Imperial Intelligence/Legends

"Imperial Intelligence. Seems it's not the oxymoron we've always thought it was."

- Governor Thorne

Imperial Intelligence, also known as the Bureau of Imperial Intelligence or the Imperial Intelligence Agency, abbreviated Imperial Intel, was an elite intelligence agency of the Galactic Empire. It was the rival to the larger Imperial Security Bureau.

History
Shortly after the Declaration of the New Order, COMPOR, under Lord Crueya Vandron, initiated a massive overhaul of the Galactic Republic's intelligence apparatus (presumably with the blessing and help of Director of Intelligence Armand Isard). The Senate Bureau of Intelligence, Interstellar Consortium on Technology, Republican Security Organization, and Special Acquisitions Branch of the Library of the Republic (and possibly Republic Intelligence and Clone Intelligence) were amalgamated into the new Imperial Intelligence and placed under the authority of Isard, who had previously only oversaw SBI. Presumably, the authority of the Senate Intelligence Oversight Committee's authority to interfere in and oversee intelligence affairs was also removed. The speed and efficiency in which Vandron worked frightened several other of Palpatine's advisors.

In 0 BBY, following the Battle of Yavin, Armand Isard was executed by orders of Palpatine, largely under false information provided by Isard's daughter, Ysanne. Palpatine then appointed her to become the new Intelligence director.

Organization


Unlike the Imperial Security Bureau, Imperial Intel personnel were not organized according to a military-style system of ranks. Rather, they were assigned on a case-by-case basis. They were formally addressed as "Agent (Name)", in lieu of a rank.

Imperial Intelligence consisted of six subdivisions:
 * Ubiqtorate
 * Adjustments
 * Internal Organization Bureau
 * Analysis Bureau
 * Bureau of Operations
 * Intelligence

Ysanne Isard's office was located in the Imperial Palace, as was a small prison complex run by Intelligence.

Function
As one might expect, Imperial Intel was responsible for covert operations in the Empire. The agency had a strong reputation: it is said that the ISB never succeeded in intercepting and decoding a single Imperial Intel document. Whereas the ISB investigated morale and coordinated the military with COMPNOR and Emperor Palpatine's objectives, Imperial Intelligence was an older organization, descended from the intelligence-gathering offices of the Galactic Republic, that specialized in external espionage.

Imperial Intelligence also helped in the guarding of the Imperial Palace.

Imperial Intelligence survived the Battle of Endor largely intact (a very large number of missing personnel and resources flowed directly to Warlord Zsinj), and gave much support to Grand Admiral Thrawn during his quest to destroy the New Republic.

Appearances

 * Republic HoloNet News Special Inaugural Edition 16:5:241 (Star Wars Insider 84)