Edmund

Edmund was the first Echidna to assume the role of Guardian and the first to bear the white crescent birth mark on his chest, which was passed down through his family line to distinguish them as Guardians. Initially a scientist along with his brother Dimitri, Edmund was involved in the creation of the original Chaos Syphon. However, when Civil War out between the Angel Island Echidnas over the dispute of abandoning technology, Edmund was called upon to act as the first Guardian of the citizens of Echidnaopolis and the Chaos Emeralds. In addition to being the first guardian, Edmund was the first to be killed in the line of duty.

Early life
Edmund and his brother Dimitri were two of the greatest scientific minds of their time, following in the footsteps of their ancestors Jordan and Kayla-La in their studies of Chaos energies. Edmund and his brother came up with the concept of returning Angel Island to the surface of Mobius and the two created the original Chaos Syphon. Though both were passionate about their plan to return the Floating Island to Mobius' surface, Edmund lacked his brother's stubborn pride and arrogance. When the High Counsil denied the brothers' petition, Edmund simply accepted the verdict while his brother decided to take matters into his own hands. After Dimitri was buried in the rubble of Mount Fate due to the Fire Ants eating away its foundations, Edmund offered his services to the High Counsil as penance for his brother's arrogance and violent actions.

From Scientist to Guardian
To ensure that the single remaining Chaos Emerald holding the island afloat was protected, Edmund became the first Guardian to defend it and the citizens of Echidnaopolis. When the High Counsil voted to renounce the technology, Edmund took on the role of ensuring the citizens gave up their technology and it was safely catalogued and stored in the Grand Conservatory.

As a result of the High Council's decision to remove technology from their society, a group of Echidnas opposed to this, lead by Dimitri's son Menniker, formed the Dark Legion as a secret society who wished to maintain their technology and oppose the High Counsil's decision. As the Dark Legion became larger and more violent, Edmund realized something needed to be done. Originally he thought of assuming a disguise and becoming a legendary defender of his people, but the Fire Ant Christopheles soon arrived on the scene to tell him that he should use the light of truth to gain support.

Killed in Action
Christopheles also warned Edmund that his son had discovered a Dark Legion plot and was in grave danger. Edmund immediately left to rescue his son and deal with the Dark Legion. Because Edmund was a scientist and not a warrior, Edmund's abilities were limited in combat. After taking out two of the Legionnaires that were searching for Steppenwolf, Edmund was shot from behind and killed.
 * Unlike his decendants, who all had strong ties to the Chaos Force, Edmund did not evolve to the next level and was not present in the afterlife when Knuckles died, as were the other deceased Guardians which succeeded him.

Warped History
When Chaos Knuckles was attempting to change history and bring an end to the gap between the Dark Legion and the rest of Echidnaopolis, one of the points in time he went back to was just before Edmund was shot. He prevented the shooters from killing Edmund, but this in turn prevented the Guardians from existing in the future, resulting in Dr. Ivo Robotnik roboticizing all of the Echidnas. Chaos Knuckles undid the change before he turned into a Robian.

Personality
While alive, Edmund was an intellectual. Skilled in the field of politics, he felt that subterfuge was the best course of action to accomplish his goals. While he was deeply dedicated to his duties as a Guardian, family was infinitely important to him. As a result of being a scientist as opposed to a skilled fighter, Edmund was an easy target for the Dark Legionnaires who killed him.