Capital City

"Capital City is where you'll find the most people on this world. It's where people run the businesses of Lothal."

- Ezra Bridger

Capital City, also known as Lothal City, was the main population center and capital of Lothal, a planet in economic disrepair that had invited the Galactic Empire in return for prosperity and security. During the Imperial Era, Capital City became the center of Imperial power on Lothal and housed the Imperial Command Center and the Academy for Young Imperials. Despite the Imperial presence, various rebel and criminal groups such as the Spectres rebel cell, the Lothal resistance, and the Gray Syndicate also operated in Capital City.

Architecture and infrastructure
Founded by Lothal's original colonists, Capital City was established on the site of the planet's primary trading outpost. It was a simple city, resembling many other trading hubs on the fringes of the galaxy, consisting of single and two–story prefabricated buildings. At the heart of the city was the Old Republic Senate Building, where the planetary government assembled to govern and administer to the economy of the agriworld. Expanding outward, rather than upward, new structures were built with local stone and simple materials like plasteel that was imported.

During the Imperial Era, many of these simple structures were demolished to make way for Imperial–style skyscrapers. About half of the city was also depopulated to make way for Imperial industrial and military buildings, resulting in a mixture of architecture types. Some notable Imperial facilities in Capital City included the Imperial Command Center and the Academy for Young Imperials. Capital City also hosted several marketplaces.

Some notable educational institutions in Capital City included the Junior Academy of Applied Sciences ("AppSci"), the Vocational School for Institutional Security, the Technical Institute for Agricultural Research, and the Phelarion School. The town's outskirts hosted the Ake's Tavern, later used by the criminal cartel known as the Gray Syndicate, while its industrial quarter had a number of old warehouses, such as 1044 Chapel. In addition, Capital City hosted a spaceport with docking facilities and a posting agency that allowed bounty hunters to access the Imperial Enforcement DataCore.

Capital City also had a zoo and a fuel depot. Capital City was also the site of the Imperial Armory Complex, which manufactured various vehicles and weapons for the Imperial Military. These included TIE fighters, AT-DP walkers, AT-AT walkers, speeder bikes, and the prototype TIE/D Defender initiative.



Inhabitants
Capital City was home to a wide range of species including humans, Gotals, Ithorians, Rodians, Aqualish , Ugnaughts, and Fausts. Some human residents such as athletic director Janus Fhurek expressed xenophobic views towards aliens and discriminated against them. Grav-ball was also a popular sport among Capital City's young people.

Law enforcement and defense
Imperial officers and stormtroopers were responsible for enforcing law and order in Capital City. Besides criminals, Imperial forces also had to contend with rebel groups such as the Spectres. While firearms were banned in civilian zones of the city, this was flouted by bounty hunters such as the Trandoshan Bossk. The Imperial authorities allowed members of the Bounty Hunters' Guild to pursue Imperial fugitives throughout Lothal including Capital City.

The Imperial Military was responsible for Capital City's defenses. In addition to the Imperial fleet, the city was defended by nine gunnery stations of four anti-air turbolaser towers each. One of these gunnery stations was destroyed during the Attack on Lothal in 1 BBY when all four of its turbolaser towers were destroyed by the Spectres and the Lothal resistance.

Origins
Capital City was founded by Lothal's first colonists on the site of the planet's primary trading outpost. During the time of the Galactic Republic, Capital City was the site of the Old Republic Senate Building, which was the seat of Lothal's government.

Imperialization
After the Clone Wars, the Galactic Empire responded to pleas from the beleaguered planetary government and established a permanent presence in Capital City. Using eminent domain laws, the Imperial Governor seized and demolished property in the city's center to pave the way for Imperial&dnash;style skyscrapers. Depopulating entire sectors of the city to make way for industrial and military buildings, the Empire employed mass arrests and violent crackdowns to supplant local insurrections and maintain the peace. Imperial patrols maintained a strict curfew, and abuse of the locals was frequent and violent.

Following the removal of Governor Ryder Azadi, his successor Governor Arihnda Pryce oversaw the expansion of Imperial industrial, mining, and military projects and facilities on Lothal including Capital City. In response to Lothal's economic development, several Core Worlds families including the Leonis family and the Spanjaf family settled in Capital City. Many farmers whose land had been purchased by the Empire for mining projects such as Beck Ollet's family also settled in Capital City. While many people welcomed the prosperity and stability brought by the New Order, some like Beck resented the loss of land and the Empire's unwillingness to address peoples' grievances.

After his parents Ephraim and Mira Bridger were arrested by the Imperial authorities for speaking out against the Empire, their son Ezra Bridger lived on the streets of Capital City for several years. He eked out a living as a street urchin, pick pocket, and con artist under the guidance of the Xexto pawnshop owner Ferpil Wallaway. Bridger assisted the bounty hunter Bossk in hunting the Dug criminal Gronson Takkaro and subsequently exposing the corrupt Imperial Security Bureau officer Lieutenant Jenkes.



Rise of the Rebellion
By 5 BBY, the Spectres rebel cell had developed a presence in Capital City; harrying the local Imperial authorities. The Lasat rebel Garazeb Orrelios was once embroiled in a brief skirmish with Imperial stormtroopers and a TIE fighter pilot after coming to the aid of an Ugnaught salesman and his droid. Later, Ezra was caught up in the Spectres' heist to steal Imperial supplies in Capital City's markets. Following a brief mission to free Wookiee prisoners on Kessel, Ezra decided to join the Spectres after Kanan Jarrus offered to train the Force-sensitive boy in the ways of the Jedi.

Later, Ezra infiltrated the Imperial Academy to obtain information about a kyber crystal shipment offworld. He was helped by the Imperial cadet Zare Leonis, who was searching for his sister Dhara Leonis who had been kidnapped by the Grand Inquisitor. Zare was also aided by his girlfriend Merei Spanjaf, who used snooper programs to hack into the Imperial database at the Transportation Ministry. Merei found out that Dhara had been inducted into a secret Imperial project called Project Harvester, that was based on the planet Arkanis. Merei's data breach triggered an Imperial investigation led by her mother Jessa Spanjaf, who was a leading Imperial data security investigator.

In 4 BBY, the Spectres disrupted the Empire Day celebrations in Capital City by blowing up a prototype TIE Advanced v1 starfighter, humiliating Minister Maketh Tua, Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko, and Taskmaster Myles Grint. In addition, the rebels evacuated the Rodian Tseebo, a former Imperial Information Office employee who had deserted the Empire. In response, Governor Pryce launched a mass security crackdown on Lothal including Capital City. This led to the arrests of many criminals and dissidents. Under the direction of Captain Piers Roddance, Imperial cadets at the local Imperial Academy including Zare Leonis and Nazhros Oleg were also deployed as auxiliaries during the crackdown.

Minister Tua and the Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus also tried to capture the Spectres by using the faux dissident Senator Gall Trayvis to lure the rebels into a trap in the Old Republic Senate building. However, the Spectres escaped and Trayvis was exposed as an Imperial agent. Meanwhile, Merei found herself indebted to Gray Syndicate crime lord Yahenna Laxo, who had supplied her with the snoopers. Laxo forced her to do several courier jobs until Merei managed to break free of the Gray Syndicate by framing Laxo for the Transportation Ministry data breach and her own kidnapping. As a result, Imperial stormtroopers stormed the Gray Syndicate's headquarters and wiped out the crime syndicate.

In response, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the Governor of the Outer Rim, visited Capital City to chastise the local Imperial authorities for their failure. He had The Grand Inquisitor execute Aresko and Grint as a warning to Minister Tua and Agent Kallus. Under Tarkin's direction, Kallus and the Grand Inquisitor managed to capture Kanan in the nearby town of Jalath but failed to apprehend the other Spectres. The destruction of the Imperial Communications Center disrupted communications throughout Lothal including Capital City. As a result, many industries were forced to rely on courier droids for transporting information.

Prior to rescuing Kanan Jarrus, the Spectres stole a Gozanti-class cruiser from an Imperial airfield. In response to Kanan's escape, the Emperor dispatched Darth Vader to deal with the rebel presence on Lothal. After her friend Jix Hekyl was arrested over his role in the Transportation Ministry data breach, Merei, her parents, and the Leonis parents fled offworld with the help of the Ithorian bartender Old Jho and the Spectres rebel cell.



Imperial lockdown
Under the leadership of Darth Vader, the Empire launched a renewed search for the Spectres rebel cell. This led to a harsh crackdown on Lothal. When Minister Tua attempted to defect from the Empire, the Spectres traveled to Capital City to rescue her. Before they could escape, Tua was killed by Agent Kallus in a bomb that was blamed on the Spectres in an effort to turn Lothal against the insurgents. The rebels hid in the former Bridger household but were pursued by Imperial forces. The Spectres then infiltrated the Imperial Command Center only to be ambushed by Vader. Following a fierce duel, the Spectres managed to escape Capital City on a Sentinel-class landing craft.

Later, Ezra, Kanan, and the C1-series astromech droid Chopper landed in Capital City during a visit to find the former prisoner Ryder Azadi, who knew Ezra's parents. Azadi revealed that Ezra's parents had perished during an escape from an Imperial prison. Azadi subsequently became the leader of another rebel cell on Lothal, which included operatives like Old Jho, the former farmer Morad Sumar, and his wife Marida Sumar. Azadi's group specialized in sabotaging vehicles produced by Capital City's Imperial Armory Complex, resulting in a high rate of defective Imperial equipment produced on Lothal.

By 2 BBY, Grand Admiral Thrawn, a rising star in the Imperial Navy, decided to take action against the saboteurs. He ordered Morad Sumar to ride a defective speeder bike, which claimed the life of the rebel operative. Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper subsequently infiltrated the factory and obtained intelligence on the Empire's TIE/D Defender initiative. They managed to escape with the help of Agent Kallus, who had become the secret rebel operative known as Fulcrum. Thrawn soon realized that the Empire had a mole within their ranks.

Later, Thrawn briefed Governor Pryce and Admiral Kassius Konstantine about the rogue Senator Mon Mothma's escape at the Imperial Command Center. Pryce and Konstantine led a failed attempt to apprehend the rogue senator. Prior to the Battle of Atollon, Thrawn held a secret meeting with Pryce and Konstantine to discuss intelligence about the Rebel Alliance's plan to attack the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal. This meeting was a ruse to lure Agent Kallus into revealing his identity as Fulcrum and the location of Phoenix Squadron's base.

In 1 BBY, the Rebel Alliance launched an air raid against the Imperial Armory Complex in Capital City under the leadership of Hera Syndulla. Despite Hera's Spectre comrades and their local allies taking out the Imperial artillery defense, Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet and TIE fighters shot down most of the rebel strike force. Several rebel starfighters crashed-landed in the streets of Capital City. While Secon Daree and Hera were captured by the Noghri tracker Rukh, Chopper and Matt Martin managed to flee into the sewers and rendezvous with the other rebels. Kanan also encountered a mythical loth-wolf while driving through Capital City's highway.

Governor Pryce then tortured Hera for information about the Alliance Fleet at Pryce's office at the Imperial Complex on Lothal. Hera remained defiant during interrogation. Later, Kanan, Ezra and Sabine used Loth-bat gliders to infiltrate the Imperial Complex. While Kanan rescued Hera, Ezra and Sabine stole a patrol transport. They rendezvous at the Lothal City fuel depot only to be pursued by Governor Pryce and several AT-AT walkers. Determined to destroy the rebels, Pryce ordered the AT-AT walkers to open fire on the fuel depot. Kanan was killed during the explosion but held back the explosive wave long enough for his rebel comrades to escape on their patrol transport. To cover up the destruction of the fuel depot and the disruption of TIE Defender production on Lothal, Governor Pryce convened a parade where all citizens and workers were compelled to attend. However, Grand Admiral Thrawn along with Sabine and Zeb saw through the facade and realized that the Empire had lost.

Behind the scenes
Lothal's Capital City first appeared in Michael Kogge's book Rise of the Rebels, which was launched as part of the release of the first season of the animated Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels in fall 2014. Capital City has since appeared in several Rebels episodes and spinoff media and literature.

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes