“Guards, leave us.” That is one of the last orders Palpatine gives his Royal Guards as Luke walks in with Darth Vader near the end of Return of the Jedi. I came across a Reddit thread asking the same thing I wondered, where did those guards go and what happened to them.
My first reaction was, “it is not that kind of movie,” but Star Wars canon actually explains it. There is an answer for where the guards went and what became of them by the end of Return of the Jedi.
Here is how the story plays out.
The Royal Guards Were Ordered to Stand Watch Outside Palpatine’s Chamber
First, let us debunk the question of where the two guards actually went. So far, we know they simply walk out of Palpatine’s throne room, probably standing close to it, you know, on duty guarding the throne room as always. One of the Star Wars cutaways shows us the moment when Luke is taking direct Force Lightning from Palpatine, and we can clearly see the guards standing right outside and guarding the room.
From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi Explains the Two Guards Fought Each Other—One Was Killed and One Escaped the Death Star II
So far we know the guards were still on Death Star Two during the Emperor’s final moments, but what about their fates? Fortunately, there is a canon answer in From a Certain Point of View, Return of the Jedi, in the short story titled “The Emperor’s Red Guards.”
In this story we see events from the point of view of one Royal Guard whose name is not given, while the other guard is named Tauk. I will not go too deep into the plot, I will go straight to the part that explains the guards’ fate.
After taking the order from Palpatine, the two guards step outside and stand watch at the throne room doors. From there they hear every sound inside, from the fight between Luke and Vader to the moment Palpatine is thrown into the reactor of Death Star Two. The unnamed guard grows worried when he hears a yell from within. He starts to open the door and is ready to walk in.
As the door opens, he sees Luke carrying Vader and walking out, and Vader even orders the guards to “leave us.” The unnamed guard is still worried about the Emperor. He wants to run inside to check, but Tauk tells him to follow orders and remain at his post.
The guard goes in anyway. He smells something strange, looks down into the reactor shaft, and sees what he dreaded. The Emperor is dead. He drops to his knees and begins to cry. A few seconds later Tauk runs in and asks, “What are you doing, where is the Emperor?” When Tauk realizes the Emperor is dead, he tells the unnamed guard they must take revenge.
Tauk: “Let’s go.”
Unnamed Royal Guard: “Where?”
Tauk: “To avenge him, where else?”
The unnamed guard’s thoughts are a storm. “He did it. The Emperor succeeded. The young rebel has turned. Of course the Emperor achieved his goal, which led Skywalker to kill both the Emperor and Darth Vader. Was this somehow part of the Emperor’s plan, one so genius someone like me could never understand? Then he rewinds the scene in his head, because something is wrong.
The rebel had tears on his face. After he wiped his eyes, he yelled, “Run, save yourselves, the battle station is crumbling.” We were still frozen in shock as Skywalker grabbed Vader’s body and dragged him up into the shuttle. All I could do was stare after them. As I took in Darth Vader’s fallen form, everything came to me at once. The damage to Vader’s suit. The absence of a lightsaber wound. Vader’s “leave us.” Skywalker had not changed sides. He did not kill the Emperor. Darth Vader did, and he was killed in the process. How could he, and why?”
After that realization, the two guards move to pursue Luke. In the middle of the chase, Tauk turns back and accuses the other guard.
Tauk: “You did not attack him.”
Unnamed Royal Guard: “Neither did you.”
They fight. The unnamed guard believes that with the Emperor dead there is no Empire left for him, while Tauk chooses to remain loyal to the Empire. Tauk points his force pike at the other guard and shouts, “Traitor, you are deserting the Empire.”
They clash until the unnamed guard reaches for a blaster pistol and shoots Tauk. He then escapes aboard one of the shuttles.