Andorian Imperial Guard

The Andorian Imperial Guard was the primary military and space force of the Andorian Empire in the years prior to the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161, and resumed this role following Andor's secession from the Federation in 2382.

History and details
Amongst the various ranks in the Imperial Guard were general, captain, commander and lieutenant. Most commanding officers of Imperial Guard ships held the rank of commander. In the 2150s, the standard firearm which were carried by Imperial Guardsmen were assault-rifle sized weapon which fired a blue energy beam which could prove fatal, as these weapons weren't equipped with a "stun" setting.

When an Imperial Guardsmen died far from Andoria, it was his compatriot's duty to take a piece of the fallen (e.g. a vial of blood) home and placed in the Wall of Heroes.

In 2151, a group of Imperial Guardsmen, led by Commander Shran, conducted a raid against the Vulcan monastery on P'Jem, in order to locate a spy station hidden under the monastery. During the raid, Shran made first contact with the United Earth starship Enterprise. Despite initially holding the Humans hostage, they later helped Shran locate the spy station.

In the Imperial Guard fleet it was unlikely for a starship's commanding officer to regain command of a vessel once their original command had been destroyed. When Commander Shran's Kumari was destroyed by a Romulan vessel in late 2154, he found it unlikely he would receive a new command.

The Imperial Guard continued to exist domestically into the 24th century, providing ground security at the Parliament Andoria Complex.

In 2382, following a prolonged political crisis, the Andorian Empire seceded from the Federation, re-establishing itself as an independent state.