Figure of the Day: Day 1,064: Jes Gistang, the first female Stormtrooper of Joker Squad

JES GISTANG World's First Female Stormtrooper
The Legacy Collection Entertainment Earth Exclusive
Item No.: No. 87923
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, helmet, bazooka, 5 more figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: March 2009
Appearances: Legacy Comic Books

Bio: Jes Gistang was a Corellian Human female who served as a stormtrooper in Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire circa 137 ABY. As a young woman, she decided to join the 407th Stormtrooper Division through the Imperial Mission, an organization that helped individuals to spread Imperial influence. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Backyard, ho.

Commentary: For years, fans have asked "what would a Stormtrooper look like with boobs?" A few years ago Dark Horse gave us an actual glimpse of a character with real lines and stuff in the Star Wars Legacy comic book series, and yes, she had boobs. The armor was similar to that of the regular troops, but was a little thinner and more appropriate to her form. This leads me to wonder if in the future, if someone like Porkins would be able to get custom-built armor or if they only make armor for skinny chicks.

The figure is, for the most part, new. The legs seem new, the body and arms are new, and the head is obviously new. The blaster is recycled, the bazooka is a reuse of a G.I. Joe weapon (just like Hondo Karr's dagger), and the helmet is a typical Stormtrooper helmet. It's a little snug, but it fits. This figure lacks a holster, which is fine really-- those things just get in the way of sitting. It's very unusual for Hasbro to make completely new molds for Internet boxed set exclusives without reusing them, so it's pretty awesome to have a set with two of them in it.

While there's a fair amount of discussion on the authenticity of the figures, it seems to be a case of artistic license. The Legacy comic artists are fairly inconsistent with how the Stormtrooper armor is drawn in the 100+ years after Palpatine ate it, so little things like the helmet detail and some aspects of the torso armor seem to get drawn differently. The knee armor, well, that doesn't quite match the comic art generally. The upside is that these figures could mix with your regular Stormtrooper squadrons, Jes could probably also make a great Leiatrooper, should the need ever arise in a story or game or something. I think she turned out great, but I'm a sucker for a good trooper figure.

Collector's Notes: Full disclosure: we asked for this from Hasbro as part of my day job at, you guessed it, Entertainment Earth. These figures are currently available. I have seen people break up the set to sell figures individually, and Jes (along with Maleval) are the ones that command premium pricing. As such, she seems to be one of the more desirable ones for now, but that changes as fans get into something else.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,064: July 13, 2009