Elite Praetorian Guard

The Elite Praetorian Guard was an elite force of eight human warriors who were tasked with the protection of Supreme Leader Snoke, the leader of the First Order. Following the tradition of the Emperor's Royal Guard&mdash;personal bodyguards of Emperor Sheev Palpatine&mdash;the Praetorian Guards wore red robes and armor. They were specialized in martial arts and carried various high-tech melee weapons.

History
As the First Order mirrored many of the dark traditions of the Galactic Empire, the Elite Praetorian Guard originated from the Emperor's Royal Guard, personal bodyguards of Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine. The Praetorian Guard was an elite force of eight human warriors who protected the First Order's leader, Supreme Leader Snoke. They flanked the Supreme Leader in his throne room, and held in Snoke's Mega-class Star Destroyer, the Supremacy.

Equipment and training
The Elite Praetorian Guards were clad in ornate crimson armor, robes and plastoid helmet. Nine plates of armor protected each Praetorian Guards's arm and shoulder. They were merciless, persistent, and specialized in melee combat. The Praetorian Guards boasted an arsenal of melee weapons that were high-tech versions of unpowered analogs found in primitive societies across the galaxy, such as long vibro-axes, curved single-bladed swords (with an electro-plasma energy filament running along the blade's edge), flailing whip-staffs, and heavy double-bladed polearms that could also be separated into dagger-like single-bladed weapons to adjust to any battle scenario. The precise, sweeping movements of their martial arts fighting style struck fear into the hearts of foes.

Behind the scenes
"The Emperor's guards were very formal, and you always got the sense that they could fight, but they didn't. They looked like they were more ceremonial, and you never really saw them in action. The Praetorians, my brief to Michael Kaplan was that those guys have to be more like samurai. They have to be built to move, and you have to believe that they could step forward and engage if they have to. They have to seem dangerous."

- Rian Johnson

The Elite Praetorian Guard was created and developed for Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the upcoming eighth film in the Star Wars saga, which is scheduled for release on December 15, 2017. The Praetorian Guard was officially revealed in an article by Entertainment Weekly, released on August 9, 2017. The Guards made their first appearance in Star Wars: Tales of the Force, a young adult Golden Book title published on September 5, 2017 as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi series.

Rian Johnson, the writer and director of The Last Jedi, wanted the Praetorian Guards to be built to move, to seem dangerous more like samurai; in contrast to the Emperor's Royal Guards, which looked very formal and ceremonial. The Praetorian Guards' costume was designed by Michael Kaplan in parallel to Johnson's vision. The guards were named after the real-life Praetorian Guard whose members served as personal bodyguards to the Roman emperors.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Tales of the Force
 * Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi