Stormtrooper armor

[Balrog]

Has there ever been a point where we see in the movies Stormtrooper armor actually stop a blaster shot?

[Koolaidkirby]

none that i am aware of, there have been however, numerous accounts (in many SW Novels) of stormtrooper armor stopping just about everything else(gas, shrapnel, spears thrown by roboticly enhanced arms)

[Noble Ire]

Has there ever been a point where we see in the movies Stormtrooper armor actually stop a blaster shot?

Not really, although it is possible that not all of the Stormies we see fall, especially from glancing hits, die as they would normally unarmored. Note the trooper checking his fallen comrades in ANH before Vader boards the Tantive.

[Adrian Laguna]

Actually a Scout trooper in the Wookie homeworld in Revenge of the Sith, get a direct hit to his chest. The guy falls over backwards, but his armour is only slightly scorched. Also, perhaps Stormtrooper armour turns wounds that would otherwise be absolutely fatal into serious, but treatable, injuries.

[Elheru Aran]

Actually a Scout trooper in the Wookie homeworld in Revenge of the Sith, get a direct hit to his chest. The guy falls over backwards, but his armour is only slightly scorched. Also, perhaps Stormtrooper armour turns wounds that would otherwise be absolutely fatal into serious, but treatable, injuries.

Yes. All material I've read indicates that stormtrooper armour isn't expected to *stop* direct blaster bolts, but it does lessen their punch, and it'll block most glancing shots. Not sure how viable that is in the face of onscreen evidence, though...

[Quadlok]

The most extreme example of stormtrooper armor durability in the EU would be Survivors Quest, in which a small stormtrooper team manages to take hundreds, perhaps thousands of hits from poorly maintained, half depleted blasters with only minor injuries over the course of a few hours.

[Darth Wong]

Actually a Scout trooper in the Wookie homeworld in Revenge of the Sith, get a direct hit to his chest. The guy falls over backwards, but his armour is only slightly scorched. Also, perhaps Stormtrooper armour turns wounds that would otherwise be absolutely fatal into serious, but treatable, injuries.

Yes. All material I've read indicates that stormtrooper armour isn't expected to *stop* direct blaster bolts, but it does lessen their punch, and it'll block most glancing shots. Not sure how viable that is in the face of onscreen evidence, though...

That's historically the function of real armour. It's not expected to offer 100% protection; only to increase the odds of survival.

[Trytostaydead]

none that i am aware of, there have been however, numerous accounts (in many SW Novels) of stormtrooper armor stopping just about everything else(gas, shrapnel, spears thrown by roboticly enhanced arms)

So seriously then, how did they not stop blunt wooden arrows flying at 5mph? My blanket could repel those.

[Koolaidkirby]

So seriously then, how did they not stop blunt wooden arrows flying at 5mph? My blanket could repel those.

i believe that the common reason for that is that they hit the "black soft spots"? or at least something to that extent.

but keep in mind, the vast majority of those "blunt wooden arrows at 5mph" were in fact stopped, after we see the Ewoks launch a full volley into a crowd of stormtroops the vast majority are in fact still alive and are ready to give chase to the teddy bears o' doom.

[Vympel]

This arrow thing again? We see *one* trooper fall wounded/dead from an arrow in the body glove (you see his body hit the floor, the arrow is sticking right out from it) and another bend over after an arrow hit's him in the back.

[Anguirus]

It's worth noting that the clone troopers that are right next to an exploding AT-TE on Geonosis are mostly fine, indicating that an arrow-kill on one is most definately a fluke.

[apocolypse]

none that i am aware of, there have been however, numerous accounts (in many SW Novels) of stormtrooper armor stopping just about everything else(gas, shrapnel, spears thrown by roboticly enhanced arms)

So seriously then, how did they not stop blunt wooden arrows flying at 5mph? My blanket could repel those.

I'm assuming you're talking about the impact on the body glove, and not actually the armor itself? Especially as we also see an arrow bounce off the armor in the same battle.

[Isolder74]

When you fire that many arrows there is bound to be one fluke.

Even a armored knight of the middle ages had spots that were not as well armored as others on the suit. So if an arrow gets through one of these places does this make the armor useless against arrows?

Of course not.

[Darth Wong]

Let's use this idiot logic against real-life soldiers: US infantry body armour is useless against bullets. How do we know this? Because soldiers have been killed by bullets, even if they're wearing rifle plate!

Similarly, tank armour is useless against shells. How do we know this? Because tanks have gotten killed by shells! In fact, there have been tanks that were taken out by snipers. I guess that means a tank's armour is no good against sniper rifles.

[Alyeska]

Stormie armor is designed for multiple functions.

The first function is to increase survivability. Just having the armor improves survivability. Previously lethal hits may now be non-lethal. Infact, Survivors Quest makes this very clear. 60 year old blasters are more then sufficent to fire kill shots, but these kill shots only cause minor damage to Stormie armor.

This brings out the second function of Stormie armor. In order to attempt to kill a Stormtrooper, you have to fire higher powered blaster shots. This reduces effective ammunition capacity for the enemy. It also means that those with blasters incapable of being increased in firepower can't harm a Stormtrooper.

And a third function is the bio-hazard and poison protection. Stormie armor protects the soldiers in hazzardous enviroments.

[Agent Fisher]

In fact, there have been tanks that were taken out by snipers. I guess that means a tank's armour is no good against sniper rifles.

What? Really? Like recently?

[Darth Wong]

In fact, there have been tanks that were taken out by snipers. I guess that means a tank's armour is no good against sniper rifles.

What? Really? Like recently?

Yeah, it happened in Iraq. One Abrams was crossing a bridge when the driver was taken out by a sniper. The tank careened off the side of the bridge, flipped upside down in the water, and the rest of the crew drowned.

[Hedgehog's Roommate]

As has been noted by others the point of armor is to increase survivability. Little tidbit I thought I'd throw out, 85-90% of all the deaths right now in Iraq and Afghanistan are caused by hemorrhaging from the extremities. These wounds are usually being caused by shrapnel from explosions. It's also been noted that 'Trooper armor (of any type) protects from pretty much all shrapnel.

So I'd say the armor is therefore a resounding success.

[K. A. Pital]

There is one shot where the blaster didn't pierce the armour, altough it knocked the trooper down.

[Shroom Man 777]

Concussion from the blast of the explosion or some such? An explosion like that would knock anyone off their ass.

[K. A. Pital]

Shroom Man 777
Blaster bolt explosions do really knock people off their feet. They even throw them up in the air, just watch ANH, Han hitting stormies in the Death Star hangar. But if they penetrate they leave a hole - from a bullet-sized to a fist-sized depending on power setting, I guess. This one shot left the armor unscathed.

[Tribun]

I seem to remember that the trooper Leia shoots on the Tantive IV was only knocked back, but his armor was not penetrated, because her blaster handgun was not strong enough. Compare that to the same type of small handgun destroying battle droids in Ep.I. That I thinks show how effective the armor is.

[Darth Wong]

It's also noteworthy that people tend to assume any stormtrooper who is knocked down is dead; there is no reason for this assumption. One of the primary functions of body armour is to keep the wearer alive even if he is hit and knocked down by something; it doesn't have to make him into Juggernaut. He can even be wounded, but the armour is still worthwhile if that same blast would have otherwise killed him.

[Lord Revan]

It's also noteworthy that people tend to assume any stormtrooper who is knocked down is dead; there is no reason for this assumption. One of the primary functions of body armour is to keep the wearer alive even if he is hit and knocked down by something; it doesn't have to make him into Juggernaut. He can even be wounded, but the armour is still worthwhile if that same blast would have otherwise killed him.

I think problem here is people tend get knowllage of gun fights from action films/movies where hero never passes out from gun shot (unless the plot requivers it), concussion, a hit from a melee weapon, you, me (and probably most of tha active members of this board) realize how unrealistic that is, but there's a lot of stupid people out there, as you know.

[Wyrm]

Concussion from the blast of the explosion or some such? An explosion like that would knock anyone off their ass.

A strong enough concussion can also kill you. Getting slammed in the chest with a solid, rigid armor plate can do a number on your ribs, cracking them and leading to lots of fun internal injuries like a punctured lung -- you not only exsanguinate, but you also drown in your own blood. If the plate slams into you hard enough, your insides turn into soup from the shock (Blast Lung Injury). You also need some kind of cushioning, something with a fair amount of give, to protect against concussive forces.

That's probably what the black stuff is for: it doubtlessly isn't just at the joints, but like a bodysuit under the white plates. It could also serve as insulation against thermal shocks; getting hit with a blaster bolt looks very exothermic, and as much as I hate my insides turning into gazpacho, I like them turning into pot roast less.