The Imperial Research and Prison Facility was a complex utilized by the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War on the planet of Dathomir. It served dual purposes as a prison and a research center. Notably, this facility became the central point of the Blackwing virus outbreak on Dathomir.
Situated on the isolated world of Dathomir, the Imperial Research and Prison Facility was under the control of the Galactic Empire. Its function was to support top-secret and hazardous scientific investigations throughout the Galactic Civil War that pitted the Empire against the Rebel Alliance.
The facility was composed of a prison section and a research section. Several structures were arranged around a sizable courtyard, large enough for shuttles to land, and the entire area was fortified by towering defensive walls. The prison was housed in the largest building, which shared a similar architectural design with the Dathomir Imperial Prison in another part of the planet. Another building provided entry to an underground bunker where the research facility was located. The research center was made up of numerous laboratories spread across two subterranean levels. The lowest level had a connection to a cave inhabited by a gigantic rancor.
Security for the Imperial Research and Prison Facility was provided by Captain Lenders Ennada, Lieutenants Flinn Boster, Arwen Zherooh and Jecht Eris, and stormtroopers TK-217, BT-413, DS-378, TK-108, FR-351, GT-643, KD-121 and HX-138. Other personnel included Inquisitor Klex Fulgor, prison wardens Torkin Doha and Derin Hans, creature handlers Tyris Santorini and Yerkys Neir, and maintenance worker Pit Cornburr.
Before the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader obtained a sample of the ancient Blackwing virus and tasked the Imperial Biological Weapons Division with re-engineering it into a bioweapon. His intention was to utilize the virus to develop enhanced soldiers. The covert project was initially conducted on the Imperial-class Star Destroyer named Vector. However, in 1 BBY, the virus was accidentally set loose aboard the Vector and also on the prison barge known as Purge, resulting in the deaths of all personnel, who were then transformed into horrifying undead beings. Following the Vector incident, the project was not scrapped but instead relocated to the Imperial Research and Prison Facility located on Dathomir. The Empire then recruited prominent scientists from across the galaxy to contribute to the project. Dr. Griffax Jin was appointed as the chief virologist. Additional scientists included Dr. Pram Dramango, Dr. Stane Tritan, Dr. Nomi Rhane, Dr. Piodas Ray, Dr. Tare Sal, Dr. Ziris Enz, Marpo Glenfik, Skrat Horle, and Tyla Gallamby.
Nevertheless, in 1 ABY, an incident occurred within the research facility, leading to a breach in the virus's containment. The virus caused widespread death and transformed the majority of individuals in the vicinity into ravenous undead creatures. Nearly the entire staff of the Imperial Research and Prison Facility became zombies, but a small group, including TK-217, Marpo Glenfik, Dr. Pram Dramango, Dr. Stane Tritan and Dr. Nomi Rhane, managed to survive the outbreak and sought refuge in a fortified room within the research facility. Above ground, a small group of stormtroopers with immunity, including GT-643, KD-121 and HX-138, established a small camp for the survivors in the area: Inquisitor Fulgor, the former prisoner Zsu Val, the technician Sogan Varga, and the mechanic Nils Cridmeen.
Instead of destroying the area via orbital bombardment, the Empire quickly put in place a Quarantine Zone surrounding the Imperial Research and Prison Facility in an attempt to contain the spread of the infection. Darth Vader then directed Captain Piett to enlist volunteers to venture into the quarantine zone and retrieve a pristine sample of the Blackwing virus from the research center. Concurrently, both the Rebel Alliance and the Black Sun were successful in acquiring Imperial authorization codes for the Quarantine Zone, and Han Solo and Guri dispatched their own operatives to locate the virus before the Empire could.
The spacers made their way through the Quarantine Zone and safely reached the Imperial Research and Prison Facility. Once there, they gained the assistance of HX-138 and Inquisitor Fulgor to gain entry to the research center. Upon entering the subterranean facility, they were confronted by the most aggressive and powerful undead creatures. They were even forced to battle a massive undead rancor in the facility's depths. Ultimately, they located Dr. Griffax Jin, the Empire's chief virologist, who had survived the outbreak. However, he had been infected by the virus and soon transformed into a zombie, attacking the spacers. After the scientist was finally killed, the spacers were able to secure a sample of the virus from the lab. The spacers later came across Dr. Nomi Rhane's group of survivors and helped them disable the facility's ventilation system to prevent the virus from spreading beyond the research center. The survivors and the spacers then used an emergency escape ladder to exit the facility. Upon reaching the surface, in the courtyard of the Imperial Research and Prison Facility, they were attacked by the undead. The spacers escorted the survivors to Camp Epsilon nearby, where a group of refugees and a working Lambda-class shuttle were waiting for them. The survivors from the research facility, the spacers, and the refugees from Camp Epsilon eventually escaped the Quarantine Zone together aboard the shuttle.
The Imperial Research and Prison Facility was a non-player character featured in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game created by Sony Online Entertainment and released by LucasArts, before it was shut down on December 15, 2011. The Imperial Research and Prison Facility was integrated into the game via "Game Update 14," also known as the "Death Troopers" update, which was launched on October 12, 2009.