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.
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.
The Sovereign Protectors combat and are taken down by the young Jedi Rey.
In 35 ABY, the Sovereign Protectors fought against the Jedi Rey and Ben Solo in the Battle of Exegol. Initially, the crimson bodyguards appeared to flank the risen Sith Lord while he spoke to Rey about her destiny to rule the Sith as Empress. They surrounded Rey, preventing her escape and further augmenting her to accept Sidious' proposal. Unbeknownst to them nor the Emperor, Ben Solo had arrived on Exegol using a TIE scout and was racing to Rey's location. Rey then feigned agreeing to the Emperor's terms and followed the rituals of the ceremony up until it was time to strike down her grandfather. The Protectors remained watchful of the ritual until it was clear that the girl was not going along with the plan. Solo killed several guardsmen with a blaster pistol 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.
As soon as Rey ignited Leia's lightsaber in defiance to Darth Sidious' offer, the Emperor retreated in his mechanics while the Protectors all at once stepped forward to kill the youth. 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.
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.
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 Protectors' helmets were very similar to that of standard Sith troopers, though they were shielded above the eye slit by a lip extending from the headpiece, similar to that of a wet-weather gear stormtrooper.
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.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Galactic Guide
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
- The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith
- Star Wars: Character Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition