Praetorian Guard

The Praetorian Guard, also known as the Imperial Praetorian Guard and later as the Elite Praetorian Guard, were elite crimson-armored soldiers of the First Order. An evolution of the Emperor's Royal Guard under the Galactic Empire, the Praetorian Guard wore crimson betaplast and plastoid armor augmented with mag-coils that deflected blaster fire and deal with any threat with a ferocious response. As combatants they specialized in several forms of martial arts, such as Teräs Käsi, Bakuuni Hand, Echani unarmed forms, Nar Kanji "Blind Alley" techniques, and carried various high-tech melee weapons, and were derived to some extent from the Atrisian Emperor's royal guards. Clad in red armor and robes like the Imperial Royal Guards who protected Sheev Palpatine during his reign as Emperor.

During the New Republic Era, the Praetorian Guard were part of the remnant force in the Unknown Regions and were deployed to the planet Mandalore from a bastion by Commandant Brendol Hux at the request of Moff Gideon, a member of the Shadow Council, to assist the Imperial Remnant in preventing the Mandalorians from retaking their homeworld.

Two decades later, the Praetorian Guard consisted of eight highly trained elite personal bodyguards to protect its Supreme Leader, Snoke and wwere stationed aboard his flagship, the Supremacy, during the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance. It was in Snoke's throne room where the guards witnessed their master's death at the hand of his apprentice, the First Order warlord Kylo Ren. In response, the Praetorians attacked Ren in an attempt to avenge the fallen Supreme Leader. Despite their efforts, the entire Praetorian Guard—including the First Guard, Third Guard, Seventh Guard, and Eighth Guard —was destroyed by both Ren and Rey, a former scavenger-turned-aspiring Jedi. In the aftermath of Ren's battle with the Praetorians, the dark side warrior claimed the mantle of Supreme Leader for himself.

Text and facts from the “Praetorian Guard” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.