Imperial Palace Audience Chamber

The Audience Chamber of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant served as the public seat of the Galactic Emperor from its construction circa 18 BBY until the death of Palpatine aboard the Death Star at the battle over Endor in 4 ABY.

History
Located deep within the central tower of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's audience chamber was constructed following the rise of the Galactic Empire. From atop his podium, Emperor Palpatine would hear the opinions of members of the Imperial Senate and the Imperial Ruling Council.

Layout
An enormous chamber designed for public matters, the Palace's Grand Audience Chamber was a sunken auditorium, similar to a huge crater dug into bedrock. In the audience decks there were flat stone benches arranged in long arcs where visitors could come to hear pronouncements from the Emperor himself. The acoustics of the room ensured that the audience could hear everything the Emperor said; likewise, the Emperor was able to hear every utterance from the gallery. The throne of the Empire was perched atop a central tower which was guarded at the base by six of the Emperor's Royal Guards.

The sloping dome of the audience chamber came together at a prismatic apex, allowing scrambled light from the outside to flow into the chamber. The design of the skylight, similar to another fixture in the nearby Senate Rotunda's Grand Convocation Chamber, ensured that the light shone directly on the Emperor, bathing him in an ethereal white light.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter