Your powers are weak, old man.
This infobox template is deprecated. Please use Military unit infobox instead.
Hopefully, we'll be able to return to our peacetime pursuits full-time soon. I can hardly wait to resume my dangerous and dubiously-necessary science experiments.
—An Astral Defender during the Gilded Campaign
The Astral Defenders, also known as the Luctan Knights, the Star Knights, the Ethereal Science Division, the Star-Guardians (in fact a particular division name) or, colloquially, simply as the Defenders, were one of the original divisions of the Ethereal Empire and, in time, due to the rise in power of their leaders of House Valdayn, they came to be the leading Ethereal military-socio-political division.
In peacetime, and to a lesser extent during wartime, they acted as Ethereal scientists, architects, doctors, and defensive armed guards. Headquartered on the world of Luctanem, capital of the Ethereal Demesne of the Kingdom of Luctanem, the Defenders were traditionally led by the King or Queen of Luctanem, also the head of House Valdayn, to whom was accorded the title Grand Defender of Stars.
Historically, the Defenders operated some of the Ethereal Empire's most balanced and largest warships, the Starfleet, which was led by King/Champion Arius Valdayn's ship Defender following the Ethereal Empire's restoration around 10 ABY. Later, the ship's successor, Defender II became the first of a series of new Ethereal Titans, the Ethereal counterpart to Super Star Destroyers or Star Defenders.
Legacy Era Expansion[]
During the Legacy era, a number of Ethereal Military divisions were created. These were, for the most part, offshoots of extant ones made for two reasons; firstly, as part of the Ethereal Empire's rediscovery and restoration of its Ethereal roots, and secondly, in order to enable more functional organization when spread across galaxies. As a result the Astral Defenders, as usual leading the Ethereal charge, spread the Astral Paladins to the Cradle and founded several other such organizations in time, including at least the Astral Rangers, Astral Warriors and Astral Legionaries.