Cloud City

"I saw... I saw a city in the clouds."

- Luke Skywalker

Cloud City was a Tibanna gas mining colony floating in the clouds of the planet Bespin, located in the Anoat sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Under the auspices of Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian, the city attempted to avoid unwanted Imperial attention. Eventually, Imperial forces occupied the station and installed an Imperial Garrison. However, after the Emperor's death, the Imperial Garrison was abandoned during the Iron Blockade, and the planet was soon liberated.

Layout
Cloud City was a completely man-made Tibanna gas mining colony of a few million tourists, workers and support staff hovering over the gas giant Bespin. It contained 392 levels, along with platforms and rooms for residents and visitors. The top 50 levels of the city were used as a luxury resort, renowned for its famous casinos such as Yarith Bespin and Pair O'Dice, while the lower levels were used as worker housing and for the mining and processing of Tibanna gas. Work areas in the lower levels were primarily operated by the sentient Ugnaughts and bathed in red lighting, which was the preferred color for the species and also increased their productivity. Being located in Bespin's Life Zone, the station had no need of airlocks or life-support systems, with the atmosphere being comprised mostly of oxygen and acceptable levels of gravity and temperature. The station was situated 59,000 kilometers above Bespin's core, while its disk was approximately 16.2 kilometers in diameter. 36,000 repulsorlift engines and tractor beam generators kept the giant city floating above the planet. The station also maintained a carbon-freeze chamber, which was used on the smuggler Han Solo after being captured by Imperial forces who had recently arrived at the station.

Popular tourist activities included gambling, hiring a cloud car for sightseeing the city and occasionally touring the local mining operations. With luxury resorts oftentimes charging as much as 5,000 Imperial credits a night. The Ivax Syndicate also maintained gaming houses on the station. In the months following the Battle of Endor, Cloud City had become the destination to procure rare implants such as brand new oculars and custom-made hands, or entire organ systems for a multitude of alien species. However, following the Empire's occupation of the Anoat sector and subsequently, Cloud City, the distribution of implants was temporarily put on hold.

Cloud City was notable enough to warrant the existence of postcards that included such phrases as "Wish You Were Here" in Aurebesh. One such card found its way to Rey while scavenging on the planet Jakku.

Government
Cloud City was run by the Baron Administrator, who at some point during the Age of the Empire was the given position of Lando Calrissian. However the day to day affairs of the facility were mostly overseen by the cybernetically enhanced human Lobot.

History
Cloud City was founded by Lord Ecclessis Figg from Corellia, with the aid of three tribes of the Ugnaught species. Sometime during the Age of the Empire, the Devaronian smuggler Gev Hessan did work for Lando Calrissian to help him build Cloud City.

Shortly after the Battle of Hoth, fleeing members of the Rebel Alliance Leia Organa, Han Solo and Chewbacca along with their droid C-3PO landed at Cloud City needing to repair their starship, the Millennium Falcon. Being greeted by Lando Calrissian, the previous owner of the Millennium Falcon and friend to Han Solo, the rebels were shown to their rooms and treated kindly. Invited to a dinner, the five managed to attend only to be betrayed by Calrissian to Darth Vader, Boba Fett and a contingent of Imperial stormtroopers, who Lando admitted arrived shortly before they did. With Solo and Leia captive, the Imperials had Solo tortured and then led to a carbon-freeze chamber, where they put the famous smuggler into a state of suspended animation. Unsettled by Vader's giving of Solo to the bounty hunter Boba Fett, Lando protested against this alteration to their pre-arranged deal, which Vader warned Lando he could alter further.

Luke Skywalker, sensing the danger his friends were in arrived at Cloud City in order to mount a rescue, only to be engaged in a Duel on Cloud City. By the duel's conclusion, Luke would learn that Darth Vader was his father and would jump down a shaft in order to avoid joining the dark side of the Force. Meanwhile, Lando Calrissian, upset by the Empire's deal alteration, warned citizens over an intercom that Imperial forces had invaded the city, all while overwhelming Imperial forces with his local security forces, allowing Leia Organa, Chewbacca, the two droids and himself to escape the city, picking up an injured Luke Skywalker dangling on a weather scanner vane along the way, while Han Solo was transported in the cargo hold on Boba Fett's starship, the Slave I.

Shortly after the Battle of Hoth, the Empire took over Cloud City, establishing a skeleton garrison to ensure that the citizens would pay proper taxes and fines to the regime. After the Empire suffered a major defeat at Endor, the Cloud City garrison was pulled to support more strategic targets, and there were celebrations in the streets. In the absence of a baron administrator, a council of business representatives came to run the city.

Shortly thereafter, Cloud City became an important location during the Iron Blockade, serving as the location of Governor Adelhard's personal chamber located in the prime tower. During this time, the gangster Kars Tal-Korla (the Scourge of Cloud City) along with his henchmen attempted to utilize an access panel located in one of the luxury rooms which happened to be connected to Adelhard's chamber, and attempted to sway loyal Imperial Borgin Kaa into giving up the panels access code in the process. In the end, Borgin refused to betray the Empire to what he believed as criminal scum working for the New Republic, while Lobot and an incursion team waited patiently for the gangster's orders.

Appearances

 * Lost Stars
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Use the Force!
 * Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Bloodline
 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novel
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel
 * The Force Awakens: Rey's Story