709th Legion

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"There are Resistance scum hiding out here somewhere on Batuu—and the Red Fury will burn down this entire rats' nest to smoke them out, Lieutenant Agnon."

―A stormtrooper sergeant^[1]

The 709th Legion, also known as the "Red Fury," was an elite stormtrooper legion in the military forces of the First Order under the command of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. The legion's ranks were chosen by Ren himself, and included specialized units, such as megablaster heavy assault troopers, consisting in total of eight thousand infantry troopers of the Stormtrooper Corps. Lieutenant Agnon and a stormtrooper sergeant served as staff officers of the 709th. The TIE/es assault shuttle was the legion's starship and main transport.

The 709th occupied the Black Spire Outpost of the Outer Rim world of Batuu during the war between the First Order and the Resistance. Part of their mission was to seek out and destroy Resistance forces on Batuu; as such, they took a coercive approach when dealing with members of the local population, such as Dok-Ondar who was warned against aiding the First Order's enemies by the sergeant in the 709th. During the occupation of Black Spire, a squad of 709th stormtroopers attempted to capture the Clawdite fugitive Remex Io.

Description[]

"We don't know. But Kylo Ren is on his way, along with the Seven Hundred and Ninth Legion. Those are his elite stormtroopers, chosen by Kylo himself. We're sending help, but—"

―Green Leader, to Vi Moradi^[2]

Nicknamed the "Red Fury," the 709th Legion was an elite infantry legion in the First Order Stormtrooper Corps,^[1] At full strength, the 709th consisted of eight thousand stormtroopers^[7] chosen by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren himself and under his command.^[2] It utilized several stormtroopers—both regular troopers^[1] and variant units, such as megablaster heavy assault troopers.^[5]

The TIE/es assault shuttle, also known as a TIE echelon, was a First Order military vessel that the 709th utilized for transportation. The design of its cockpit was inspired by Kylo Ren's Upsilon-class command shuttle and the Imperial TIE Advanced x1 piloted by his grandfather, the Sith Lord Darth Vader.^[8]

History[]

Deployment to Black Spire[]

"I expect nothing less, Sergeant. And before we are done, Batuu will never be the same."

―Lieutenant Agnon^[1]

TIE Echelon GE1 — A detachment of the 709th Legion "Red Fury" arrived at the Black Spire Outpost, located on the planet Batuu, via a TIE/es assault shuttle.

The 709th Legion was active during the galactic war between the First Order and the Resistance.^[1] In 34 ABY,^[9] following the ascension of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren,^[10] the 709th were deployed to the Outer Rim Territories of the galaxy; their mission at the time was to occupy the Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu and eliminate Resistance forces in the area, Arriving at the outpost in the TIE echelon, a sub-unit of the 709th operated under the command of a First Order officer, Lieutenant Agnon, as well as a stormtrooper sergeant.^[1]

The 709th were dismissive of the residents of Black Spire, referring to them as "Batuuan rats" and the outpost as a "rats' nest." However, they did enjoy the fear that the locals felt in the presence of the 709th. Fervently loyal to the First Order, the 709th despised the Resistance and were prepared to destroy all of Black Spire in order to draw out and kill any insurgents in the vicinity. Such measures were proposed by the sergeant and supported by his commanding officer, Agnon, who expected nothing less from the soldiers under his command.^[1]

Accosting a shopkeeper[]

"Consider this a friendly warning to report any contact with the Resistance. It would be a pity…if all your rare relics were reclassified as contraband and ordered destroyed."

―A stormtrooper sergeant, to Dok-Ondar^[5]

709th Legion Red Fury GE 2 — Tasked with hunting Resistance spies, the 709th began interrogating the population of Black Spire.

The First Order's search for Resistance spies led the 709th to the Den of Antiquities, where they interrogated the shop's owner, Dok-Ondar. While questioning the Ithorian shopkeeper, the sergeant inspected one of the relics—the lightsaber of Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi, who fought in the Clone Wars until he was betrayed and executed by his clone troopers. Dok-Ondar interpreted the sergeant's questions as veiled threats and claimed he was nothing more than a humble proprietor, but the sergeant had heard of his reputation for selling valuable relics for the right price, which led him to believe that the Resistance would seek out Dok-Ondar in order to acquire the Jedi lightsaber. Before the stormtroopers could leave, having warned Dok-Ondar to report any contact with the Resistance or suffer the confiscation and destruction of property, the Ithorian took note of the sergeant's ignorance of galactic history and felt the need to explain how he procured the lightsaber.^[5]

The sergeant found the story neither interesting nor relevant to the 709th's mission. Dok-Ondar's point was that the lightsaber was indeed a powerful symbol; the weapon of a true warrior, it outlasted not only its owner but also survived throughout the ages, including the fall of the Galactic Republic, the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire, and the era of the New Republic. In all likelihood, the lightsaber would outlast even the First Order, according to Dok-Ondar. Furthermore, he warned the sergeant against resorting to strong-arm tactics because the cooperation of influential citizens was essential to the 709th Legion's control of the Black Spire Outpost, which was tenuous at best. The sergeant grudgingly walked away, having received reports of possible Resistance activity in the marketplace, but warned the Ithorian that he would return.^[5]

Shoot to kill[]

"Didn't say anything about taking him back "whole," though. If he keeps making me run he'll suffer for—"
"Open fire! Do not let him get off another shot. I take back what I said about bringing him in alive."

―Stormtroopers of the 709th Legion^[11]

709th Legion Red Fury GE 3 — Though ordered to detain Remex Io, the 709th was prepared to kill the scoundrel.

Due to past events,^[5] the First Order issued a warrant for the arrest of Remex Io—the Clawdite member of Kendoh Voss' crew—after discovering the fugitive's location in Black Spire with the help of Dok-Ondar's associate, Varg. Confronted by a squad of the 709th Legion, Io fled through the marketplace dodging blaster fire as the stormtroopers pursued him. Despite their orders to take Io alive, the troopers opened fire on their target as they pursued him through the streets, resulting in the death of a civilian who was caught in the crossfire. One of the stormtroopers implied that this was because their orders technically never said anything about bringing him back "whole."^[11]

During the pursuit, one of the stormtroopers was shot by Io, causing his squadmates to abandon their efforts to detain him in favor of simply killing the Clawdite. After losing sight of their target, a bystander told the stormtroopers that the fugitive was running in the direction of the spaceport. They thanked the civilian for assisting the First Order, unaware that it was Io using his species' shape-shifting ability.^[11]

Engaging the Resistance[]

"Attention all Batuuans. The 709th Legion of the First Order requests your cooperation here at Black Spire Outpost. We value all First Order Loyalists and it would be wise to aid in our efforts."

―RF-1634^[12]

Eventually, the Red Fury encountered two individuals on Batuu that were suspected to be Resistance spies and attempted to apprehend them. However, they ended up engaging the two in a lightfight that proved difficult enough that they were forced to call in their sergeant to provide backup, with the sergeant having to prematurely depart from a briefing with his superior, Lieutenant Agnon. The sergeant was not pleased with his unit having difficulty against only two Resistance spies, especially having a stormtrooper being killed by them, but nevertheless managed to intercept and ultimately kill them via a speeder he had brought along. However, it turned out the two individuals had no ties to the Resistance due to their falling easily before him when cornered. The unit was ultimately updated regarding three persons of interest being spotted near the spaceport, with their ultimately leaving the area due to there being nothing of interest in the vicinity, as well as having an informant follow them in case they leave the planet.^[13]

Eventually, the Red Fury, alongside their sergeant, encountered the Kendoh Gang and trapped them in the Den of Antiquities, with RS-2112, at the sergeant's orders, promptly whacking Wooro across the face with his baton in a form of intimidation against Voss. However, Voss managed to escape by using a lightsaber to destroy a baby sarlacc's containment field, killing ZJ-7199 in the process. A stormtrooper alerted his comrades about Voss, ordering them to set up a perimeter to trap her. When they received an anonymous tip about their location, they were led off the chase. Dok-Ondar had tricked them again, helping the Kendoh Gang escape as payment for his acquisition of the now completed Sword of Khashyun.^[14]

Behind the scenes[]

"The 709th, the Red Fury, There are some stories to be told about those folks, and why they're here, what they came looking for — or who they came looking for."

―Scott Trowbridge^[8]

The 709th Legion first appeared in the first issue of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge comic series that was released on April 24, 2019.^[15]