Volcanic environment stormtroopers, also known as lava troopers, were black-armored stormtroopers stationed around Fortress Vader—a castle belonging to the Sith Lord Darth Vader on the planet Mustafar—during the Imperial Era. Protected by extensively cooled, heat shielded stormtrooper armor and armed with E-11 blaster rifles, lava troopers repelled attacks on the castle by native Mustafarians in and around 12 BBY and encountered the Rebel Alliance crew of the YT-1760 Small Transport Auric when the group became stranded on the planet roughly eleven years later. Volcanic environment stormtroopers also defended the fortress against the Force-sensitive warriors known as the Knights of Ren during their heist on Vader's Castle in 3–4 ABY.
Volcanic environment stormtroopers with their E-11 blaster rifles
Human soldiers of the Galactic Empire, volcanic environment stormtroopers, otherwise known as lava troopers, served as guards at Fortress Vader, the castle of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader on the planet Mustafar, during the Imperial Era. Volcanic environment stormtroopers fulfilled similar duties to magmatroopers, who also defended Vader's castle, and Crimson Stormtroopers, who, like both volcanic environment stormtroopers and magmatroopers, operated in volcanic environments.
Volcanic environment stormtroopers wore black stormtrooper armor fitted with extensive cooling systems and heat shields, sporting back-mounted tanks and red breathing tubes. Sergeants were identifiable by a red line on their right shoulder pauldron, while other troopers wore a full red pauldron. Volcanic environment stormtroopers carried E-11 medium blaster rifles.
In 12 BBY, shortly after the construction of Fortress Vader, two volcanic environment stormtroopers were stationed in the castle's hangar bay. One trooper heard a "clunk" and asked their partner if they had also heard it. The first trooper then questioned the source of the noise, demanding whoever was there show themselves. The pair were quickly overrun by invading Mustafarians.
A lava trooper zombie
Around that same year, two volcanic environment stormtroopers watching over a landing platform outside Darth Vader's castle noted the arrival of a Theta-class shuttle, an unusual sight for the time. After a brief debate about shuttles, the duo were spooked by a wailing noise and headed further out to investigate. The sergeant attributed the sound to the wind, but the other questioned the assertion as both troopers were surrounded by zombies, victims of a plague. The sergeant was bitten and attacked the junior trooper, who reported the incident to Darth Vader before succumbing to the infection. Both victims, by then under the control of the Mustafarian priestess Mother Sssl, joined the undead horde in attacking Vader. The latter trooper succeeded in biting the cyborg Sith Lord, though it did not affect him, wounding metal rather than flesh.
Two volcanic environment stormtroopers stood guard outside Fortress Vader when the YT-1760 Small Transport Auric, a starship belonging to Commander Lina Graf of the Rebel Alliance, crash-landed on Mustafar around 1 BBY. Seven volcanic environment stormtroopers subsequently ambushed Graf and her crew, firing their blasters. Graf fired on the troopers and ordered her people to retreat to the fortress. The lava troopers swarmed the bodyguard droid XM-G3, who stayed behind to defend Graf, occupying the troopers. XM-G3 later emerged visibly damaged but having beaten his attackers. At least four volcanic environment stormtroopers guarded the castle's hangar bay, which Graf's technician Skritt occupied during the crew's escape from the fortress by tossing a Kubaza beetle larva, summoning its much larger mother. The rebel bowled over a pair of the soldiers and commandeered an All Terrain Scout Transport, opening fire on the remaining troopers.
The Knights of Ren cutting down volcanic environment stormtroopers at Fortress Vader
When the Knights of Ren, a group of Force-sensitives, broke into Fortress Vader sometime between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Vader's attendant Vaneé sounded an alarm to summon a force of volcanic environment stormtroopers. The Knights focused their efforts on the soldiers, allowing their leader, "Ren," to break into Vader's vault and steal an artifact known as the Screaming Key. Ren subsequently asked the Knights if they had stopped firing their weapons because everyone outside was dead, prompting Vader to show himself and reveal that he had dismissed the lava troopers.
Volcanic environment stormtroopers first appeared in the first issue of the comic series Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle, written by Cavan Scott and illustrated by Derek Charm and Chris Fenoglio. The issue was released by IDW Publishing on October 3, 2018. They were later identified as lava troopers in the series' fifth issue, published October 31, 2018 again by IDW. The issue was also written by Scott and was penciled by Charm and Charles Paul Wilson III. The soldiers were more formally identified as volcanic environment stormtroopers by Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide, a 2023 reference book authored by Pablo Hidalgo and Emily Shkoukani. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, "lavatrooper" was originally an alternate name for the red-armored magma stormtroopers.
- Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide