Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace was the seat of power for Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith publicly known as Emperor Palpatine, during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Prior to the rise of the Empire, the Palace&mdash;located on Coruscant&mdash;was the Jedi Temple and served as the headquarters of the Jedi Order. After the fall of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, the Empire converted the Jedi Temple into the Imperial Palace, leaving practically only the building's towering spires intact.

As the Jedi temple
During the time of the Jedi Order, what was then-known as the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant was a massive ziggurat crowned by five polished spires that stood apart from the rest of its towering environment. It acted both as a school and a monastery. It contained the Jedi Archives, which were considered to be the largest source of information in the galaxy. It was here that Padawan learners studied and trained to become Jedi Knights and in the chamber of the Jedi High Council, wise Jedi Masters discussed and debated important decisions, though such discussions became increasingly acrimonious as the Clone Wars progressed. Initially, the chambers of the High Council were housed in one of the Temple's peripheral towers. Toward the end of the Clone Wars, a new council room had been set up at the top of the central tower.

Those who wished to visit the Temple did so by way of a long ceremonial staircase that led into the Great Hall. The upper hand of the staircase was crowned by massive pillars and four statues representing the founders of the Temple. Dignitaries arriving from the air would land their ships on platforms that extended from the Temple's walls. The Jedi themselves also used these platforms to exit the Temple's many hangars and depart on missions. Near those hangars, there was also a carbon-freezing facility, thanks to which goods could be frozen for transport. The Temple also housed a medical center, several analysis labs, many instruction rooms. There were also several gardens and courtyards in which the Jedi could meditate or discuss in a calm and dignified atmosphere. A sizable portion of the Temple's interior was occupied by the living quarters of the many Jedi living there.

Beside all those "generic" areas, the Jedi Temple housed a number of unique rooms. The Chamber of Judgment was used as a courtoom, and the Jedi Archives were the greatest repository of knowledge in the galaxy. Additionally, the latter section housed the secured Holocron Vault, in which the Jedi stored their precious holocrons. Near the base of the central spire, there was a vast training ground embellished by an ancient tree. In the Transformation chamber, a Jedi could be disguised as another individual.

As the Imperial Palace
Five years after the end of the war and the fall of the Jedi Order, the Galactic Empire had refitted the Jedi Temple into the Imperial Palace, which served as the residence of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor. All that remained of the original temple was its quincunx of skyscraping spires, which crowned an amalgam of blockish edifices with sloping façades. Inside the Palace, the walls and plinths of the expansive corridors were left bare of statues and other art pieces.

The Emperor's receiving room was a dimly lit chamber with huge windows that opened out onto the Coruscant skyline. The pinnacle room of the primary spire housed the Emperor's personal quarters, while its penultimate level contained the Palace's audience chamber. Only a few areas of the former Jedi headquarters underwent no transformation. One of those was the enormous holographic galactic map located mid-level in what had been the High Council spire. The palace precinct had a courtyard landing field that was large enough to accommodate Star Destroyers of the Victory and Venator classes. From that courtyard, the Palace's interior could be accessed through elaborate doors.

In the palace, there was also a vast hall that could be used as a ballroom. Ornately tiled and mirrored, it was lined with massive columns on either side. On at least one occasion, the hall was decorated with brilliant red banners hung from the ceiling, and crystalline sculptures that stood on pedestals and shifted shape from abstract forms into Imperial symbols.

Along with the Naval Intelligence headquarters and the COMPNOR arcology, the Imperial Palace made up the supreme triangle of Imperial City's Federal District. It was regarded as one of the grandest and most elegant structures on the entire planet.

History
Originally constructed over the foundations of an ancient Sith shrine, the Jedi Temple served as a headquarters for the Jedi Order. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the power of this shrine remained active, seeping up through the Temple and weakening the Jedi Order with the power of the dark side of the Force. During the fall of the government known as the Old Republic prior to the creation of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi Temple was sacked by warriors from Mandalore, known as Mandalorians, who stole the darksaber.

Over a thousand years later, the Jedi Temple continued to serve the Jedi Order, including during the Clone Wars. As the Jedi had taken leadership over the Grand Army of the Republic, many military affairs were conducted from within the Jedi Temple. As public sentiment began growing against the war, the Jedi Temple was bombed by Padawan Barriss Offee, who believed the Jedi only cared about violence.

Defiled by the Empire
"The Jedi Temple on Coruscant&hellip; It doesn't exist anymore. It's the Imperial Palace now."

- The Gamemaster, to Luke Skywalker

At the end of the Clone Wars, Sidious&mdash;publicly known as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine&mdash;declared that the Jedi, who had attempted to arrest him after discovering he was Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, were traitors. He issued Order 66, a command to all clone troopers to kill the Jedi. Meanwhile, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker fell to the dark side and became the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and he led clone troopers to kill all of the Jedi within the Jedi Temple. This left the Jedi Temple damaged, and the Jedi Order destroyed. Shortly thereafter, Sidious declared that the Republic was to be transformed into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Emperor. In the ensuing years, the Jedi Temple was converted into the Imperial Palace. The Emperor spent much of his time in the Imperial Palace, leaving the day-to-day governance of the Empire to his advisers.

However, some nine years later, the former Jedi Kanan Jarrus recalled that nothing of the Temple remained, and that the Empire had reduced all its brick and steel to dust. Nonetheless, the Jedi Temple remained intact after the death of Darth Sidious during the Battle of Endor.

Behind the scenes
The Jedi Temple was first introduced in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and became a major location in The Phantom Menace and its two sequels, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. In 2004, the Jedi Temple was added into the ending of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, during the final montage of planets celebrating the death of the Emperor. The novel Tarkin by James Luceno, released in 2014, revealed that the Jedi Temple was converted into the Imperial Palace. However, The Rebellion Begins by Michael Kogge, which serves as an adaptation of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, shows Kanan Jarrus remembering the destruction of the Jedi Temple. Whether he was referring to the Temple's refit into the Imperial Palace or if this is a continuity error has not been resolved.

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0