The Praetorian, also known as the Royal Guard,[1] is one of the final stages in the life cycle of the species Xenomorph XX121, and arguably the most common and widely-acknowledged form of Xenomorph to emerge from the numerous expanded universe castes. Praetorians are created when a hive population gets over 300 individuals and serve as Queen or Empress' Royal Guard and army commanders[2] and unlike other Xenomorph types, Praetorians rarely operate outside their Hive grounds. Visually, Praetorians resemble a Queen, though smaller in size (although they are still far larger than typical Xenomorphs), typically standing at least 10 feet tall.