Emperor's Royal Guard TIE/IN starfighter

Emperor's Royal Guard TIE Interceptor starfighter The Emperor's Royal Guard TIE/In starfighter was a specially modified version of the TIE/In starfighter. These TIE Interceptors were flown only by Emperor Palpatine's Royal Guard.

Details
These starfighters were commonly used to escort Emperor Palpatine's Lambda-class shuttle and its decoys during his travels. Displaying the distinctive crimson red color of the Royal Guard, these deadly war machines struck fear into any opposing fighters. Royal Guard fighter wings were thought to even rival the skills of elite pilots from the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing and Rogue Squadron. These fighters were said to have been commissioned by Palpatine himself.

Under the supervision of Darth Vader, Imperial workers spent many long hours modifying TIE Interceptor fighters. Unlike the original TIE Interceptor, the Royal Guard TIE Interceptor was equipped with a built-in hyperdrive and shield generator, while also having blazing speeds and fantastic maneuverability that exceeded that of its fleet counterpart. On very rare occasions, these fighters found places outside of the Royal Guard, and were thus subject to even further modification, including more devastating weapons, more advanced shielding technologies, and, in rare cases, ordnance launchers. By contrast, regular Interceptors with similar added equipment, such as shield projectors, warhead launchers, and hyperdrives (for instance that of Apwar Trigit) suffered reduced speed and maneuverability. Vader himself, however, never flew a Royal Guard TIE Interceptor, though he had on occasion piloted a TIE Advanced x1 and a TIE Defender.

It is unclear how the Royal Guard TIE Interceptor, described as having blazing speed and fantastic maneuverability while also having a hyperdrive and deflector shields, would compare against the TIE Avenger or TIE Defender, two other exceptional starfighters produced by Sienar Fleet Systems. One thing is for sure is that the Royal Guard craft underwent extensive modification from the original Interceptor, whereas the Avenger and Defender featured different platforms and newer technology than the Interceptor. During Palpatine's near capture by the traitor Admiral Zaarin, no Royal Guard Interceptors were present as the Emperor was rescued instead by Defenders flown by Vader and Maarek Stele.

Behind the scenes
The Royal Guard TIE Interceptor was introduced in Rage of the Wookiees, the second expansion of Star Wars Galaxies. It is a quest reward for Imperial pilots for completing a series of quests from the Civilian Protection Guild.

In 2007 Hasbro released a die-cast model of the Royal Guard TIE Interceptor as part of their Titanium Series.