Imperial Knight armor was the standard protection and uniform worn by Imperial Knights. It was designed and implemented between 43 ABY and 127 ABY, after the appointment of Jagged Fel as regent of the Galactic Empire and before the Sith–Imperial War. The armor was crimson and black, and built to withstand lightsaber strikes. It included cortosis gauntlets that could shut down a lightsaber for a short period of time. Along with Imperial Knight lightsabers, it was the identifying trait of an Imperial Knight, although Knights were known to travel in plainclothes when required. Emperor Roan Fel wore a variant of Imperial Knight armor, and Master armorer Hogrum Chalk constructed life-preserving armored suits for severely injured Imperial Knights.
The cortosis gauntlets worn by Emperor Roan Fel, an Imperial Knight
Imperial Knight armor consisted of a suit of crimson armor, that was made from the same material found in the armor of Darth Vader. It was interwoven with small threads of phrik filament to provide additional resistance to lightsaber attacks. The Imperial insignia was printed on the left shoulder pad and right gauntlet; the gauntlet itself was composed of pure cortosis, rendering any lightsaber blade that touched it useless for several minutes. The uniform also included a black hood and cape. Roan Fel wore for most occasions a more elaborate variant of this armor, along with a royal cape. Nonetheless, during dangerous missions like the one on Agamar in 137 ABY, he relied on the traditional and more versatile standard armor. As skilled masters of the Force, Imperial Knights knew how to get the most out of their armor.
The master armorer of the Imperial Knights crafted specialized life-preserving suits for Imperial Knights who had been severely injured. Master armorer Hogrum Chalk had designed at least two such suits by 137 ABY, including one for Azlyn Rae after her injuries at the hands of Karness Muur's spirit during the Battle on Had Abbadon.
Imperial Knight armor was developed and implemented as a standard uniform for Imperial Knights sometime after the appointment of Jagged Fel becoming ruler of the Galactic Empire in or after 45 ABY and prior to the Sith–Imperial War, which lasted from 127 ABY to 130 ABY. It was worn by all Imperial Knights, including a variation worn by Emperor Roan Fel, during the Second Imperial Civil War.
Although the uniform was worn regularly when on-duty, Imperial Knights dressed in plainclothes when necessary. On her mission to the Hidden Temple, and later to Had Abbadon, Azlyn Rae remained in her bounty hunter's uniform, having been undercover and presumably without her regular armor. Treis Sinde wore a crimson armored underwater-suit when assisting rebels on Mon Calamari, and wore plainclothes along with Sigel Dare for their undercover mission to Dac.
In 140 ABY, a year after having resigned from the Imperial Knights, Jao Assam wore white-colored Imperial Knight armor.
Roan Fel's cortosis gauntlets mistakenly drawn without gloves
Imperial Knight armor was designed for the Star Wars: Legacy comic book by Dark Horse comics. The armor shows a striking similarity to that of the Emperor's Royal Guard, especially that worn by Kir Kanos in the Star Wars: Crimson Empire comic book series, also by Dark Horse, as Kanos was often portrayed without a helmet. The cortosis gauntlets of the armor are similar to the vambraces worn by Zayne Carrick in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic book, but have different properties. Carrick's vambraces were capable of deflecting lightsaber strikes, while Imperial Knights' cortosis gauntlets deactivated lightsabers for a short period of time. Penciling or coloring mistakes sometimes portray variations of the standard Imperial Knight armor in the comic, such as Roan Fel's gloveless gauntlets in a panel of Legacy (2006) 13.
Art of the Imperial Knight armor by Jan Duursema utilized the work of costumer Thomas J. Spanos as a reference. Spanos also modeled for the appearance of Imperial Knight Ganner Krieg.
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- Legacy Era Campaign Guide