The Elite Praetorian Guard was a First Order unit that consisted of eight human warriors divided into four pairs. Like the Imperial Royal Guards who protected Emperor Palpatine during the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Praetorian Guards served as elite personal bodyguards of Supreme Leader Snoke—ruler of the military junta and hermetic state known as the First Order. As such, they were trained to protect the Supreme Leader by meeting any threat with a ferocious response. Clad in red armor and robes, the Praetorian Guard’s appearance deliberately echoed that of the Emperor’s royal guardsmen. As combatants they specialized in several forms of martial arts, such as Teräs Käsi, and carried various high-tech melee weapons.