MovieChat Forums > The Walking Dead (2010) Discussion > Why do the Commonwealth troops wear that...

Why do the Commonwealth troops wear that armor?


What is it actually for?

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I'd say the same reason Alexandria and ?? the beach place sometimes wore armor ... or plastic protection ... to avoid bites. It's a good idea, and if you take apart most of the on-camera scenes where a "biter" has bitten one of those storm troopers, they successful bites are super contrived and probably would not happen unless someone wanted to get bit.

In that world it would be a good idea to wear protection.

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It's obviously some protection against bites in a real world, but I was being a bit facetious. It never once seemed to have any effectiveness against anything in the show. Like storm trooper armor, it's entire purpose seemed to be to help the good guys disguise themselves.

In the same spirit: Those arm hooks, what the hell were they for? Getting caught on things to restrict your movement? I get the armor, but those were cartoonishly silly.

It's also bright white, the stupidest color they could have used. No good to conceal yourself from enemy humans or zombies.

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You’re over-thinking this.

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Just some light speculation for light amusement.

It is a bit annoying when people who make shows like this make such bizarre costume etc. decisions, and I think it's worth a little ridicule.

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> It never once seemed to have any effectiveness against anything in the show.

My point was that in real life against someone trying to bite you, wearing that kind of armor would probably protect you close to 100%.

As to the color, it is for show, like Police Blue, or the British Redcoats. There is little point in concealing yourself from zombies, and for people it is a symbol of state power.

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Ok.

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as walkers get older their teeth get harder

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Obviously ... and their jaw muscles get stronger.

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Obviously... and their gums hold teeth like a vice.

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Lucky they don't need dental care when they are dead, because they could not afford it when they were alive.

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"as walkers get older their teeth get harder"

And their skulls get softer. I have theorized that over time, the zombie virus pulls all the minerals and such from the skull and deposits them on the teeth and jaw, causing soft leathery skulls that can be pierced by a Q-tip, but super strong jaws that can bite through anything.

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The walkers did tend to get through it relatively easy, didn't they?

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Yes. In reality that armor would have some effectiveness, but in the show it was like bizarro world armor.

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Storm Trooper - fascist references.

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Yeah of course, that's obviously what they were going for. Plagiaristic and a silly juvenile choice for what's supposed to be an adult show. Jeez the guys are even wearing the itchy pinchy constrictive armor when on basic guard duty in their own prison and offices.

And just like storm trooper armor it was inspired by, when it comes to the crunch it's apparently completely useless. I honestly can't think of one instance in the show where it had any defensive value. There were a few time a completely unarmored person miraculously got out of a lethal situation completely unscathed, but the commonwealth outfit may as well have been bacon infused toilet paper (I assume zombies like bacon, who doesn't?).

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The stormtrooper armor is ridiculous. It obviously did not exist in the pre-apocalypse world. How did the Commonwealth make the armor? They should have just used a modern military uniform with Kevlar plates. It took me right out of the show and made me think I was watching something like that old '80s show, V.

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If they are trying to protect themselves against firearms from other humans, then military body armor makes sense. If they're just trying to protect themselves against bites, then any heavy fabric will do. Denim, canvas, nylon, leather, or any number of durable clothing.

Great point about the existence of the armor. Where did it come from? Do they have advanced manufacturing methods? If they do, why waste it on the silly armor? Why not use that for more useful items?

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I think Pam's dad could be a star wars fan lol

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