

We see the brutal, highly competitive nature of these Guards, as well as their fierce, almost cult-like loyalty to the Emperor. Kanos graduates after slaying his partner Lemmet Tauk in a dueling arena. The Guards in-training are also forced to duel to the death in order to gain positions as Imperial Guards. RELATED: Star Wars' R2-D2 Plot Hole Even Confused Mark Hamill Kanos, for example, sports a scar on his face given to him by Vader. All of them were personally selected by the Emperor, with Darth Vader himself often either exacting punishment against insubordinate or disappointing Guards or marking those who stood before him. The Crimson Empire trilogy outlined the brutal training and evaluations that Imperial Guards underwent. They just looked like guards, but they never fought. They weren't generals, like the Imperial admirals on the decks of Star Destroyers. While fans previously had a sense that the Stormtroopers functioned as foot soldiers, the role that the Imperial Guard played was unclear. The story outlines Kanos's journey for revenge, with him reflecting on the past and the intense training that went into his status as an Imperial Guard. Ultimately, it leads to a story of redemption, with Kanos's narrative intersecting with every part of the established Star Wars saga. It's a saga that's not simply about revenge, but the greater ramifications that revenge has on the world around you.

The stories focus on how Kanos' actions have irrevocably altered the trajectory of the Empire, leaving it without order drowning in chaos. The original miniseries proved so popular it spawned two sequels, Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood and Crimson Empire III-Empire Lost.

It's a compelling narrative that, for its time, introduced a new cast of characters that became immediately popular. The Empire he knows no longer exists, which leads him down an aimless, morally grey path where he serves his own goals. What's so compelling about Kanos is that, in his drive for retribution for the Empire, Kanos seems willing to destroy what's left of it. But when one of his fellow guardsmen, Carnor Jax, betrays the Empire and destroys a Guardsman stronghold with a legion of Stormtroopers, Kanos sets out for revenge, even if it means working alongside the Rebellion and destroying the remnants of the Empire. Kir Kanos is a fiercely loyal devotee to the Empire who became an Imperial Guard after years of brutal, intense training. The story takes place 11 years after the Battle of Yavin, a few years after The Mandalorian takes place in the current canon.
