Fanatically loyal, the Guardsmen protect the former Supreme Chancellor turned Galactic Emperor and his personal residences unceasingly

In the fictional Star Wars universe, the Emperor's Royal Guard (a.k.a. Imperial Royal Guard or known as Red Guards during the time of the Old Republic as opposed to the Galactic Senate's standard "Blue Guards") are the best and most loyal of the Imperial stormtroopers, solely responsible to Palpatine; their sole task was to protect Palpatine, his residences, and clones. They wear flowing crimson robes (though ceremonial, these uniforms are specifically designed to not hamper movement) and a sleek, featureless red mask; the armor itself bore design influences from the uniforms of the Death Watch of the Mandalore System, the Sun Guards of the Thyrsus system, and the Senate Guards of the Old Republic. Their standard weapon is a force pike which they use to inflict unerringly precise and deadly wounds with great skill. They accompany Palpatine wherever he goes. An Imperial Royal Guard, shown in formal armor with Force pike, from Star Wars. ... An Imperial Royal Guard, shown in formal armor with Force pike, from Star Wars. ... The cover of the 2004 DVD widescreen release of the modified original Star Wars Trilogy. ... Senate Guardsmen armor. ... Imperial stormtroopers are extensively trained shock troops in the fictional Star Wars universe under command of the Galactic Empire. ... Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of an original. ... Mandalorian Mythosaur Skull Insignia A Mandalorian is a member of a group of masked warrior clans in the Star Wars universe. ... Emperor Palpatine of the Galactic Empire (82 BBY – 4 ABY, spirit incapacitated 11 ABY), often simply referred to as the Emperor, is one of the main characters and the foremost villain in the fictional Star Wars universe. ...

Size

Their exact numbers are unknown; estimates have ranged from barely 50 men, to tens of thousands- the lower end of the range seems vastly more probable due to the extraordinarily high standards of the brotherhood, and the fact that after the destruction of the second Death Star (entailing the death of at least 4 Guardsmen), the obliteration of Byss by an errant round from the Galaxy Gun (Kir Kanos said of that, "Many of my brother Guardsmen perished when the Jedi Luke Skywalker and his companions used our own Galaxy Gun to destroy the Emperor's throneworld"), and with the later destruction of Palpatine's Eclipse-class flagship Eclipse II, there gathered on the training planet Yinchorr to mourn the Emperor a mere 22 Royal Guardsmen--who, with the exception of Kir Kanos, all would be killed by the treacherous Carnor Jax's troops. After the death of Carnor Jax, all true Royal Guardsmen, with the exception of the fanatically loyal Kir Kanos, Jax's killer, had perished and the organization was defunct. Various impostors sporting Royal Guard armor have appeared over the years, such as a clone of Grodin Tierce, the "Guardsmen" who served Imperial Admiral Daala and the Dark Jedi Brakiss, and a man in Sovereign Protector armor who attempted to assassinate Mara Jade just prior to her wedding. The existence of these pretenders enraged Kanos to no end, and he devoted a good deal of his time to hunting those who survived the Empire's final skirmishes with the New Republic. The original Death Star The Death Star was a giant military battle station in the fictional Star Wars universe. ... Byss is a planet located deep in the Core of the fictional Star Wars galaxy. ... The Galaxy Gun was a fictional superweapon from the Star Wars universe. ... Kir Kanos is a fictional character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, a fervent Imperial loyalist and former Royal Imperial Guardsman in the Dark Horse Crimson Empire comic series. ... Two Jedi, Master Qui-Gon Jinn (right) & his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (left). ... Luke Skywalker (b. ... An Star Destroyers are iconic vessels of the fictional universe of Star Wars. ... // Wayland Wayland first appeared in Timothy Zahns Heir to the Empire novel. ... This list is about minor Sith characters (both Dark Lords of the Sith and regular Sith Lords) from the fictional Star Wars universe. ... In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Grodin Tierce was a human male who served as a Royal Guard to Emperor Palpatine, and later was the instigator of a plot to cripple the New Republic, and command the remains of the Empire. ... Dark Jedi is the somewhat misleading name given in the Star Wars fictional universe to those beings who are Force-attuned and adept at the dark side of the Force. ... Brakiss is a character in the fictional Star Wars Expanded Universe. ... Mara Jade Skywalker (b. ...

Organization and selection

Royal Guardsmen trace their roots to the cerulean-clad Senate Guards of the Old Republic. But in comparison, there is a special elite, within this elite-of-elites, class of Imperial Guards called Sovereign Protectors; they serve as the final pinnacle Royal Guardsmen can hope to ascend to, and this nigh-impossible to reach rank serves to motivate them still further. Though all Royal Guards are Force-sensitive, most are capable of little more than enhanced physical abilities and healing techniques should their Emperor ever be injured. The Sovereign Protectors, however, possess a mastery of the dark side far greater than the standard Guardsman, as in the case of Carnor Jax. In addition to the usual duties regular Royal Guards handled, Sovereign Protectors were singled out, as much by their elaborate light-weight ceremonial armor as their charge of policing the ranks of the Royal Guard, by being answerable only to the Emperor himself or Darth Vader. After the Emperor was reborn on Byss, the Sovereign Protectors' paramount duty was to guard the clone vats--a task in which they would fail, due to the treachery of Carnor Jax, the Emperor's physician, and the dark side adepts Nefta and Sa-Di. - Senator Palpatine Form of Government Federal Republic Official language Basic Capital Coruscant Head of Government Chancellor Establishment c. ... The Force is a binding, ubiquitous power that is the object of the Jedi and Sith monastic orders in the Star Wars universe. ... Dark Side devotees are, in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, those who use the Force for evil ends. ...

The Guardsmen are selected from the elite squads of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps, and before even beginning the training that would wash out most of its inductees--fatally, one might add--are judged on select size, strength, intelligence and loyalty requirements, and would ideally possess latent Force sensitivity. Those who successfully match all criteria, and the additional optional one of Force-sensitivity (which only applies if they intend to become Sovereign Protectors, undergoing the further multi-year training and testing regime), are allowed to begin training in the Echani arts in the Imperial Royal Guard Academy located on the hidden training planet Yinchorr. A mere 4% of all trainees would survive the rigours that awaited them to become Royal Guards; during a yearlong training program, recruits sparred against each other continuously perfecting their combat skills. By working both alone and in pairs, recruits learned how to rely on themselves or on a teammate to achieve victory, a step away from the squad-based Stormtrooper training received on Carida. Failure in training often meant death. In their final test, trainees fought each other to the death in an arena called the "Squall" before Palpatine himself. Only a handful would survive this final test and display of their loyalty and skill. Imperial stormtroopers are extensively trained shock troops in the fictional Star Wars universe under command of the Galactic Empire. ... This is a list of sentient races from the fictional universe of Star Wars. ...

Royal Guardsmen are trained to use any form of weapon known to the Empire, including but not limited to: any blaster weapon, bo staffs, basic swords and lightsabers, as well as a dozen or more martial arts forms. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of Star Wars weapons. ... Image of a human-shaped silhouette holding a Bo (棒, Japanese Weapon) A bo (棒) is a long stick usually made out of wood or bamboo. ... Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader duel on Mustafar in Episode III with blue lightsabers. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...

In order to keep themselves in top form at all times, Royal Guardsmen often dueled each other to the death, in what is described by a viewer in Palpatine's private court as "a brutal war, consisting of only two men." This practice kept the Guardsmen in shape as well as giving Royal Guard recruits a chance to advance in rank. They were occasionally rotated out in units to Stormtrooper detachments in the Outer Rim or other combat areas to keep them in fighting trim, and spread their legend. In the fictional Star Wars series, the Outer Rim Territories is the outermost part of the Star Wars galaxy. ...

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Yoda easily manhandles two Royal Imperial Guards using the Force. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the third episode of the Star Wars film series (but the sixth film to be produced), to be released on Thursday, May 19, 2005. ... Jedi Master Yoda (896 BBY–4 ABY), voiced by Frank Oz, is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. ...

Known members of the Imperial Royal Guard

Sovereign Protectors

• Carnor Jax

This article is about minor characters in the fictional Star Wars universe, who do not fit into any other category. ...

Royal Guardsmen

• Kile Hannad
• Kir Kanos
• Ved Kennede
• Vin Northal
• Grodin Tierce

Guardsmen-in-training

• Burr Danid
• Alum Frost
• Lemmet Tauk

References

• Star Wars: Crimson Empire, trade paperback, 1st printing, 1998. Mike Richardson et al, ISBN 1-56971-355-3
• Star Wars: Dark Empire II, trade paperback, 1st printing, 1995. Tom Veitch, ISBN 1-56971-119-4
• A Guide to the Star Wars universe, second edition, 2nd edition, 1994. Bill Slavicsek, ISBN 0-345-38625-6
• The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2
• The Dark Side sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1st printing, 2001. Bill Slavicsek, J. D. Wiker, ISBN 0-786-91849-7
• The Dark Empire sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1st edition, 1993. Horne, Michael, ISBN 0-87431-194-2

Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is a publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. ... Dark Empire was a comic series produced by Dark Horse Comics set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. ...

External links

• Star Wars Databank entry
• Star Wars Wiki entry