Imperial Knight armor Imperial Knight armor was the standard protection and uniform worn by Imperial Knight s . It was designed and implemented between 43 ABY and 127 ABY , after the appointment of Jagged Fel as regent of the Galactic Empire and before the Sith – Imperial War . The armor was crimson and black , and built to withstand lightsaber strikes . It included cortosis gauntlets that could shut down a lightsaber for a short period of time . Along with Imperial Knight lightsaber s , it was the identifying trait of an Imperial Knight , although Knights were known to travel in plainclothes when required . Emperor Roan Fel wore a variant of Imperial Knight armor , and Master armorer Hogrum Chalk constructed life - preserving armored suits for severely injured Imperial Knights . Characteristics . Imperial Knight armor consisted of a suit of crimson armor , that was made from the same material found in the armor of Darth Vader . It was interwoven with small threads of phrik filament to provide additional resistance to lightsaber attacks . The Imperial insignia was printed on the left shoulder pad and right gauntlet ; the gauntlet itself was composed of pure cortosis , rendering any lightsaber blade that touched it useless for several minutes . The uniform also included a black hood and cape . Roan Fel wore for most occasions a more elaborate variant of this armor , along with a royal cape . Nonetheless , during dangerous missions like the one on Agamar in 137 ABY , he relied on the traditional and more versatile standard armor . As skilled masters of the Force , Imperial Knights knew how to get the most out of their armor . The master armorer of the Imperial Knights crafted specialized life - preserving suits for Imperial Knights who had been severely injured . Master armorer Hogrum Chalk had designed at least two such suits by 137 ABY , including one for Azlyn Rae after her injuries at the hands of Karness Muur ' s spirit during the Battle on Had Abbadon . History . Imperial Knight armor was developed and implemented as a standard uniform for Imperial Knights sometime after the appointment of Jagged Fel as the regent of the Galactic Empire in 43 ABY and prior to the Sith – Imperial War , which lasted from 127 ABY to 130 ABY . It was worn by all Imperial Knights , including a variation worn by Emperor Roan Fel , during the Second Imperial Civil War . Although the uniform was worn regularly when on - duty , Imperial Knights dressed in plainclothes when necessary . On her mission to the Hidden Temple , and later to Had Abbadon , Azlyn Rae remained in her bounty hunter ' s uniform , having been undercover and presumably without her regular armor . Treis Sinde wore a crimson armored underwater - suit when assisting rebels on Mon Calamari , and wore plainclothes along with Sigel Dare for their undercover mission to Dac . In 140 ABY , a year after having resigned from the Imperial Knights , Jao Assam wore white - colored Imperial Knight armor . Behind the scenes . Imperial Knight armor was designed for the " " comic book by Dark Horse comics . The armor shows a striking similarity to that of the Emperor ' s Royal Guard , especially that worn by Kir Kanos in the Crimson Empire comic book series , also by Dark Horse , as Kanos was often portrayed without a helmet . The cortosis gauntlets of the armor are similar to the vambrace s worn by Zayne Carrick in the " " comic book , but have different properties . Carrick ' s vambraces were capable of deflecting lightsaber strikes , while Imperial Knights ' cortosis gauntlets deactivated lightsabers for a short period of time . Penciling or coloring mistakes sometimes portray variations of the standard Imperial Knight armor in the comic , such as Roan Fel ' s gloveless gauntlets in a panel of " " . Art of the Imperial Knight armor by Jan Duursema utilized the work of costumer Thomas J . Spanos as a reference . Spanos also modeled for the appearance of Imperial Knight Ganner Krieg .