The Story
The Imperial Royal Guard, sometimes called the Emperor's Royal Guard, first appeared in Return of the Jedi in 1983. Wrapped head to toe in blood-red robes and helmets, they stood silent at Palpatine's side aboard the second Death Star, elite soldiers chosen from the best of the stormtrooper ranks and armed with force pikes. They almost never moved and almost never spoke, which is exactly what made them unsettling: pure ceremonial menace guarding the most powerful figure in the galaxy.
VeVe's take rebuilds that guard in the style of Japan's Edo period. The lacquered crimson finish carries straight over, but the plating is reworked into layered, flared segments, and a kamon-style crane crest replaces Imperial insignia as the mark of silent loyalty. This is not a tagged First Appearance, since the Royal Guard is an old character, but it is the debut of the Edo-styled Royal Guard as a digital collectible, another entry in the samurai-flavored Imperial run alongside the Edo Scout Trooper and Edo Stormtrooper.
The base Common has the Guard standing composed with its force pike held at rest, plates catching the light. It reads as disciplined readiness with no wasted movement, the clean centerpiece of the set.
Open a Pack
Simulated blind box using this drop's real VeVe pull odds. See what you would land, then grab it on the market.
The Three Variants
The blind box holds three sculpts of the same Guard: the standing base, a Special Edition lunge, and an Ultra Rare defensive stance. Odds lengthen as the tier climbs, and the 50-edition Special Edition is the real chase even though it carries a Common rarity label.
Edition Breakdown
| Variant | Rarity | Editions | Pull Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Royal Guard | Common | 1,550 | 1 in 1.24 |
| Lunging Press | Special Edition | 50 | 1 in 41.36 |
| Pierce Through | Ultra Rare | 350 | 1 in 5.89 |
That is 1,950 editions across the series, scarce for a Star Wars drop on VeVe. VeVe withheld 50 of the base Common, 5 of the Special Edition, and 35 of the Ultra Rare, leaving 1,500, 45, and 315 in circulation. None have been burned yet.
Market Context
This landed in Season 12 with a $20 list price and an 8.5% market fee. Because it dropped in May 2026, after VeVe finished its Collect blockchain migration in January 2026, these editions were minted natively on Collect rather than moved over from Ethereum. Secondary trading runs through VeVe's in-app market and the StackR marketplace, live since April 2025.
The 50-edition Lunging Press Special Edition is the pressure point of the whole set. In a $20 blind box, that kind of edition count is genuinely thin, and early listings priced it well above the base. The standing Common at 1,550 is the accessible entry and the version most collectors will land, while the Special Edition is where the market concentrates.
Collector's Note
The Royal Guard has always been a favorite among Imperial collectors precisely because it is pure design: no face, no dialogue, just a crimson silhouette. That makes it a strong candidate for the Edo treatment. It sits well next to the other Imperial firsts on VeVe, from the first Stormtrooper NFT to the first Boba Fett NFT, and rounds out a Star Wars set built around the first Darth Vader NFT.
For value, the Lunging Press Special Edition is the chase at 50 editions, but the base Common is the display centerpiece and the affordable entry. All three variants are available from other collectors on the VeVe secondary market, sometimes near the $20 list. New to VeVe? Grab $10 off your first purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a Star Wars digital collectible released May 16, 2026 on VeVe, the debut of the Edo-styled Imperial Royal Guard. The blind box holds three variants of the same figure: the base Common (1,550 editions), the Lunging Press Special Edition (50), and the Pierce Through Ultra Rare (350).
1,950 editions total across the three variants. The base Common has 1,550, the Ultra Rare Pierce Through has 350, and the Lunging Press Special Edition is the scarcest at just 50 editions.
The Emperor's Royal Guard first appeared in Return of the Jedi in 1983, the crimson-robed soldiers who guarded Palpatine aboard the second Death Star. VeVe's Edo version reimagines that guard as a feudal Japanese warrior figure.
Yes. All three variants are available from other collectors on the VeVe secondary market and the StackR marketplace. Prices vary by variant and serial number, and the base Common sometimes lists near the original $20.
It was minted natively on VeVe's Collect blockchain, since it dropped in May 2026 after the platform completed its migration off Ethereum in January 2026.
