhears the soldier behind him lose control of his bowels, "and I curse the day I ever joined the Empire."
He again reflects on his life as a trooper, a time where he became desensitized to the loss of his comrades and the terrible acts he was ordered to commit, but is startled back to reality when the Sergeant chooses him to lead the way.
As the boarding party braces for action, the trooper silently prays, vowing that if he survives the immediate danger, he will desert at the earliest opportunity, abandoning the Empire; perhaps even joining the Rebellion, but above all, he will reclaim his freedom.
When the door explodes, the trooper is taken aback when the strategy actually works: the defenders are momentarily stunned, granting him a crucial moment to advance, and the Sergeant, entering behind him, takes the first shot to the helmet. As he charges down the corridor, eliminating rebels, he exults in his survival, resolving to fulfill his vow as soon as the mission concludes.
Following the capture of the ship, Vader learns that the Death Star schematics are not present in the ship's central computer; the trooper then silently observes as Vader interrogates and subsequently kills the ship's captain. "Seen that a thousand times before. Never seen it fail."
While searching the ship for passengers, "the most beautiful girl I've ever seen shoots me in the face." He collapses, feeling a chill, an ominous sign given the consistently warm temperature of a starship.
As his fellow troopers subdue her with stun blasts, his vision fades to black. His final auditory perception is his squadmate's reassurance, "she'll be all right." His concluding thought is, "But I won't."