For other uses, see S.T.A.R.S. (disambiguation).
Prime universe
(Capcom's primary storyline)
S.T.A.R.S. logo
The Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) (特殊戦術及び救助部隊 tokushu-senjutsu oyobi kyūjo butai?) was an elite special forces division under the jurisdiction of the Raccoon Police Department. It employed ex-military personnel and academic experts for appropriate positions within the police department.[1] The overall idea was to form a team combining tactically-sound soldiers with scientists, allowing the team to operate in both anti-terrorism and increasingly-potent urban crime scenarios.[2][notes 1]


A unit of hand-picked specialists[3] working with the Raccoon Police Department, S.T.A.R.S. was founded in 1996 in order to combat the increasing rate of terrorism and other violent crimes in Raccoon City. The special tactics team was formed as part of Mayor Michael Warren's redevelopment campaign, "Bright Raccoon 21", funded generously and heavily by the private sector, most notably the Umbrella Corporation.[1][2][4] In late 1997, the RPD promoted a seminar for new members that included a written exam [5] of which Kevin Ryman had reportedly flunked twice due to his behavior.[6] By July 1998, with the addition of rookie graduate Rebecca Chambers,[7] S.T.A.R.S was comprised of twelve members split into two teams; an "Alpha" team led by Captain Albert Wesker, and a "Bravo" team led by Vice-Captain Enrico Marini, though overall command of the whole team was given to Wesker.

The unit had commissioned the Kendo brothers to develop custom sidearms, the Beretta 92F Custom 'Samurai Edge' shortly after the units formation and after a year of test trials for different designs, the concept was approved by Chief Irons. The unit had obtained a majority of their custom arsenal from the Kendo brothers.

Two years after its formation, S.T.A.R.S. was deployed to investigate a series of brutal cannibalistic homicides, which had taken place in the Arklay Mountains on the outskirts of the city.[citation needed] Bravo team was sent in on July 23, 1998 to investigate these incidents.[8]

However, contact with Bravo team was lost and on the following day, Alpha team was dispatched to follow-up on Bravo team's mission and investigate their disappearance.[9] Their probe of the area led to an isolated mansion (The base of Umbrella's Arklay Laboratory), where various mutated creatures run amok and the mansion's very research staff transformed into Zombies as a result of a viral outbreak.[citation needed] Moreover, the members of Alpha team also found the remains of some of their Bravo team compatriots, while finding others on the brink of death (with the exception of Rebecca Chambers, who managed to escape with the Alpha team).[notes 2]

It was revealed that the experiments in the mansion were conducted by the international Umbrella Corporation and that the S.T.A.R.S. team's leader, Albert Wesker, was a double agent working for Umbrella, who had orchestrated the deaths of his subordinates in order to collect test battle data for Umbrella's rival company.

The team managed to thwart Wesker's plot by killing the T-002 Tyrant prototype.[citation needed] Only Alpha team members Jill Valentine; Chris Redfield; Barry Burton; Brad Vickers (Alpha team's helicopter pilot, who initially left the team stranded in the first place, but later regained his composure and airlifted the survivors), and Bravo team survivor Rebecca Chambers survived the mansion incident officially.[notes 3] Albert Wesker survived his injury from the Tyrant and escaped the mansion on his own before its detonation.[10]

The S.T.A.R.S. office had to go through a major clean out as over half of the officers were murdered (by-products of Umbrella). Their desks were cleaned out and, as such, nearly every member had their own desk to work at, save Brad.

After their return to civilization, S.T.A.R.S. requested a full-scale investigation of Umbrella's activities.[citation needed] However, many found their outlandish story too unbelievable to be possible[notes 4] and the Chief of Police, Brian Irons (who was secretly on Umbrella's payroll)[citation needed] disbanded the team officially, replacing the unit with the R.P.D's newly established S.W.A.T. unit to serve as the city's armed response unit.[1] Chris, Jill, and Barry banded together and participated in anti-Umbrella operations around the globe.[11]




An old photograph with S.T.A.R.S. operators on it. Note that this was taken before Rebecca Chambers' joining. it is also worth noting that there are twelve members shown in the photo here, one of whom is unidentified. It is unclear who this character is.

S.T.A.R.S. was comprised of two different teams: Alpha and Bravo, totaling twelve members. Each team was organized based on the tactical squad formation, with five operators on the field and a helicopter pilot. The teams would remain on-duty for 24-hour shifts before switching to the other team, allowing S.T.A.R.S. to remain active in the event of an emergency.[12]

Unit positions

The operators were assigned to one of the following positions:

  • Mission Leader (field commander of the team)
  • Pointman (field scouting and reconnaissance timelines)
  • Backup Man (provides assistance to the Pointman)
  • Omni Man (in charge of vehicle and weapon maintenance)
  • Rear Security (in charge of establishing contact between the headquarters and the helicopter, as well as treating injured teammates).
Backup Man Pointman
Leader Omni-Man
Rear Security Rear Security

There is a member of both teams assigned to one of those positions, with an additional Rear Security operative in both teams in charge of piloting the helicopter.


The requirements for becoming a member of S.T.A.R.S. are not made too clear though military backgrounds were present in at least three members.[13][14][15] However, other members of S.T.A.R.S have little to no combat experience; Rebecca Chambers was accepted as a medic at age eighteen due to her outstanding chemistry progress and had no formal law-enforcement training beforehand. Kevin Ryman attempted to join the unit, but was turned away due to personality issues despite impressive marksmanship skills.

Name Position Role Team Status
Aiken, Richard Backup man[16] Communications expert[17] Bravo Deceased
Burton, Barry Backup man[17] Weapons supervisor[citation needed] Alpha Alive
Chambers, Rebecca Rear-security[17] Chemicals expert (Medic)[18] Bravo Alive
Dewey, Edward Rear-security Pilot[19] Bravo Deceased
Frost, Joseph Omni man[17] Maintenance supervisor[17] Alpha Deceased
Marini, Enrico Team Captain[17] Bravo leader[17] Bravo Deceased
Speyer, Forest Omni man[17] Maintenance,[17]
Bravo Deceased
Sullivan, Kenneth J. Pointman[17] Chemist[17] Bravo Deceased
Redfield, Chris Pointman[17] Sharpshooter,
Alpha Alive
Valentine, Jill Rear-security[15] B&E specialist[17] Alpha Alive
Vickers, Brad Rear-security[17] Pilot [17]
Computer expert[17]
Alpha Deceased
Wesker, Albert Team Captain[21] Division leader[17] Alpha Deceased



The standard sidearm of the unit is a customized variant of the Beretta 92F known as the 92F S.T.A.R.S. Special (Custom) or Mod. Samurai Edge.[notes 5] It was designed by Joe Kendo, brother of the Kendo Gun Shop's owner, Robert Kendo (a close friend of Barry Burton). A standard-issue model was distributed among the members of S.T.A.R.S., including further specialized versions for Chris, Jill, and Wesker. Barry's model was modified to fire the .40 S&W round. With knives sporting the team's emblem on the blade, it is assumed that each had a different knife although they were not seen or heard of until Darkside Chronicles. The S.T.A.R.S. photo also showed members with various automatic weapons including several Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and one bullpup assault rifle that resembles the Steyr AUG, held by Enrico. These weapons were not used during actual gameplay, possibly due to the fact that search-and-rescue operations rarely require the use of automatic weapons, if any weaponry whatsoever. Also, the inclusion of assault rifles and sub-machine guns would have lowered the intensity and ominously dark atmosphere of the game dramatically. An Ingram M-11 can also be seen in the photo, held by Joseph though this weapon did not make its appearance until Resident Evil 2 or the game's PC port.


Less lethal equipment:

S.T.A.R.S. also brought less lethal equipment with them during their mission in the Arklay region. Most notably Chris, Jill, and Rebecca. Jill had a Taser during the Mansion incident, this piece of equipment is also known as a Stun Gun. Both Chris and Rebecca had Flash Grenades in their arsenal during their time in the Arklay region.

Personal equipment:

Kenneth and Joseph each had camcorders mounted on their shoulders to record combat data on DV Tapes. Tactically, these devices are used by scouts to record and transmit reconnaissance data and strategic information to the team's command unit, although both of the S.T.A.R.S. field officers were also involved in the situation at the time, and Wesker most certainly would not have wished the information be made known to those outside of his sphere of influence. Rebecca Chambers had her personal S.T.A.R.S. chemical mixing set during the Ecliptic Express Incident.

Walkie-talkies were also available to S.T.A.R.S., though for some reason Chris and Jill did not bring any on their Arklay mountains mission (The two has their radio in the mansion event of Umbrella Chronicles, though). Both Wesker and Richard used tactical headsets connected to these said Walkie-Talkies during the Mansion Incident.


There were two UH-1/204B model helicopters assigned to the S.T.A.R.S. unit, with one allocated to each team. Brad Vickers was assigned as Alpha Team's pilot, with Edward Dewey assigned as Bravo Team's pilot. One of the RPD's pilots, Kevin Dooley, had been called in at least once to contribute support to both Alpha and Bravo as the situation required. The S.T.A.R.S. photo (with the background depicting the Aérospatiale Eurocopter AS350B police helicopter destroyed during the failed rescue attempt of Elliot Edward) also suggests that RPD patrol helicopters may be used for S.T.A.R.S. operations when necessary.

Uniform distinctions

Each member of the unit wore an undershirt (Except for Forest, who wore only his blue Flak vest) with the S.T.A.R.S. emblem over the left sleeve, (Save for Richard, who oddly has the standard RPD emblem on his sleeve. His undershirt also reads RPD on the front) and an M69 Flak vest suited for each operative's personal skills and specialty, exceptions are Rebecca and Jill; Rebecca had a normal body armor and Jill had shoulder armor. For example, Chris' vest was equipped with a sheath for his combat knife, while Rebecca's vest prominently displayed a red cross on the back, the international symbol of a medical assistance officer. Some operators had leg holsters, Barry had a leather Magnum holster for his Silver Serpent. Most members had SWAT fingerless gloves with watches over the gloves (Edward and Brad were only seen wearing watches, this may be due to the fact that they're pilots). All members had a pair of Jungle boots to complete their basic uniform. Each member is allowed to choose their color for his/her uniform. Some members wore LC1 suspenders along with LC2 belts while some only had LC2 belts with nothing on them. Members had their own pouches attached to their belts or web gear depending on the equipment they were bringing. A much more official and practical prototype S.T.A.R.S. uniform was also designed consisting of olive drab fatigues and a black tactical vest with the S.T.A.R.S. logo emblazoned across the back, but this outfit was never formally adopted due to the (Raccoon City) teams' demise. Instead, Chris wore the only known prototype on his mission to rescue his sister Claire, during the Rockfort Island incident.

Further notes

  • Only eleven of the unit's twelve members appeared in the original game. Edward Dewey, Bravo Team's pilot, was only mentioned in the game's instruction manual, but not actually featured in the game. For a long time it was assumed that the disembodied hand found by Joseph in the game's introductory cutscene belonged to Edward (and indeed, Edward was originally shown with a missing right hand in the N64 version of 0) but a few retroactive changes were made in order to include the character for a small role in the prequel Resident Evil 0 (in the Resident Evil remake, the dead pilot is now identified as Kevin Dooley, the RPD Co-Pilot for Bravo Team).
  • In Resident Evil 2 (starring Chris Redfield's sister Claire and Raccoon Police Department (R.P.D.) rookie officer Leon S. Kennedy), all of the S.T.A.R.S. operators from the original game (excluding Rebecca), can be seen in a photograph located in the S.T.A.R.S. office on the second floor of the RPD next to Wesker's desk, which can be searched for film D. They were pictured along with one previously unseen member. It is generally accepted that he is simply an early version of Kevin Dooley. As Dooley was confirmed as not being a S.T.A.R.S. member, but an RPD pilot used at least once for S.T.A.R.S., he may in fact be the extra man in the picture. The same picture can also be found in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis but then a special key is needed to gain access to the room.
  • After the credits of Resident Evil 4, it mentions S.T.A.R.S. when naming the copyrights.
  • Tokyo Marui, a popular airsoft manufacturer in Japan, created a replica of the S.T.A.R.S. "Samurai Edge" pistol based on its original design model, the Beretta 92F/FS.
  • King Arms, another popular airsoft manufacturer sells Resident Evil/Biohazard themed M4/M16 metal receivers, one of these receivers bears the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on it.
  • GSX, a Japanese watch manufacturer was responsible for making individual S.T.A.R.S. watches. A special collection of these watches were sold to commemorate Resident Evil's 5th birthday, like Tokyo Marui's selection of Samurai Edges, these were only available in limited numbers and are considered a rarity among fans. UBCS watches were also available.
  • Many of the equipment (Tac vests, Chris' flak vest, shirts etc.) present in the games were replicated or customized for real life use, they all have the Capcom seal to show that they're official game merchandise.
  • The mobile phone game BIOHAZARD i SURVIVOR introduced five new S.T.A.R.S. members who were never seen or mentioned again after said game was discontinued. It was the only video game to introduce non-canon S.T.A.R.S. members. See the main article about the game for more info.




  1. Excerpt from biohazard 0 KAITAISHINSHO:
    "ラクーン市警 （Raccoon Police Department, 通称R.P.D.） の管轄下にある特殊部隊。 ラクーン市の発展とともに急増した都市型テロや新手の犯罪に対応する目的で、 1996年、 都市計画の一環として設立された。実力重視で民間からスカウトされた者が多くを占めているほか、 アンブレラをはじめ民間企業の資金提供を受けており、 RPD内でも特異な立場にある。アルファチーム6名, ブラヴォーチーム6名の2隊編成で、 今回、 市近郊で多発する猟奇事件の真相解明のため、 ブラヴォーチームの出動が決定された。"
  2. Speyer is found dead, Aiken is found poisoned, Marini is shot after making contact with Alpha, Sullivan is found eaten alive and Chambers is found nursing Aiken
  3. According to canon, both Chambers and Burton escape. Evident by unused intro images from the third game showing Jill, Chris, Barry, Rebecca and Brad landing on the RPD Roof. As well as Barry's status being determined in Revelations 2 and Rebecca in The Stage and the third CGI Movie.
  4. Marvin Branagh tells the player in Resident Evil 2 (1998) that "No one believed them." referring to S.T.A.R.S.
  5. The S.T.A.R.S. M92F / Samurai Edge was not featured in the first game, it marked it's first appearance in the third game, following it's reappearance in the remake of the first game and later games.
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sumner, Shotten, Owen (eds). Archives. p.258
  2. 2.0 2.1 Hamamura (ed.), KAITAISHINSHO, p.013
  3. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "S.T.A.R.S. Notes"
  4. Takeo (ed.), Inside of BIO-HAZARD, p.8
  5. Resident Evil 2 (2019)
  6. Perfect Capture Guide, p.004.
  7. Capcom. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. (Capcom). File: Rebecca Chambers Profile.
  8. Capcom. Resident Evil Zero. (Capcom). Scene: Opening cutscene.
  9. Capcom. Resident Evil. (Capcom). Scene: opening cutscene.
  10. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), level: "Rebirth 2"
  11. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), file: "Jill's Diary"
  12. True Story Behind Biohazard. Capcom. p. 53. 
  13. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Chris Redfield Profile"
  14. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Barry Burton Profile"
  15. 15.0 15.1 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Jill Valentine Profile"
  16. Richard Aiken Profile
  17. 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 17.11 17.12 17.13 17.14 17.15 17.16 17.17 Resident Evil: Deadly Silence manual; pages 6-7
  18. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Rebecca Chambers Profile"
  19. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Edward Dewey Profile"
  20. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007), file: "Forest Speyer Profile"
  21. Jill: "Captain Wesker, where's Chris?