Royal Guards in battle
The Royal Guard was the personal guard of Emperor Palpatine, the public identity of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, serving as his protectors and accompanying him on many occasions. Though the Emperor extensively used their services, higher-ups such as Lord Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn were assigned Royal Guards by the Emperor's orders.
History[]
Predecessors[]
Senate Guards and Senate Commandos were the elite security force of the Galactic Republic that was tasked with protecting politicians and the Galactic Senate, including Sheev Palpatine, during the Republic era. The elite Senate Guards were chosen to become part of a division called "Senate Commandos" to carry out vital missions for the Republic and protect the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
Serving the Emperor[]
The Royal Guards were formed by the Emperor himself just prior to the rise of the Empire as his own security force that would be loyal only to him and protect him.
The Royal Guards were trained to be elite, silent and deadly with abilities unrivaled by any other. They would carry force pikes and accompanied the Emperor frequently during the time of Galactic Empire. He didn't make exclusive use of them however, as several guardsmen were assigned to Darth Vader and other important figures in the Empire.
The Liberation of Lothal[]
A detachment of Royal Guards was assigned to Grand Admiral Thrawn during the Battle of Lothal. They appeared by orders of the Emperor to destroy Ezra Bridger for demolishing the remains of the Jedi Temple that Sidious had salvaged. The guards were in a battle suit instead of robes, and used their Force Pikes on Ezra. Ezra then throws a rock and dispatches all of the guards and some Stormtroopers that assisted them.
Appearances[]
Season 1[]
- "Empire Day" (First appearance) (Appears on viewscreen)
Season 4[]
Trivia[]
- The Royal Guards that appeared in "Family Reunion - and Farewell" wore a battle suit instead of robes, possibly due to the expensive cost and time-consuming process of producing robes in CG animation. Furthermore, their helmets are designed differently. These two factors cause them to resemble their successors, the Elite Praetorian Guards of the First Order seen in The Last Jedi.