Jaki

These?

These?

" I don't understand why these guys can't shoot"
 
https://angrystaffofficer.com/2015/12/14/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-imperial-staff-officer/

" I don't understand why these guys can't shoot"
 
https://angrystaffofficer.com/2015/12/14/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-imperial-staff-officer/

I'm just reading all of this.  Under no circumstances should we salute since we are costumed characters, not an actual military unit.  Disney will frown upon it.  Even saluting to kids is not kosher, not all kids know what it means.  And as an ex-army soldier I spent my time saluting for real.  I don't need to salute to the public with a costume on.  I personally take it as a sign of disrespect to our actual military who do have to salute every day.  Please do not salute in costume in public.  No matter how much you think we are portraying a "military" unit, we are not.  Again, I'm going to say that Disney would not even allow it at this point.  I never will salute in costume.  And absolutely big fat NO to any "Hitler" style salutes.  If I see anyone doing that even as a joke you'll be meeting "Sgt Phillips", and you don't want to meet that gal ever.  Disney will shut us down in a big fat hurry if anyone does anything even close to that.  Be careful out there, and just don't salute (a nod of the head is all that is needed). 

I agree. A sloppy salute does nothing but make you look and everybody else look bad (a sentiment I wish many of my fellow servicemen shared) and it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you do it too. You got to love when the tinies give such enthusiastic salutes, though. They're always so pleased it can't help but put a smile on your face.

Salute in each country is different. But this movement must be fast, sharp, and crisp. Then it looks nice.  I think if you have the skill - to make it beautiful - yes, salute. if not- it is not necessary. 70% of cases - it goes crooked.
I personally prefer to stretch out at attention, without much fuss. If children salute - usually answer a slight nod and a shrug

I'm new, still working on my uniform, but I like the idea of saluting kids and such to make them happy.

I'm probably going to go with what I call, perhaps incorrectly, the British style salute. 
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03153/458686694_3153882b.jpg

It fits, as many of the actors were British.  It will be a bit hard due to my having learned the American version at basic.

As with most of the things we do we do it in response to or for our audience. As most onlookers, even the more versed ones, haven't studied the finer details of the Galactic Empire's salute tradition I usually just go with a normal modern-day-not-totalitarian-army-salute. That's a reference/gesture most people understand without receiving a lesson in military traditions or obscure Star Wars references.
Kids usually get all happy when they are saluted by a trooper. Especially if they salute and get a salute back. It's all about making the kids have a good time and give them something to remember.
As for the third reich salute.
That is based on the Roman salute.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_salute
The Roman Empire is base for many of our empire-terminology and traditions.
It's not a coincidence that the White House is situated on Capitol Hill and that there's a Senate in the U.S.
Those references to the Roman Empire are, however, not as tainted as the Roman Salute.
This got a bit long-winded.
The main point I'm trying to make here is to do what elicits the right response from the audience. For me that's, generally, the "normal" salute for kids and head nod / bow for grown-ups.

Salutes are supposed to be when covered (meaning a hat on for those of you who are unfamiliar with military terms) and outside. There are many movies that show saluting inside a building with no cover on (mostly World War II movies, shows, etc) but that has since changed. 
    For those of you who are interested, when you're in military uniform (at least with the US military), any time you enter a building, you are supposed to remove your cover/hat and put it on any time you're outside. (I speak from experience having these regulations drilled into my head
    I am well aware that this is cosplay and not a rigid requirement to salute, etc but I do think that it's important to have the bearing of a military officer/ crewmember. In my eyes, it makes it that much more realistic to people when you make an appearance.

Boot hooks are a must - and not just because I'm an old man   With the big boots you have two options - boot jacks, or pulling on those loops tjat Jared mentioned until it gets to the portion of your leg that your leg + fingers won't fit, and then you end up stomping your foot down to get the rest of the boot on your foot (no, I have no real world experience with this, why do you ask? *sheepish*)

I'd go as far as to say boot jacks are a must - to the point I ended up making my own.  Two things - as long as the ENTIRE receiving area on the jack (the round area you shove your heel in) is covered with suede or a thick leather type fabric, you shouldn't have an issue with any marring or scuffing.  Two, make VERY sure the jack is the right size for your foot - Too big and it won't do a damn thing to help you get the boot off, too small and you'll do what I did and snap the side right off, and again, it won't do a damn thing - either one you'll end up holding onto something for dear life while someone pulls your boot off and you hope they don't remove your leg with it.  (Hence why I made my own - I snapped two and was like "I have woodworking tools, why the hell am I paying for this crap?)

When I get my table saw working again (or replace it), I may post up an interest thread for jacks - I've already noticed some improvements I could make to mine, but it's serviceable and does the job.

There are lots of ways to stiffen the flares on your officer pants. This is how I do it.
Purchase an iron-on fabric stiffener product that you like. I've use this one (HeatnBond) and one from Sulky:

Cut the stiffener to the size you want. This depends on how stiff you want the flare of the pant to be. I typically go with a width of the flare to the inside where it meets my leg.

Turn the pants inside out and place the cut out pieces under the flare to the edge and trim off to a rounded edge.


Iron the rounded cut out to the inside of the pant leg. Depending on how stiff you want the flares to be you may just want to stabilize the front of the flare or both front and back. I personally do both.


When the heat cools off peel the paper off.

Enjoy the stiffened flares. (that's an order)

Check this for screencaps of the uniform as well. http://starwarsscreencaps.com/star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope-1977/
 
You can also look at some of the build threads here for staff officers as well as the Executor and Imperator threads for Level 2 and 3 staff officer builds respectively.

Great photo DaddySolo.  The cane really gives an extra bit of "coolness" to the officer costume. 

I march / walk like Lieutenant Sheckil (Jeremy Bulloch) - hands clasped behind my back, chin slightly up. I mentioned this to Mr Bulloch and he said he studied the military and copied it, I believe from the Polish.
 
When standing my feet about a foot apart, hands behind my back, a look of superiority (e.g. Veers, Piett).
 
It's very easy to 'over the egg' the look and poses and look more like a pantomime (or cartoon) villain, or have your legs too and look like you're trying to do the box splits.
 
For me I think of an Officer as quiet contempt - a Roman General, stiff upper lip English Officer - Michael Caine in Zulu / The eagle has landed. Some shout, which is good and the public react well to it, but it doesn't suit me as a person.
 
Take what you see in the film and put your spin on it.

Thanks, MichaelK
 
Link to the google drive folder for all three files:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7r6KDi0GVexQVlzbHN1czl0Nlk?usp=sharing
 
Shortened version of the same link:  https://goo.gl/p87xdi
 
If the officer quotes were turned into modern-day docu-dramas:
 
ANH:  Tarkin:  Grandest Moff
ESB:  Piett:  Moff in the Making
ROTJ:  CONTROL:  Air Traffic Controllers of the Galactic Empire

Mr Keever you rock!

Well kman, while I sit here waiting for my Cosplaysky uniform to arrive, I've taken it upon myself to help you out with that.
 
I found a script online, and copied all the lines over, then vetted them against my copy of ANH.  All I've got on my computer is the "Greedo shoots first" version... mea culpla... but I don't think any of the officers' lines were affected.
 
I'm working on ESB, but my roommate's ordered pizza, and that's distracting me.
 
Of course, this intel is unclassified, and is available to all Officer ranks...
Star Wars ANH Officer Quotes.pdf

I agree, pointing or fist pumping always seems to get the job done
 

 

I either do the fist pose like this one, pointing forward, or hands behind my back. One side effect that my wife caught me in last week is that I've started unconsciously defaulting to these poses for any pictures. Not always the best look for your happy family pic!

Look up WWII photos of German and British military officers. Look at their stance and bearing. That is going to be as close as you can get to looking the way they did on screen.

For me the first thing I noticed is how many people have no idea who you are. On my first troop I walked at Vader's side the whole time and most of the people would come up "Oooo Vader we love you!" and then look at me and say "Who are you supposed to be?"
We actually have a listing of things for officers to remember posted in our garrison academy to help people get better into the role. Some examples:
1) Never salute. Not a single officer is seen saluting in the films. Nods are acceptable.
2) Only walk *next* to Vader or the Emperor if you are speaking with them or they are speaking to you. Otherwise stay about a step behind.
3) While standing still the officers in the films seemed to prefer to have their hands clasped behind their backs and not in the front.
4) Stick by the "boss" whether it be Vader or the Emperor. You will be their eyes and ears for the event. Help them avoid hazards, without looking like you are helping and inform them if a fan is coming up from behind and trying to get their attention.
5) In general keep your eyes open as you will usually be the one person able to see the best. Especially important when you mix in denizens as most people in tusken masks can't see much of anything.
6) Expect to talk to people. Often people will talk to you a lot because they can see your face and aren't staring at blank lenses while trying to communicate.
7) Posture! Posture! Posture!
Always make sure your uniform is clean, neat and unwrinkled. You are in charge, aside from the boss. Look it!
9) Have fun! Be imperious and stern, but make sure you and those you interact with have fun!
I know some officers don't like to carry pistols. I prefer to carry a mersonn model-44. Everyone loves blasters and loves to see them and the model 44 makes it clear that while I am armed I am most definitely not doing all the heavy lifting in the shooting department. Of course I just have fun customizing blasters too. So my first two were a mersonn model 44 and mersonn power-5 instead of the standard dl-44, dh-17 or e-11.
Butch

Id say the best peice of advice i can give is stay in character and maintain the "SHOW". I am a disneyland employee and one thing ive learned from working for that company is that maitaining the show is one of the things that seperates us from other theme parks. It is something we focus on and put alot of effort into and i can see alot of parallels in keeping this mentaility in the 501st as well!
1. Maintain show: For example, if a kid asks you if that is really darth vader, dnt ruin the magic and say "naw thats steve, hes just darth vader today, but some days he is a stormtrooper" or something like that. Try to keep in character "yes that is lord vader, hes my boss but dnt get him angry because he is trained in the dark side of the force" or something like that. Try to keep the fantasy alive and remember to always value the magic, especially to kids for often times they really do believe that IS truely darth vader.
2. Posture, Body Language: To re-emphisize what a few others have said, maintaining a good posture is a good traight to have. Keep your hands out of your pockets (if you have them) and try not to lean. Stand up straight and walk with your head up especially when marching a parade.
3. Themed Phrasing: Try to talk as though an officer in the empire would. Play up the fact that you are an officer in the imperial military and use phrases as such. For example if vader or another officer are talking to you try to respond to them with themed phrasing; "yes my lord" or "as you wish commander", etc.
4. History: also along with what another trooper has said on this topic, know your history, try to be able to identify other types of officers, armored troopers, pilots, etc. so if someone asks you can answer their question and help educate them on star wars history. They will expect this usually comming from someone as dedicated as a legion member but also it will help maintain the show if you can identify other characters, troopers. Layman: "Excuse me sir, i noticed that those guys with the black helmets are pilots right? then why do some of them have the red stripe on their arms? what does it mean?" Officer: "yes you are correct, they are pilots. The ones with the red stripe are an elite group of pilots serving in the 181st tie fighter group, they serve under the baron capt. soontir fel. The red stripe signifies them as ace pilots with ten or more enemy kills."
5. Know your ranks: if at all possible try to memorise the rank insignia and what they mean, so that when you address another officer you can address them by their rank, "yes general sir!" ... "as you wish Captain" etc.
6. lastly be friendly: although we are officers in the empire and are seen as the "bad guys" we should also try to be friendly. It is appropriate to act bad and maybe be stern or have a menacing look about you, but their is a line between being a menacing character, and comming off as a jerk. learn how to differenciate between the two and when it is appropriate or not. you will learn some kids may be scared of some of the costumed members especially those with helmets, pilots, troopers, etc. try to reassure them that it isnt scary and that it is just cool! its fun taking pictures with people and seeing the looks on their faces when they are standing side to side with one of their fave characters from the movies! maintain this fantasy for them and make sure to have a good time while doing it.
wow a bit more long winded then i thought.... lol these are what ive notcied work for me at work while in costyume at disneyland... i hope what i was able to bring to the table will be some good advice for fellow troopers! any feedback on what i have said would also be appreciated whenter it be constructive or positive
-magic

Lets see……. I will repeat some ( the ones I really think are important) and others I have demied also important.
1.- Boots!!!! Whereas costume as really everyday use, DON’T be a cheap skate!!! Get good ones!!! I actually have a pair of of GI leather boots that my Father got while he was in the Air Force as a Medical Officer ( Hematologist) at Wright-Patterson, in the 50´s. ( Yes he believes in the Conspiracy theories …. Regardless he has Pretty cool stories of the Base) Any way back to the boots, He wore them, till they had to get the soles changed ( Base cobbler told him to change the soles when my dad wanted to get a new pair) my Brother used them till they needed to have the soles changed once again, I still wear them and soles don’t need changed!!!!! Boots are more than 60 yrs old and Leather is still in awesome shape!!!!!!
2.- Take care of your good Boots, hydrate (with shoe/boot oils) the leather every so often, keep clean, polish and in appropriate storage when not in use ( don’t have then in the back of your closet collection dust)
3. Break in your boots previous event, I personally use my Officer knee high boots at least 2-3 day before a big event, to let the leather readjust, polishing before and after using them.
4.- Brush up on Legion History and Local Garrison/Squad/Outpost history, I have noticed that ppl are more chatty with me in my Officer then with a outfit that has a Helmet.
5. Always have one of thous dust/ hair stiky roller thingies to keep your outfit tip top in events.
6. I personally don’t salute as a Officer, not being in any of the branches of the Military I feel uncomfortable saluting as I am a simple civilian, but I do click my heels and bow my head like u see in the Movies
7. PLZ REMEMBER THAT THE BELT DOESN’T GO ON YOUR WAIST!!!!!! IT GOES AT THE LEVEL OF YOUR NAVEL!!!!!!!

I had my pocket side 1 slightly longer than side 2 so I can overlap at the bottom of the pocket for strength. Sew.

 
Here's what it looks like complete. Iron flat.


 
Last time on my staff officer jodhpurs, I secured the pocket with metal snaps. I found on troops the snap would come open and annoy me. This time, velcro. Beats carrying your phone in your boot!

 
Hope this is helpful to someone. It is basic sewing for those that make their own uniforms, but an easy pocket for novice seamsters and someone who needs it done quick!