A rumor suggests that Disney+'s upcoming live-action Star Wars series Andor could feature an appearance by the Emperor's Royal Guard, the elite, red-clad warriors who first appeared in the 1983 film Return of the Jedi.
The Star Wars news site Bespin Bulletin says it's heard murmurs of the Emperor's Royal Guard popping up in Andor, which serves as a prequel to the 2016 anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That said, Bespin Bulletin urges readers to take this information with a grain of salt, as it did not come from one of its usual sources. Nevertheless, the outlet says it first heard about the Royal Guard's potential involvement in Andor over six months ago, and has heard about it multiple times since.
Furthermore, there is additional information that lends credence to this rumor. Star Wars Meg recently reported that Andor would feature an appearance by Emperor Palpatine's right-hand man, Mas Amedda, who was Vice Chair of the Galactic Senate before becoming Grand Vizier of the Galactic Empire. Mas Amedda appeared in all three Star Wars prequel films, being played by Jerome Blake in 1999's Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace, David Bowers in 2002's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and by both actors in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Notably, Star Wars Meg previously correctly reported that the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett would feature members of the Hutt Clan.
According to Bespin Bulletin's sources, the Royal Guard's appearance in Andor will take place in the senate, which would track with an appearance by Mas Amedda. However, the outlet stresses that even if the Royal Guard shows up in Andor, an appearance by Emperor Palpatine himself is far from guaranteed. While the Royal Guard's members serve as the Emperor's personal bodyguards, they have been seen guarding the likes of Mas Amedda in Star Wars comic books and Darth Vader in the aforementioned Rogue One. A deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith even sees Mas Amedda leading a squad of guardsmen.
As previously mentioned, the Emperor's Royal Guard -- also known as the Imperial Royal Guard, the Imperial Guard or simply the Royal Guard -- first appeared Return of the Jedi, the third and final film in the original Star Wars trilogy. In that film, they can be seen accompanying the Emperor to the second Death Star and guarding his throne room later on. The Royal Guard also appeared in the prequel films Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, at which point they were known as the Red Guard. Additionally, the Royal Guard serves as the inspiration for the Elite Praetorian Guard, Supreme Leader Snoke's personal bodyguards from 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Set five years before the events of Rogue One, Disney+'s Andor serves to flesh out the Rebel spy known as Cassian Andor, with actor Diego Luna reprising the role. The series currently lacks an official release date, though is slated to arrive on Disney+ sometime this year. Bespin Bulletin previously reported that the show was eyeing an August premiere.
Andor premieres in 2022 on Disney+.
Source: Bespin Bulletin; Star Wars Meg