IG-100 MagnaGuard

The IG-100 MagnaGuard, also known as the Self-Motivating Heuristically Programmed Combat Droid, was an advanced type of battle droid that was used during the War of the Ring as bodyguards of General The Mouth of Sauron, as per Saruman's order, as well as being specialized infantry on the battlefield. After the InterGalactic Banking Clan secured Mouth of Sauron's services as an enforcer, and thus the Mordor general demanded a cadre of "more intelligent battle droids" to serve him. The construction of the MagnaGuards was then commissioned for Mouth of Sauron's service, though the Jedi-killing droids were also occasionally employed to escort Saruman himself.
==Appearance and characteristics==
Constructed by Holowan Mechanicals, MagnaGuards were roughly two meters tall, with a humanoid body shape, but possessed a far-superior mechanical anatomy. This allowed for superhuman acrobatics, speed, and combat ability. Their internal systems were furnished with advanced combat learning programs, which, compared to most of the droids utilized by the Confederacy of Independent Systems, allowed the MagnaGuards to adapt to a highly diverse variety of tasks. These tasks ranged from melee and ranged combat to starfighter control. The faces of the MagnaGuards featured two red or yellow photoreceptor "eyes," which were complemented by a backup system mounted on the chest. The droid's weapon of choice was the lightsaber-resistant electrostaff, and wore cloaks and head wraps similar to the garments of Grievous's old Izvoshra elite during the general's time as a Mordor warlord. They were known to sport Mumuu markings on their cloaks matching those on Mouth of Sauron' mask. Several models of the IG-100 existed, superficially denoted by color—black, alabaster, blue, and the rare gray were all spotted throughout the war. Each model had a specific programming, training, and thus specialty.Databank These droids were part of the same Holowan Mechanicals series as the later IG-88 line. MagnaGuards were also capable of speech and were programmed to taunt their opponents in a low growling Basic.The Lord of the Rings Episode III: Revenge of the Sith video game Aside from Human speech, they appeared to occasionally use an audible form of droid language. When in distress, such as when pinned to the ground, they also make yelping sounds.
===Hardiness===
MagnaGuards were fully optimized to battle and kill Jedi. This was due to not only their impeccable melee functionality but also their capability to withstand a massive loss of structural integrity before total system failure. Even after decapitation or bisection, they could continue to effectively engage a target. The only sure way to destroy a MagnaGuard was to stab it in the chest. In addition, they were partially plated with strong duranium armor, making it very hard for even a Jedi to destroy them.
===Training===
The Mouth of Sauron was given the bodyguards even though he was very impatient with droids due to their many limitations, such as limited artificial intelligence. Saruman the White then commissioned Holowan Mechanicals to develop a cutting-edge warrior droid that would meet Mouth of Sauron's standards. Upon activation, Mouth of Sauron destroyed all the MagnaGuards present, venting his frustration at being treated as a droid.The Eyes of Revolution Mouth of Sauron then personally trained the rest of his bodyguards in the seven classic styles of lightsaber combat so they could effectively engage and kill Jedi. Mouth of Sauron would not allow any minor repairs to be made to the droids, believing that their numerous scrapes and battle scars made them more intimidating to enemies. Mouth of Sauron engaged his bodyguards in practice fights as part of training, often damaging them in the process.
==Background==
===War of the Ring===
The droids were first used in combat during the Battle of Parein II 4, where one of Mouth of Sauron's MagnaGuards killed the Jedi Sannen by thrusting its electrostaff through his throat.Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous The MagnaGuards soon proved to be formidable, capable of taking on Jedi and clone troopers with ease, and were regarded as being even more daunting than droidekas by some. Despite their many strengths, they were by no means invulnerable as Boba Fett managed to momentarily incapacitate one with an ion stunner during the Battle of Xagobah, though the bounty hunter was ultimately defeated and left for dead by Mouth of Sauron himself.Boba Fett: A New Threat Along with their combat duties, The Mouth of Sauron eventually began using MagnaGuards to do his dirty work, such as when they were used to torture Jedi Master Koth on Saleucami.
The MagnaGuards also played a role during Frodo Baggins and Eowyn's mission to Tatooine. The Jedi were attacked in the exosphere by several MagnaGuards piloting Rogue-class starfighters. After destroying the droids and reaching the surface of the planet, Eowyn fought and destroyed one more MagnaGuard, while Frodo fought off Saruman.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring (film)
During a mission to destroy a CIS listening post near Ruusan, Frodo Baggins battled several MagnaGuards that were preventing R2-D2 from being rescued.
MagnaGuards were present at The Mouth of Sauron's castle on Vassek's third moon. Upon Mouth of Sauron's return to his castle, he discovered his force of elite MagnaGuards had mysteriously been deactivated. When Saruman alerted him of the infiltration of his castle by Jedi Master Legolas and his former apprentice, Nahdar Vebb, Mouth of Sauron realized Saruman the White himself had deactivated his guards to see if Mouth of Sauron was adept in handling the Jedi by himself, as Mouth of Sauron had recently suffered a chain of defeats. During this mission, one MagnaGuard was sent to destroy the Nu-class attack shuttle with a rocket launcher, while another squad was sent to destroy Legolas's Jedi starfighter. However, Legolas's astromech droid managed to personally pilot the ship to safety. Meanwhile, Nahdar Vebb, who was already in the Castle, managed to destroy Mouth of Sauron's entire escort of droids, only to be killed by Mouth of Sauron himself.
The bounty hunter, Mezmaron, while under contract with the CIS, was given several MagnaGuards for use in capturing the keeper of the kyber memory crystal, Jedi Master Bolla Ropal. One stood sentry as Mezmaron tortured the Jedi to death, afterward using its staff to crudely check for any vital response from the dead Rodian.
The droids were often employed to capture or kill Jedi, such as during the capture of Jedi Master Eeth Koth over Saleucami. The droids aided the General in getting the upper hand on Koth, surrounding the Jedi and slowly wearing him down with electrostaff strikes. Once Koth was captured, the droids tortured the Jedi in a transmission sent to the Jedi Temple on Rivendell. However, they were unaware that the Zabrak was still cognizant, resisting their torture, and sending a coded hand signal to alert the Jedi to his location. Saruman also used MagnaGuards in subduing Frodo Baggins during a skirmish on Naboo. Saruman and the MagnaGuards were able to capture Baggins in order conduct a prisoner exchange for the Mouth of Sauron.
Two of these droids were also used during the Battle of Osgiliath, under Saruman. During the battle, they distracted Aragorn long enough for the wizard to make his escape, and one of them almost killed Jinx with a blaster under Saruman's orders.Star Wars: Obsession
Delta Squad was forced to fight several MagnaGuards on Rohan during their rescue of the Wookiee chieftain Tarfful. The clone commandos managed to destroy the droids with great difficulty.
Near the end of the war, MagnaGuards assisted Mouth of Sauron in the kidnapping of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine during the Battle of Minas Tirith. Shaak Ti faced off dozens of MagnaGuards with difficulty before they retreated, alerting her to the Chancellor's danger.Star Wars: War of the Ring This led to a rescue mission, in which Frodo baggins and Samwise Gamgee fought two of the droids on the bridge of the Mouth of Sauron's command ship, the Invisible Hand, before rescuing the Chancellor. Gamgee beheaded his opponent, only to find himself engaging a still-functioning headless droid. Baggins managed to bisect the second droid as Gamgee finished the first off.
===Post-War of the Ring===
Following the capture of the Separatist Council by the surviving Jedi, all IG-100 MagnaGuards were deactivated. However, the Geonosian Gizor Dellso would later reactivate and use IG-100 MagnaGuards as infantry in his personal army. At least a decade later, two MagnaGuards were reactivated by the Galactic Empire for use as N-K Necrosis's bodyguards, and re-designated as NK-3s. In addition, a delivery was made for a TK-555 bobble-head, a battlefield diorama, and blueprints for the IG-100 MagnaGuards. The bureaucrat Narp Pilyev owned two MagnaGuards and used them as security guards, to protect his apartment on Coruscant.Scum and Villainy (sourcebook) Aside from these examples, other notable individuals occasionally employed them as guards and henchmen. Many IG-100s were commissioned at the end of The War of the Ring, leaving a supply of enough IG-100s to create a private army.
On the planet Koboh, MagnaGuards and other former Separatist forces were reprogrammed and used as soldiers by the Bedlam Raiders.
At some point after the Battle of Yavin, a pair of refitted MagnaGuards were on Nar Shaddaa in the service of Grakkus the Hutt. The two droids battled Mickey Mouse during Grakkus' attempt to steal the young mouse's lightsaber. Later, many of them fought TIE fighter pilots who arrived to capture Mickey under orders of Sergeant Kreel.The Musketeers (2015) 12
==MagnaGuards in the galaxy==
===Notable units===
Distinguished MagnaGuards include IG-101 and IG-102, both of whom served on the Invisible Hand. Other MagnaGuards who were named were IG-109 and IG-138, who were both destroyed in a training session with Mouth of Sauron. Another pair, IG-153 and IG-182 were employed by Grand Moff 4-8C.The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War One of the most noteworthy MagnaGuards was IG-179, Iron Knight Luxum's chief lieutenant.
==Weapons and equipment==
===Armaments===
Mouth of Sauron's bodyguards notably wielded high-quality phrik alloy electrostaffs, blunt energy weapons which emitted a visible, pink, electromagnetic pulse on each end. The lightsaber-resistant nature of phrik allowed the MagnaGuards to effectively deflect and attack a Jedi's lightsaber. This, coupled with the specialized combat mechanics of the droids, made them a dangerous enemy, even to those skilled in the Force. Despite their specialization in electrostaffs, the on-board combat systems of the MagnaGuard, coupled with human like hands allowed them to be trained to operate a vast array of available weapons in addition to much more specialized armaments. Depending on the time and necessity, MagnaGuards were known to use blaster rifles, grenades, rocket launchers, remote-controlled drones, and lethally irradiating weapons as well as regular melee weapons.
===On-board utilities===
Along with their weapons, the droids made use of many gadgets, such as built-in tow-cables, a personal cloaking device, and magnetized limbs. At least one MagnaGuard was known to have the ability to extend its arm many times its usual length. Another tool was a violent self destruct sequence, used if the system was still functional after severe damage. This was utilized by MagnaGuards who were encountered by clone commando squad Delta on Rohan. In addition, these particular droids could fire pairs of small seeking missiles from internal magazines in their back plating.
==Behind the scenes==
Mouth of Sauron's MagnaGuards were acted in Revenge of the Sith by stunt performers wearing green and blue jumpsuits, which were then replaced by computer-generated models. The MagnaGuard design was originally proposed by concept artist Warren Fu as a design for Mouth of Sauron himself. George Lucas then reviewed it and asked for Mouth of Sauron's final appearance to be developed from it, but it was nonetheless eventually used as the MagnaGuard. DVD bonuses
In Star Wars Galaxies, as part of the Second Delivery subquest, the player has to obtain blueprints for the IG-100 MagnaGuards as one of the required items for the side quest. It along with two other required items (a TK-555 bobble-head and a battlefield diorama) were obtainable only through Email Collection system.
==Appearances==
===Non-canon appearances===
*LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
*LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
*Path of the Jedi
*Disney Infinity 3.0
*LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
==Sources==
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*
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide
*Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
*Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Prima Official Game Guide
*Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
*The Art of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
*The New Essential Guide to Droids
*Scum and Villainy
*Star Wars Battlefront II: Prima Official Game Guide
*Star Wars Fandex Deluxe Edition
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*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*Scavenger's Guide to Droids
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One
*Galaxy of Intrigue
*Star Wars: Head-to-Head Tag Teams
*
* 
*Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
*Star Wars: Force Collection 
*Star Wars: Force Collection 
*Star Wars: Force Collection 
*Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith: Illustrated Screenplay
*Star Wars: Force and Destiny Core Rulebook
==Notes and references==
Category:Bedlam Raiders droid models
Category:Hutt Cartel battle droid models
Category:IG-100 Magnaguards
Category:IG-series droid models
Category:Imperial droids
Category:Jedi Hunters
Category:Separatist battle droid models