CT Why are Imperial troops fanatically loyal to the Empire?

Still, the stories in TCW came from GL's head - including those where clones questioned/disobeyed orders or even displayed disloyalty. Even if he personally didn't make up all the details, he did personally approve of every single one - and he did view the show as canon.
It's not the first time his vision has been altered. Seems like the Kaminoans weren't quite as successful as they thought...

 

Makes much more sense to me that they would continue to be clones. Engineered for a specific purpose, cheap and reliable. Who would want to change that for drunken grunts?

 

If any are indeed 'fanatically loyal' which I haven't seen any evidence of, it is likely due to fear and conditioning.

 

Maybe they're not "fanatically loyal" per se, but I'd imagine many could have some sense of "I wouldn't have chosen this, but I guess I'm ok doing this cos at least it gives me a purpose in life." Maybe the benefits are good. I know there's lots of people who join the Marines or whatever, just to keep themselves out of trouble, or cos they don't know what else to do. The book Death Star, and also little scenes like the "Have you seen the new BT-16?" shed a little light on that idea.

If they're drafted (which I think many were), perhaps there are those that are disgruntled, but we don't really see enough of the individual troops to make that judgement.

I have a feeling we may see some of that in TFA...

 

I always suspected that the Imperial troops were kept in the dark about a lot of things, and only saw the supposedly honourable, purging-the-criminal-elements side of the Empire. Kind of like how the average Nazi soldier was unaware of much of the actual background over what was going on during Hitler's regime.

 

Most stormtroopers would never have really faced much in the way of open war anyway. For most of the OT period the Rebels are pretty reluctant to face the Imperials in an open battle at all (assuming they even can) until the second Death Star battle and that was a trap! unintentional on their part, Ackbar had not planned for a duel of armadas. So stormtroopers were mostly just Blackshirt thugs in space. Step on a few toes, intimidate a few civilians, you get to be a bully and if anyone pushes you back, bang. To a certain kind of mindset those're pretty neat job prospects. Fortunately that is not the kind of mindset that lends itself to a properly trained and disciplined military.... hence the lack prowess when Joe Q. Stormtrooper actually comes across a real fight.

 

I don't think training and discipline were that lacking; it was mostly extreme over-confidence from all that time in control that led to them not being able to handle a major pushback from the Rebels.

 

If Lucas really intended them to all be clones, seems to me that he would have probably got Temuera Morrison to redub all their lines for the DVD release. Unless they aren't Fett clones, which doesn't make much sense. The stormtroopers we hear all have different voices anyway, so there would have to be at least several different clone templates.

 

Wasn't it established in the EU that the Empire started using various different clone templates after there was a clone revolt on Kamino? And I believe it was stated somewhere that by ANH, only 30% or so of the Stormtrooper corps were clones, the rest being human recruits. I could be wrong, though.

 

It's been said that the 501st remaines clones. I wonder about Vader's Yavin wingmen.

 

We don't know how much of Stormtrooper training is indoctrination of Imperial ideals and systematic breakdown of individual personality.

 

Well they can't be that good if they can be beaten by a bunch of teddy bears with sticks

 

I'd assume it's a lot like Nazi Germany: the grunts are either brainwashed or bullied into serving the Empire, while the higher ups are in it for the power.

 

Well, thanks to Rebels we know that a lot of it simple Platforming.

Jumping out of pits is the No. 1 thing that all Stormtroopers know how to do.

 

Bit late to reply, but I seem to also recall this this occurring in the.....third Young Jedi Knights book, I believe. "The Lost Ones," I think. Some street gang that harasses Zekk end up being made Stormtroopers.

 

Perhaps another case of "mining the EU for ideas" maybe?

 

The sad thing is that there's hardly a difference between "brainwashing" in a dictatorship or a democracy if a war is going on. World War I is the best example. The English were told the German are monsters and vice versa. Fortunately, some soldiers from both sides realized that was hogwash and formed mutual peace agreements despite what the big guys on the top said.

But yes, obviously the stormtroopers got told they were the good guys. Every soldier gets told he/she is the good guy.

 

it's cheaper to use enlistment than to produce expensive clones.

 

Because you are either with us or you are with the Terrorists.