Citadel

For other uses, see Citadel (disambiguation).

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"Fear. A Jedi spends his whole life training against it. But at the Citadel, breaking Jedi is our specialty. Within these walls, they will learn to fear us. And if not, they die."

―Osi Sobeck^[1]

The Citadel, also known as Citadel Station, was a prison constructed on the planet Lola Sayu by the Jedi Order to hold rogue Jedi. Early in the Clone Wars, it was captured by the Confederacy of Independent Systems and Osi Sobeck became its warden.

Description[]

Built on the planet Lola Sayu, the tower-like Citadel sat on a bridge between two yellow lava lakes and was powered by geothermal energy. The prison's structure was widely believed to be impregnable, with its front section sticking out over the lava, the back giving out to the prison's landing field, which was protected by fences and security emplacements.^[5] The outer walls of the Citadel were laced with hundreds of electromines,^[2] which, when combined with the planet's high winds, prevented infiltrations by pushing would-be infiltrators into the lava lakes below.^[5] Searchlights could pick out anyone attempting to enter or exit the prison, and every door along the outer wall was protected by a ray shield.^[2]

Within the Citadel was a labyrinth of identical hallways and corridors. Each hallway was protected by electrified walls, magnetic ceilings and floors, rapidly closing blast doors, cameras and automatic lasers. All security equipment was monitored from the central control room located at the top of the prison tower. Outside the prison was a landing platform, which was protected by two manned turrets.^[6]

History[]

"The Citadel wasn't designed to hold common criminals, it was created to hold Jedi if any of us lost our way."

―Anakin Skywalker^[1]

Constructed in 522 BBY, the Citadel was originally designed by the Jedi Order to hold rogue/dark Jedi. During the Clone Wars, it fell under control of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and it held Even Piell during the war.^[2] It was run by warden Osi Sobeck, and he was considered to be sadistic.^[7] The Jedi Archives were known to have information on the original layout of the facility, but this was considered extremely old and outdated by the time of the Clone Wars.^[2]

Under Separatist control, the Citadel became known as the Confederacy's most isolated holding facility that held their high value detainees. The prison was heavily guarded by a number of droids including BX-series droid commandos, and it had hundreds of electromines. The clone trooper training facilities in Tipoca City on Kamino used a Citadel Challenge training course simulating an attack on the Citadel as part of their programs.^[8] During their trials, Domino Squad succeeded in completing the course.^[9]

Piell captured[]

At one point, Jedi General Even Piell and his officers were captured. Piell was incarcerated and tortured for information regarding the Nexus Route in the Citadel, prompting the Jedi Council to send an elite rescue team led by Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to free him. After the team snuck past the life-form sensors employed by the Separatist fleet guarding the planet, they landed just outside the Citadel using a stolen Sheathipede-class transport shuttle. They began to scale a steep cliff-face dotted with electromines, but when clone trooper "Charger" slipped and fell on one of the mines, dying and alerting the Separatists of their presence, the task force infiltrated the prison and rescued Piell and Captain Wilhuff Tarkin.^[2]

When they prepared to rendezvous with the evacuation team, namely R2-D2 and a group of reprogrammed Separatist battle droids, a firefight broke out on the landing pad. Republic ARC trooper CT-1409 was presumed dead when a BX-series droid commando blew up the Republic's shuttle on the platform outside the facility. During the Jedi's escape with their clone troopers across Lola Sayu's unstable terrain, a group of anoobas and droids led by Osi Sobeck attacked them. General Piell was fatally injured by one of the anoobas, but Piell managed to whisper his Nexus Route information to Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano before succumbing to his injuries. Sobeck was later killed by Ahsoka Tano while attempting to throw Tarkin into a lava gorge. However, after the mission Tano wished to give the information to the Jedi High Council as Piell had told her to, but Tarkin sought to reveal it to Sheev Palpatine, the Republic's Supreme Chancellor.^[10]

A Separatist holdout[]

After the Clone Wars, a droid led a Separatist holdout at the Citadel. However, the droid leading the garrison of battle droids was malfunctioning, and it was following its last directive from the finished war. It had adjusted its programming for a wider target range. The droid targeted all Force-sensitives, and it came to have a Force-sensitive child in the prison.^[4]