Sovereign Protector

Sovereign Protector
General information
Organization type	Royal guard
Headquarters	Sith Citadel
Location(s)	Sith Citadel throne room, Exegol
Historical information
Date dissolved	35 ABY
Other information
Affiliation	Sith Eternal Sith Eternal army

Sovereign Protectors were the elite bodyguards of Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord and Galactic Emperor who returned from death to lead a new Sith Empire. A cadre of crimson-armored sentinels, they were considered the best soldiers in a secret army of Sith troopers trained by the Sith Eternal cult.

The Sovereign Protectors were stationed on the planet Exegol—in the throne room of the Sith Citadel—for the security of the Emperor, who, weakened after his first death, depended on an Ommin harness to survive. The Jedi Rey and Ben Solo defeated the Sovereign Protectors in the Battle of Exegol, leaving the Emperor to face the Force dyad alone.

History

Sovereign Protectors served as elite bodyguards of Darth Sidious, the reborn Galactic Emperor and Dark Lord of the Sith who sought to reclaim the galaxy for a new Sith Empire. Stationed on the ancient Sith planet Exegol, they were responsible for security in the Sith Citadel—including the chamber housing the Throne of the Sith—on Exegol, an ancient Sith planet in the Unknown Regions.

In 35 ABY, the Sovereign Protectors fought against the Jedi Rey and Ben Solo in the Battle of Exegol. Solo killed several guardsmen with a blaster before the Knights of Ren confronted him, while the guards in the throne room opened fire on Rey after she refused her grandfather's entreaty to succeed him.

Despite their numerical advantage, none of the Sovereign Protectors succeeded in harming Rey, whose bond with Solo augmented her Force powers. The Jedi apprentice defeated all but one of the guardsmen using her command of the Force to redirect their blaster fire at themselves and their comrades. The last Sovereign Protector was defeated by the telekinetic skills of Solo, who arrived in the throne room to stand with Rey as a dyad in the Force.

Organization

A military rank similar to that of the Old Empire's Royal Guard, individuals of this position acted as the personal guards of Darth Sidious. Such a rank within the Sith Eternal could only have been achieved by the best of their army's Sith troopers.

Equipment

Clad in red and black armor resembling that of a Sith trooper, a Sovereign Protector bore a crimson full-body cape fitted at the neck that evoked the old Imperial Royal Guard, as well as a unique two-pronged blaster rifle. The Protector's helmets were very similar to the standard Sith trooper's, though they were shielded above the eye slit by a lip extending from the headpiece similar to that of a wet-weather gear stormtrooper's.

Behind the scenes

The Sovereign Protectors first appeared in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker released on December 20, 2019.

In Star Wars Legends, Palpatine had the Imperial Sovereign Protectors, which were similar to the Sovereign Protectors in canon.

Appearances

• Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker (First appearance)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition

Sources

• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide (First identified as Sovereign Protector, simultaneous with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary (First identified as Sovereign Protector, simultaneous with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide)

Notes and references

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