Emperor's Royal Guard

Royal Guards are soldiers who protect Emperor Palpatine in the fictional Star Wars universe.Fernando Bueno, "Imperial Royal Guard," Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Prima Official Game Guide (Roseville: Prima Games, 2008), 13. They appear in Return of the Jedi (1983) and in the third prequel film, Revenge of the Sith (2005). Royal Guards have been merchandised into action figures and miniatures, and their backstory expanded upon in such works as Dark Horse Comics' Crimson Empire series.

Concept and development

Although Lucasfilm concept artist Nilo Rodis-Jamero created several designs for the Royal Guards, their crimson color remained consistent.

Jay Shuster based the Senate Guards' appearance in The Phantom Menace on the Royal Guards. Shuster humanized the Senate Guards by exposing their faces, and he gave them a plume for a classical appearance. Although originally intended to be predecessors to the Royal Guards, Attack of the Clones shows the two types of guards to be contemporaneous. No longer needing to suggest the Senate Guards' progression into Royal Guards, costume prop supervisor Ivo Coveney removed the Senate Guards' plume and added a visor...
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