Gruesome Theory - Stormtrooper Preservation

TK-8252 · 10-01-2004, 06:02 PM

According to the Star Wars Visual Dictionary, Stormtrooper armor lasts indefinitely and may still be found half-buried at decades-old battle sites. I'm thinking... Stormtrooper armor (in the story world) seals the wearer completely off from the environment. It provides protection from the vacuum of space, chemical warfare, etc. So, what happens to a Stormtrooper after he dies and is left in the battlefield, armor and all? Does the body break down and decompose, like any other living thing? It can't... because there's no bacteria to decompose it, or elements in the air to break it down.

Now, I'm not sure what exactly is responsible for the decomposition of dead organisms, but if a body were left alone completely sealed off from the environment, wouldn't it remain perfectly preserved, until the Stormtrooper armor is decomposed (which takes decades)? We're studying Egyptian mumification in history class, and all they do is remove the internal organs, drain the body of its fluids, and wrap it up in the bandage stuff (don't know what it's called), and although the body looks a bit monsterous, you can still recognize the face perfectly.

So my theory is that if you dug up long-dead Stormtroopers from an old battlefield, you could find the troop still in human form, skin and all, just as he was before his death.

What do you all think?

*El Sitherino* · 10-01-2004, 06:32 PM

I hope they never acquire this kind of technology in the real world, or necrophiliacs will go wild.

and that's kinda weird.

to sum up my feelings in a word.... I cannot do, so I'll just smile and nod.

***Lynk Former*** · 10-01-2004, 07:47 PM

They're indestructable armour yet Ewoks with bows and clubs kicked the crap outta the Stormies and a single laser blast still takes em down as if they didn't have any armour in the first place XD

DarthBuzzard · 10-01-2004, 09:22 PM

LOL. Yep.

Now i'm no master on biodecompoisition (sp?), but it would be a bit gruesome to dig up a 40 year old perfectly-preserved body. I think if the suit seals off the elements, then they're not gonna be able to decompose.

Rethinking stormtrooperness TK8252?

Kain · 10-01-2004, 09:45 PM

Where does it say it protects from the vacuum of space? I know that the black glove protects from extremities of heat and cold, though drastic measures must be taken in severely hostile environments(ie: Hoth).

***Lynk Former*** · 10-01-2004, 09:47 PM

They have different variations of their armour for different environments remember.

TK-8252 · 10-01-2004, 09:53 PM

Quote:

http://www.starwars.com/databank/tec...mor/index.html
Stormtrooper armor also serves as a limited space suit for protection against hard vacuum.

It's not really meant to encounter vacuum regularly, but is mainly meant for emergencies or boarding parties that may need to be exposed to the vacuum of space briefly.

*Kurgan* · 10-02-2004, 04:48 AM

Well, in the official line, the argument has been that the ST Armor is meant to protect against glancing blows, and it's more akin to a bullet-proof vest. It's to increase survival from a single hit, not to make them invulnerable. Even if they survive, they may be in no condition to keep fighting.

Even if they are disposable clones, it still takes ten years to clone them (well, at least the Kaminonean variety) so it's an investment the Empire loses everytime one dies.

The other argument I've heard which makes sense is that the ST Armor need not be blasterproof to be useful.

For one they have helmet communications, they have vision enhancements like IR, HUD, etc. It provides NCB protection, and short-term protection against vaccuum.

The armor can protect against some of the flak and stuff that goes on in a battle or boarding action and functions like riot gear. Sure you can penetrate the "body glove" under the armor and hard enough impacts (like huge rocks) are going to do damage to the person inside even if the armor is still intact, but no armor makes a person invulnerable....

Likewise it's a "terror uniform" to scare people and it hides the fact that they are clones if that is ever a factor.

The bodies would theoretically be preserved as if they had just died, I would think. However if there were unsealed punctures to the armor (like from lightsabers or blast hits, or arrows, etc) that might let some bacteria and air get in...

TK-8252 · 10-02-2004, 10:14 AM

I'd think that the body glove would be what preserves the body. The armor can get as beat up as it was in battle, but as long as the body glove is intact, the body would be preserved. This of course is with the exception of the helmet, since it has no body glove underneath.

**Jan Gaarni** · 10-02-2004, 02:54 PM

Don't they have a hood under there?

Which covers most of the head, except around the face?

TK-8252 · 10-02-2004, 04:27 PM

Some just have neck pieces, as seen worn by Han and Luke on the Death Star...

Later they changed it so they have a "ninja-like" hood that covers all but the face.

But we know that whatever they wear under their helmet can't cover their entire face... if it did they couldn't see. Heh. (I can't see a thing in this helmet!)

Ockniel · 10-02-2004, 04:41 PM

haha, though they have to breath guys, there will be SOME air in there with a little bacteria, which, after death, would get into the victims body and multiply, thuse decomposing the body.

I think

TK-8252 · 10-02-2004, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ockniel
haha, though they have to breath guys, there will be SOME air in there with a little bacteria, which, after death, would get into the victims body and multiply, thuse decomposing the body.

I think

That's not how the system works. The helmet has air intakes, which filter out any bacteria and any other harmful elements. This is why Stormtroopers are immune to chemical warfare.

*Kurgan* · 10-02-2004, 06:43 PM

We're lead to believe the "I can't see a thing in this helmet" is due to the helmet HUD being damaged when the original owner of Luke's suit was killed.

TK-8252 · 10-02-2004, 06:45 PM

Either that or Luke just couldn't figure out what's what with the HUD and graphic readouts. It's bound to be pretty complicated, with it projecting holographic images and all.

**coupes.** · 10-02-2004, 11:34 PM

Or maybe his eyes were simply not in front of the holes because the helmet was too big for his head. I didn't even know they had a HUD...

**Jan Gaarni** · 10-02-2004, 11:58 PM

Of course they have a HUD, otherwise what's the point in fitting dark sunglasses on the thing?

Ockniel · 10-03-2004, 07:29 AM

well, if you exclude EU, which was minimal at the time, maybe the tinted shades were just hard to see through, like wearing sunglasses indoors :P

OR

the eyepeices blocked his purpetual visio (whatever its called, seeing to the side of you)

:P

**Jan Gaarni** · 10-03-2004, 12:40 PM

He prolly couldn't figure out how to turn on the damn thing.

He was a farmboy after all.

I keed, I keed.

primalunderdog · 10-03-2004, 06:40 PM

If you read some of the star wars books on boba fett it says his helmut had a hud,and a air filter.

Codja X · 10-04-2004, 04:36 AM

@Ockniel - I think you're after "peripheral vision"

From what I know, the human body contains untold millions of different types of bacteria at any one time, so whether the suit is sealed or not, it would still decompose. Only if it is cold enough to stop the bacteria working would the body not decompose.

Perhaps that's what the Empire does - to save the money wasted on this dead stormtrooper's training, something in the suit freezes him (along with the seal), if the battle is won, he gets put into a bacta tank, healed and then ready for his next shift!

Gruesome indeed

TK-8252 · 10-04-2004, 12:15 PM

But how did Egyptians remove the bacteria from inside a body? Did it come out with the organs and fluids?

*Kurgan* · 10-04-2004, 02:03 PM

I'm not an expert on the mumification process, but I know they used various spices, herbs (not the Colonel's Original Recipe mind you), etc to embalm the body as well as wrapping it up in cloth strips.

**coupes.** · 10-04-2004, 04:01 PM

Indeed, I beleive that's what they did... in addition to removing the organs from the body and removing the brains through the nose with a hook...

DarthBuzzard · 10-04-2004, 04:29 PM

They actually thought the brain served no purpose, and the heart did the thiking o_0. And they used various herbs, spices, balms, and potions to ready the body (I think).

But to update the stormtrooper thing, I don't think the OUTSIDE body would decompose due to the suit, but the inside would. Nasty.

primalunderdog · 10-10-2004, 04:24 PM

I still think it would decompose,who knows we might dig up one one day!

*Kurgan* · 10-10-2004, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by primalunderdog
I still think it would decompose,who knows we might dig up one one day!

Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away, eh? ; )

Some poor extra who fell into a sandpit in the Tunisia desert back in '76 and was miraculously preserved for all future generations to behold!