The Imperial Bureau of Standards functioned as a division within the Galactic Empire, dedicated to establishing uniform standards for industrial manufacturing across the galaxy. This organization encompassed various administrative sections, including Weights and Gauges, Redundancy, Verification, and Fuel Purity. Following his uncle Harlo's intervention, Syril Karn became a member of the Bureau, serving in the Fuel Purity department, starting in 5 BBY.
As a branch of the Galactic Empire, the Bureau of Standards was tasked with the organization and management of the galactic industrial sector. The Bureau determined production goals and outputs, which were then communicated to the numerous imperialized corporations operating for or in conjunction with the Empire, and ensured their compliance. Any deviations were reported to the Bureau's Data Center, which was under the close supervision of the Imperial Security Bureau, with agents prepared to intervene in cases of suspected criminal activity. Additionally, the Bureau conducted studies on worker productivity with the aim of refining and adjusting Imperial labor standards.
The Bureau operated a central office on Coruscant, employing thousands of civilian personnel responsible for monitoring and enforcing the bureaucratic regulations of the Galactic Empire throughout the galaxy. These personnel were assigned to various departments, including but not limited to Weights and Gauges, Redundancy, Verification, and Fuel Purity, where Syril Karn obtained an unremarkable position.
The Imperial Bureau of Standards was already established and functioning by 5 BBY, with an office located in a skyscraper on Coruscant. Syril Karn's uncle, Harlo, had a strong relationship with a Bureau supervisor, named Flob. Eedy Karn used this connection to help her son secure a position in the company's Coruscant office. Obsessed with Cassian Jeron Andor, the fugitive who caused him to lose his job, Karn, after being hired in the Fuel Purity Department, utilized Bureau resources to report him six times under different false pretenses: as a missing fuel specialist, an unresponsive energy engineer, and a fuel purity field officer suspected of falsifying Imperial reports. These reports were flagged, leading to the intervention of ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero, who summoned Karn for questioning at the ISB Central Office. Karn then revealed discrepancies in her predecessor's review of Andor, and as a reward, Meero provided him with a clean record, which resulted in a promotion within his Department.
The Bureau of Standards, at some point, carried out Worker Productivity Study TJ8210, which concluded that underfed workers performed poorly, negatively impacting production. Consequently, the Empire continued to compensate workers in imperialized businesses.
The first glimpse of the Imperial Bureau of Standards was in the sizzle reel for the Andor television series, which was released on December 10, 2020. Its initial appearance occurred in "Announcement," the seventh episode of the series, broadcast on October 19, 2022. The Bureau's identification was first made in the guide for that episode on StarWars.com.
Tony Gilroy and the other writers employed the Imperial Bureau of Standards to illustrate the Empire's vast scale. Concept artist Peter McKinstry and production designer Luke Hull created a concept sketch of the Fuel Purity department located in the Coruscant office. The sketch featured two droids resembling IT-O interrogation droids.