When did the Empire change their eqiupment?

[Reid]

I was wondering, when do the Empire change their eqiupment between E3 and E4? Basicley from the ROTS Imperial Stormie armor, officer and tech uniforms, weapons, pilots, etc etc, to the Imperial gear seen in the OT and all EU after it? Is there currently a comic or book on this out?

[Nathan]

Nothing yet, no, but this will probably be explored in several upcoming books which will venture into the "Dark Times" era as it's becoming known.

I imagine various things were phased in at different times, and probably there was a long period in between when both kinds were in use simultaneously. I doubt Palpatine got up one day and decreed "Thou shalt all switch over to new gear and vehicles today". If it isn't broke, don't fix it, so I don't envision all the ROTS tech being suddenly retired, but simply allowed to wear out/get destroyed and then be replaced with the OT-style tech.

For example, a slightly more primitive AT-AT is already in use during the Clone Wars. And the Imperial officer depicted in the ROTS Visual Dictionary is about 90% similar to the classic uniforms, with small differences in the rank insignia and an additional seam across the chest.

A few bits I do know:

In the Palpatine Inaugural edition of HoloNet News in Insider #84, a clone/stormie is depicted in the ROTS style armor (but then, this is immediately after ROTS so that'd be pretty obvious).

In a Jedi Purge story in Tales, we see Vader with a bunch of stormies in the classic OT armor. Of course, this was printed before anyone knew what the ROTS armor would look like, and this may have even predated AOTC (I don't own a copy so I can't check). This is supposedly the last bunch of Padawans in the Republic/Empire (or so our hero believes, at any rate, giving us a possible loophole) so it's likely within a couple of years after ROTS, at most.

Not much to go on, I know.

[Reid]

Thanks for the info. 

I doubt Palpatine got up one day and decreed "Thou shalt all switch over to new gear and vehicles today".

Crap, this is exactley what I thought would have happend. 

[Clone Commander]

Well I figure it took place after oh, 10 years?

[Jesse James]

Some things of note...  At the end of ROTS, Tarkin's uniform isn't far off from Classic Trilogy Imperial...  It's my belief that the Republic Military dress changed during the Clone Wars from the Blue Tunic/Slacks to the Imperial Colors, but I also am a big fan of the notion that there's more to the Republic military than Clones...  A LOT more.

As far as gear, the fighters seemingly take a big change at some point, but EU's shown an early AT-AT in use in the Clone Wars, and AT-ST (and other walkers in their class) in use in the Clone Wars as well...  Then other EU shows AT-TE's and other CW era vehicles in use during the Imperial era...  I think the "change" isn't real obvious, at least not anywhere but with fighters where maybe technology is advancing quicker within the arms race? 

I figure Stormtrooper armor becomes a standard at a point where the Emperor wants a more structured, and unified military with less individualistic ideals...  I figure the Individuality was something Jedi instilled in their Clones through some odd sentimentality or some subdued attachment, and the Emperor wants to wash that away with "new standards".  This could tie to ideals of the "New Order", "The Tarkin Doctrine", and other structural foundations of the Empire.

Just some random thoughts...  There is some cross-over being shown though where some technology is still gladly used, some changes slightly, and some more seems to change greatly like fighters where they go from a very unique design with the V-Wing to the "TIE" class of fighters...  Seemingly abandoning the other classes for the most part after the X-Wing is lost to the Alliance early on.

Interesting thing to watch though I believe.

[Matt_Fury]

If you read Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, they mention that new ships were being built as well as new fighters and the clones were being referred to as Stormtroopers almost immediately.

I'm sure not everything changed over night, but there were definite improvements made in military hardware if just for the necessity of keeping all the star systems in line while Palpatine consolidated his power.

[dafoo]

Another possible reason to revamp the military is to wash away all the 'taint' of the jedi.  They lead all these special groups of clones and are completely associated with all things that are the republic military.  Palpatine wants to erase the jedi from history, revamping the military is a good place to start that.

[Clone Commander]

Yeah thats true.
Then there is also the fact that with a growing military they would need mass produced armor.
The Stormtrooper armor was not nearly as well crafted as the clone trooper armor.

[dafoo]

Is there some story that details that Stormtrooper armor was lower quality than clone?

Sure seems like there are a lot of Clones

[Angry Ewok]

I've never heard of any source implying that the Empire went cheap on armor after the Clone Wars....

I doubt the difference in quality of armor between Clones and Stormtroopers is very significant... In fact, the Stormtroopers' armor was probably slightly improved on from the armor used decades beforehand. Lighter, possibly more durable.

[Reid]

I finally found an answer! If you've played Battlefront 2, in one of the levels as the stormtroopers it says that battle occured 7 years after the clone wars. So I'm guessing 5 years after the clone wars the Empire changed their gear.

[Commander_Miseria]

ehhh battlefront 2 isn't really the most 'cannon' EU out there

[dafoo]

The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology does say that Clone Armor is superior to Storm Armor, but that the Stormies have better gear.

So cheaper on saving the trooper's life, but more on controling and communicating with them.  That does mesh with the Empire's view on things.

[Clone Commander]

Well think about it, the empire after the clone wars had barely any opposition and so with the new armor for all the new recruits and clones from different templates they would try and get a cheaper more mass produced armor but yet get a bit more advanced weapons so incase they was an insurgency they would be able to quel it with superior fire power and an overpowering amount of troopers.
This is probably why they have a tad less efficient armor than the original clone troopers nearly a decade or more before them.

[dafoo]

It made sense to me. =)