‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Reportedly Debuting New Stormtrooper

Ever since Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released in December of 2015, it hardly feels like the holiday season without new Star Wars content. While this December is proving to be pretty bone dry in terms of Star Wars: Episode IX updates, we’ve been keeping our ear to the ground for whatever new information might trickle in.

Thanks to Making Star Wars, we’ve learned that there might be a new “elite” trooper in the upcoming movie, which is supposedly called the Red Dead Trooper. The site describes it as “pretty much a solid red Stormtrooper with black stripes.”

“Hopefully these early rumors have you excited about what is coming,” the site declares.

“The trooper does not appear to be one of the red pilots from Star Wars Resistance,” they added, “but it almost sounds like they were developed together.”

In case you need a visual, the aforementioned Resistance pilots look like this:

“One theory I currently hold is that Elrik Vonreg from Resistance might be an unused design for this new Episode IX trooper, but that’s a guess,” adds Making Star Wars.

“The trooper is not just a First Order Stormtrooper painted red either, as the helmet is different. Ironically, we did hear the trooper was a pilot but for all we know these are like Death Troopers and they can fly ships too. We also can’t confirm there are more than one in the film at this time,” they conclude.

Here’s a visual of the Death Troopers, which we got a good look at on the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story:

If you’re wondering how they get their information, it is sourced from people they “have spoken to at Pinewood Studios, various production offices, and those that attended licensee marketing meetings and presentations.”

Making Star Wars also asks that you don’t share the details of their reports openly on social media as they want to keep things spoiler free.

Other small details for film have been trickling in, including a rumored BB-8 sidekick, and the potential involvement of the Knights of Ren (finally). There has also been a lot of speculation about the movie’s title, which we’re dying to learn.

Star Wars: Episode IX is finally hitting theaters on December 20th, 2019.