Senate Guard/Legends

"The Senate Guards surely afford more than adequate protection&hellip;"

- Supreme Chancellor Palpatine

The Senate Guard, sometimes called the Blue Guard, was an elite unit, stemming from the Republic Senate Guardsman of old, established to protect senators, the Supreme Chancellor, and other ranking members and buildings of the Galactic Republic government.

Some members of the Guard were known to wear Senate Commando armor during times of war.

Organization and duties


The Guard were an elite security force that were created and assembled for the task of defending the members of the Galactic Senate of the Republic. Since that time, they had carried on their duty wearing their outdated but symbolic garbs and stood over the Senate rotunda on Coruscant. Their duty means that they were also often found on senatorial transports in order to guard their charges. The distinctive and familiar blue armor of the Senate Guard had served as a symbol of both peace and security for the Republic as well as on Galactic City for thousands of years. During their years of service, this body had protected leaders and even had acted as a second police force on Coruscant itself during the waning years of the Republic. Ultimately, their duty was the protection of the legislature of the Galactic Republic. The Guard was answerable to a specific committee of the Galactic Senate known as the Senate Guard Committee who were responsible for oversight over the group. As part of its organizational philosophy, the Guard were known to make use of military style ranking and unit structure. The head of the bodyguard detail held the position of Captain of the Guard who was the leader of the Senate Guard. They in turn answered not only to the Senate Guard Committee but also cabinet level officials within the Judicial Department. The head of the Grand Convocation Chamber detachment was referred to as the Sergeant at Arms and sat below the Chancellor's Podium. The Senate Commando unit was led by a guardsmen of the rank of Captain. Below them consisted of small teams that consisted of 6 to 10 guardsmen that were typically led by a person of the rank of commander. Under them were posts such as Captains and Lieutenants. New freshly graduated recruits were assigned the rank of Private.

However, a history of corruption was present within their ranks and even guardsmen were not immune to its effects as it spread its influence among the Senate itself during the Rise of the Empire era. This included bribes, planted evidence and conspiracies being present and all too common during these years.

Among the skills that distinguished them the Guard was their use of some of the best investigative and forensic work in capital. However, this had the effect of leading to some among the ranks of the Blue Guard being distrustful of the Jedi. This was primarily because these guardsmen preferred to deal in cold hard facts. Thus, they often relied on the field of forensic evidence rather than rely on what believed to be the mysticism of Force sorcery. As such, they were often at odds with the Jedi Order due to their less tangible methods of evidence gathering. Their role as investigators meant that they were meticulous, thorough and sought for success in their duty.

The Guards were probably given exclusive jurisdiction of the Senate District, and acted as a secondary police force for Coruscant. They were bodyguards for the Senate's members, and were known to cooperate with Jedi in investigations. As a secondary police force, they also worked closely with the Coruscant Security Force.

History
The history of the Senate Guard was ancient and was as old as that of the Galactic Senate itself thus tracing its origin to the ancient times of the Republic. Its known that among the artwork of the earliest times of the Republic, images of silent Guardsmen had been present during these earlier centuries as a silent testament during diplomatic negotiations that force was ready to be used if diplomacy itself failed. By the time of the Separatist Crisis, the Guard was led by Jesra Loture. During the Clone Wars, the blue-armored Senate Guard were the elite honor guard to high-ranking government officials on Coruscant, and rarely left the capitol except on the most important Senate business. Though the Coruscant Guard was formed out of elite clones, no clones were found in the ranks of the Senate Guard.

During this era, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine began marginalizing the role of the Senate Guard. Instead of relying on them, he began instal his own elite guard that consisted of red robed warriors that became known as the Red Guard. These soldiers were selected from the ranks of the Senate Commandos and took over the responsibility of security for the Chancellor. There was also a cosmetic change for the Blue Guard; the elaborate crests were removed from their helmets, and the open face was covered by a black visor similar to that of the Red Guard. Some of the Blue Guard also stood at duty without their robes, and holding a DC-15A blaster rifle. They were known as the Senate Commandos.

Following the creation of the Galactic Empire, the post of Supreme Chancellor was removed by Palpatine who declared himself Emperor. This change saw his Red Guard becoming the new Emperor's Royal Guard that sought to his protection. Furthermore, the proliferation of clone forces led to the Guard being largely redundant and they were gradually phased out of service. However, as of two weeks into the Empire's rule, the Senate Guard was still important enough to be made privy to the prosecution list of Palpatine's first purge of the Imperial Navy. It is possible the treason exhibited by several of the Guardsmen in helping one of their own escape the purge helped in the decline of the Guards' authority. By this time, the Senate Guard armor had been modified once again, with the black visor removed and the crest reduced in size.

By 2 BBY, the Senate Guard had been re-established as the Imperial Senate Guard. Members wore armor identical to the Royal Guard and the Emperor's Shadow Guard, albeit blue in color. Additionally, like the Royal and Shadow Guards, Senate Guards of this era utilized lightsaber pikes, possibly indicating that they were Dark Side Adepts. They still functioned as bodyguards (and possibly enforcers) of Imperial Senators while serving the Emperor's will. Galen Marek would fight many Senate Guards during his part in the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

Equipment and training
Prospective recruits were cautiously selected from among the most respected law enforcement agencies in the galaxy. Part of the guidelines for selection involved the fact that all candidates must be superb combatants and that they be completely dedicated to the Galactic Republic. Guards were trained at the Senate Guard Academy and were based at Senate Guard Headquarters located on Coruscant. By the end of the Republic, membership in the Senate Guard appeared to be, at least unofficially, hereditary, with several generations of some families serving in their ranks. This meant that candidates were often dominated by recruits with family connections. However, acceptance was extended to distinguished members from recognized planetary law enforcement bodies. Should that be the case, these more experienced recruits often went through a shortened academy training program.

The most notable element of the Senate Guard was their symbolic blue robes and helmets. Their blue armor had remained as a trustworthy symbol of both peace and security of the Galactic Capital for thousands of years. Though the uniform and even their equipment had changed across the centuries, the one element that had remained the same was blue color which matched the robes of the Supreme Chancellor. The helmet design worn by the Guard were reminiscent of those worn by the Notron Centurions.

In terms of weaponry, new guardsmen were often provided with ceremonials rifles that were distinctive, powerful and accurate. These gold-silvery colored weapons were noted for capable of firing a strong stun blast and while they were known for being primarily ceremonial in role - they saw increasing usage during the final years of the Republic. Should their mission or security demand it, guardsmen were none to discard their long weapons in order to be outfitted with more practical forms of weaponry.

The Guard were given extensive blaster training and instructed in the use of a blaster pike. They were also drilled in the Hijkata Martial Arts discipline. To get around the capital, Senate Guards used the Senate Guard speeder. When in more serious situations, the Guard used the heavily-armed Senate Guard assault vehicle.

Among the facilities available to the Republic Guard fully equipped and modern analysis laboratory's which were used to help them conduct their investigations. In the field, special analysis droids were used that released their sensitive data to only the appropriate officers.

Behind the scenes
The Hasbro toys name the Senate Guards as the Coruscant Guard. The "Coruscant Guard," however, was initially made up entirely of clones, whereas the Senate Guard had no clones among the ranks. It is possible that the misnomer could have been due to the fact that the Coruscant Guard were also assigned to protect the Republic Senate facilities and all senators in residence, augmenting, but not supplanting, the non-clone Senate Guard already in place.

When they first appeared in The Phantom Menace, they were intended to be the direct predecessors of the Royal Guard. However, this idea was abandoned in Attack of the Clones, where they appear side-by-side.

Notes and references
Senatswache Guardia del Senado セネト・ガード Senate Guard Gwardia Senacka Senaatin kaarti