Are Stormtroopers supposed to be wearing armor?

I know their suits are made of plastic in the movie, but then in AOTC the Clonetroopers have armor. So, I figure we are meant to believe that the Stormtroopers plastic suits are made of metal or something. I've just always wondered how plastic was supposed to be a defense for them, why they even wear the suits, is it just for looks? Or, is it supposed to be armor?

 

Its "plastoid" armor. I guess its a kind of reinforced plastic-like material.

 

Interesting, and the Clonetroopers wear the same?

 

They wear an 18-piece suit of white Plastoid armor covering a two-piece, temperature-control body suit. The armor houses an energy source and various implements, and snaps together around the trooper. The helmet contains a polarized visor and communication gear. The utility belt worn at the waist had compartments for a grappling line, spare batteries, and survival gear. The image of the white-clad soldiers was one of the primary ways the Empire instilled fear in its subjects, but the bright white armor was not suited for many environments, as the Empire learned at the Battle of Endor. So, in the years following the death of the Emperor, Imperial factions began camouflaging their armor to blend in with their surroundings. Stormtroopers train for one of a number of different mission profiles, based on the environment in which they will operate.


Basic training allows stormtroopers to operate in temperate or controlled interior environments, but there are several specialized types of stormtroopers:

Cold Assault Troops wear specially-modified armor so that they can operate in harsh, frozen environments; Zero-G Troops, also known as spacetroopers, wear highly-refitted, vacuum-resistant armor for use in deep space; Scout troops are assigned to garrison posts, employing speeder bikes and other swift craft to patrol surrounding areas; Aquatic Assault troopers, also known as seatroopers, are equipped to operate in marine or other underwater arenas; Desert Assault troopers, also known as sandtroopers, were trained to do battle in the harsh conditions of a desert; Radtroopers were specially-trained to perform operations in areas with high concentrations of radioactivity.

Shadowtroopers of the Storm Command were among the most elite special forces troops in the Imperial military. The one exception to the standard stormtrooper is the Dark Trooper, which was a mechanized weapons platform.



And yes, the Clonetroopers wore the same material as the standard Stormtrooper, although I believe that the Plastoid was reinforced come time the Empire was established.

There may be more on the subject when Episode III comes out as well (i.e. the transformation of clonetroopers to stormtroopers )


Ken Kenobi- And you have a nice day

 

Well, I certainly came to the right place for my question, thanks guys.

 

weezyslob: No problem, mate.



Ken Kenobi- And you have a nice day

 

I just though of something, as you can see when people get shot by a laser it doesnt penetrate their body but just impacts on the outside. How do the lasers get past the "Armor"?

 

Well, a blaster uses a photonic beam generator to combine coherent energy into packets that can be aimed at a target. Upon striking the target, the packets split the target's molecular structure to varying degrees, based on the strength of the packets emitted. The packets can be generated to lightly stun a target or completely vaporize it.

Therfore, when a laser hits its intended target, [depending on the strength inhibited in the blast], not only can it penetrate armor, but it can also give the visual effect of only impacting on the outside.


Ken Kenobi- And you have a nice day

 

AHHH! I see.