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The Emperor's Tower was a mooring tower located at the uppermost northern hemisphere of the second Death Star[4] that housed the throne room of Emperor Palpatine.[3] Its design was reminiscent of the High Council spire of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.[5] Elevators allowed transport between the top of the tower and the battle station below.[1] The Emperor's Tower was damaged, along with the second Death Star, during the Battle of Endor,[3] but the structure survived in the oceans of Kef Bir for many years, storing the Emperor's wayfinder.[6]
Behind the scenes[]

Darth Sidious casts Force lightning upon Luke within the Emperor's Tower.
In the earliest incarnation of the story of the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the Emperor's Tower didn't house the Emperor's Throne Room, but rather the Imperial capital planet Had Abbadon did.[7]
In an early idea pitched by Rick Carter for the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, the scavenger Rey was to dive underwater into the Death Star II's remains on a junk planet and find a hidden map inside the Emperor's Tower that indicated the location of the remaining Jedi and where Luke Skywalker was hiding.[8] This idea was later revisited in 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, in which Rey visits the ruins of the tower to find a map to the location of the resurrected Emperor instead.[6]
Appearances[]
- The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
- Star Wars: The Original Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
- Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (First appearance)
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi junior novelization
- Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! (and audiobook)
- Return of the Jedi Little Golden Book (and audiobook)
- "Masters" — Stories of Jedi and Sith (and audiobook)
- "The Emperor's Red Guards" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (and audiobook)
Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures — "Luke vs. Emperor Palpatine - Rise to Evil"
- Shattered Empire 1
- Aftermath: Empire's End (and audiobook) (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars (2025) 1 (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: Hunters (Sticker only)
- Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker (Wreckage only)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition (and audiobook) (Wreckage only)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel (and audiobook) (Wreckage only)
Non-canon appearances[]
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Gambit on Geonosis" (In flashback(s))
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Return of the Return of the Jedi"
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Sources[]
- Ultimate Factivity Collection: Star Wars (Picture only)
- Ultimate Star Wars (Picture only)
Star Wars: Card Trader Set: Blueprints, Card: Death Star II (First identified as Emperor's Tower)
- The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
Star Wars Bust Collection: Darth Vader Character: Darth Vader (Picture only)
Star Wars: Legion Core Set Card: Force Reflexes Reissued in Limited Edition Darth Vader Commander Expansion, Clone Wars Core Set, and Upgrade Card Pack (Picture only)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition (Indirect mention only)
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Legacy"
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Score"
"Imperial Troops" — Star Wars Encyclopedia (Picture only)
- Star Wars: Complete Locations, New Edition
Emperor's throne room in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
- ↑ Star Wars: Complete Locations
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- ↑ Star Wars: Card Trader
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi DVD audio commentary
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
- ↑
Emperor's Throne Room in the Databank (original site is defunct)
- ↑ The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens