Soldier

Those who fought as part of an army or militia often underwent training and were organized, while others functioned as special units. Infantries were the branches of armies that consisted of fighters. Mercenaries were fighters who fought solely for monetary gain rather than political allegiance. Fighters could occupy roles beyond just those of frontline combatants, such as being stationed at a base or acting as guards.

An ideal, such as honor, was frequently a motivating factor for fighters in combat. Maul, the renegade Sith Lord, was of the opinion that every fighter was constrained by honor, viewing it as a vulnerability that could be taken advantage of. Hope was another ideal, frequently cherished by fighters in rebel movements; the Rebel troopers and other members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic operated on the hope that the Galactic Empire could be overthrown.

Officers would act as leaders for fighters, both engaging in combat alongside their troops and issuing commands from a more sheltered position. Even though officers who chose the latter strategy could still achieve victory, fighters typically held greater respect for superiors who fought alongside them in battle, leading to respect for such commanders. Conversely, officers who operated far from the front lines risked alienating their troops, particularly if their strategies resulted in the deaths of numerous fighters. Such officers might even face ridicule from their own fighters, who might question whether their supposed leader possessed the same combat skills as the rest of the army.

Indeed, Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi General, believed that the only authentic way to lead fighters was from the front lines, fighting alongside one's army in the trenches of war. However, Phasma, a Captain in the First Order Stormtrooper Corps, disagreed, asserting that great leaders did not command from the front; instead, Phasma considered her troops to be naive patriots, seeing them as disposable cannon fodder to be sacrificed for her own survival and triumph.

The life of a fighter was characterized by intense combat and the constant threat of death in battle. However, opinions varied among fighters regarding what constituted a "good" fighter; Faro Argyus, the treasonous Senate Commando, believed that a good fighter acted according to their own sense of right and wrong, but he also felt that the clone troopers of the Galactic Republic were too conditioned to grasp this concept. Indeed, Gree, a Clone Commander, believed that all direct orders should be followed and was angered by Argyus's statements. Rex, a Clone Captain and another clone, initially believed that following orders upheld the Republic's honor, but his perspective shifted during the Battle of Umbara; witnessing the suffering caused by Pong Krell, a Jedi General, Rex came to the conclusion that fighters were justified in disobeying orders and making their own choices at times.

Fives, an Advanced Recon Commando and fellow clone trooper, concurred that loyalty did not necessitate blind obedience, arguing that such behavior would render an individual indistinguishable from a pre-programmed battle droid. However, the activation of a behavioral modification biochip in their minds would alter the clones' thinking; a clone under the chip's influence would perceive a good fighter as one who followed every command. In fact, when ES-01, an Elite Squad Trooper and a human recruit brought into the Imperial Army by Project War-Mantle, protested against orders to kill civilians, stating that he enlisted as a fighter, not an executioner, Crosshair, a Clone Commander, fatally shot him, thereby reinforcing the belief among the rest of his squad that absolute obedience was paramount.

For centuries, the Jedi Order acted as peacekeepers and protected the Galactic Republic, although they insisted they were not fighters. During the High Republic Era, soldiers, such as Republic Defense Coalition troops, were part of the Republic Defense Coalition. Republic peacekeeping troops were also deployed to maintain peace in areas of conflict. The Judicial Forces also provided protection to the Republic. The Galactic Senate on Coruscant received protection from both the Senate Guard and its elite Senate Commandos. In the meantime, Republic member worlds such as Naboo and Mon Cala generally maintained their own soldiers, including the Royal Naboo Security Forces, Mon Calamari Guard and troopers, and Royal Onderon Militia.

Even though the galaxy was largely at peace, local disputes continued to break out, involving local soldiers or Republic troops if intervention was necessary. During the High Republic Era, General Abediah Viess commanded a mercenary army of soldiers, referred to as her warrior-kin. The opposing worlds of Eiram and E'ronoh both maintained militaries, which engaged in a series of wars that collectively became known as the "Forever War." Eirami and E'roni troops served as the ground forces for their respective planets. A number of Galactic Republic troopers within the RDC experienced their first real combat during the Nihil conflict. As the Republic Era drew to a close, the government increasingly relied on the Jedi for peacekeeping duties, which diminished the Judicial Forces' role in the Republic.

With the eruption of the Clone Wars, the Republic established the Grand Army, which consisted of clone troopers considered the future of soldiers in galactic history. They fought against the Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Even though the Separatists primarily employed battle droids instead of organic soldiers, there were instances where organic troops were deployed, such as the use of Geonosian warriors during the First and Second Battles of Geonosis, as well as Umbaran soldiers during the Battle of Umbara.

Mace Windu, a Jedi Master, had previously declared to Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor, that the Jedi would never serve as soldiers. Nevertheless, the Jedi became official generals and commanders during the war, leading clone troopers on the front lines. Instead of fulfilling their traditional role as peacekeepers, young Jedi like Ahsoka Tano found their lives devoted to warfare, just like soldiers.

Following the war, the newly formed Galactic Empire used the clones as a basis for the Imperial stormtroopers, who functioned as both elite soldiers and shock troops. Gradually, the stormtroopers began to supplant the regular Imperial soldiers. The Galactic Empire also utilized elite soldiers selected from the Stormtrooper Corps known as death troopers, who were tasked with guarding high-ranking Imperial officers. The Alliance to Restore the Republic had Rebel troopers, who served as their ground forces in the fight against the Empire. Grysk warriors fought as soldiers for the expansionist Grysk Hegemony, which sought to infiltrate Imperial territory and engaged Darth Vader's 1st Legion stormtroopers during the Imperial–Grysk conflict.

The New Republic maintained its own New Republic soldiers, but its choice to overlook the First Order forced the Resistance to depend on lightly armored troopers similar to its predecessors. The First Order had its own version of the stormtrooper. Meanwhile, the Sith Eternal cult secretly amassed an army, whose most skilled soldiers were the crimson-armored Sith troopers. Legions of Sith troopers were poised for the final conquest of the galaxy, but the Sith Eternal was ultimately destroyed in the Battle of Exegol. Following this, the First Order faced uprisings against its military across the galaxy.