Imperial Intelligence Service, also referenced as Imperial Intelligence, Military Intelligence, and often shortened to Imperial Intel or I.I, functioned as the intelligence agency for the Galactic Empire and the organizations that followed it. Its primary function was the acquisition of both overt and covert information for the Imperial government, positioning it as a competitor to the Imperial Security Bureau.
Structured around central bureaus, each further divided into divisions, and supplemented by various independent units and operations, Imperial Intelligence achieved its highest level of effectiveness during the twenty-three year reign of Galactic Emperor Palpatine, spanning from 19 BBY to 4 ABY. Following Palpatine's death at the Battle of Endor and the subsequent loss of its leadership, core bureaucracy, and a significant portion of its top operatives during the Imperial Civil War, which persisted from Palpatine's demise until 12 ABY, the agency's influence in galactic affairs diminished. Despite the substantial weakening of Imperial Intelligence's central framework, individual agents and analysts persisted in their activities in the decades that followed, offering intelligence and services to various Warlords, Moffs, Heads of States, and other figures within the Imperial Remnant. The organization experienced a resurgence in size and capability under the Fel Empire, the subsequent Galactic Empire led by Darth Krayt, and the Empire-in-exile.
Imperial Intelligence served as the main intelligence organization for the Galactic Empire and the entities that succeeded it. The agency employed clandestine operations to conduct espionage against its adversaries, as well as within its own ranks and against other branches of the Galactic Empire and its successors. It also monitored the activities of various governments, corporations, and other influential groups throughout the galaxy. Furthermore, it maintained surveillance on notable mercenaries, bounty hunters, and other forms of outlaw activity. The agency also provided vital information to the various branches of the Imperial Military regarding potential targets and strategies, rendering it a valuable asset despite its non-frontline status.
During its most influential period, Imperial Intelligence was under the direction of the Ubiqtorate, which functioned as a board of directors. The Ubiqtorate, established prior to the Empire's formation, became synonymous with Imperial Intelligence in certain circles. The composition of the Ubiqtorate was a closely guarded secret, even from its own subordinates. The Ubiqtorate formulated strategic plans for Imperial Intelligence's bureaus or presented them with specific objectives, which the bureaus were then tasked with developing strategies to achieve.
The Director of Imperial Intelligence headed the Ubiqtorate. This director also served as the public representative of Imperial Intelligence, an organization deeply rooted in secrecy. While the Ubiqtorate remained behind the scenes and refrained from direct communication with lower-level branches and divisions, the director ensured the efficient operation of all Imperial Intelligence branches and, when necessary, directly planned missions with agents.
The Adjustments division represented Imperial Intelligence's elite black-ops force, reporting directly to the Ubiqtorate's members. When situations escalated beyond the control of the bureaus and their respective branches, an Adjustments unit was dispatched by the Ubiqtorate to assume command and resolve the issue. Orders to Adjustments were always conveyed verbally, and no written records of their missions were ever maintained.
The Internal Organization Bureau (IntOrg) functioned as the internal affairs and internal security apparatus. Its purpose was to safeguard Imperial Intelligence from both espionage and operational threats, as well as to ensure its physical security. IntOrg agents were known for their refined manners but also for their unwavering ruthlessness. They rarely abused their authority and enjoyed a positive reputation among other members of Imperial Intelligence, despite the nature of their responsibilities. Information within IntOrg was heavily protected against unauthorized access by other bureaus, but no such restrictions applied to other IntOrg agents. This system allowed IntOrg to monitor itself: every decision, action, or piece of data generated by an IntOrg member was accessible for examination by any other agent. This absence of secrecy, and often privacy, made it virtually impossible for enemy agents to operate within IntOrg.
IntOrg was divided into two branches: the Internal Security Branch and the Internal Counterintelligence Branch. The Internal Security Branch, or IntSec, served as the security police for Imperial Intelligence's physical locations. Composed of soldiers dedicated to the leadership of Imperial Intelligence rather than any single individual, they were among the few members of the Empire to receive training comparable to that of the Stormtrooper Corps. They were the only uniformed branch of Imperial Intelligence that openly carried weapons within Imperial Intelligence facilities, although plainclothes officers monitored crowds outside to identify potential threats. The Internal Counterintelligence Branch, or IntCon, was responsible for internal affairs and counterintelligence within Imperial Intelligence. IntCon was structured as a miniature Imperial Intelligence, divided into three units: Analysis, Operations, and Intelligence. The boundaries between these units were often blurred, and IntCon was known for its informal atmosphere and relaxed structure.
The Analysis Bureau was tasked with processing vast quantities of data from tens of millions of sources, identifying enemy activity by analyzing patterns or trends within the data, and transmitting this information to the Intelligence Bureau. Analysis also handled, examined, and replicated useful technologies, even developing some of its own. The Analysis Bureau comprised several branches specializing in various areas.
The Media Section was the branch of Analysis responsible for managing public scandocs, newsdocs, holos, comlinks, beamcasts, and all forms of media within the Galactic Empire. It searched for hidden patterns or meanings that might reveal clues about an enemy's plans or operations.
The Signal section examined the channels through which information was transmitted. Signal sampled and analyzed carrier wave codes and protocols, scan rates on scandocs, and image packs on holos to identify any vital information being concealed. Signal examined line noise to detect patterns rather than random errors, and analyzed broadcasts and beamcasts to compare primary and backup information, identifying any discrepancies.
The Cryptanalysis section, or Crypt, evolved from the Cryptanalysis Department of the Senate Bureau of Intelligence. It was responsible for all code-breaking activities. All evidence of coded communication discovered through the work of Media and Signal was forwarded to the Cryptanalysis branch. Its members were known for their eccentric behavior, which sometimes bordered on disruptive, and were frequently monitored by Imperial Intelligence's internal security.
The Tech section was the branch of Analysis responsible for analyzing enemy hardware, deciphering its functionality, and developing methods to provide Intelligence with superior technology. Tech received a generous budget and a staff of highly skilled personnel whose moments of inspiration could lead to technological breakthroughs. However, the administration, composed of scientists and technologists within the branch, often struggled to prioritize projects that fell outside their specific areas of expertise.
The Interrogation section was responsible for managing enemy agents captured by Imperial Intelligence. While more ruthless than their counterparts in Imperial Navy Intelligence, Interrogation was not as brutal as their counterparts in the Imperial Security Bureau, as excessive force could reduce their effectiveness in extracting information from prisoners. Nevertheless, they operated with a broader objective, assuming that the Rebellion would make every effort to render any divulged information useless. Interrogation was minimal unless the captive agent was believed to possess critical information.
The Intelligence Bureau analyzed the data provided by the Analysis Bureau using a team of experts to predict the future actions of the Empire's enemies.
The Sedition branch predicted trends among groups that resisted the Empire. The Crisis Branch was not a permanent entity but could be formed during times of crisis, drawing on experts from other branches. It operated under the control of the Ubiqtorate but could also report to a Grand Moff or the Emperor himself. Sector branches existed in each sector of the Empire, providing expert opinions and analysis to either the Crisis Branch or the Sedition Branch, depending on the situation.
The External Communications (ExComm) section managed the equipment used to relay emergency or high-priority messages between the various bureaus of Imperial Intelligence, the Ubiqtorate, and the Imperial military, ensuring rapid and immediate delivery.
The Bureau of Operations was the only bureau within Imperial Intelligence to be formally designated as the "Bureau." It managed covert operations that exceeded the scope or resources of local Imperial Intel assets. The Bureau was divided into six distinct divisions.
The Surveillance division monitored serious threats to the Empire. By meticulously analyzing information and accurately identifying suspects involved in anti-Imperial activities, Surveillance performed its duties with surprising and deadly efficiency, despite its small size. At the height of the New Order, Surveillance had less than one agent for every seventy dedicated to the Imperial Security Bureau of COMPNOR. Despite this significant disparity in numbers, Surveillance was more successful than the ISB in its operations, a fact that Surveillance took great pride in.
Renik was the counterintelligence division of the Bureau and of Imperial Intelligence. While the Internal Organization Bureau conducted counterintelligence operations within Imperial Intelligence, Renik focused on operations throughout the Imperial government. It specialized in identifying and dismantling enemy intelligence operations. If a particular operation was deemed potentially beneficial to the Empire, Renik would transfer all information on the enemy intelligence operation to the Infiltration branch, which would then handle it accordingly. However, if an operation was considered insignificant or too dangerous, Renik would destroy it. Saber Enterprises served as a front for most of the division's counter-espionage operations.
The Diplomatic Services (DiploServ) division of the Bureau comprised a substantial portion of the personnel involved in trade and diplomatic missions throughout the Empire. It also included political experts who advised Imperial planetary governors and Moffs. DiploServ personnel were well-trained and expected to perform only their overt duties. Others were clandestine agents, dispatched on specific anti-Rebellion missions or to establish and organize system cells within their mission area.
The Infiltration division reassigned agents to the Intelligence Bureau, where they assisted agents within the sector branches, and later assigned them to the Sedition section. Agents underwent intense training and were exposed to mnemiotic drugs to enhance their learning. Those who survived with their minds intact acquired a vast amount of knowledge and were then transferred back to the Operations Bureau and assigned to Infiltration. They were tested to determine which mission profile best suited them.
The Destabilization (Destab) branch was known as "the quiet branch." Little was known about Destab's operations or personnel. However, it was known for committing outright atrocities rather than legitimate intelligence operations. Officially, Destab specialized in "taking the fabric which holds a people, society, or government together and unraveling it." Agents from other branches suggested that Destab's methods closely resembled "shredding." They instilled pure terror into a population and destroyed any semblance of social order.
The Assassination division was embraced by other agents as a legitimate means of removing key members of the opposition. Assassination's agents were trained to exploit every advantage and employ every possible trick and form of subterfuge. Assassination carefully selected targets where mission success was probable. Its success rate was significantly higher than the theoretical one.
The Imperial CompLink was the bureau that utilized software secretly installed on computers throughout the Empire to monitor electronic communications. This spyware transmitted information packets to orbiting hyperspace transmitters, which forwarded the information to the CompLink Bureau for analysis by the Analysis Bureau.
The Sector Plexus served as the central hub for all information processed by Imperial Intelligence. It maintained an extensive database containing information on every Imperial Intelligence officer, their aliases, and their activities. The Sector Plexus used Plexus courier droids to securely transport this data across the galaxy.
The Inquisitorius was a secret division of Imperial Intelligence composed of dark side Force-sensitive agents known as Inquisitors. They were considered the highest-ranking Dark Side Adepts, surpassing the Emperor's Hands, Prophets of the Dark Side, and lesser Dark Jedi. They reported directly to the Emperor. Their primary function was the interrogation of Jedi or particularly resistant subjects. However, because Imperial Intelligence was generally effective in interrogating average subjects, the services of an Inquisitor were rarely required. Instead, Inquisitors spent much of their time searching for potential Jedi candidates and Force activity in the remote regions of the Empire, most often in the Outer Rim Territories, under the direction of their leader, the Grand Inquisitor.
Special Intelligence was an elite branch of Imperial Intelligence responsible for carrying out particularly clandestine or unsavory missions.
This intelligence service was among the few institutions that survived the transition from the Galactic Republic and underwent a complete restructuring following the Declaration of a New Order. During the final years of the Galactic Republic, at the time of the Clone Wars, four intelligence networks supported the government by gathering and analyzing information from the Galactic Senate. These included the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, Interstellar Consortium on Technology, Republic Security Organization, and the Special Acquisitions Branch of the Library of the Republic. However, during this period, the directors of these four agencies realized that corruption by various Senators resulted in the dissemination of misinformation through the bribery of lower-ranking officials. This allowed these individuals to manipulate the information presented to the Galactic Senate. However, they did not bribe operatives in all agencies, instead relying on the inherent distrust between the four intelligence divisions. The four directors subsequently met in negotiations during the Republic's final years and agreed to set aside personal ambitions to create an effective intelligence agency. This led to the merger of the four agencies and the rapid reorganization of the intelligence service under the newly formed Ubiqtorate.
Later Imperial accounts claimed that the leaders of these networks were circumvented by corrupt members of the Galactic Senate, who were purchasing information from lower-level operatives to advance their own political agendas, a description that may have alluded to the activities of Mon Mothma and her political faction during the final stages of the Clone Wars and the period of the Petition of 2000. It was likely in response to this that several leaders of the intelligence organizations, including Armand Isard, Director of the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, formed an informal alliance, driven by the belief that democratic government had failed the galaxy, and aimed to transform their networks into a unified tool to support Palpatine. Following the Declaration of the New Order, the disparate Republic organizations were formally consolidated into the new Imperial Intelligence, with Isard as the Director of Intelligence. Republic Intelligence was also integrated into Imperial Intelligence. An officer of the Republic military's counterespionage division, Admiral Kiner, appears to have been instrumental in establishing what became the Renik division of the Bureau of Operations.
Presumably, the authority of the Senate Intelligence Oversight Committee to interfere in and oversee intelligence affairs was also removed during the reforms, but the speed and efficiency in which the Intelligence community had reorganized itself frightened several of Palpatine's advisors, including Lord Crueya Vandron, and the COMPOR organization was reorganized as COMPNOR to provide a counterpart under their own control. Full and current Imperial Intelligence reports were also considered absolutely necessary for activating the Death Star's superlaser against any targeted world.
In 0 BBY, Armand Isard was arrested and executed on Palpatine's orders, apparently due to false information provided by Isard's own daughter, Ysanne, claiming that he was aiding the Alliance to Restore the Republic. At some point during the Galactic Civil War, the Emperor arranged for Cronal to leave the Prophets of the Dark Side and serve as his Emperor's Hand, placing him in charge of Imperial Intelligence. However, Cronal disappeared during the Galactic Civil War, and Ysanne Isard assumed leadership of Imperial Intelligence. Palpatine subsequently appointed her as the new Intelligence Director. After the Battle of Yavin, Imperial Intelligence was tasked with tracking down and apprehending the Death Star architect, Bevel Lemelisk. Intelligence agents later located the engineer hiding on the planet Hefi and delivered him to the Emperor. Imperial Intelligence also investigated an attack on the Emperor's C-3 passenger liner Excalibur and discovered that the Zaarin-aligned gunboats responsible belonged to the Emperor's special reserve guard. They also conducted extensive studies on the captured Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Link's computer systems to search for encrypted files related to the Death Star II.
Following the Battle of Endor and the ensuing chaos within the Empire, Imperial Intelligence began to actively undermine the Imperial Security Bureau, leading to mutual assassinations of agents. To gain an advantage, Intelligence offered rewards to those who betrayed their comrades, such as allowing them to retain their property, which proved initially effective. This tactic was later adopted by Imperial Security during the brief conflict between the two rival agencies.
In 4 ABY, the Epsilon Nine research station in the Cron Drift was tasked with developing new spy satellites for Imperial Intelligence. However, the rise of the New Republic led the researchers at the station to plan a defection to the Republic. In response, Ysanne Isard dispatched her agent Lumiya with a task force of Imperial ships to conquer the facility and restore it to Imperial control.
By at least 19 ABY, Imperial Intelligence appeared to have become a separate entity from the Ubiqtorate command structure. Imperial Intelligence agents were known to execute orders from sector Moffs without regard for commands from the Ubiqtorate or High Command, as demonstrated by the creation of the organization Vengeance and the subsequent destruction of the Bothawui shield generator during the Caamas Document Crisis.
By 130 ABY, Moff Nyna Calixte was in charge of Imperial Intelligence in the Fel Empire, and later Krayt's Empire, working in collaboration with Darth Maladi, her counterpart in Sith Intelligence and Assassination in Darth Krayt's One Sith. It was through Calixte that Krayt's Sith were able to first approach the Empire.
Calixte continued to lead the service under the Sith regime but was required to report to Maladi, who replaced most of her operatives with Sith-loyal agents, such as Jor Torlin. She was later succeeded by Fehlaaur'aitel'loro. Intelligence in the Empire-in-exile was directed by Hogrum Chalk, the brother of Roan Fel's late wife.