History Main / PraetorianGuard

*** Luna's evil self, Nightmare Moon, does not have any in her original appearance (understandably so since she just came back from a thousand year exile in the moon and hasn't had time to build a powerbasr), but when she returns in a DarkFuture in the season 5 finale, she is accompanied by a pegasi guard identical to Luna's. This being an alternate timeline, the apparent commander of this guard is Rainbow Dash.

* ''Fanfic/AYoungGirlsGameOfThrones'': Myrcella organizes Brienne and promising Stormlander knights into a personal cadre called the Stormguard. She makes sure that this isn't like the Kingsguard, with the roster limit set to 20 instead of 7 and no one has to set aside their inheritance to join, and also intends them to serve as military commanders in addition to bodyguards.

*** Various ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' works introduced still more elite subdivisions of the Royal Guard, who are themselves [[EliteMooks selected from the most skilled Stormtroopers]]: in order of debut, there are the Sentinels from ''Comicbook/DarkEmpire'', who are genetically modified to be given SuperStrength and other preternatural abilities; the Sovereign Protectors from ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsCrimsonEmpire Crimson Empire]]'', charged with protecting the top-secret secondary capital of Byss; and the Shadow Guard from ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'', who are [[MagicKnight all Force-sensitive]].

*** ''Revenge of the Sith'' also has the Neimoidian Royal Guards seen guarding the Separatist leaders on [[LethalLavaLand Mustafar]]. [[spoiler: They don't appear to put up much of a fight against Vader, seeing as they appear to have been slaughtered offscreen after he seals the room.]] ''The Clone Wars'', as well as ''[[Literature/StarWarsBrotherhood Brotherhood]]'' and Poe Dameron, give them more expanded roles, however.

* The Immortals of the Persian army in ''Film/ThreeHundred''.
** Leonidas's 300 are themselves his "bodyguard" for the purpose of leaving Sparta with him.

** Funnily enough, this is a subversion of how the trope usually goes, since the BigGood of the story has a Praetorian Guard yet ''none of the villains seem to''. [[DarkIsEvil Nightmare]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Moon]] relied purely on her personal vast magical power, and [[MadGod Discord]] is a [[RealityWarper one Draconequus apocalypse]] on his own.

*** ''Revenge of the Sith'' also has the Neimoidian Beetle Guard seen guarding the separatist leaders on [[LethalLavaLand Mustafar]]. [[spoiler: They don't appear to put up much of a fight against Vader, seeing as they appear to have been slaughtered offscreen after he seals the room.]]
** In ''Film/TheLastJedi'', Supreme Leader Snoke has his own red-clad bodyguards (actually called the Praetorian Guard), armed with weapons capable of shifting into multiple forms, who are [[EliteMooks elite enough]] to [[spoiler: give both Rey and [[TheStarscream Kylo Ren]] a run for their money]].

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' briefly had the Wreckers be such a guard for the team's political sponsor, Emirate Xaaron, until his untimely death.
** Interesting, the Decepticon Ravage was part of one such guard for the last surviving Autobot Overlord and promptly betrayed him in favor of Megatron. His Autobot counterpart Nightstalker, though, sacrificed himself for his liege.
** Good-guy Elite Guard: Jazz, Sentinel Prime, and Blurr serving under Ultra Magnus in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''.
** The ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' series introduced [[NewMeat rookie]] Smokescreen, who received his training from the Elite Guard.

Tend to favor ScaryImpracticalArmor, BlingOfWar, and a BladeOnAStick. Despite their elite status, they have an unusual tendency to stand around not doing much fighting--of course, as long as their boss is keeping out of trouble, that's precisely their job.

** The Adeptus Custodes, [[BlingOfWar golden-armored]] {{super soldier}}s [[BladeOnAStick bearing polearms]] [[BifurcatedWeapon with integrated]] [[HandCannon storm bolters]]. It's said that a member of the Adeptus Custodes is to a Space Marine as a Space Marine is to an ordinary human. Though the Custodes took to the battlefields of the Great Crusade during the Imperium's founding, since the Literature/HorusHeresy they were consigned to Holy Terra where they guard the Imperial Palace, particularly the Golden Throne and the Emperor's inert form. Since the return of Roboute Guilliman however, they've taken to the battlefield again as the [[EliteArmy pretty much the most elite faction there is]] within the Imperium's military.

** Most factions in have one of these, usually called the "[X] Guard" and armed with a BladeOnAStick: The High Elf White Lions act as bodyguards to the Phoenix King, and the [[AmazonBrigade Maiden Guard]] for the Everqueen. The Reiksguard of the Empire serve as the Emperor's bodyguard. The Greatswords serve this role to Elector Counts. The Temple Guard of the Slann Mage-Lords for the Lizardmen. The Black Guard for the Dark Elf king. The Hammerers for the Dwarfs. [[PuttingOnTheReich Stormvermin]] for the Skaven. [[{{Mummy}} Tomb Guard]] for the Tomb Kings...

The BigBad is ''much'' more likely to have a dedicated group of elite bodyguards than the story's BigGood or other equivalent-ranking good guy. This might be because the good leader often has a [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Kirk-like]] tendency to [[FrontlineGeneral lead his soldiers into battle]], even if logically it seems like a bad idea to have your leader [[RiskingTheKing be the first person you send into every potentially dangerous situation]]. Then again AuthorityGrantsAsskicking. The occasional exceptions form the HeroSecretService. Another notable exception is any fictional representation of the real-life Secret Service (typically American, but also occasionally Her Majesty's). A princess may also have a solitary male bodyguard that she sometimes finds herself [[BodyguardCrush attracted to (and vice-versa)]].

The BigBad is ''much'' more likely to have a dedicated group of elite bodyguards than the story's BigGood or other equivalent-ranking good guy. This might be because the good leader often has a [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Kirk-like]] tendency to [[FrontlineGeneral lead his soldiers into battle]], even if logically it seems like a bad idea to have your leader be the first person you send into every potentially dangerous situation. Then again AuthorityGrantsAsskicking. The occasional exceptions form the HeroSecretService. Another notable exception is any fictional representation of the real-life Secret Service (typically American, but also occasionally Her Majesty's). A princess may also have a solitary male bodyguard that she sometimes finds herself [[BodyguardCrush attracted to (and vice-versa)]].

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'': The Dawn Templars are a non-villainous example, being paladins who [[{{Protectorate}} swore to defend]] Celestine, the [[GodEmperor Goddess Reborn]]. Throughout the series, the cadre has only been in a fight once: at the climax of the ''Rebel Scum Arc''. They are also a part of the five-thousand-men army that is sent to Thorn for a potential BigBadassBattleSequence, which is yet to be featured.
* ''Fanfic/ThePiecesLieWhereTheyFell'': [[spoiler: Memorizing Gaze is the Royal Protector of the Badlands Changeling Hive, born to protect its Royal Family, and takes up that duty again when Page finally accepts her position as Queen. His triplet brothers serve a similar function for the Hivemind Body and the Sages of the Past.]]

** The lifeguard of the kings of Judah, Cherethites and the Pelethites, first mentioned in 2 Sam 20:23. Modern research interprets them as Cretans and Philisteans.