The Elite Praetorian Guards were Supreme Leader Snoke’s personal bodyguards. The eight member squad was highly trained in many forms of melee combat. Their armor and weapons were designed to deal with threats from lightsabers and other direct assaults. The First Order liked to use imagery from the days of The Empire, so the red armor and robes were deliberately similar to the robes worn by The Emperor’s Royal Guard.

In spite of their training and attentiveness, the entire squad were as surprised as Leader Snoke was by Kylo Ren’s betrayal. They were defeated by Rey and Kylo in an attempt to avenge Snoke’s death.