Let’s settle a debate: which helmet had better visibility—Stormtrooper helmets or Phase 2 Clone Trooper helmets? We’ve all seen the memes about Stormtroopers missing their shots, but Rex himself, in Rebels, called out how awful Stormtrooper helmets are to aim with. Add Luke’s “I can’t see a thing in this helmet” line, and it’s clear the visibility issue is canon-level bad.
But how do they actually compare to the Clone Trooper helmets we saw in The Clone Wars? Let’s break it down.
All Stormtrooper Helmets Are Hard to See Through
Rex, the legendary Clone Trooper we all know and admire from The Clone Wars, is the perfect example.
He’s experienced the top-tier functionality of Phase 1 and Phase 2 Clone Trooper helmets, but he also had the unfortunate experience of wearing a Stormtrooper helmet in Star Wars Rebels.
In Season 2, Episode 9, “Stealth Strike,” Rex and Kanan don Stormtrooper armor to infiltrate an Imperial ship and rescue Ezra and Commander Sato. While their plan initially goes smoothly, they’re eventually exposed and forced to fight their way out.
The moment gets hilariously chaotic when Kanan teases Rex, saying, “Wow, you really do shoot like a Stormtrooper.” Rex, struggling to aim, fires back with, “Ahhh, this helmet. I can’t see.”
Rex’s reaction pretty much sums it up. He’s worn both the Phase 2 Clone Trooper helmet and the Stormtrooper bucket, so if anyone knows the difference, it’s him.
Even Stormtroopers themselves have complained about the poor visibility of their helmets. One great example comes from the game Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.
In the mission “Cairn Dock,” players control Jedi Kyle Katarn and must sneak past Stormtroopers without being detected.
During this mission, you overhear a conversation between a Stormtrooper, Alpha-956, and his commanding officer. The officer orders Alpha-956 to investigate an area with crates and an alarm that could summon reinforcements if Katarn is spotted.
Frustrated, Alpha-956 suggests sending a thermal scanning team instead, but the officer dismisses the idea. After ending the call, Alpha-956 vents his frustration by muttering to himself, “Stupid know-it-all officer. How about you get into this armor and try to see out of this damn helmet?”
Then we have Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, during the mission to rescue Leia from the Death Star.
When Luke and Han don Stormtrooper armor to blend in, there’s a moment in the elevator where Luke says something strikingly similar to Rex’s comment: “I can’t see a thing in this helmet.”
Luke might not have experience with Clone Trooper helmets, but his quick observation highlights one of the Stormtrooper helmet’s biggest flaws—how hard it is to see through.
Why the Stormtrooper Helmet is Harder to See Through Than the Clone Trooper Helmet
So far it is what we heard from the characters, however, I think what would be better is if we can actually see what exactly inside of the both helmet.
For the clone trooper it is easy, because if you have watched all of the Clone Wars episodes you might remember we sometimes get to see the “point-of-view” of the clone trooper.
For example in the episode “Legacy of Terror” we get to see Commander Cody’s first person view.
From the image, we can see how the Clone Trooper Phase 2 helmet offers a much wider field of vision for the clones.
We don’t have many sources showing exactly how things look from a Stormtrooper’s point of view, but there are some interesting details about their helmet.
According to Wookieepedia, the canon Stormtrooper armor includes some impressive tech, like a visual processor and a heads-up display. The helmet is designed to help the wearer see through darkness, glare, and smoke, but there’s a trade-off—it restricts their field of vision.
As Wookieepedia puts it, “The helmet’s visual processor assisted the wearer in seeing in darkness, glare, and smoke, though it limited the wearer’s field of vision to a degree.”