Imperial Royal Guard

The Imperial Royal Guard, also called the Emperor's Royal Guard, were the enigmatic personal bodyguards and assassins of the Galactic Emperor. Armed with force pikes and fully clad in their anonymous helmets and crimson robes, the Royal Guard were silent, imposing, and deadly. Those who proved themselves to be the most promising of the military were selected for duty as a Royal Guard and had to fulfill stringent requirements based on size, strength, intelligence, and loyalty to the Emperor. They were among the most recognizable symbols of Imperial power, with the Emperor rarely venturing anywhere without at least two Royal Guardsmen in his presence.

Senatorial Guard
The Senate of the Republic had long maintained a force of armed guards, the presence of one's personal security detail in the senate house was regarded as coercive and their role was as much ceremonial as martial. Charged with maintaining public order and the protection of the senators and their staff they became an increasingly common sight as the dragged on.

It was not customary for any member of the Senate to be under direct guard unless there was the suspicion of immediate danger to their person, including the. During Palpatine's administration, schemes were hatched to provide the Chancellor with a private guard. While outward resistant to the proposal, introduced on the senate floor by puppets of the Chancellor, events were engineered which allowed Palpatine to reluctantly accept the measure.

Red Guard
The Red Guard, formed during the Clone Wars, constituted the personal bodyguards of the Supreme Chancellor, following the Senate approving such a measure despite Palpatine's feigned protestations. After this time, the Red Guard accompanied the Chancellor wherever he went, a silent and adept fighting force distinct from the senatorial guard.

Rise of the Empire
Following Palpatine's self-appointment as Emperor, the Red Guard took on the formal title of the Imperial Guard and expanded to entirely replace the senatorial guard. Recruitment was extremely selective, with a brutal training regimen in place for training potential guardsmen. Trainees were selected from among the top performing stormtroopers and sent to for intensive training. The majority of them were killed off in the process, with the surviving trainees becoming members of the Royal Guard.

Post-Endor
In the years after the death of Emperor Palpatine, the Imperial Guard remained largely outside of politics during the post-Endor power struggle, siding with the Imperial Ruling Council and ultimately serving Emperor Tokrev and his successors.

Order of battle
The Imperial Guard's size and composition was a closely guarded state secret - estimates range from a small regiment to an entire legion but little evidence supports any conclusion. What is known is that the Imperial Guard exist entirely outside of remainder of the Empire. While the stormtroopers are the Emperor's personal army and are routinely engaged around the galaxy, his personal bodyguard are rarely seen outside of his immediate presence. The few exceptions include Royal Guardsmen being embedded into regular stormtrooper units on occasion, to keep their combat skills sharp.

Shadow Guard
Force-sensitive members of the Royal Guard were selected to serve in the Shadow Guard, which served as a sort of special forces within the organization. Shadow Guards had some command of the dark side of the Force and wore unique black robes, wielding s. These enigmatic warriors commanded respect from Imperials of all ranks, and were feared for their martial and Force prowess.

Sovereign Protector
The top tier of the Royal Guard, Sovereign Protectors are considered to be the best guardsmen and are selected as the "champions" of the Guard. They wore unique red and black armor and accompanied the Emperor almost at all times. They were considered to be the best soldiers that the Empire had to offer.

Weapons
The signature weapon of the Imperial Guard were Force pikes. Wielded with consummate skill, its considerable length makes it ideal for crowd control and defending VIPs. When outdoors or in large areas, some guardsman may carry the disruptor rifle. Given the vast numbers of s and ST-I blaster rifles purchased by the Empire, it seems improbable that the Imperial Guard did not have access to this ubiquitous weapon but as a battle rifle prizing rapid fire and large ammunition capacity over accuracy it is of little use to a protective detail.

In addition to their primary weapon, every Imperial Guardsman carried an MX Heavy Blaster Pistol sidearm.

Armor
The distinctive red armor of the Imperial Guard was a carapace of impervium plates forged for each individual guardsman worn over a red, climate controlled and vacuum-sealed body glove. When serving in a ceremonial role, this was concealed beneath a voluminous red robe. The style of their helmets were a development of those worn by the Senatorial Guard, abandoning the crest and partial face coverage for a sleeker, fully enclosed helmet with a more menacing profile.

Miscellaneous
In addition to their weapons and armor, the Imperial Guard routinely carry shock-cuffs, liquid-cable dispensers and grappling hooks, secure back-up comlinks, emergency medical packs and scanners to alert them to unseen threats such as explosive devices, toxins, concealed weapons and biological agents.