Shadow stormtrooper snipers were covert snipers used by the Galactic Empire. They were often called upon by Emperor Palpatine to execute his enemies. Virtually all of the countless missions and operations undertaken by the shadow snipers, as well as the identities of the snipers themselves, remained classified. The only covert operation ever to go public was Operation: Insurrection. One shadow stormtrooper sniper and his spotter were dispatched to planet Teth in Wild Space to stop a mercenary insurrection. The operation became public when the Rodian mercenary Vill Vorren acquired holo-cam footage of the soldiers fending off mercenaries. It was speculated, albeit it was unknown, whether or not the mercenaries were working for the Alliance to Restore the Republic.