The Imperial Complex, alternatively referred to as the Imperial Command Center, the Imperial compound, or simply the "Dome," was a massive mushroom-shaped starship that served as the central base of operations for the Galactic Empire on the planet of Lothal. Following the Empire's occupation of Lothal, it was positioned in Capital City, where the Imperial Complex both overshadowed and replaced the Lothal City Capitol Building. During the Liberation of Lothal in 1 BBY, it met its end.
Functioning as a colossal mushroom-shaped Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility, the Imperial Complex acted as the Galactic Empire's primary headquarters on the Outer Rim planet Lothal. It towered over and superseded the nearby Lothal City Capitol Building. Being a mobile planetary occupation facility, the Imperial Complex possessed thrusters, enabling it to ascend into Lothal's upper atmosphere.
Within the vessel were the offices of the Imperial Governor of Lothal, Minister Maketh Tua, and Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus. A hangar bay on its upper level was spacious enough to accommodate multiple Sentinel-class landing crafts and troops for parades. Additional hangars provided storage for TIE fighters and AT-DP walkers.
Furthermore, the Imperial Complex also contained the Academy for Young Imperials and the Imperial Armory Complex. Later, an office was added for Grand Admiral Thrawn, who utilized it to study the art, history, and philosophy of his adversaries. Thrawn's office displayed various art pieces and objects linked to the Spectres rebel cell, including images of Hera Syndulla and Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren's Mandalorian graffiti, and a Jedi Temple Guard's helmet.
Its establishment took place around 18 BBY, shortly after Lothal's integration into the Empire.
During the Imperial Era, Governor Ryder Azadi maintained an office within the Imperial Complex until his dismissal and imprisonment by the Empire. Following his arrest, his former supporters looted the room of all his personal belongings. His successor, Governor Arihnda Pryce, deliberately kept the room sparsely decorated to emphasize her dedication to strengthening Imperial power and industry on Lothal.
By 5 BBY, promising Imperial cadets at the Lothal Imperial Academy were assigned work duties within the Imperial Complex's offices. Following a demanding training exercise in the Well, cadets Zare Leonis, Jai Kell, and the Spectres' undercover rebel Ezra Bridger were assigned to work at the Imperial Complex. It was there that Leonis and Bridger formed a friendship and alliance to steal a decoder from ISB Agent Kallus. In the process, Ezra discovered that the Grand Inquisitor had expressed interest in Jai Kei's Force sensitivity. Leonis and Bridger then orchestrated Kell's escape from the Academy. While performing work duties, Leonis also used Minister Tua's hologram to contact his girlfriend Merei Spanjaf, who was assisting him in locating his missing sister Dhara Leonis.
After the Spectres disrupted the Empire Day celebrations in 4 BBY and rescued Tseebo, the Rodian employee of the Imperial Information Office, the Grand Inquisitor and two TIE fighter pilots boarded a TIE Advanced v1 and two TIE fighters in one of the Imperial Complex's hangars to pursue the rebels.
Following the failure of local Imperial authorities to capture the Spectres, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin arrived at the Imperial Complex in a shuttle and reprimanded Minister Tua, Agent Kallus, and the Grand Inquisitor for their failures. He subsequently summoned the Imperial Academy's Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko and Taskmaster Myles Grint, executing them as a warning that failure would no longer be tolerated. Tarkin then devised a plan to trap the Spectres at the Imperial Communications Center near Jalath.
After the Spectres, aided by Phoenix Cell, freed Kanan Jarrus, Darth Vader arrived at the Imperial Complex in a shuttle to address the rebel presence on Lothal. During the Siege of Lothal, Lord Vader confronted Minister Tua in her office regarding her shortcomings and informed her that Grand Moff Tarkin had summoned her for a meeting. This prompted Tua to contact the Spectres in an attempt to defect from the Empire. However, the rescue mission failed when Agent Kallus detonated Tua's escape Sentinel-class landing craft, blaming her death on the rebels. To evade the Imperial manhunt, the Spectres infiltrated the Imperial Complex. They then attempted to steal a landing craft but were ambushed by Darth Vader. Following an intense duel, the Spectres managed to escape the Imperial Complex.
In 2 BBY, Grand Admiral Thrawn, from his office within the Imperial Complex, coordinated the lockdown of the Imperial Armory Complex. His office was adorned with art pieces and images associated with the rebels he was battling. During a meeting with Agent Kallus and Lieutenant Yogar Lyste to discuss Wren's art, Thrawn deduced that the Spectres had a unique connection with Lothal. After the Spectres escaped with the plans for his TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter's initiative, Thrawn was briefed by Lieutenant Lyste in his office. In private, he informed Governor Pryce and Agent Kallus of his suspicion that a mole existed within the Empire's ranks. While Pryce was alarmed, Thrawn advised patience in uncovering the traitor.
Later, Admiral Kassius Konstantine briefed Thrawn and Governor Pryce on former Senator Mon Mothma's escape into space with the assistance of the Spectres. The three strategized their operation to capture the rebels. Despite meticulous planning, the rebels successfully escaped due to Hera's exceptional piloting skills. As a result, Mon Mothma was able to establish the Alliance to Restore the Republic, sparking a galaxy-wide rebellion.
Prior to the Battle of Atollon, Thrawn arrived at the Imperial Complex's hangar bay aboard a shuttle with a detachment of Imperial death troopers. He then convened a secret meeting with Governor Pryce, Admiral Konstantine, and Grand Moff Tarkin, with the latter participating via hologram. Thrawn revealed that he had acquired intelligence regarding the Rebel Alliance's plan to attack the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal. Agent Kallus, who had become a rebel operative, utilized an MSE-6 series repair droid to eavesdrop on their conversation. However, Thrawn was aware of Kallus' treachery and apprehended him. Thrawn then used the trajectory of Kallus' transmitter to determine that Phoenix Group's base was located on the planet Atollon.
During the Rebel Alliance's air raid on Lothal, Governor Pryce coordinated the ground defense from the Imperial Complex. After Thrawn's Seventh Fleet shot down Hera's strike force, Pryce oversaw the search for escaped pilots from the complex. The Noghri tracker Rukh delivered the captured rebel pilot Secon Daree to Governor Pryce at a ground hangar within the Imperial Complex.
Following Hera's capture, Governor Pryce had her tortured inside her office within the Imperial Complex. However, Hera refused to disclose the location of the Alliance Fleet. Before departing for Coruscant to advocate for continued funding for the TIE Defender program, Thrawn visited Hera and informed her that her Kalikori now belonged to him. Utilizing loth-bat gliders, Kanan, Ezra, and Sabine infiltrated the Imperial Complex through the garbage chute at the south entrance.
While Ezra and Sabine stole a patrol transport, Kanan recovered the Kalikori and freed Hera, throwing LS-261 and his fellow stormtrooper out of the building in the process. Using magnetic climbers, Kanan and Hera ascended to the top. After battling Rukh and several Death troopers, they escaped on a glider. Following Kanan's death and the destruction of the Lothal City fuel depot, Pryce briefed Thrawn in her office. Thrawn reprimanded her for destroying the fuel depot and disrupting the TIE Defender factory. Thrawn then instructed Rukh to hunt down Kanan's fellow Spectres.
The remaining Spectres, working in conjunction with the Lothal resistance group, formulated plans to liberate Lothal from Imperial control once and for all. Ezra devised a plan involving the use of Protocol 13 to lure all Imperial personnel on the planet inside the Dome before launching it into the sky and activating its self-destruct mechanism. After capturing Governor Pryce in a battle at the rebel base by capitalizing on Thrawn's absence, the rebels coerced her into cooperating with their plan.
The strike team arrived in two Imperial patrol transports, posing as a victorious Pryce returning with prisoners. They swiftly seized control of the control room and initiated the protocol, with Azadi impersonating ISB Colonel Wullf Yularen to persuade reluctant Imperials to comply. However, Thrawn's personal assassin, Rukh, had survived the battle at the rebel base and alerted Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was en route from Coruscant, about the situation. Upon Thrawn's arrival in the Chimaera, Rukh was positioned to disable the generator powering the Dome's shields.
Knowing that his entire army was safely inside the Dome, Thrawn commenced bombarding Capital City. This prompted Ezra to surrender himself while the other rebels strategized how to retake the deflector shield generator. This allowed the other Rebels time to use a strategy, proposed by Sabine, of sending two teams to attack Rukh and the troops in the generator room. Sabine's plan worked and the rebels were able to use the Dome's deflector shield to protect Capital City from a second bombardment wave. Shortly later, Ezra's back-up plan arrived in the form of a large pod of purrgil including many enormous Purrgil Ultras which attacked Thrawn's Seventh Fleet. Five of the Ultras attacked and latched onto the Chimaera and dragged it away into hyperspace, taking Ezra and Thrawn with it to an unknown fate.
The remaining Rebels then prepared the "Dome" for launch into Lothal's upper atmosphere before escaping on the Ghost. Governor Pryce chose to remain behind and subsequently perished along with most of the Imperial garrison aboard the "Dome." Once the "Dome" had reached a sufficient altitude, Sabine detonated the former Imperial headquarters, eliciting cheers from the civilians of Lothal City.
The Imperial Complex made its debut in the television movie Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, which premiered on September 26, 2014. The 2014 reference book Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide first identified the Dome as the Imperial headquarters.