The Stormtrooper Commander, at least the one from the video game The Force Unleashed with the distinctive blue markings, is no longer canon.  There is, however, a Stormtrooper Commander in the new Disney Canon, which is from Jedi: Fallen Order. He is really just a stormtrooper with an orange pauldron.  Without much fanfare, it was included in the Stormtroopers multi-pack earlier this year as a variant to the plain trooper.  When I say without fanfare, I mean that it isn’t named anywhere on the package, and it isn’t specifically sourced to JFO.  So it’s almost like it just snuck into the line. 

This OG Stormtrooper Commander uses the rocker-ankled and OT-sourced VC231 as the base, with the only difference being that it also uses the no-holster belt from the Rogue One-sourced VC140.  So it’s kind of a kit-bash.  The paint job is outstanding.  It even includes an additional blaster rifle, which is not included with any other stormtrooper figure.  VC254 makes a real mockery of the original 2008 figure, which, in comparison, looks almost comical.  I say that with regard to both the paint application, as well the sculpt. 

Here’s my only problem with this figure.  It isn’t hard enough to get.  You just order(ed) it online from one of your favorite retailers.  You damn kids have no idea what an absolute nightmare it was to acquire the original Thirtieth Anniversary Collection* figure from 2008.  If you don’t know what that was about, or don’t recall, I suggest you read the review.  In a nutshell, you had slaughter an ocelot with a shrimp fork, write a limerick in Cantonese, decipher the Voynich Manuscript, and then wait on line at a GameStop store at midnight, wearing lederhosen, in hopes of getting the opportunity to spin the Wheel of Mayhem and having it stop on “Spleen”, allowing you to choose whether to donate blood or win a free (or not free) Stormtrooper Commander figure.  Anyone who has the gall to complain about Target’s handling of exclusives today clearly has no concept of…anything.

This stormtrooper figure is awesome, and the upgrade to the 2008 version is staggering.  I’m sure folks will pass on this character that is no longer canon, but that would be a mistake.  10/10.

*Technically it was already The Legacy Collection by the time it was released, but the packaging was TAC all the way.