The Unforeseen Menace: Ahsoka's Encounter with a Game-Changing New Enemy in the Star Wars Universe

Highlights

The Star Wars franchise is known for providing complex and varied villains, and video games have the potential to bring these battles to life for players.

The introduction of Ahsoka to the regenerating zombie stormtroopers creates a potential thrilling new villain for a future Star Wars video game. Given the inclusion of Dathomirian magic and undead stormtroopers in the Ahsoka series and previous Star Wars content, these components could be integrated into an upcoming game like Star Wars: Outlaws or a future title in the franchise.

Star Wars has always been known for its complex and intriguing villains. The fall of Anakin Skywalker, the power-hungry Emperor Palpatine, the tormented Maul, and the betrayed Asajj Ventress are just a few examples of the antagonists who seek to bring down the Jedi. While these battles are exhilarating to watch on screen, video games take the fight to a whole new level by allowing players to engage in epic battles. With the introduction of Ahsoka and Sabine facing unique enemies, there is an opportunity for a new kind of adversary in a Star Wars video game—a foe who refuses to give up.

Ahsoka has presented Ahsoka and Sabine with a variety of opponents, such as the enigmatic Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll and a resurgence of Dathomirian magic wielded by the Nightsisters. Each of these enemies has their own distinct goals and tactics, whether they fight with lightsabers, staffs, or commanding legions. However, nobody anticipated the beloved heroes going head-to-head with regenerating zombie stormtroopers.

Ahsoka's Undead Stormtroopers Are a Mass of Unyielding Foes

In Star Wars video games, villains are used to not only expand the lore but also create an engaging sense of opposition. For instance, Boba Fett had an impressive boss battle in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order featured compelling gameplay with the Inquisitors. While there are opportunities to fight mindless droid armies and stormtrooper squads, a future game could introduce Ahsoka's demonic stormtroopers as a never-before-seen enemy.

Just like in Ahsoka, it takes skill and a specific target to permanently defeat these regenerating souls. To keep the zombies down, a powerful blow to the head works best, as shown when Sabine breaks free from a possessed trooper by igniting her lightsaber into his helmet. Their regenerative properties make them extremely difficult to kill, akin to the Hunter in Dead Space. Moreover, the gameplay could be enhanced by having several melee opponents attack a single player simultaneously, which is not commonly seen in Star Wars games. The rules for this new opponent are not fully explained, and delving into the limitations of the Nightsisters' Dathomirian magic could add depth to a future Star Wars video game.

Dathomirian magic and zombie stormtroopers have appeared in previous Star Wars works before the Ahsoka series. In the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Nightsisters revived their fallen sisters to fight against General Grievous. However, General Grievous managed to defeat the Nightsister, causing the undead Nightsisters to return to their lifeless state. Similarly, zombie stormtroopers were introduced in Joe Schreiber's novel Death Troopers, where Darth Vader used a Sith virus to reanimate troopers who later pursued Han and Chewbacca. Although the novel is no longer considered canon, the existence of the Nightsisters' magic makes the possibility of undead stormtroopers still open.

Currently, the Star Wars video game Star Wars: Outlaws, which is set to be released in 2024, is the only game in production. This game takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and may provide an opportunity to feature a different type of stormtroopers. While the game primarily focuses on crime syndicates as the main antagonists, its open-world nature leaves room for speculation that Dathomirian witches and resurrected stormtroopers could appear in a side quest on a distant planet. However, it is unlikely that they will have a prominent role in Star Wars: Outlaws. Nonetheless, considering their unique attributes, it is possible that undead stormtroopers may feature in a future Star Wars game.