Thyrsus Sun Guard

The Thyrsus Sun Guard was a mercenary unit, formed thousands of years before the Clone Wars, fought from 22 BBY to 19 BBY between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems. In their millennia-spanning history, the mercenaries had often been mistaken for their rivaling Mandalorian warriors. After the Clone Wars began, the Thrysus Sun Guard sided with the Republic under the command of General Solomahal. While fighting for the Republic, they simultaneously worked as Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious' secret agents, whose aspects had influenced^[1] his^[2] own Royal Guard.^[1] Its name was shared with the terrestrial astronomical object Thyrsus^[3] and Thyrsian battle helmet.^[4]

Behind the scenes

The Thyrsus Sun Guard was introduced in Star Wars canon in Collapse of the Republic, a 2019 supplement to Fantasy Flight Games' series of Star Wars Roleplaying products.^[1] In Star Wars Legends, the Sun Guard was first mentioned in West End Games' Imperial Sourcebook, authored by Greg Gorden and published for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game in 1989.^[5] The mercenary group's first appearance was in the action-adventure video game adaptation of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, developed by LucasArts and Big Ape Productions, published by LucasArts,^[6] and released for PC on May 18, 1999.^[7] The video game included a Thug leader dressed in black-colored Royal Guard armor^[6] who was identified as a Sun Guard in Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties, an article authored by Abel G. Peña and published on Hyperspace on June 22, 2006.^[8]