Imperial Elite Guard The Imperial Elite Guard was a special military unit composed of highly - trained soldiers known as Imperial shock troopers . In addition to the defense of Bastion , the capital world of the Imperial Remnant , the Guard was tasked with protecting the government ' s most important officials , such as the Imperial Head of State and the Council of Moffs . Due to their unique status within the Stormtrooper Corps , the soldiers of the Guard were distinguished from the rest of their fellow stormtroopers by gray stripes on the shoulder pads of their armor . History . Long after the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War , the former Galactic Empire was reduced to a handful of backwater sectors in the Outer Rim Territories , collectively known as the Imperial Remnant . As the Galactic Alliance strengthened its control over the galaxy , Imperial Head of State Gilad Pellaeon sought to build a sufficient amount of order and stability so that the Remnant would survive long after his death . In addition to the many actions he took in pursuit of this goal , a new military unit of bodyguards was created to protect the highest ranking officials in the executive and legislative branches of the government . This special detachment of the Stormtrooper Corps was known as the Imperial Elite Guard ; its soldiers were aesthetically separated from the rest of the stormtroopers by the gray markings on the shoulder pads of their armor . A year after the outbreak of the Second Galactic Civil War , the Galactic Alliance faced an increasingly dire situation against the rebellion of Corellia and its Confederate allies . Darth Caedus , the Dark Lord of the Sith Joint Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance , was eager to add the strength of the Imperial Remnant to the Alliance ' s overstretched military forces . Caedus was also impressed by the shock troopers of the Imperial Elite Guard and their reputation as an equal match to Darth Vader ' s 501st Legion . By this time , the Elite Guard was stationed in Ravelin , the capital city of the fortress world Bastion . After Pellaeon reluctantly agreed to help the Alliance in its objective to destroy the Corellian - led insurgency , a combined fleet of Alliance and Imperial warships converged on the secessionist world of Fondor . A unit of the Imperial Elite Guard accompanied Pellaeon and several high ranking members of the Council of Moffs on the Head of State ' s flagship " Bloodfin " . However , shortly after the battle commenced , the Galactic Alliance became divided after Joint Chief of State Cha Niathal betrayed Darth Caedus by accepting the Fondorian s ' surrender while her colleague was preoccupied with leading the attack . Though the vast majority of the Alliance fleet declared its allegiance to Caedus , Pellaeon ' s personal vendetta against the Sith Lord influenced his decision to support Niathal ' s backdoor deal with Fondor . As a consequence , Pellaeon was assassinated by former Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila . With the Head of State out of the way , the Moffs redirected Imperial forces to support Caedus and the true Galactic Alliance against Niathal ' s faction . Unfortunately for Veila and the Moffs , much of the " Bloodfin ' s " personnel were loyal to Pellaeon , and thus the Elite Guard found itself in a desperate fight to the death with mutineers . Although the Guard failed to prevent the deaths of the Moffs , their actions created a distraction that allowed Caedus to infiltrate the " Bloodfin " and rescue Veila , whom he anointed as his Sith apprentice . In the aftermath of the debacle at Fondor , the remaining members of the Moff Council secured their hold over the Imperial Remnant . At the same time , the shock troopers of the Imperial Elite Guard served as protection detail for the Moffs . As such , they accompanied them to the Battle of Roche and also participated in the Battle of Uroro Station . Under the command of Tahiri Veila , a special detachment of the Elite Guard attempted to destroy the Jedi Order ' s secret base on Shedu Maad . However , they were forced to create a distraction against several Jedi opponents while Veila proceeded to complete the mission . Yet their efforts were in vain . Shortly afterward , a disillusioned Tahiri Veila renounced her allegiance to the Sith Order and was taken into Jedi custody . Meanwhile , Darth Caedus was killed by his twin sister , the Jedi Jaina Solo . With Caedus ' death and the surrender of the Moffs , the Galactic Alliance and the Imperial Remnant fell under the temporary control of the Jedi Coalition . By the end of the war , the Galactic Alliance remained as the dominant force in the galaxy and the Imperial Remnant was placed under the leadership of Jagged Fel .