There is little doubt that the bad guys in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be the First Order along with Emperor Sheev Palpatine, who has been confirmed to return in the sequel trilogy. However, it looks like there will be new villains that will be introduced in Star Wars Episode 9. The new baddies known as the Sith Troopers are the dangerous new addition to the Star Wars Universe. Interestingly, they also happen to be armed with weapons that have been proven to be quite lethal in the previous movies.
The Sith Troopers are a new series of armored soldiers working for the First Order that will debut in The Rise of Skywalker. They are easy to distinguish from other troopers because of their red armor and red-and-black blasters. However, the blasters are not the only weapons these soldiers will be used in Star Wars Episode 9. They have four other weapons, two of which look a lot like previously-revealed gear that has been proven to be deadly.
A new image of the The Black Series, Special Edition, Sith Trooper (Early Release Edition) that will be released by Hasbro shows the soldier holding a riot baton in its right hand and a blade in the other. The baton resembles the standard stun baton used by regular Stormtroopers. One of these regular batons was used by a Stormtrooper that confronted Finn in an epic fight sequence in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Ironically, Finn would later use a similar baton against Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Speaking of The Last Jedi, the Sith Trooper's blade looks a lot like the larger blades used by the Elite Praetorian Guards. The addition of the blade shouldn't be much of a surprise since the Sith Troopers appear to be a cross between the regular Stormtroopers and the Praetorian Guards that watched over Supreme Leader Snoke. However, it would be interesting to see these guys using these blades in Star Wars Episode 9.
It is still unclear if the Sith Troopers are a lot different from the regular Stormtroopers. In addition to that, it has not yet been confirmed if they will be Force users. More details about the new villains are expected to be dropped at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con 2019.
Another Sith Trooper image wielding the alternate weapons from r/StarWarsLeaks
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters on December 20.
