JTA Presents: Evolutions - Senate Guard [Episode I/Episode II]

Welcome to another one of our JTA Presents: Evolutions features! Let’s check out how close or far we are from having an ideal Hasbro 3.75″ Senate Guard [Episode I/Episode II] action figure. Have we arrived at definitive status yet? Weigh in and let us know what conclusion you’ll come to by clicking through and adding your two cents in the comments!

In retrospect, we probably knew it was inevitable that we’d see another “Emperor’s Royal Guard-looking” character in the Prequel Trilogy. If there were different-looking “Stormtroopers” in the Prequel Trilogy, everything else that was part of the Republic would likely have an earlier counterpart too. The Senate Guards (also known as Coruscant Guards) were characters that stood out immediately to fans. A blue Royal Guard? Cool! The Senate Guards remained unchanged for Episode I and Episode II, but the see-through visor became blackened for the Tartakovsky Clone Wars micro-series in addition to their appearance in Revenge Of The Sith. This Evolutions post focuses on the first phase of this character.

Coruscant Guard from 2000’s Power Of The Jedi line.

The Episode I line started to backlog itself at retail, and by early 2000, Hasbro felt it was time to rejuvenate the line. They wanted to return making the bread and butter of the Star Wars line: characters from the Original Trilogy. To do that they need an all-encompassing line that would include not only the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy, but also the Expanded Universe. Power Of The Jedi started with the CommTech leftovers, and Coruscant Guard was one of them. The figure looks great from certain angles and bad from others. But the figure is much too short and ultimately is obsolete at this stage of the game.

Senate Guard (VC36) from 2011’s The Vintage Collection line.

The Vintage Collection’s Senate Guard (VC36) has so much going for it, but it has one major issue. And that significant issue is its gigantically oversized robes. It drowns the figure and ruins the aesthetics of what should be a very ornate and regal figure. On a more positive note, the Senate Guard has a wonderfully tooled body underneath of the robes. Loaded with articulation and premium ball-joints, the Senate Guard can attain a large number of positions thanks to its flexibility. If Hasbro could rework the robes at some point, we may already have a mostly definitive figure.

Senate Guard [Episode I/Episode II] Group Shot

Questions for discussion:

1. In your opinion, do we have a definitive version of this figure?

2. If we don’t have a definitive version of this figure, should Hasbro tool a new figure from the ground up again, or should they tweak a current sculpt to perfect it instead?

3. If the figure ranks as definitive for you, do you want to see it repackaged in vintage Kenner packaging (The Vintage Collection) if it isn’t already?

4. Add any other points of note or interest in the comments about any of these versions of Senate Guard [Episode I/Episode II] action figures.

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