Imperial Complex (Lothal)

The Imperial Complex (also known as the Imperial Command Center) of the planet Lothal was a huge mushroom–shaped building that housed the headquarters of the Galactic Empire on that world. Built in Capital City after the Empire started occupying Lothal, the Imperial Complex both dwarfed and supplanted the Old Republic Senate Building.

Description
The Imperial Complex was a huge mushroom–shaped building that served as the Galactic Empire's headquarters on Lothal. It dwarfed and supplanted the nearby Old Republic Senate Building. The building housed the offices of the Imperial Governor of Lothal, Minister Maketh Tua, and Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus. The Imperial Complex also had a hangar bay at its upper level that was large enough to accommodate several Lambda-class shuttles and troops for parades. Other hangars stored TIE fighters and AT-DP walkers.

In addition, the Imperial Complex also housed the Academy for Young Imperials and the Imperial Armory Complex. The Imperial Complex later included an office for Grand Admiral Thrawn, who studied the art, history, and philosophy of his enemies. Thrawn's office included various arts and objects associated with the Spectres rebel cell including images of Hera Syndulla and Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren's Mandalorian graffiti]], and a Jedi Temple Guard's helmet.

Imperialization
It was installed around 18 BBY, within months of Lothal joining the Empire.

During the Imperial Era, Governor Ryder Azadi maintained an office at the Imperial Complex until he was dismissed and imprisoned by the Empire. Azadi's former supporters had looted the room of all his persona effects after his arrest. His successor Governor Arihnda Pryce kept the room sparesly decorated to emphasize her focus on building up Imperial power and industry on Lothal.



The Rising Rebellion
By 5 BBY, promising Imperial cadets at the Lothal Imperial Academy were given work details at the Imperial Complex's offices. Following a grueling training exercise in the Well, cadets Zare Leonis, Jai Kell and an undercover Spectres rebel Ezra Bridger were assigned to work at the Imperial Complex. There, Leonis and Bridger struck up a friendship and alliance to steal a decoder from ISB Agent Kallus. In the process, Ezra discovered that the Grand Inquisitor had shown interest in Jai Kei's Force sensitivity. Leonis and Bridger subsequently engineered Kell's escape from the Academy. While on work details, Leonis also used Minister Tua's hologram to contact his girlfriend Merei Spanjaf, who was helping him find his missing sister Dhara Leonis.

After the Spectres disrupted the Empire Day celebrations in 4 BBY and rescued the Rodian Imperial Information Office employee Tseebo, the Grand Inquisitor and two TIE fighter pilots boarded a TIE Advanced v1 and two TIE fighters in one of the Imperial Complex's hangars to pursue the rebels.

Following the failure of local Imperial authorities to apprehend the Spectres, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin landed in a shuttle at the Imperial Complex and chastised Minister Tua, Agent Kallus, and the Grand Inquisitor for their failings. He later summoned the Imperial Academy's Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko and Taskmaster Myles Grint and executed them as a warning that failure would no longer be tolerated. Tarkin then devised a plan to trap the Spectres at the Imperial Communications Center near Jalath.

Imperial counter-insurgency
After the Spectres freed Kanan Jarrus with the help of Phoenix Squadron, Darth Vader arrived in a shuttle at the Imperial Complex to deal with the rebels on Lothal. During the Siege of Lothal, Lord Vader confronted Minister Tua in her office for her failings and warned her that Grand Moff Tarkin had summoned her for a meeting. This led Tua to contact the Spectres in an attempt to defect from the Empire. However, the rescue mission failed when Agent Kallus blew up Tua's escape Sentinel-class landing craft and blamed her death on the rebels. To avoid the Imperial manhunt, the Spectres infiltrated the Imperial Complex. They then tried to steal a landing craft but were ambushed by Darth Vader. Following a fierce duel, the Spectres managed to escape the Imperial Complex.

In 2 BBY, Grand Admiral Thrawn coordinated the lockdown of the Imperial Armory Complex from his office inside the Imperial Complex, which was decorated with art pieces and images associated with the rebels he was fighting against. While meeting with Agent Kallus and Lieutenant Yogar Lyste to discuss Sabine Wren's art, Thrawn deduced that the Spectres had a special connection with Lothal. After the Spectres escaped with the plans for his TIE/D Defender's initiative, Thrawn was briefed by Lieutenant Lyste in his office. In private, he told Governor Pryce and Agent Kallus that he suspected that the Empire had a mole within their ranks. While Pryce was alarmed, Thrawn advised patience in rooting out the traitor.

Later, Admiral Kassius Konstantine briefed Thrawn and Governor Pryce about former Senator Mon Mothma's escape into space with the help of the Spectres. The three planned their operation to capture the rebels. Despite careful planning, the rebels were able to escape due to the piloting skills of Hera. As a result, Mon Mothma was able to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic, creating a galaxy–wide rebellion.

Prior to the Battle of Atollon, Thrawn arrived at the Imperial Complex's hangar bay aboard a shuttle with a detachment of Imperial Death troopers. He then convened a secret meeting with Governor Pryce, Admiral Konstantine, and Grand Moff Tarkin; with the latter via hologram. Thrawn disclosed that he had obtained intelligence about the Rebel Alliance's plan to attack the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal. Agent Kallus, who had become a rebel operative, used an MSE-6 series repair droid to spy on their conversation. However, Thrawn was aware of Kallus' treachery and captured him. Thrawn then used the trajectory of Kallus' transmitter to ascertain that Phoenix Squadron's base was on the planet Atollon.

During the Rebel Alliance's air raid on Lothal, Governor Pryce coordinated the ground defense from the Imperial Complex. After Thrawn's Seventh Fleet shot down Hera's strike force, Pryce supervised the hunt for escaped pilots from the complex. The Noghri tracker Rukh delivered the captured rebel pilot Secon Daree to Governor Pryce at a ground hangar in the Imperial Complex.

Behind the scenes
The Imperial Complex first appeared in the television movie Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, which premiered on September 26, 2014. The building was first identified as the Imperial headquarters in the 2014 reference book Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide. The Imperial Complex has since appeared in the Star Wars Rebels animated television series and spinoff publications such as Star Wars Rebels Magazine and Jason Fry's Star Wars Rebels: Servants of the Empire junior novels.

Appearances

 * Adventures in Wild Space: The Steal
 * Thrawn
 * Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks
 * Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal