Star Wars: Joker Squad stormtroopers

Seriously, this was one of my most anticipated Star Wars pack for the year in addition to the upcoming Wedge Antilles X-Wing, the Scramble from Yavin battle pack and the Jabba's throne pack. When I saw this on the shelves of most of the shopping malls around the city, I thank God that it got through all the crap 'exclusively for Walmart/Target-stores-only' bureaucracy thing!

But before I show some of the pictures I've taken of these excellent figures. A brief history on Joker Squad and why I'm so intrigued by their story...

Technically, Joker Squad made their 1st appearance in Star Wars Legacy #4: Noob:

And later on (albeit different team members save for one surviving 'Noob' and the Sergeant from #4) in #16 and #17 respectively. But let's just focus on the 1st appearance issue for discussion sake.

Joker Squad was a stormtrooper squad of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire. As of 137 ABY it was part of Company C, Battalion 9, 407th Stormtrooper Division and based on Yinchorr. Members of the squad were called "Jokers."

Its members at that time included:

* Lord Maleval, a Quarren Sith Lord armed with a red lightsaber and a lightwhip. Loyal to Darth Krayt, this Quarren villain features a cloth robe with wires inside so you may pose it any way you see fit along with loads of articulation.

* Sergeant Harkas, or "Hardcase" as his men call him, has uniquely decorated armor indicating his rank. This tough-as-nails trooper leads his men against the opposition in the name of the Emperor!

* Anson Trask, fresh out of training, is the "noob" of the group. Having just been assigned to his first mission, this soldier is ready to fight alongside his squad mates against a worthy foe-- a group of defectors!

* Jes Gistang handles the heavy weapons in Joker Squad, and she's the first-ever female Stormtrooper in the Star Wars action figure line! With slicked-back red hair and a weapon nearly as big as she is, this amazing figure is ready to rain down the pain on her enemies!

* Hondo Karr, rumored to be an ex-Mandalorian, is as proficient with his blade as he is with a blaster. Surprising for a Stormtrooper, this anti-authoritarian loose cannon is a bit of a mystery. Can he be trusted with the future of the Empire?

* Vax Potorr was born on Coruscant, and through a life of hardship, he eventually found his way into Joker Squad. Ready to jump head-first into battle, he has his eye on the enemy and his blaster aimed right at their heads!

During the Battle of Borosk, Gistang and Potorr were killed, Harkas was wounded, and Karr deserted. This left only Anson Trask and a replacement who arrived after the battle. Later, Sgt. Harkas, Anson Trask, Private Orland, and presumably the rest of the rebuilt Joker squad, went searching for Jedi on Ossus.

Why do I find the story on Joker Squad so fascinating? Well, the ending of #4 of 'Legacy showed that friendship, common sense, conscience and gut feeling eventually prevails over blind loyalty and supposedly unquestionable orders. Read the particular issue to find out more. I've read it again many many times since I got the action-figures....hehe.

My opinion, they should've done a figure for Lieutenant Gil Cassel or even his 'defecto' brother, Captain Jared Cassel. Why? Because they were instrumental in playing out the plot in the story as well. But that's just me...

Anyway, these are some pictures I've taken on the figures: