Stormtrooper helmets have interesting features. We may first think of the shiny, white dome look. Or, we may be drawn to the darkened eyes and frown expression. Yet, these helmets have many features that serve an important purpose. The side slits on the helmet are one such feature that helps stormtroopers breathe.
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What Is the Purpose of the Side Slits or Vents on a Stormtrooper Helmet?
On this recent Reddit board, we can see a visual of slanted slits or vents on the side of clone and stormtrooper helmets. The purpose, as one response indicated, could be for “airflow into the helmet.” They do appear “vent-like”, so this could be correct, or it could be to allow airflow “out of the helmet.”
Going further, another post specifies how the “phase 1” helmet appears to have “a series of indentations,” whereas for phases 3 and 4, “they look like exhaust vents for breathing.” This last remark pushes us even closer to the answer.
If we refer to the stormtrooper armor page, we get a description of “cranium ‘shell’ portion” composed of plasteel with “osmotic filter plates on the sides and back of the helmet.” Like the above responses, an accompanying diagram helps elaborate on the specific vents we are interested in – Dymak Exhaust Filters.
Positioned near the rim of the helmet, the Dymak Exhaust Filters are a specific type of exhaust filter that accompanies the overall breathing system. They work in combination with the other filters on the helmet to permit breathable air.
We can think of them as normal condition filters, as opposed to Enviro filters that are designed for dangerous or toxic environments. The Dymak ones would work alongside the natural air vents that stormtrooper helmets have in the front, where we see the “characteristic frown” of troopers.
We can conjecture that these side slits work to expel otherwise harmful particles breathed in through the normal vents. They get a boost from Enviro filters to make the later phase and stormtrooper armor more versatile.
Which Armor Had These Filters?
Beyond stormtrooper armor, Phase II clone trooper armor appears to also come with helmets equipped with a Dymak filter system. As part of the upgrade from Phase I armor, the helmets had “an advanced filtration system” with the exhaust filters on the side and near the rim.
Phase I armor does not seem to have this feature. As the first of the “standard issue” armor for clones, the helmet came with the “distinctive T-shaped visor.” Inside the helmet was a life support system, but the design left out the filters of the next generation.
Since Phase III armor didn’t really get off the ground, the helmets were “repurposed” for TK stormtroopers, or the early non-clone troopers. So, they may have transported this technology over to them. Yet, the images on Wookieepedia make it look like the Dymak Exhaust Filters are absent.
As for Phase IV, these helmets were part of “an improved version of the phase II armor,” specifically for the first rounds of “natural born soldiers.” Accompanying a more specialized set of armor, the helmet came with such improvements as a Multi-Frequency Targeting and Acquisition System. We can estimate that it also had the exhaust filters or something better.
The Purpose of the Side Vents
The side vents or slits on a stormtrooper helmet are called Dymak Exhaust Filters. They are central to allowing normal breathing for stormtroopers. We can identify them in Phase II armor, and they probably came with Phase IV as well.