Here’s something I’ve always noticed about Andor: for a story set right under the Empire’s nose, we hardly ever see stormtroopers.
You’d expect white armor everywhere, the Empire’s most recognizable symbol of fear and order, but for the first season, they’re almost absent. Instead, we see corporate security, local garrisons, and officers in gray uniforms.
So why is that? Why are stormtroopers barely visible during this stage of the Rebellion?
The Empire Didn’t Need Stormtroopers Everywhere, Yet
The timeline of Andor explains part of it. The show takes place five years before Rogue One and A New Hope, long before the Empire started flooding the galaxy with stormtroopers.
At this point in history, the Imperial war machine is still consolidating power. The Clone Wars ended less than 15 years earlier, meaning a lot of planets still use local security forces or Imperial Army divisions rather than specialized stormtrooper legions.
That’s why on Ferrix we see the Preox-Morlana guards, not stormtroopers. The Empire didn’t need to waste elite troops policing small industrial worlds that barely mattered to the Senate. These places were kept in line through intimidation, bureaucracy, and fear, not full military occupation.
Only when those systems started to push back, like what we see during the Aldhani heist — did the Empire start bringing in stormtrooper units to “restore order.” And by the time the final riot erupts on Ferrix, we finally see that shift happen. The white armor floods the streets, marking the point where the Empire stops hiding behind local enforcement and shows its true face.
Stormtroopers Represent Escalation, Not Routine
In Andor, the few times we do see stormtroopers, it’s meant to feel different. Their appearance isn’t casual background detail — it signals that something has changed.
When Cassian is arrested on Niamos and sentenced to hard labor, the white armor finally shows up. It’s not just decoration; it’s the moment the Empire stops pretending and starts enforcing. Up to that point, the oppression felt hidden behind bureaucracy and uniforms. The stormtroopers make it real, physical, and immediate.