The luxurious pleasure craft known as the Imperialis was the property of Sheev Palpatine, who held the titles of both Supreme Chancellor and later Galactic Emperor, during the Galactic Civil War. Although the gambler Lando Calrissian commandeered the Imperialis, which subsequently crashed on the moon of Quantxi, the Emperor maintained several identical copies of the vessel at his Observatories, which were spread across the galaxy. In the year 5 ABY, the bounty hunter Mercurial Swift uncovered information regarding the origins of Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax by accessing the Imperialis's computer systems.
The Imperialis was a streamlined, shimmering silver yacht designed with a pair of sharply angled wings. It was a unique creation of [Raith Sienar](/article/raith_sienar], the owner of Republic Sienar Systems. The Imperialis possessed exceptional speed and maneuverability, surpassing even Imperial Star Destroyers. Its wings were equipped with advanced defensive systems capable of neutralizing gravity mines. The ship's cockpit featured red-hued displays and provided seating for a pilot and co-pilot. On one occasion, the smuggler Lando Calrissian skillfully used the Imperialis to manipulate a Star Destroyer's tractor beam, causing it to collide with another Star Destroyer.
The Imperialis was lavishly decorated with treasures, including a Gungan fertility totem originating from the Naboo system. A heavily secured central chamber, accessible only via interface, housed several Sith artifacts, notably the mask of Lord Momin and a pair of lightsabers. This chamber was guarded by two members of the Emperor's Royal Guards. The potent dark side energy emanating from the helmet had the ability to corrupt any sentient being in close proximity. These artifacts were believed to have once belonged to Darth Momin, a Sith Lord and Sith sculptor.
The Imperialis also included a medical bay located on the lower deck, equipped with a bacta tank. Furthermore, the ship featured a well-stocked armory containing a diverse assortment of blasters. The Imperialis also had an airlock and docking rig that could be operated remotely. The ship's escape pods could also be remotely deactivated by interface. The Imperialis also had a self-destruct mechanism. Lobot's AJ^6 cyborg construct was capable of interfacing with the ship's systems.
According to Sava Korin Pers, it's possible that Raith Sienar personally oversaw the creation of the Imperialis. It was in service as early as 25 BBY, when it transported Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and his adviser, Yupe Tashu, to Jakku for their excavation of the Plaintive Hand plateau. During this trip, Gallius Rax, who would later become a Fleet Admiral in the Galactic Empire, secretly boarded the ship. Palpatine offered him a choice between death and servitude. Rax chose the latter, agreeing to guard the excavation site on Jakku. Ten years later, Palpatine appointed Rax as his Contingency aboard the Imperialis and inducted him into the Galactic Empire.
Sometime after the battle of Yavin, while the Imperialis was undergoing maintenance at Sienar Fleet Systems' Orbital Shipyard CC-24, a crew consisting of gambler Lando Calrissian, Lobot, Korin Pers, and the alien twins Aleksin and Pavol stole it. The Emperor responded by deploying three Imperial Star Destroyers to reclaim the vessel. However, Calrissian skillfully manipulated the Star Destroyers' tractor beams, causing them to collide. Calrissian and his companions then escaped into deep space.
Subsequently, the Emperor tasked the bounty hunter Chanath Cha with recovering the Imperialis and apprehending the thieves. To aid her in this mission, he provided her with the modified Star Courier Scimitar, which was capable of tracking the yacht's hyperspace signature. He also instructed her to destroy the ship if recovery proved impossible. Meanwhile, Lobot suffered a severe injury when he was impaled by the Royal Guards protecting the ship's central chamber. Lando and Korin managed to get Lobot to the ship's medbay while Aleksin and Pavol defeated and killed the guards. They discovered that the ship was storing several Sith artifacts including a Sith helmet and lightsabers.
Aleksin and Pavol were influenced by the dark side presence inside the Sith artifacts and began fighting. Lando and Korin were cornered by Cha, who was an old friend of Lando. Due to her relationship with Lando, Cha decided to spare his life and that of his companions. However, she proceeded with her mission to set the ship to self destruct. Lando and his companions were attacked by the corrupted Aleksin and Pavol, who killed Korin. Lando managed to evacuate Lobot from the medbay and kill Aleksin after tricking him into deactivating his lightsaber. Cha killed Pavol following a knife fight. After Lobot managed to reactivate the ship's escape pods, the three escaped into space.
The Imperialis was ultimately destroyed by its self-destruct mechanism. The resulting wreckage was then deposited on Quantxi, the Junk Moon orbiting Ord Mantell. In 5 ABY, at the behest of Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, the bounty hunter Mercurial Swift gained access to the ship's computers and learned that Rax had originated on Jakku.
Despite the destruction of the Imperialis, each of the Emperor's Observatories housed a fully functional replica of the Emperor's pleasure yacht. Following the Battle of Jakku, Sloane, along with Brendol Hux, Armitage Hux, and Rax's former child soldiers, utilized the replica of the Imperialis located at the Jakku Observatory to journey into the Unknown Regions and meet with the Emperor's lost flagship, the Eclipse.
The Imperialis made its debut appearance in the 2015 Marvel Comics series Star Wars: Lando. The starship's creation is credited to Charles Soule, with illustrations by Alex Maleev and coloring by Paul Mounts.