Armored and cloaked warriors known as Imperial Sentinels were assigned to serve Emperor Palpatine's Dark Side Adepts. These mute giants were cloned within clandestine facilities located on Byss, the secret Imperial throne world. Through mutations inflicted by Dark Side Adepts, coupled with chemical injections that suppressed higher brain functions, they were rendered utterly subservient. Throughout their existence, these Sentinels functioned as slaves to their designated Adept, executing their master's commands without hesitation. Typically, they served as bodyguards, accompanying the Adepts on off-world assignments.
Primarily stationed on Byss to safeguard the Emperor's Citadel, the Sentinels were rarely observed, leading to considerable conjecture among the Dark Empire's elite regarding the true nature of these armored behemoths. In 10 ABY, Luke Skywalker, following his defection, reportedly bred at least two Sentinels himself. After a daring attempt to rescue Skywalker from Byss, Princess Leia Organa Solo—Skywalker's sister and a prominent member of the New Republic Council—and Han Solo—Leia's husband and the pilot of the Millennium Falcon—were escorted by Skywalker's Sentinels to Palpatine's clone laboratories on Byss. There, they faced both Skywalker and Palpatine. A year later, the destruction of Byss and the final demise of Palpatine resulted in the annihilation of most Sentinels and their cloning facilities.
The genesis of the Imperial Sentinels was an enigma to many, even within the highest ranks of the former Galactic Empire. Even the Imperial Sovereign Protectors, an elite group of Royal Guardsmen trained in the dark side of the Force, lacked both knowledge and interest in the Sentinels' origins. In reality, the Sentinels represented an early experiment by Emperor Palpatine and his inner circle of dark-side Force-users, aimed at creating a race of beings entirely subject to their will. The Sentinels were cloned using tissue samples in secret facilities on Byss, the Imperial fortress world, where chemicals were introduced during gestation to inhibit advanced mental functions, including speech.
During their development, Dark Side Adepts subjected the Sentinels to Sith alchemy as part of their training, attempting to establish a mental link with them. Successful bonding resulted in mindless, living constructs entirely dependent on the Adepts' will for purpose and movement. Unsuccessful candidates were simply eliminated. The initial generation of Imperial Sentinels was deemed too dangerous, fueling rumors that they might have been cloned from Force-sensitive individuals. Subsequent generations were less potent but more easily controlled.
The Sentinels' primary function was to serve as bodyguards for Dark Side Adepts. When Palpatine dispatched an Adept or Executor Sedriss on critical missions for the Empire, one or more of these giants would accompany them off-world. However, their numbers were limited, and when not assigned to an Adept, they remained on Byss to guard the Emperor's Citadel. Some Sentinels also guarded the more secure and private areas of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant.
The first documented appearance of the Imperial Sentinels occurred in 19 BBY during a battle on an unnamed planet during the Great Jedi Purge, where Imperial forces had captured several Jedi. The Sentinels, possessing authentic datachips, were authorized to take custody of a single prisoner: Jedi Master Ashka Boda. Boda, a member of the Librarian's Assembly of the Jedi Order, possessed the Tedryn Holocron, an ancient Jedi artifact containing the knowledge and teachings of past Jedi Masters. The Sentinels escorted Boda from the battle to their dungeon ship and transported him to Coruscant, where Emperor Palpatine tortured and executed him. Palpatine seized the Tedryn Holocron, utilizing its vast information to create The Book of Anger, the initial volume of his Dark Side Compendium. In the same year, first-generation Sentinels were present on a Golan space defense platform guarding a Super Star Destroyer prototype orbiting Byss as part of the Empire's Sarlacc Project. During the Battle of Byss, Alderaanian Resistance agents boarded the space station and confronted these Sentinels in Docking Bay 616.
As of 2 BBY, the Sentinels were still in the early stages of their development and rarely ventured beyond Byss. However, occasional sightings occurred when Sentinels publicly took custody of Force-users, often Jedi, during transit to Imperial Center or other locations. This sparked considerable speculation and rumors within the Imperial court regarding the Sentinels' origins. Some believed they originated from a captured race of giants, while others considered them to be cyborgs or droids. Some even theorized that they were derived from a species that had once openly rebelled against the Emperor and paid the ultimate price. During the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Alliance Special Forces received unconfirmed reports of the Sentinels, describing them as a special unit of giant, armored warriors guarding the Emperor and his most favored servants and advisors.
The Sentinels did not see widespread deployment until over a decade later, in 10 ABY, following the launch of Operation Shadow Hand, Palpatine's "reborn" military campaign against the New Republic and its allies to regain control of the galaxy. Operating from Byss, Palpatine utilized Imperial Dungeoneers and dungeon ships to transport and manage prisoners of war. Sentinels frequently collaborated with Dungeoneers, escorting prisoners such as Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and hero of the New Republic, to facilities on Byss. After Skywalker's defection to the Empire, he became an apprentice to the resurrected Palpatine and bred two Sentinels himself. Princess Leia Organa Solo, New Republic councilor and Skywalker's sister, along with her husband Han Solo, pilot and former New Republic general, and the droid C-3PO, attempted to rescue Skywalker from Byss, piloting the Millennium Falcon directly into the Emperor's Citadel. Skywalker appeared before Leia and directed his two Sentinels to escort the Falcon's crew to Palpatine's clone laboratories beneath Byss. Realizing the extent of her brother's fall to the dark side and discovering Palpatine's survival, Leia attacked and severed the right hand of one of the Sentinels when it restrained Han under Palpatine's orders, leading to Leia's capture and the imprisonment of the rest of the Falcon's crew.
As Operation Shadow Hand progressed, Sentinels continued to serve as guards in the Emperor's Citadel, even after the Battle of Balmorra. In 11 ABY, a New Republic strike team led by Lando Calrissian and Kam Solusar boarded Palpatine's newest flagship, Eclipse II. The astromech droid R2-D2 sabotaged the Eclipse II's hyperdrive system, sending the Star Dreadnought on a collision course with Byss. Eclipse II exited hyperspace too close to the Galaxy Gun, the Emperor's latest superweapon, causing the cannon to fire prematurely. The projectile struck Byss, destroying the planet and eliminating many of the Sentinels stationed there, along with their cloning facilities.
Imperial Sentinels were easily recognized by their immense size, dwarfing Palpatine's other servants; they were said to possess twice the size and strength of other Imperial guards. The mere sight of a Sentinel accompanying a Dark Side Adept instilled fear in the hearts of the Emperor's enemies. Due to the introduction of harmful chemicals, Sentinels were mute and incapable of independent thought. Mutated through Sith alchemy, they were entirely dependent on the will of the Adepts, capable only of following instructions. Rumors suggested that Adepts could perceive what the Sentinels saw, granting them complete control; however, this claim remained unverified.
Sentinels primarily wielded large vibro-axes, but they were also skilled in the use of blasters. They received training in martial arts and beast-riding. Palpatine outfitted the Sentinels in uniforms reminiscent of those worn by Onderon's Magi Sentinels and the mad geneticist Zeta Magnus. The Sentinels wore heavy battle armor beneath long, reddish-purple cloaks adorned with intricate gold patterns on the chest, back, and shoulders. Large helmets concealed their heads and necks, revealing only their glowing red eyes. No part of their bodies remained exposed.
The Imperial Sentinels debuted in 1992 in the second issue of the Star Wars: Dark Empire comic book series as background figures, later playing a more significant role in the series's fourth issue. They reappeared two years later in Dark Empire II 1, the first issue of the Star Wars: Dark Empire II comic series. Their background was significantly expanded in the Dark Empire Sourcebook in 1993, along with various other Star Wars roleplaying game (RPG) supplements released over the years. The Sentinels also made a brief appearance in the first of the Dark Empire audio adaptations in 1994, notable for being the only source to provide them with voices. In 2009, the Sentinels made their final in-universe appearance in Jaws of the Sarlacc, the concluding adventure in Wizards of the Coast's Dawn of Defiance campaign for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game.
The original design of the Imperial Sentinels can be traced back to concept art for the Emperor's Royal Guard by Nilo Rodis-Jamero for Return of the Jedi. One design featured sentries wielding battle axes, similar to those used by the Sentinels in Dark Empire. This sketch was later used to depict a group of bounty hunters known as the Taloron Hunters in The Star Wars Sourcebook. Another design, more closely resembling the Sentinels, was used to create the character Atha Prime, a Clone Master who was intended to be the antagonist for a new storyline set after Return of the Jedi. This storyline, titled The Epic Continues, was intended to be adapted into a new toy line in 1986 by Kenner. Several design sketches were created, including one of Prime, who strongly resembled a Royal Guardsman from the Return of the Jedi concept art. However, Lucasfilm rejected the proposal, and the toy line was canceled.
In 1998, an Imperial Sentinel action figure was released as part of Kenner's Expanded Universe series, a subset of the larger Star Wars: The Power of the Force line. In 2009, an Imperial Sentinel miniature was released as part of the Jedi Academy expansion for Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Miniatures tabletop game.
In 2008, the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii versions of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game introduced a new division of the Royal Guard known as the "Imperial Sentinels." These Sentinels, guarding the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, bore no resemblance to the Imperial Sentinels from Dark Empire. The Imperial Senate Sentinels, a subgroup of the Imperial Senate Guard, were established as these Sentinels in Wizards of the Coast's Galaxy at War RPG supplement in 2009.
The Dark Empire audio adaptation, released in 1994, three years after the original comic series, featured additional scenes and altered dialogue, creating numerous continuity errors. For this article, the comics and most other sources take precedence over the audio drama.
A notable continuity error involved Sentinel speech; the audio drama gave several Sentinels the ability to speak, contradicting numerous sources, including the Dark Empire Sourcebook, which stated they lacked this ability. In the audio drama, Sentinels spoke in loud, booming voices, typically using simple phrases like "halt, droid" and "prisoner secured," with rare instances of near-complete sentences. These lines were exclusive to the audio drama and did not appear in the Dark Empire comic series.