Trooper

Troopers are the main ground force used by Doctor Robotnik during his tyrannical rule of planet Mobius. The Troopers maintain order in the streets, guard Robotnik's important facilities, and round up Emerald Hill Folk to be turned into badniks. Some have specialised functions beyond these.

History
The Troopers were developed and first manufactured in a six month period, in which Sonic the Hedgehog and his closest friends were absent from Mobius due to Robotnik's trickery. In this same period, Robotnik conquered the entire planet, and Troopers became the most obvious sign of his rule.

In the early days of Robotnik's rule, most Troopers operated out of Robotnik's Egg Fortress in the Special Zone. They were able to warp to Mobius and back again by means of special, flying Troop Ships.

Characteristics
Troopers are much stronger and better armoured than regular badniks, which initially made it difficult for Sonic to beat them. However, they also do not possess organic batteries, which allowed Sonic to use his full strength and destroy them that way.

In general, Troopers resemble humanoid robots, with red armour, bucket-like helmets (resembling German Stahlhelme) and grey, skeletal faces. They are often emblazoned with Robotnik's face as a logo. While Troopers are supposedly mass-produced, they appear to be highly variable. It is not unheard of for large groups of Troopers to have no two robots look exactly alike. Differences may include the shape of the jaw (pointed and square teeth are both common), adornments, and the shape of the armour. Some Troopers even have armour that is not red, such as the white Troopers in General Trusk's personal guard.

The elite Troopers from the Special Badnik Service or S.B.S. (based on the Nazi S.S.) is also highly adapted and specialised. Commander Brutus was originally a member of the S.B.S. before being programmed with Robotnik's brainwaves into the ultimate Trooper.

Trivia

 * Although "Trooper" became the most commonly used name to refer to these types of badniks, the term was not used until Sonic the Comic #45, "Enter the Cybernik, Part 1". Until then they ad been referred to almost exclusively as "soldier badniks".