With the exception of those ridiculously photogenic porgs, the only other element of Star Wars: The Last Jedi that has managed to escape Lucasfilm’s firewall and find its way onto various Internet message boards is Supreme Leader Snoke’s super-stylish security force.
Between painstaking sketches and LEGO figurines, by this stage in the game, Star Wars fans will already have a clear and fairly accurate idea of what to expect from Snoke’s crimson-red subordinates. But thanks to Entertainment Weekly’s newly-unveiled fall issue, today brings forth our best look at The Last Jedi‘s Elite Praetorian Guards yet. Embedded below, these sworn protectors are said to be a new spin on the Imperial guards who flanked Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.
However, whereas those old-school menials were quite formal in their nature, here Rian Johnson reveals how his sleek, “dangerous” warriors are more akin to samurai due to their tenacity.
The Emperor’s guards were very formal, and you always got the sense that they could fight, but they didn’t. They looked like they were more ceremonial, and you never really saw them in action. The Praetorians, my brief to [costume designer] Michael Kaplan was that those guys have to be more like samurai. They have to be built to move, and you have to believe that they could step forward and engage if they have to. They have to seem dangerous.
They are, in essence, Snoke’s “essential bodyguards,” which leads us to believe that Andy Serkis’ towering alien is actually more vulnerable than he seems. One way or another, EW’s coverage promises to unveil more answers (and likely raise more questions, too), so keep your peepers peeled.
On December 15th, Disney and Lucasfilm will usher in the latest (and potentially greatest?) chapter in the Skywalker saga in the form of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In case you missed it, we’ve included Entertainment Weekly’s media dump below, which includes a closer look at the bright lights of Canto Bight and John Boyega’s Finn piloting a speeder – presumably in the direction of invading AT-AT walkers.
