Sun Guard

"[Royal Guard] armor is derived from a pair of similar designs, the uniforms of the Death Watch of the Mandalore system and the Sun Guards of the Thyrsus system. That the armor resembles those of units with such ferocious reputations is no accident&hellip;"

- Arhul Hextrophon

The Sun Guard was a Sith cult and mercenary group, centered on the planet Thyrsus in the Thyrsus system. Consolidated there by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, the fanatical Sun Guard developed a ferocious reputation, and they grew to be objects of fear. Sidious used the Sun Guard in his plans surrounding his ascension to the seat of the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, assassinating key Senators, guarding his Coruscant stronghold, and even abducting Queen Padmé Amidala after the invasion of Naboo. Sidious sent a Sun Guard to retrieve the holocron of the ancient Sith king Adas, bringing him into combat against the Jedi, but when the holocron fell into their hands Sidious executed the man for his failure. The 2nd Regiment of the Sun Guard fought in the Clone Wars, but were crushed by Republic general Solomahal. When Sidious needed the Sun Guard no longer, his apprentice Dooku ordered his own minion Asajj Ventress to eliminate them. Some of the few surviving Sun Guards went on to join Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Red Guard.

Though not Force-sensitive, the Sun Guard were adept melee fighters, thought to have led to the creation of the echani style of combat. Sun Guard armor was black, and their helmets resembled&mdash;and likely inspired&mdash;those of the Republic's Senate Guard. Sun Guard armor proved to be an inspiration for many other armor designs in the Galactic Empire: the uniforms of the Imperial Royal Guard; the specialized stormtrooper armors designed by Doctor Nashiak Llalik; the outfit of Carnor Jax, son of a Sun Guard; and the Sun Guard replica armor of the bounty hunter Moxin Tark.

Organization and philosophy
The Sun Guard was a mercenary Sith cult based on the planet Thyrsus. Fierce warriors, they were a devoted and fanatical group, with a reputation for ferocity that made even the appearance of their uniforms an object of fear. As a military unit, the Guard was organized into regiments.

History
"You'll never get outta here alive."

- Coruscant Sun Guard to Panaka and Padmé Amidala

The Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious consolidated the Sun Guard in the Thyrsus system, sometime before 32 BBY. Sidious assigned a number of them to guard his stronghold on Coruscant. The Sun Guard proved essential in his plans regarding the Battle of Naboo, as Sidious used them to assassinate several pivotal Senators before the election of a new Supreme Chancellor &mdash;an election that would place Sidious' alter ego Palpatine in the Chancellor's seat. Shortly after the invasion of Naboo, in 32 BBY, a group of mercenaries led by a Sun Guard kidnapped Queen Padmé Amidala on Coruscant and imprisoned her in the Restricted Area of the Coruscant Underworld. The captain of her guard, Panaka, rescued the Queen and killed the Sun Guard.

In 29 BBY, the holocron of the ancient Sith king Adas was recovered by the student Norval, and Sidious dispatched a Sun Guard to retrieve it. The Guard intercepted Norval's vessel over the world of Ploo II. Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived in pursuit; the Guard opened fire on them and, when Kenobi left for Norval's vessel, turned his weapons on that ship. Though Norval was confident the Sun Guard would save him, the Jedi retrieved the holocron, and the Guard destroyed Norval when it became apparent he no longer had the prize, in a failed attempt to prevent the Jedi from escaping with it. Sidious later executed the man for his failure.

The Sun Guard fought in the Clone Wars, where their 2nd Regiment was crushed by Republic General Solomahal. When Sidious' plans for the Sun Guard were at last fulfilled, his apprentice Count Dooku ordered his own minion Asajj Ventress to execute most of the organization. Several of the more devoted Sun Guards, however, were placed in Palpatine's Red Guard.

Equipment and techniques
Though Sith cultists, the Sun Guard lacked Force-sensitivity. They were, however, trained in stealth and melee combat. The echani style of fighting was thought to have originated with their techniques, modified by Palpatine's experts to be more brutal and deadly. At least one Sun Guard armed himself with a vibro-ax.

Members of the Sun Guard wore helmets similar to those of the Republic's Senate Guard &mdash;which were likely inspired by them&mdash; but instead of the ceremonial robes worn by that group, they instead covered themselves with black armor. These uniforms also bore a resemblance to those of the Mandalorian Death Watch. Sun Guards donned belt-spats around their waists, which later inspired the kama worn by the Grand Army of the Republic. For his mission to retrieve Adas' holocron, one of the Sun Guards was outfitted with a sleek gray vessel.

The uniform of the Sun Guard, along with that of the Death Watch, was the inspiration for the Galactic Empire in designing the armor of its feared Imperial Royal Guard. Before his death, the Sun Guard who failed to retrieve Adas's holocron fathered a Royal Guard of his own, Carnor Jax; when Jax took up a leadership role in the Empire, he donned a black guardsman's uniform inspired by the coloration of his father's Sun Guard armor. The bounty hunter Moxin Tark also wore a replica version of Sun Guard armor. Doctor Nashiak Llalik, an Imperial armor designer, found inspiration in the armor of the Sun Guard, spurring him when he grew up to design the suits of armor used by many of the Empire's specialized stormtrooper units. Luskin Exovar, a onetime scout, owned a pair of scarred Sun Guard battle helmets, part of his private collection amassed during his travels.

Behind the scenes
The Sun Guard were created as a brief mention in the Imperial Sourcebook by Greg Gorden. There it was stated that they provided the inspiration for the design of Imperial Royal Guard armor, a fact that would later be used in illustrating Moxin Tark&mdash;and his Sun Guard lookalike armor&mdash;for Wanted by Cracken. Most of the Sun Guard's appearances in the canon were these sorts of brief mentions, until Abel G. Peña greatly expanded on their history in Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties. In addition to tying the Sun Guard into various existing aspects of the Expanded Universe&mdash;including Carnor Jax of the Crimson Empire comic series&mdash;Evil Never Dies retconned the group into two previous works. The Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace video game included a mercenary boss dressed like a black-colored Royal Guard, which Evil Never Dies made the first true appearance of a Sun Guard. Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers, meanwhile, included a scene where a mysterious servant of the Sith kills the antagonist Norval; this was revealed in Evil Never Dies to be a Sun Guard as well.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace video game
 * Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers