Star Wars Just Obliterated the Mystique of Palpatine’s Royal Guard

Warning! Spoilers for Star Wars: Crimson Reign #2

A new Star Wars comic has minimized the mystery of Emperor Palpatine’s royal guards. Previously, the royal guards had appeared only a few times in the saga, but made an impression among fans for their mystique.

Throughout the prequels, audiences felt that the Star Wars galaxy explained away a lot of its allure, including the backstory of Boba Fett and the workings of the Force. As ongoing comics fill in the gaps between movies, they are falling into a similar mistake. While some have gone to great lengths to elaborate on the sequel trilogy, others have undercut the events of the originals. Recently, the royal guards’ mystique was compromised in Star Wars: Crimson Reign #2, written by Charles Soule with art by Steven Cummings.

When Imperial officers walk into the Empire’s locker room, they casually don the royal guards’ uniforms. It’s a strangely social scene as the solemn guards make conversation with each other before putting on their red masks and garments. Once literally cloaked in mystery, Emperor Palpatine’s royal guards have finally had their faces revealed, depicted as average Imperial officers that fans had seen since A New Hope. Inevitably, the expansion on the royal guards is disappointing to some who presumed they were more than regular members of the Empire. Considering their high priority role, it would have made sense for the guards to wear armor or look distinct from typical Imperial officers.

As the royal guards show up in Revenge of the Sith, it seems that they are replacing the line of defense that was the Jedi Order. As the Jedi Temple featured guards who were also monks, it seemed logical that the royal guards would have similarly committed themselves to some kind of discipline. However, Crimson Reign #2 reveals that they are just coworkers who have mundane lives in the Empire. Without their uniforms, they don’t seem like the threatening presence they are in Return of the Jedi. Instead, they look like a stand-in for Palpatine’s security, creating a look of importance for the politician-turned-tyrant.

Although their character design is iconic, there doesn’t appear to be much more to them. This has been an unfortunate trend throughout Star Wars in recent years, as the Knights of Ren were a highly anticipated component of the sequel trilogy. Based on their uniforms, it seemed like they were practically a team of Kylo Rens. However, similar to Boba Fett in his Disney+ series, there isn’t much to them beyond their instantly recognizable masks. In the grand scheme of the Star Wars universe, the reveal that the royal guards are just ordinary employees of the Empire isn’t especially consequential.

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