Spartan Guard
Overview
In the eyes of the Goa'uld, jaffa are mere tools to be used and disposed of at their leisure. As a result they were ill equipped and were often sent out to die with the solution to problems being simply to send in greater numbers of jaffa. However, some Goa'uld saw value in quality over quantity. Ares, the god of war, sought to create a unit of jaffa whose fighting prowess was unmatched, a unit befitting of a god of war. As such, the Spartan Guard was created.
Training
The training of spartan hoplites on Earth is often considered brutal by human standards. And with jaffa possessing symbiotes with enhanced strength and healing abilities, the jaffa training for the Spartan Guards was even worse. The guardsmen employed by most System Lords were jaffa who reached a certain rank or prowess. Spartan Guards were chosen as babies to begin their training. Because of the healing power of the symbiote, jaffa Spartan Guards were allowed to brutalize each other. Theft was encouraged with the punishment for being caught being so harsh many trainees would take their own life rather than face discipline. It was part of their training to regularly go out and murder one of the human slaves or face similar punishment for being caught or for not doing so. The punishment for the crime was less about punishing them for wrongdoing and more about punishing them for failing the task.
Even once they had become official guardsmen, their training was not complete. Spartan Guards continued their merciless practices, the aim being to make the hellish landscape known as the battlefield more pleasant than training.
Spartan Guards often bore scars from their training.
Armor
System Lord guards wore metal helmets of whatever animal they felt embodied them. For the great serpent Apophis, his serpent guards wore snake helmets. Ra and Heru'ur had horus guards with bird heads. This not only signified their prestige but intimidated the oppressed civilizations. Spartan Guard helmets do not look like animals but instead look like supernatural warriors. The helmet is a Corinthian helmet with wide slits for the eyes and mouth. These slits were widened to show the face mask underneath. The face mask is designed to look like a scowling beast with red gems for the eyes, the expression twisted into a vicious glare and the mouth lined with teeth. Slaves who stood in the presence of a Spartan Guard thought they were the spirits of war.
Spartan Guards were also given unique cuirass to wear with short capes on their backs.
After the downfall of the System Lords, many jaffa discarded their helmets as they were a sign of the oppression they suffered at the hands of the Goa'uld. However Spartan Guards retained their helmets as the helmet was not a symbol of Ares but a symbol of war and the jaffa took pride as warriors.
Equipment
Befitting of the embodiment of war, Spartan Guards were given unique and specialized weapons. Instead of the ma'tok staff, Spartan Guards were given the ha'zan spear weapon. The spear weapon was lighter and more compact than the staff, the bolt faster and more accurate. What it lacks in explosive power like the staff bolt it makes up for in penetration. The spear weapon also comes holographic sights to allow for aiming. And the pointed ends of the spear weapon allow it to impale opponents at close range. Spartan Guards also come with grenades and short swords. Surprisingly, Spartan Guards do not come with shields. This is likely the limit of Ares' generosity as he not only not cared about the survivability of the Spartan Guard but simply wanted to maximize their offense.
Conclusion
The Goa'uld did not care about the jaffa beyond how the jaffa could serve them. And the Spartan Guards are a perfect example of that, jaffa brutalized to become the most lethal jaffa in service.