Imperial Palace/Legends



The Imperial Palace was a building located in the Senate District on Coruscant.

History and features
Originally called the Presidential Palace or the Palace of the Republic when it was used by the President of the Galactic Republic and its Senate, the Imperial Palace was the residence of Emperor Palpatine during his reign over the Galactic Empire. He drastically rebuilt the Palace into a massive complex, which looked like a hybrid of a cathedral and a monumental pyramid. Palpatine's redesigned palace had a total height of three kilometers, making it the tallest building on Coruscant.

When the New Republic took Coruscant, also known as Imperial Center, they made the Palace the residence of the Chief of State, as well as the main governmental building. The New Republic attempted to change its name to the Capitol, Republic House, or its former title of Presidential Palace. Those names were rarely if ever used, even in official documents.



It was guarded by a regiment of stormtroopers, as well as the Emperor's Royal Guard and Imperial Intelligence operatives. However, Palace secuirty was independent of Coruscant Security, the head of which had no jurisdiction over the Palace.

The Palace was made of polished gray-green rock and mirrored crystals. Even at night, the Palace never grew dark since blazing illumination from phosphorescent panels, glowspheres, and electroluminescence strips kept the structure in a shower of blazing light. The Palpatine Gardens were located on the grounds of the Palace.

The Grand Corridor, its centerpiece, featured high-ceilings and cutglass windows. Designed by the Emperor himself, it was said to have open areas large enough to accommodate a Victory-class Star Destroyer. Lining the main chamber were Ch'hala trees, which would continuously change color at sound vibrations. These trees were part of a spy system used by Emperor Palpatine, and later, Grand Admiral Thrawn, known as Delta Source. Above the Grand Corridor were cafes situated on balconies with a view of the busy streets below.

All of the residential floors of the Palace contained extensive libraries. Guests were housed within the Presidential Guest Floor, which had previously been part of the Palace of the Republic that had been absorbed by the larger Palace structure. The Guest Floor was done in hand carved Fijisi wood. During the New Republic era, the quarters of the Chief of State were located deep within the Palace core, and its 'windows' were actually holographic screens, showing panoramic views taken by cameras outside.



The Palace contained over twenty thousand rooms and chambers in fifty connected structures. The people who worked there were expected to have a comlink at all times, because it was so easy to get lost. There were multiple tales of people getting lost in the Palace and never being seen again, and at least one, Frona Zeffla, died at her desk and was not found for at least one standard year. It is possible that Palpatine or other high-ranking Imperials covered up unofficial executions as similar disappearances, but those theories were never confirmed. Emperor Palpatine was also said to have encouraged children of workers to play Hunter, a hide and seek like game, while their parents were working. Some games were said to have lasted for days.

Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard's office was located in the Palace, as was a small Intelligence prison complex.



Numerous architectural styles and design motifs could be found all over the Palace. In some areas, the structure was open and airy, with much illumination and transparisteel while others were dark with carved friezes on the ceiling. The walls of the Palace were made from cortosis. At the highest tower of the Imperial Palace was the Emperor's Throne Room.

There was a blast-shielded war room located in the middle of the second floor. Adjacent to the war room was the Crypt, a computer slicing and decoding area. One wing of the palace contained a medical area, which under the New Republic was used to accommodate water-loving Mon Calamari. The wing resembled a coral reef, and an enclosed pool containing protoplasmic glurpfish and other sea life.

The Imperial Palace also included treasuries (including one treasury said to have been built by the legendary "pirate general" Toleph-Sor), pavillions, prisons, music rooms, and both summer and winter quarters. It also had a private aviary of hawk-bats, so that the Emperor and selected guests could have hawk-bat meat or eggs at their leisure.

The Imperial Palace was destroyed during the Fall of Coruscant. With the Palace under siege, Borsk Fey'lya detonated a suicide bomb in his office. The resulting explosion killed Fey'lya and 25,000 Yuuzhan Vong warriors, and much of the Palace was destroyed. Supreme Overlord Shimrra would later locate his Citadel near the remains of the Palace. It is unknown if the Galactic Alliance rebuilt the Palace after the Liberation of Coruscant.

Behind the scenes


The Imperial Palace was first introduced, along with the rest of Coruscant, in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire novel, though its origins date back to rough drafts of Return of the Jedi.

Some fans have gained the erroneous impression that the Palace was seen in the scene of Coruscanti celebrating the death of Emperor Palpatine in the re-released version of Return of the Jedi, but the Palace has, in fact, never appeared in any of the films.

Some depictions of the Imperial Palace are non-pyramidal in shape, including the palaces shown in Galactic Battlegrounds, Empire at War, and Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. These depictions may either be non-canonical, or simply depict one of the structures in the Palace complex other than the main pyramid.

Appearances

 * Empire at War
 * Empire: Betrayal
 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter
 * Shadows of the Empire
 * Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: In the Empire's Service
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Masquerade
 * Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
 * X-wing: Wedge's Gamble
 * Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * Dark Empire
 * I, Jedi
 * Jedi Academy Trilogy
 * Darksaber
 * Tyrant's Test
 * Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones
 * Mission to Myrkr
 * Star by Star