Imperial Palace

The Presidential Palace, a massive complex constructed by the Galactic Republic on the capital world of Coruscant in its early years, gained interstellar renown, earning a spot on Vicendi's famous list of the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy in 10,000 BBY. Serving as the official residence of the Supreme Chancellor for millennia, the Presidential Palace also functioned as a working office for many members of the Galactic Senate. This towering, magnificent pyramid was located a short distance from the Jedi Temple and was visible from the Temple district.

During the tenure of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum from 40 to 32 BBY, the summit office of the central tower served as his residence. Valorum utilized this space as a retreat from his busier schedule at the Rotunda's working office, frequently meeting with advisors and close associates at the Palace instead of amidst the Rotunda's activity. During the Invasion of Naboo, young Anakin Skywalker was brought to Coruscant by Qui-Gon Jinn. While awaiting word outside the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as to whether he would be trained as a Jedi, Skywalker grew restless and decided to explore the area around the Temple district. The Presidential Palace caught his eye, and after traversing numerous bridges, the boy reached the magnificent pyramid. He had wandered so far from the Jedi Temple that it was no longer visible.

When Palpatine of Naboo rose to the Chancellorship, he distanced himself from the Palace and the traditional offices designated for the Chancellor. Palpatine instead commissioned the construction of the Republic Executive Building to serve as an extension of the Senate Rotunda and to alleviate the Palace's overcrowding. Rather than reside in the Palace, Palpatine occupied an apartment suite in 500 Republica, a grand spire overlooking the Senate District.

In the aftermath of the Clone Wars, a brutal conflict orchestrated by Chancellor Palpatine's alter ego Darth Sidious, the Jedi Order was dissolved and the Republic was reformed into the Galactic Empire. Proclaiming himself Emperor, Palpatine withdrew from public life and secluded himself in an audience chamber atop the newly renamed Emperor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center. Utilizing this facility as a temporary headquarters, the Emperor ordered the renovation of the stately governmental palace near the Senate Building, extensively rebuilding the structure until it became the tallest edifice on the planet. Furthermore, largely due to the ongoing Imperialization, Imperial-issued credit coins valued at 1000 credits featured an effigy of the Imperial Palace on one side.

Early in his reign, Palpatine narrowly escaped death when Gentis, the Headmaster of the Imperial Academy, attempted a military coup. The Emperor was poisoned with Aorth-6 in his throne room, surviving only due to his connection to the dark side of the Force. The completion of the Imperial Palace was accelerated following the attempted coup.

Taking up residence in the palace, Emperor Palpatine remained isolated within the heart of the massive pyramid, rarely venturing far and seldom appearing in public. Despite Palpatine's seclusion, the remainder of the palace served as the primary government complex of the Empire, constantly bustling with activity involving dignitaries, senators, ambassadors, generals, Darth Vader, and the enigmatic Emperor's Hands. C-3PO briefly worked as a preschool attendant at the Imperial Palace for a year, following an incident during the Emperor's Ball where he mistook Imperial Supreme Commander Vader for a new guard droid model.

Following the Emperor's death at the pivotal battle over the Sanctuary Moon of Endor, the government officials within the Palace were subjected to a power vacuum as various individuals vied for the title of Emperor. As Grand Vizier Sate Pestage proclaimed himself interim Emperor, Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard began positioning herself for ascension to the throne. Within the palace, a black veil covered the vacant ceremonial throne during Pestage's rule to maintain appropriate decorum after the Emperor's death. While Pestage plotted, Isard secretly held Emperor's Hand Mara Jade in the palace dungeons, allowing Pestage to feed her information about the Emperor's mysterious aide.

Determining that Jade posed too great a threat to be an ally, Isard ordered the Hand to be brainwashed into revealing secrets about the Empire that Isard was previously unaware of. During this process, the Emperor's Hand used a mind trick to compel her interrogator to release her and grant her access to a computer terminal. Isard's men detected this immediately, and she personally began tracking Jade through the labyrinthine Palace. Aided by tech specialist Tal Burren, they eventually discovered Jade in Isard's personal office, but she was gone by the time they arrived. The Emperor's Hand had stolen one of Isard's datapads with high-level security clearance, using it to move through the building unhindered. Jade left numerous false leads, ordering dozens of shuttles to various docking bays; Jade ultimately escaped, an event Isard took personally.

As the Empire crumbled, the New Republic advanced, openly attacking Coruscant and attempting to secure it permanently. As the fighting reached its peak, Republic forces shelled the Palace, one of the last symbols of the Empire. With the palace's defenses weakened, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker led New Republic troops to the palace, defeating General Tal Ashen's Elite Force in the process. Entering the Palace, Skywalker and his troops stormed the entire complex, eliminating the remaining Imperial Guards and freeing Imperial prisoners-of-war. Once the Imperial Palace was secured and the fighting subsided, the surviving Imperial officials and functionaries surrendered and were detained by the New Republic, all of whom were lynched by Republic soldiers, even those innocent of Imperial crimes, and the palace was looted.

As Coruscant returned to normalcy, the New Republic began establishing its Senate and other government agencies on the planet. Utilizing the existing infrastructure, the government took up residence in the Imperial Palace, making significant exterior changes, primarily to remove damaged structures and repair habitable areas. As the formal residence of the Chief of State, the Palace served as the primary office building for Senate members, in addition to offices still maintained at the Rotunda. Due to the negative connotations associated with the Palace's Imperial name, Republic dignitaries attempted to adopt the title Republic House, or simply Capitol. Despite these efforts, the Imperial title persisted.

Under the administration of Chief Borsk Fey'lya, the Yuuzhan Vong, an extra-galactic race, began a campaign of conquest and destruction across known space. During this time, everyone at the Imperial Palace was in constant turmoil, processing reports of the latest worlds to fall to the invaders. On one occasion, young Finn Galfridian, a Padawan of Master Skywalker's reconstructed Jedi Order, forced his way past the Palace Guards and into the Palace to warn Chief Fey'lya of an assassination attempt foreseen by his tutor, Dray. Attacked by the Imperial ambassador, Yarmond, before reaching the Bothan, Galfridian deduced that Yarmond was the Yuuzhan Vong assassin.

When the Jedi regained consciousness in a prison cell, he was interrogated by Chief Fey'lya, despite his attempts to explain himself. Unwilling to believe the Jedi, Fey'lya stormed out of the chamber, unknowingly leaving Galfridian to be freed by Dray and his droid Prowl. Agreeing that Fey'lya, despite his temper and belligerence, needed to be saved, the group split up: Dray hunted down Yarmond, while Galfridian retrieved his lightsaber and personal belongings. As the Jedi and droid reached the main levels of the Palace, they caused a distraction, only to be captured again, this time by Guard Captain Kopri. As Galfridian's droid continued to cause chaos outside the Palace by launching fire bombs, the guards were distracted, allowing the Jedi to escape and reclaim his gear.

As the war became more costly for the Republic and worlds continued to fall, the unthinkable occurred. Yuuzhan Vong warships descended on Coruscant, driving the Republic off-world during what history would remember as the Battle of Coruscant. Holed up in the Imperial Palace, Chief Fey'lya drew the Yuuzhan Vong warriors into the heights of the Palace, close enough to the precious data towers that he, as Chief of State, could not allow them to fall to the invaders. Surrounded with no escape, Fey'lya was executed by Yuuzhan Vong commander Romm Zqar. As the Bothan died, a bomb tuned to his vital signature detonated, taking with it 25,000 Yuuzhan Vong warriors, the data towers, and most of the Palace's upper levels.

Soon after, Shimrra Jamaane of the Yuuzhan Vong established his citadel over the Palace ruins. Occupying the mobile citadel briefly, the structure was breached by the Galactic Alliance during the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar, and Jamaane was killed. Jamaane's jester and the true leader of the Yuuzhan Vong empire, Onimi, propelled the Citadel into the atmosphere, revealing it to be a large ship. Despite his attempt to destroy the Jedi who led the attack, Onimi died, and the citadel detonated after the Jedi and Alliance soldiers escaped.

Following the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Galactic Alliance's recapture of Coruscant, the Imperial Palace lay in ruins, toured by members of the Imperial Remnant leadership shortly after the battle. Despite the damages sustained to the historic structure, the Palace was rebuilt upon its old foundations sometime after the government stabilized on Coruscant.

Reoccupied as of 130 ABY, the Imperial Palace once again served as the seat of power for the Galactic Empire. After the Alliance's defeat in a costly war involving a joint campaign by the Empire and the Sith Empire under Darth Krayt, Galactic Emperor Roan Fel resided in the Palace and oversaw the functions of the Imperial government. Shortly after the war's conclusion and the Alliance's surrender, the Sith betrayed Fel and stormed the Palace. Darth Krayt entered the throne room and assassinated one of Fel's doubles seated on the throne, declaring himself the leader of the new Sith Empire. Krayt ruled with an iron fist from the Imperial Palace, though he quickly relocated his base of operations to his newly constructed Temple of the Sith, a massive pyramid built over the foundations of the conquered Jedi Temple.

Located northeast of the Senate District and south of the Jedi Temple district, the Presidential Palace arose from the heart of the Palace District, resembling a blend of a cathedral and a monumental pyramid. Towering over all surrounding buildings, the Palace's structure extended deep beneath the roofs of adjacent structures, its foundations firmly rooted in the planet's bedrock. The Palace stood at the eastern end of the Glitannai Esplanade, a luxurious and renowned avenue terminating at the Palace annex known as the Pliada di am Imperium. In addition to the main building, the palace grounds featured several pyramids made of blue-and-green marble and shining gold.

Constructed as a government building and residence for the acting Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, the Presidential Palace was the focal point, soaring above all surrounding structures. After the Republic's overthrow, Emperor Palpatine reconstituted the government as the Galactic Empire and renamed the complex Imperial Palace. Expanding the complex, the Palace increasingly resembled a Sith Temple as construction droids added more stone. Palpatine's redesigned Palace reached a total height of three kilometers and covered over two square kilometers. Composed of polished gray-green stone and mirrored crystals, the Palace sparkled in sunlight and moonlight. Even at night, the Palace never darkened, as phosphorescent panels, glowspheres, and electroluminescent strips bathed the structure in blazing light.

At least seventy-eight towers rose from the pyramid's surface, each containing numerous chambers and rooms serving various functions. Some of these spires were data towers housing vital records from across the galaxy, including survey samples and space charts, the loss of which could be extremely dangerous. Tower 78, for example, contained at least 443 levels and two hangar bays.

Following the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, the Palace was reconstructed on its old foundations. A central tower supported by thick structures towered above the cityscape, replacing the stone of its prior design with a modern durasteel exterior. Boxy and stepped, the Palace exterior was crisscrossed by ramps and bridges, maintaining the building's interconnectedness.

The grounds surrounding the Palace were open to the public and constantly bustling with foot traffic. The Palpatine Gardens, a lush display of well-maintained shrubbery and trees from across the Empire, were open to public viewing in the shadow of the towering pyramid. The Gardens were also a stop for tourists on the Grand Galactic Tour, along with the Changing of the Imperial Guard. In addition to these gardens, the Palace also had access to various hanging gardens.

The Palace contained over twenty thousand rooms and chambers within fifty connected structures. Numerous architectural styles and design motifs were present throughout the Palace, varying from floor to floor. The Palace's interior walls were made of cortosis, and its flooring included marble tiles imported from Wayland. Many public areas were open and airy, heavily illuminated by large transparisteel panes that allowed natural light to enter. Other levels deep within the complex were kept dark with carved friezes on the ceilings. Deeper sublevels featured bare, utilitarian walls, unadorned floors, and chambers used for military briefings and meetings. At least one section of the palace included a preschool. Various areas also featured endless mazes of crystal roofs.

The Grand Corridor, a towering hallway that encircled the entire complex, began at the Palace's main entrance. Redesigned and expanded by Emperor Palpatine, the chamber was said to have open areas large enough to accommodate a Victory-class Star Destroyer. The Palace's main entrance was a massive wall of black stone and red-tinted, cut-glass windows, behind which bustled the busy servants of the Empire. Lining the Corridor were rows of exotic ch'hala trees that continuously changed color based on sound vibrations. Apparently decorative, the trees served a more sinister purpose: the ch'hala's sound-affected bark was a key component of an intricate spy system used by the Emperor and later Grand Admiral Thrawn, known as Delta Source. The inner wall of the Corridor's upper tier featured several cafes and restaurants whose balconies provided a clear view of the busy corridor below. Among the displays of artwork from across the galaxy was a still-life portrait of the former Queen of Naboo, the late Senator Padmé Amidala. Commissioned by Emperor Palpatine, the portrait was dedicated to the Emperor's successor and dear friend who lost her life during the "Jedi Rebellion".

The Grand Corridor, by its very design, provided entry to the majority of the building's public spaces. From the central hall, lavish corridors extended, offering access to locations such as the Assemblage Auditorium, the Council of Moffs' meeting chambers, and the expansive Senate Hall, which mirrored the Grand Convocation Chamber of the nearby Senate Rotunda. The Senate Chamber, equipped with six hundred repulsorpods, each accommodating six individuals and trimmed with crimson upholstery, served as a venue for more intimate gatherings of the Imperial Senate and, subsequently, the New Republic Senate. The Palace also housed additional pavilions, music rooms, and both summer and winter residences. A private aviary containing hawk-bats was situated close to the Palace's extensive kitchens, allowing the Emperor and select guests to enjoy hawk-bat meat or eggs at their convenience. Various prisons, treasuries, halls, and residences of varying elegance and purpose for concubines, ministers, and trained assassins were also located within the palace.

The Palatial Balcony, situated on the western facade of the main structure, provided a view of the Glitannai Esplanade and the Pliada di am Imperium. From this vantage point, Emperor Palpatine would observe the parades of the Imperial Fair, extending his greetings to the populace below. An information center catering to tourists also adorned the Palace's exterior. During the New Republic era, this center, positioned on one of the decks projecting from the Palace, employed brochure droids and sculptures fitted with speakers to disseminate information regarding shuttle schedules, accommodations, dining options, and guided tours.

For convenient access for emissaries, diplomats, and military personnel, hangars were distributed across multiple levels of the Palace. Palace Traffic Control, situated within one of the Palace's numerous towers, maintained strict oversight and control over the Palace's airspace. During the reign of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire, the 1st Imperial Center Core Defense Squadron occupied a sizable hangar located near the central tower's peak.

Although the Palace primarily functioned as an office complex, it also included residential floors designed to accommodate visiting diplomats, ambassadors, staff members working late, and members of the galactic regime who maintained a constant presence within the building, such as guards and high-ranking officials. The Grand Corridor provided access to all of the Palace's residential floors, which featured extensive libraries available for guests to browse. The President's Guests floor, a lavishly decorated level paneled with hand-carved fijisi wood, housed the most exquisite chambers. Throughout its extensive history, the Imperial Palace hosted numerous distinguished guests. During the New Republic era, Jedi Masters Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker resided in the Palace, along with Chief of State Leia Organa Solo and her family.

Located deep within the Palace on the ninety-fifth floor, the Emperor's suite of chambers housed the working offices of Darth Vader and a series of concealed Backup Generators for the Coruscant Planetary Shield, designed to activate automatically in the event of the main shield's failure. Chief Fey'lya, the Bothan head of state during his tenure as Chief of the New Republic, maintained his offices in the same area, deep within the Palace's core. To create the illusion of proximity to the exterior, Fey'lya commissioned the installation of several holoscreens that simulated windows to the outside world.

From the Palace's construction until its destruction, the upper levels of the central tower served as the private offices and residences of galactic leaders. During the Galactic Republic era, the tower's summit office was a four-sided chamber constructed of reinforced transparisteel, providing the Supreme Chancellor with an unobstructed 360-degree view of the cityscape. Finis Valorum was the last Chancellor to use this summit tower, as his successor established the Republic Executive Building to house his primary office.

After declaring himself Emperor and renovating the Palace, Palpatine would convene with members of the Imperial Senate in a spacious reception hall. The circular room, resembling a crater with its sunken auditorium, featured sloping walls lined with tiers of audience decks. Each deck contained rows of flat stone benches arranged in sweeping arcs, providing seating for visitors who came to hear pronouncements from the Emperor himself. An engineering marvel, the chamber's acoustics allowed the Emperor to deliver even the faintest whisper, ensuring it was audible to everyone present as if amplified. Conversely, the Emperor, positioned high above in the chamber's center atop a stone pillar guarded by six red-robed Royal guardsmen at its base, could clearly hear the audience's murmurs. Gigantic purple and red Imperial banners adorned the room's slanted ceiling, while an angled, prismatic skylight cast rays of light upon Emperor Palpatine's throne. Many of his pronouncements concerned the Empire's war against the Rebel Alliance. His main throne room, located in the tallest spire of the palace, featured a transparisteel circular window with a webbed framework behind the throne, and was a long room with curved walls. Various platforms where Red Guardsmen and Stormtroopers were posted were also situated around the throne room. The Imperial Palace also housed an Awards Auditorium, where the Emperor personally presented medals and honors, including the Emperor's Will medal, to Imperial Military personnel for exceptional service to the Emperor.

Following the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Palace's subsequent reconstruction, a new throne room was constructed at its apex. This open-air, expansive audience chamber was sparsely furnished, featuring only the Emperor's throne, which levitated above the marble floor using a local repulsorlift.

While the Palace's upper levels primarily consisted of residential floors and government offices, the structure's lower levels, buried deep within Coruscant's bedrock, housed a series of chambers that served as a nerve center for the Imperial Army and Imperial Intelligence. Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence, maintained her office within the Palace, as did Moff Morlish Veed approximately a century later.

A blast-shielded war room, heavily utilized during the Galactic Civil War, was located in the middle of the second floor, requiring many Imperial military personnel to remain at the Palace in the event of a major development. The Crypt, along with a computer slicing and decoding area, was situated adjacent to the war room.

Palpatine also conducted his research in the Palace's personal library.

Similar to other areas of the Palace, the sublevels harbored numerous secrets. The Emperor's Hand, a clandestine group of Force Adepts trained by Palpatine in isolation and unaware of the existence of other Hands, utilized training facilities. The Emperor also maintained a concealed cloning facility deep within the Palace, where several clone bodies matured in Spaarti cloning cylinders. The Imperial Palace also included treasuries, one of which was rumored to have been constructed by the legendary "pirate general" Toleph-Sor, and hidden vaults containing Jedi and Sith artifacts.

Despite the Palace's already immense size, the Emperor continued to expand the complex, ultimately encompassing fifty distinct structures. The Mon Calamari Inglenook, a wing designed to resemble a coral reef, was located along the Glitannai Esplanade. Enclosed pools within this structure housed protoplasmic glurpfish and other marine life.

A smaller pyramid, intended as an exclusive residential complex situated closer to the Palace than the older 500 Republica, was located nearby. Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine's Sith apprentice, also maintained a tower in the vicinity, serving as his primary residence while on Coruscant.

Due to the Palace's labyrinthine layout, all employees were required to carry a comlink at all times to prevent getting lost. Numerous accounts circulated of individuals becoming lost within the Palace and never being seen again. In one instance, Frona Zeffla died at her desk and remained undiscovered for at least one standard year.

Rumors suggested that Palpatine or other high-ranking Imperials disguised unofficial executions as similar disappearances, although these claims were never substantiated. Emperor Palpatine was also said to have encouraged the children of workers to play Hunter, a game similar to hide-and-seek, while their parents were at work. Some games reportedly lasted for days.

During the Imperial era, a regiment of stormtroopers, along with the Emperor's Royal Guard and Imperial Intelligence operatives in a unit known as Imperial Palace Guard, guarded the Palace. Due to the complex's vastness, Palace security operated independently of the Coruscant Security Force, and the head of the CSF had no authority over the Palace. The mysterious Imperial Sentinels oversaw and protected some of the more secure and private areas.

The origins of the Palace, as well as those of Coruscant, can be traced back to the Rough Draft and Revised Rough Draft of the script for Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and concept art by Ralph McQuarrie. A scene that was ultimately cut depicted the Emperor in an audience with Darth Vader, with the cityscape of Coruscant visible from the throne room. The Imperial Palace was first referenced in the 1979 comic book Star Wars (1977) 27, where Princess Leia mentions "the Emperor... skulking in his palace." The Imperial Palace made its first appearance in the 1982 comic book Star Wars (1977) 63.

The Palace was initially showcased in the introduction of the video game Star Wars: TIE Fighter, featuring some of its interior. Around the same time, The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (1995) presented McQuarrie's concept art and additional details about the Palace and its throne room. These sources served as references for the Shadows of the Empire project, including the video game and the comics series drawn by Kilian Plunkett, where the throne room played a significant role. The layout of the Tantiss Throne Room Complex was also considered. Jon Knoles suggested to Plunkett that he draw inspiration from the interior architecture of Gothic cathedrals.

The Imperial Palace, or rather, the Presidential Palace, appeared in the May 1999 children's picture book Anakin to the Rescue, authored by Cecilia Venn and illustrated by [Chris Trevas](/article/chris_trevas]. While the story did not explicitly identify it as such, it was described as a "tall, sparkly building." Chris Trevas confirmed in a PM on Facebook to Wookieepedia editor LelalMekha that the pyramidal building in question was intended to be the Presidential Palace, noting that he referenced the late Ralph McQuarrie's depiction of the Imperial Palace, which was first featured in The Illustrated Star Wars Universe, as provided to him by his publisher.

Some depictions of the Imperial Palace deviate from the pyramidal shape, including those in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Star Wars: Empire at War, Star Wars: Rebellion, Star Wars: Force Commander, and Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. These depictions may be non-canonical or simply portray structures within the Palace complex other than the main pyramid. The Imperial Palace's appearance in Galactic Battlegrounds was repurposed from the design for the "Imperial Palace" monument frequently used by the Empire, including one owned by Moff Darcc. The "palace" featured in Star Wars: Dark Times represents the building Palpatine occupied while the actual palace was under construction, as those scenes occur within a few weeks to a few months after the events of Revenge of the Sith. In the Non-canon Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope, the Imperial Palace was depicted to be the former Jedi Temple. Ironically, this would later be adopted into the new canon after the Canon/Legends split by Disney.

Intriguingly, some of the most recent portrayals of the Imperial Palace depict a non-pyramidal skyscraper resembling the Emperor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center building seen in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Most skyscraper versions appear between Episodes III and IV. This may suggest that later structures were added around the original tower, transforming it into a pyramid by the time of the events in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.