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This article covers the Canon version of this subject.  Click here for Wookieepedia's article on the Legends version of this subject. 
This article is about the canon Imperial Palace, formerly the Jedi Grand Temple. You may be looking for its Star Wars Legends counterparts—the Imperial Palace or the Jedi Temple.
For other uses, see Imperial Palace and Jedi Temple.
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"The Jedi Temple on Coruscant… It doesn't exist anymore. It's the Imperial Palace now."
Kreel, to Luke Skywalker[23]

The Imperial Palace, also known as the Emperor's palace and known formerly as the Jedi Grand Temple, the Coruscant temple or simply the Jedi Temple, was the official residence of the Dark Lord of the Sith and Galactic Emperor Darth Sidious located in the Palace Court of the Federal District of Imperial City on Coruscant, the capital planet of the Galactic Empire during the Imperial Era. Though purged of its Jedi origins, the Palace retained its ziggurat form as well as its distinctive crown of four Council Towers and the central Palace spire that contained the Emperor's throne room.

Built as a Jedi temple by the Four Masters millennia before Sidious' rise to power, the Temple stood on the foundations of the Shrine in the Depths, serving as the home of the Jedi Order throughout the Republic Era. Over the centuries it was rebuilt and expanded several times. In addition to its role as the central hub of all Jedi activities throughout the galaxy, the Temple functioned as a monastery for Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters as well as a school for the training of Padawans and initiates. The Temple contained several key areas such as the Holocron Vault, which housed the Order's closely guarded secrets; the Jedi Archives, the largest repository of information; and the Jedi Council Chamber, where the ruling Jedi High Council convened to discuss galactic events and determine the will of the Force.

As leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Jedi coordinated the war effort from the Temple on Coruscant during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Despite the Temple's security, it was infiltrated by the bounty hunter Cad Bane who stole a holocron at the behest of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. In 19 BBY, the Temple was damaged by a bombing attack masterminded by Padawan Barriss Offee. Following the terrorist attack, the Jedi attempted to remove Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor upon learning of his secret identity as Darth Sidious. As a result, the 501st Legion marched on the Temple under the command of Sidious' Sith apprentice Darth Vader. Labeled as traitors under Order 66, the Jedi were attacked by clone troopers in the Temple and across the galaxy, marking the start of the Great Jedi Purge. With the Sith restored to power, the Jedi Temple became the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor's death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY prompted the citizens of Coruscant to celebrate in the streets of Monument Plaza while Grand Vizier Mas Amedda and his supporters barricaded themselves in the Palace. Around the same time, the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker recovered fragments of the Great Tree that once stood in the heart of the Jedi Temple. In the final days of the Galactic Civil War, Amedda was placed under virtual house arrest in the Palace by soldiers who were loyal to Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, the self-proclaimed Counselor to the Empire. He later escaped from the Palace with the help of a gaggle of children by the time of the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY.

Description[]

Jedi Grand Temple[]

"The most famous of the Jedi temples, located on Coruscant, served as the home of the Jedi High Council and the vast library of data known as the Jedi Archives."
―Luke Skywalker[24]
JediTemple cloudysky

The Jedi Grand Temple was the home of the Jedi Order on Coruscant, capital of the Galactic Republic.

The Jedi Grand Temple[25] was regarded as the most famous of all Jedi temples in the galaxy.[24] Set apart from the rest of the Federal District on Coruscant, the Temple[25] was located in its own low-rise district known as the Temple Precinct. Dotted by statues and small parks, the Precinct was bisected by the Processional Way, a long road which terminated at a ceremonial staircase that led into the Temple's entrance hall. Crowned by four statues, two Warrior Masters and two Sage Masters, the main entrance was decorated with twelve massive pylons adorned with depictions of the Temple's founding Four Masters.[1]

Constructed around and within a natural mountain spire, the Jedi Temple was an agglomeration of a series of shrines, temples, academies, and holy places which had dotted the site for millennia. A sacred place to numerous Force traditions, the Temple preserved some of these ancient structures for their architectural and historical merits, re-purposing them as museums or art galleries. The peak of the mountain spire at the facility's core was surrounded by ancient meditation balconies and access points to the mountain's interior, which was burrowed through with cave chapels and buried shrines. One of the earliest Jedi libraries at the site was eventually converted into a formal banquet hall. As the Jedi cemented their hold on the facility, they began to add their architectural flair to the building, forming a massive ziggurat around the mountain spire that completely encompassed it.[1]

Jedi Archives

The Jedi Archives was the largest repository of knowledge in the galaxy.

The base of the ziggurat was a series of pillared halls that supported the weight of the structure above; additional rooms such as the Room of a Thousand Fountains and a rotunda chapel converted into a meditation hall made up the base of the ziggurat.[1] Higher in the main body of the Temple complex was a medical center staffed by the Medical Corps, a transformation chamber where a Jedi could be disguised as another individual,[26] containment cells for hostile Force-users, and a series of workshops, and maintenance facilities.[1] The Temple was also the home of the Jedi Archives, a wellspring of knowledge said to house the collective wisdom of the galaxy's scholars and historians.[21] Aside from its collections of holobooks and artifacts, the Archives housed the secured Holocron Vault, in which the Jedi stored their precious holocrons which was accessible only to Jedi Masters.[1]

JediTempleTrainingGround-TWJ

The Temple was part monastery and part academy, where Force-sensitive initiates began their training as younglings.

One level of the Temple was dedicated to storage. One of its stores was for linen products, while another was for training equipment.[8] The Temple's interior was cluttered with dormitories and classrooms to house and educate the youngest initiates and Padawans. Holographic training suites used sophisticated technology to create realistic combat scenarios for Jedi-in-training to use and better their skill with a lightsaber. A lightsaber crafting facility allowed Jedi to construct or upgrade their weapons between missions. More advanced classes were taught in facilities built after the Temple's initial construction and could be found throughout the Temple Precinct. The surface level of the ziggurat base was dotted with ancient temples and shrines from the Temple's earliest days.[1]

The Chamber of Conclave could be found among the shrines, where Jedi from across the galaxy gathered to hear an annual report from the Jedi High Council. Among the ancient temples were salvaged remnants of the earlier Temple that were believed to be about two thousand years old and an ancient exterior wall of Temple Precinct. Modern facilities were erected here too, such as the Temple's main vehicle garage and other facilities to house surface and ground vehicles. Throughout the Temple, visitors could find statues and tapestries that detailed the history of the Jedi Order. One of the Temple's mosaic floors was salvaged from the ancient Jedi Temple on Ossus.[1]

JediTemple-RotS

The Temple ziggurat was crowned with four Council Towers and the central Temple Spire.

Stained-glass arcades and ancient tablets depicting battles and the Jedi Code preserved the Order's greatest heroes and most time-honored stories. The site which contained the most art and history was perhaps the central spire of the Temple. Erupting from the center of the ziggurat's flat roof, the central spire soared above the four peripheral towers which crowned the facility. Within its hollowed interior, the central spire contained massive memorial statues suspended on repulsorlift pads. At its peak, the central spire was adorned with three decorative fins, inside which was housed the Hall of Knighthood, wherein the status of Jedi Knight or Jedi Master was bestowed upon members of the Order. The Pinnacle Room of the central tower was home to the oldest known texts that the Order possessed. Members of the Jedi High Council would occasionally meet within this chamber to discuss the future of the Order.[1]

Yoda Anakin courtyard

The Great Tree was located at the heart of the Jedi Grand Temple.

The roof of the Temple's ziggurat was accessible to Jedi and was often used for outdoor sparring sessions by younglings and Padawans alike.[27] A gnarled, ancient tree[28] stood in the shadow of the Temple's five crowning spires, and was a place many Jedi came to find solace. Each of the four lesser towers of the Temple were crowned by an array of powerful reception and transmission antennas which tapped into hyperspace itself so that the Temple could be appraised of information in real-time. A pyramid system of holomaps worked furiously within the towers, starting with twelve teams at the base that monitored disturbances in the Force, before pushing potential threats all the way up to the large galaxy holomap situated below the pinnacle Council Chamber of each tower. Contemplation stations ringed the holomap level of each tower, allowing Jedi waiting to visit the Council to find peace before standing before the leaders of the Order.[1]

JediTemplehangar-ROTS

Military vessels were stored in the Temple's hangars as a result of the Clone Wars.

Within the Tower of Reassignment, the Chamber of Judgment was situated where Jedi could be judged when charged with violating one of the Order's strictures or galactic law. Each tower was equipped with a hangar and extendable landing platform where Jedi and visiting dignitaries alike could land and store their ships. These tower hangars, equipped with a carbon-freezing facility where cargo could be frozen for transport, housed Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptors, Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry, and Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptors during the Clone Wars. Near the base of the High Council tower was the beacon through which the High Council could contact all Jedi across the galaxy.[1] Many mediation rooms existed within the temple, including one which contained the Kyber Arch built from the Kyber crystals retrieved from fallen Jedi.[11]

Imperial Palace[]

"When the Empire took control of the galaxy, the Temple on Coruscant became their new Imperial Palace."
―Luke Skywalker[24]
Imperial Palace-DV6-2020

The Imperial Palace was the Emperor's residence on Coruscant, throneworld of the Galactic Empire.

One year[29] after the end of the war and the fall of the Jedi Order, the Galactic Empire had refitted the ruined Jedi Temple into the Imperial Palace. The Palace was the official residence of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith publicly known as Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine. All that remained of the original temple was its quincunx of skyscraping spires, which crowned an amalgam of blockish edifices with sloping facades. The Temple Precinct,[5] renamed as the Palace Court,[2] housed a courtyard landing field that was large enough to accommodate Star Destroyers of the Victory and Venator classes. From that courtyard, the Palace's interior could be accessed through elaborate doors.[5] Along with the Naval Intelligence headquarters and the COMPNOR arcology, the Imperial Palace made up the supreme triangle of Imperial City's Federal District.[5] It was regarded as one of the grandest and most elegant structures on the entire planet.[30]

Imperial Palace-DV1-2015

The Sith erased all traces of the Jedi Order from the Imperial Palace.

Inside the Palace, all remnants of the Order had been stripped away, with all of the ancient mosaics, tapestries, and paintings removed. The walls and plinths of the expansive corridors were left bare of statues and other art pieces,[5] though some banquet chambers were draped with Imperial flags and banners. One of the Temple's vast pillared halls had been converted into a ball room, with its walls ornately tiled and mirrored. Crystalline sculptures stood on pedestals and shifted shape from abstract forms into Imperial symbols during a ceremony to honor Imperial cadets.[30]

The exterior of the Emperor's Residence had also drastically changed from the time it was the Jedi Temple. All that was recognizable was the five spires that made the Jedi Temple so iconic; the rest of the structure had expanded rapidly, sprawling across the area and filling it with blockish buildings.[31]

Emperors throne room Imperial Palace

The Emperor's throne room was located at the pinnacle of the Palace's central spire.

The Imperial Palace housed the Emperor's throne room.[5] The Emperor's receiving room was a dimly lit chamber with huge windows that opened out onto the Coruscant skyline.[32] From within the Pinnacle Room of the central spire, the Emperor conducted his day-to-day business, descending down into the penultimate level,[5] or the former Hall of Knighthood,[1] to his audience chamber.[5] While most of the Temple had been transformed to serve the Empire, the enormous holographic galactic maps located within the four peripheral towers were maintained so that the Emperor could behold problems within the Empire.[5]

Swerves of civilian workers and ambassadors of many species flooded the vast halls of the Imperial Palace.[5] Quarters in the Palace were reserved for Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. Amedda's chamber had access to a balcony and a laundry vacu-tube. The windows in his chamber provided a view of Imperial City. Although the Imperial Palace was designed to be impregnable, the laundry tube was big enough for younglings to climb through.[22]

Security[]

"It has been centuries since invaders dared set foot in the Temple's halls. Should they come again, the yellow blades of the Guard shall meet them."
―Kolloma Ree[33]
Jedi guards at rally

The Jedi Temple Guard was responsible for the security of the Jedi Grand Temple.

The Jedi Grand Temple was protected by the Jedi Temple Guard. Jedi Knights who were selected to join the ranks of the Temple Guard became anonymous sentinels as part of their commitment to the Jedi Order. The role of the Temple Guard was considered a higher calling; therefore, they were required to wear formal Jedi robes and face-concealing masks as the ultimate expression of emotional detachment. They were armed with distinctive lightsaber pikes noted for their rare yellow plasma blades.[34]

The Temple Guard had a command structure staffed by officers such as Captain Kolloma Ree,[33] while the Chief of Security was in charge of the overall organization.[34] By then the Temple Guard was supplemented by clone troopers who were stationed in the Temple's hangars. The Coruscant Guard deployed clone shock troopers to assist the Temple Guard, providing additional security for the Temple during an anti-war protest.[35]

After the Temple fell, the area around it was secured by the Coruscant Guard as well as the Coruscant Security Force.[36] The Emperor's Royal Guard took on the duty of providing security in the Temple after it was repurposed as the Emperor's residence. In addition to the Royal Guards, stormtrooper units were stationed in the Imperial Palace.[37]

History[]

The distant past[]

"It was… It was so beautiful here."
―Jocasta Nu[38]
Jedi Temple-Trials of the Darksaber-Rebels

The Jedi Order constructed the Jedi Grand Temple over the ruins of a Sith shrine on Coruscant.

The site of the Jedi Grand Temple, and later the Imperial Palace, was considered a holy site on the planet Coruscant for many millennia by dozens of Force-wielding traditions. Constructed around and within a natural mountain spire, these temples and shrines were rich in the Force, that permeated the site and imbued it with radiant energy. After falling under the control of the ancient Sith, the Jedi Order's enemies erected a shrine on the mountain from which they dominated Coruscant. When the Jedi reclaimed the mountain during a great war, the Jedi reduced the Sith facility to its foundations and stripped away all remnants of their fallen foe. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, a hidden portion of the shrine endured in the foundations of the mountain, forgotten yet still active.[1] The Jedi built their own shrine over the Sith shrine's foundations.[11] Over the following centuries, the Jedi Temple slowly took form. The ruined foundations of the Sith shrine were steadily buried beneath layers of plasteel and ferrocrete as a massive, flat-topped ziggurat was built around them. The mountain's interior was hollowed out and packed with hundreds of chambers and grand halls connected by uncounted kilometers of broad corridors. Important Jedi artifacts were brought to the temple from all across the galaxy, and records from the lost Great Jedi Library on Ossus were installed in the newly built Jedi Archives. In the center directly over the site of the shrine was built the Temple Spire, incredibly tall and graceful tower.[2] As the Order erected the Jedi Temple over the mountain, the shrine's malevolent energies continued to permeate the site, slowly clouding the Jedi's collective use of the Force with the power of the dark side.[5]

Sometime after 1050 BBY,[39] the Temple housed a Jedi artifact known as the Darksaber—a black-colored lightsaber constructed by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi ranks.[40] The Darksaber would remain in the Order's possession until the fall of the Old Republic,[41] at which point members of House Vizsla[40] stole the weapon while sacking the Temple.[41]

The Temple was rebuilt around two thousand years before the rise of the Empire; the salvaged remnants of the earlier Temple were part of the ziggurat base. During the Jedi-Sith War, the Sith attacked Coruscant and took possession of both the planet and the Temple. Later in the war, the Jedi repelled the invaders during the liberation of Coruscant.[42] The Temple would still bear the scars of Sith occupation around a thousand years later, and its heroes were later honored in the stained-glass arcades and statues.[1]

Time of the Republic[]

A false appearance of hope[]

"The Temple is beautiful, isn't it, Master Yoda?"
"Yes, so peaceful, as it was before the war."
―The illusion of Katooni and Yoda[43]
MinasVeltiClassroom-OWKpI

The Temple served as the home and training center for all Jedi throughout the reign of the Galactic Republic.

During the millennium long era of the modern Galactic Republic,[42] the Jedi Temple was rebuilt and expanded many times, formed from not a single structure, but many ancient temples and shrines woven together. For centuries the Temple served as the headquarters of the Jedi Order, where the youngest initiates were trained in the ways of the Force and elevated to the rank of Jedi Knight. Learning how to use the Force, the martial arts, diplomacy, and meditation, the Jedi thrived within their home as the Republic became increasingly corrupt. The governing body of the Order, the Jedi High Council, sat in the High Council Tower, one of the four peripheral towers around the Temple Spire, in addition to the Council of First Knowledge, the Council of Reconciliation, and the Council of Reassignment.[1]

In the days of the High Republic Era, the Jedi maintained numerous outposts across the Outer Rim of the galaxy as the Republic expanded. In that era, while the Temple in Coruscant still served as the capital hub for the Jedi,[44] the Order was able to live as part of local communities[45] and maintain a presence on outlying worlds through their numerous outposts.[44] However, as the years passed, an increasing number of those outposts were shut down[46] due to being seen as inessential[47] to an increasingly-centralized Jedi Order; with the Jedi increasingly tied to the Republic and locked away on Coruscant,[46] the Coruscant temple represented the truth of the Jedi Order. While the organization seemed healthy,[16] it was in fact increasingly[46] isolated from the people of the galaxy.[16]

High Council Chamber

The Chosen One Anakin Skywalker was brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant during the late Republic Era.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn pondered if the Jedi headquarters sitting on the Republic's capital was a mistake since it made the Jedi into weapons of the Republic. He knew that was the appearance the Jedi had to the galaxy at large and even pondered if the Jedi themselves succumbed to that viewpoint, yet Grand Master Yoda warned him the Council would not agree with his concerns.[48] In 33 BBY,[49] Jinn challenged the Council on Coruscant about the Order's increasing isolation, to which Master Mace Windu proposed the entire Council journey to the planet Kwenn as an act of goodwill.[46] During the Invasion of Naboo, Anakin Skywalker was brought to the Jedi Temple by Jinn, who was convinced that the former slave from Tatooine was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy. Jinn intended to see Skywalker trained in the Jedi arts, and although Skywalker's unprecedented midi-chlorian count made him naturally strong with the Force, the High Council declined to train authorize his training. Following Jinn's death in the Battle of Naboo, the High Council reversed its decision by granting the newly promoted Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi's request to make Skywalker his Padawan.[50]

Fall of the Republic period[]

After a thousand years of consecutive peace and prosperity, the Jedi Order was plunged into conflict with the Sith once more during the Clone Wars. The Jedi became generals in the Grand Army of the Republic. The Jedi's part in the war effort was coordinated from the Temple, where classrooms were converted into military briefing rooms.[1]

TempleSmoke-Sabotage

Civilians, clone troopers, and several Jedi were killed by a terrorist bombing in the Temple during the Clone Wars.

As public sentiment turned against the war, protests were staged on the front steps of the Temple, while one of its hangars was bombed by Padawan Barriss Offee, who believed the Jedi only cared about violence. Her actions resulted in the deaths of civilians, clone troopers, and several Jedi who were caught in the explosion.[13] Although the attack occurred on Jedi property, and the Jedi therefore regarded it as an internal affair, the Republic government claimed jurisdiction due to the deaths of clones and Republic citizens.[51]

The attack on the Temple fueled the Republic citizenry's anti-war sentiment. A crowd of civilians formed along the Processional Way, protesting against the Jedi, the Republic Military, and the Clone Wars. The presence of the demonstrators caused the Order to heighten its security measures by stationing Temple Guards in front of the Temple's entrance. The Coruscant Guard deployed a contingent of clone shock troopers, armed as clone riot troopers, to assist the Temple Guard.[51]

TempleDuelTrainingGround-TWJ

Barriss Offee was arrested as a traitor by Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi Temple Guard.

Offee's role in the bombing was discovered by the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who confronted the fallen Padawan in the Temple. A group of Temple Guards converged on their location, ordering the two Jedi to cease hostilities in the Temple's hallowed halls. Nevertheless, the duel moved to the Temple's training grounds where Jedi Master Tera Sinube was instructing a class of younglings. The Temple Guards surrounded the area to protect the students and to cut off Offee's escape. Offee was ultimately overpowered by Skywalker who, assisted by the Temple Guards, arrested the Padawan as a traitor to the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic.[13]

During the late Clone Wars, Grand Master Yoda experienced a Force vision of the Jedi Temple while exploring the Wellspring of Life. In the vision he was shown the Temple as it was prior to the galactic conflict. An apparition of the youngling Katooni remarked that the Temple was beautiful. Distraught by an earlier vision of a massacre within the Temple, Yoda allowed himself for a moment to be taken in by the Temple's serenity and splendor before the vision ended.[43]

Age of the Empire[]

"This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain."
―Obi-Wan Kenobi[52]
Knightfall1

At the end of the Clone Wars, the Great Jedi Purge commenced with a direct attack on the Jedi Temple of Coruscant.

At the end of the Clone Wars, the Grand Army of the Republic executed Order 66 on the orders of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine—the public persona of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—who accused the Jedi Order of committing treason against the Galactic Republic. A group of Jedi Masters led by Mace Windu had attempted to arrest Palpatine after discovering his secret nature as a Sith, however their efforts failed when Anakin Skywalker interfered, allowing Sidious to kill Windu. With the Chosen One as his new Sith apprentice, Sidious dispatched the newly anointed Darth Vader to the Jedi Temple with orders to kill its inhabitants while the remaining Jedi across the galaxy were betrayed and executed by their own soldiers.[14]

Operation: Knightfall commenced with the elite 501st Legion marching on the Temple under the command of Vader.[14] The attack caught the Jedi by surprise; younglings such as Reva Sevander were in the middle of a training session when the 501st stormed their classroom opening fire on the students. Jedi Master Minas Velti killed several clones in defense of Sevander and the other younglings, but was fatally shot by one of the clones. Her students tried to escape on their own,[53] but were intercepted by a column of troopers led by Vader whom they recognized as Anakin Skywalker. Rather than helping the younglings, as they assumed he would, the former Jedi Knight used his lightsaber to strike them down, killing all except for Sevander, who was wounded yet remained alive.[54]

FlamingTemple

The Temple burned as the 501st Legion executed Order 66 under the leadership of the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

The Temple was set ablaze as the fighting continued within its halls. Using their numerical superiority as an advantage, the clones were able to surround and overwhelm individual Jedi, gunning them down. Others such as the Battlemaster Cin Drallig and the Padawans Bene and Whie Malreaux were personally killed by Vader. A group of younglings sought refuge in the Jedi Council Chamber, where Vader found them hiding behind the High Council's seats.[14] As with Sevander's group,[54] the younglings were unaware of Skywalker's new allegiance to the Sith. One of the younglings approached Vader, addressing him by his former name and looking to him for leadership. Having surrendered to the power of the dark side, the former Jedi activated his lightsaber to kill the children who looked to him for help.[14]

Burning of the Temple

The Temple's devastation was followed by Darth Sidious' consolidation of power as Emperor of the Galactic Empire.

With the fall of the Jedi Temple and the near total destruction of the Jedi Order, Palpatine was declared Emperor of the first Galactic Empire. While the Galactic Senate in session, the Jedi Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi returned to Coruscant where, after killing a contingent of the 501st Legion that guarded the Temple's entrance, they discovered the massacre of their brethren. As Kenobi lamented the deaths of the younglings, Yoda observed that not all of the Jedi were killed by clones, noting that one of the Padawans had been cut down by a lightsaber. After recalibrating the signal beacon to warn all surviving Jedi against returning to the Temple, Kenobi accessed the facility's surveillance system and discovered that his former apprentice not only killed younglings, but had pledged his allegiance to the Sith as Darth Vader.[14]

AmeddaJediEradicationCeremony-DLOTS1

Imperial citizens gathered at the Temple where Grand Vizier Mas Amedda announced the Jedi Order's end.

In the aftermath of the Temple's desecration, lightsabers belonging to dead Jedi were incinerated on the steps of the old Temple in a massive celebration hosted by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda.[55] The Grand Inquisitor entered the former Jedi Temple, granted access by Sidious to the Jedi Archives he had been denied as a Temple Guard, but was confronted by Darth Vader, recently returned from his mission on Al'doleem. Vader damaged the Inquisitor's lightsaber and prepared to strike him down, but was stayed by Sidious, who revealed the existence of the Inquisitorius to Vader.[56] Later, Vader tasked the Grand Inquisitor with searching the Archives for clues to the location of surviving Jedi.[57]

Jocasta Nu, Chief Librarian of the Jedi Archives, returned to Coruscant in hopes of obtaining a holocron with the list of Force-sensitive younglings. She infiltrated the Temple through a secret entrance[57] and retrieved the holocron, but was compelled to confront the Grand Inquisitor upon seeing the former Jedi desecrating the Jedi Archives.[38] Darth Vader personally led the hunt for Jocasta Nu, ordering Clone Commander CC-1010 to have the Temple locked down by the Coruscant Guard and the Coruscant Security Force. Although the Inquisitor bested Nu, he was prevented from killing her by Vader, whose master sought to capture the archivist for her knowledge. Nu deleted the Archives' contents and fought Vader off with a lightsaber rifle.[36] The Dark Lord tried to pursue Nu when she attempted to escape from the Temple; however, he was fired on by Imperial shock troopers who mistook him for a Jedi. Vader killed CC-1010 for his error and ordered his troops to cease firing on Nu on the Temple battlements, taking her into custody before executing her.[58]

ImperialPalace-CrimsonReign-2

Darth Sidious converted the former Jedi Temple into the Imperial Palace during his reign as the Galactic Emperor.

Sometime after the destruction of the Jedi Order,[5] the Jedi Temple was converted into the Imperial Palace under supervision of Colonel Alva Brenne,[20] Imperial agents scoured the temple of all traces of it's former occupants. The numerous statues, paintings, and tapestries recording the Jedi's proud history were destroyed, replaced with statues of the Emperor and art dedicated to the glory of the new Empire.[2] Transferring his collection of dark side artifacts stored within the Grand Republic Medical Facility to their new home in the Imperial Palace, the Emperor made it his primary residence, leaving the day-to-day governance of the Empire to his advisers,[5] occupying the old Tranquility Spire, which stood tall atop the palace, and held court in the Pinnacle Room.[2]

While the former Jedi Kanan Jarrus ruminated on the notion that nothing of the Temple remained,[59] the Imperial Palace endured until after the death of Darth Sidious during the Battle of Endor.[60]

New Republic Era[]

"I'll give the Republic the codes to open the doors to the Imperial Palace."
―Mas Amedda[22]
ImperialCenter-ROTJ

Following the Emperor's death, the Grand Vizier was confined to the Imperial Palace (background) while Coruscant descended into chaos.

Grand Vizier Mas Amedda was confined to his quarters in the Imperial Palace on the orders of Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax. Rax officially acknowledged Amedda as the Empire's legitimate leader, yet he had also effectively usurped the Empire. The Imperial Security Bureau on Coruscant secured the Imperial Palace, but they answered to Rax instead of Amedda. Isolated by ISB, the Grand Vizier was kept under house arrest in his own quarters. At first he attempted to escape, disregarding the Counselor's warning that his soldiers would resort to physical violence. As a result, Amedda's leg was broken by one of the guards.[22]

Hobbled and unable to leave his quarters, Amedda spent months in isolation apart from the ISB agents who routinely forced him to broadcast speeches, at blaster point, praising the Empire and Rax's leadership. As time passed, he grew more disillusioned with the Empire, now viewing it as a failed state. Although the doors to his balcony were sealed to prevent a suicide attempt, Amedda could see through his windows that Coruscant was in a state of chaos and began to suspect that the Empire no longer controlled its own capital.[22]

MasAmedda-SWBC66cvr

Mas Amedda (pictured) convinced the Anklebiter Brigade to free him from the Imperial Palace by vowing to end the Galactic Civil War.

Amedda's quarters were filthy by the end of his confinement, and the laundry tube had ceased functioning. Unbeknownst to Amedda, a group of rebellious adolescents—the Anklebiter Brigade—damaged the vacu-tube in order to climb through it, giving them access to Amedda's room. Their original plan was to assassinate the Grand Vizier, but his disheveled appearance, misery and desperation caused them to hesitate. Amedda begged the adolescents to help him escape, offering to use his executive codes to a turbolift if they overpowered the few sentries guarding his quarters. He also assured them that, with their help, he would use his authority to surrender the Empire and end the war with the New Republic.[22]

The Anklebiter youths accepted his entreaty and smuggled Amedda out of the Imperial Palace. He resurfaced after Rax was killed in the Battle of Jakku, which left him free to sign the Imperial Instruments of Surrender and the Galactic Concordance that ended the civil war. After the war, Amedda publicly acknowledged the Coruscanti adolescents who freed him from the Palace.[22]

Behind the scenes[]

KyloMissionCoruscant

An early draft of Episode IX featured Kylo Ren visiting the long-abandoned Jedi Temple.

The Imperial Palace, along with Coruscant, appeared in the Rough Draft and Revised Rough Draft of the script for Return of the Jedi, with The Emperor's throne room being in a subterranean room inside it. Coruscant was called Had Abbadon. When the 2nd draft of the script for Return of the Jedi was written, Had Abbadon was removed and the throne room was moved to the 2nd Death Star.[61]

The Jedi Temple was first introduced in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.[50] In 2004, the Jedi Temple was added into the ending of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, during the final montage of planets celebrating the death of the Emperor.[60] The Temple then appeared in a number of episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which aired from 2008 to 2013.

The idea of converting Coruscant's Jedi Temple into Darth Sidious' Imperial Palace originally came from Chris Warner's 2002 Star Wars Infinities story Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope, which was an alternate retelling from the original Star Wars film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.[62] The novel Tarkin by James Luceno, released in 2014, canonized this idea by revealing that the Jedi Temple was converted into the Imperial Palace.[5]

Some of the earliest concept art for the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, based on an early draft by J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio, featured Coruscant's Jedi Temple, with images of it showing Kylo Ren facing ferocious space wolves on the stairs of the temple, now long abandoned like Coruscant itself.[63]

Continuity issues[]

"Nothing of it remained on the world now known as Imperial City. Not a museum, not a plaque, not a mark. The Empire had reduced all its brick and steel to dust."
―Kanan Jarrus[59]

The book The Rebellion Begins by Michael Kogge shows Kanan Jarrus remembering the destruction of the Jedi Temple. According to Jarrus, nothing of the Jedi Temple remained when Coruscant became Imperial City.[59] However, Tarkin states that the Jedi Temple was converted into the Imperial Palace.[5] The Special Edition of Return of the Jedi shows the Imperial Palace intact.[60]

When asked if Jarrus was referring to the Temple's refit into the Imperial Palace or if it was a continuity error, Lucasfilm Story Group's Matt Martin stated that Jarrus was referring to Anakin Skywalker's attack on the Temple during Revenge of the Sith.[64] Martin later admitted that he thinks it was a continuity error, however, as he hadn't joined the Story Group when the book was published so he didn't know the thinking of the text.[65]

The Freemaker Adventures[]

Imperial Palace Crossing Paths

The Imperial Palace in The Freemaker Adventures

The Imperial Palace appears as a plot setting in Bill Motz and Bob Roth's non-Canon 20162017 animated television series LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. As in the Canon continuity, the Imperial Palace is depicted as the former Jedi Temple and serves as the headquarters of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.[66] During the first season, the Imperial Palace is damaged during an attack by the renegade Sith Naare.[67] During the second season, the Emperor and Lord Vader interrogate Rowan Freemaker about the location of the kyber crystal planet shortly before the Battle of Endor. The top pinnacle of the palace is later damaged during a skirmish between the Freemakers and the Imperial hunter droid M-OC, causing debris to rain down on the palace's battlements.[68]

Appearances[]

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Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Star Wars: Complete Locations
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Nexus of Power
  3. Star Wars: Timelines
  4. As mentioned in Darth Vader (2017) 21, Alva Brenne rebuilt the Jedi Temple during the Imperial Era, which began in 19 BBY, and before her death in 14 BBY.
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 Tarkin
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Master & Apprentice
  7. Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures: Galactic Training
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Choose Your Destiny: An Obi-Wan & Anakin Adventure
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Dooku: Jedi Lost
  10. 10.0 10.1 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 The High Republic: Into the Dark
  12. The High Republic: Out of the Shadows
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Wrong Jedi"
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
  15. Tales of the Jedi logo Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — "Practice Makes Perfect"
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 StarWars-DatabankII Jedi Temple in the Databank (backup link)
  17. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Secret Weapons"
  18. Thrawn
  19. Thrawn: Treason
  20. 20.0 20.1 Darth Vader (2017) 21
  21. 21.0 21.1 StarWars Jedi Temple in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Aftermath: Empire's End
  23. Star Wars (2015) 10
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi
  25. 25.0 25.1 The Star Wars Book
  26. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Crisis on Naboo"
  27. StarWars "The Wrong Jedi" - The Clone Wars Episode Guide on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  28. Shattered Empire 4
  29. Darth Vader (2017) 13
  30. 30.0 30.1 Lost Stars
  31. Tarkin
  32. Lords of the Sith
  33. 33.0 33.1 Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
  34. 34.0 34.1 StarWars-DatabankII Jedi Temple Guard in the Databank (backup link)
  35. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Sabotage"
  36. 36.0 36.1 Darth Vader (2017) 9
  37. Darth Vader (2015) 1
  38. 38.0 38.1 Darth Vader (2017) 8
  39. Star Wars: Timelines establishes that Tarre Vizsla created the darksaber sometime around 1050 BBY. Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Trials of the Darksaber" establishes that the darksaber was kept at the Jedi Temple after Tarre Vizsla's passing. Therefore, it can be deduced that the darksaber was kept at the temple sometime after 1050 BBY.
  40. 40.0 40.1 Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Trials of the Darksaber"
  41. 41.0 41.1 TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Mandalore Plot"
  42. 42.0 42.1 Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy
  43. 43.0 43.1 TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Destiny"
  44. 44.0 44.1 The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
  45. StarWars SWCA 2022: Marvel's Star Wars: Yoda Miniseries Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
  46. 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 The Jedi Face a Crisis in New Star Wars Novel The Living Force by Whitbrook, James on Gizmodo (September 7, 2023) (archived from the original on September 7, 2023)
  47. The Living Force
  48. Age of Republic - Qui-Gon Jinn 1
  49. According to SWInsider "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 224, The Living Force takes place one year before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which corresponds to 33 BBY per Star Wars: Timelines.
  50. 50.0 50.1 Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
  51. 51.0 51.1 TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"
  52. Kanan 2
  53. Obi-Wan Kenobi new series logo Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part I"
  54. 54.0 54.1 Obi-Wan Kenobi new series logo Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part V"
  55. Darth Vader (2017) 1
  56. Darth Vader (2017) 6
  57. 57.0 57.1 Darth Vader (2017) 7
  58. Darth Vader (2017) 10
  59. 59.0 59.1 59.2 Star Wars Rebels: The Rebellion Begins
  60. 60.0 60.1 60.2 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  61. The Making of Return of the Jedi
  62. Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
  63. The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
  64. TwitterLogo Matt Martin (@missingwords) on Twitter: "I think by "destruction" it just means what happens in RotS. It does get pretty wrecked. Padme can see the destruction from her apartment. It's not "complete destruction"." (backup link)
  65. TwitterLogo Matt Martin (@missingwords) on Twitter: "In that case I think it's just a continuity error. That book was published before I was on the group so I didn't work on it and don't know the thinking on that line." (backup link)
  66. TheFreemakerAdventuresLogo-Dplus LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "A Hero Discovered"
  67. TheFreemakerAdventuresLogo-Dplus LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Return of the Kyber Saber"
  68. TheFreemakerAdventuresLogo-Dplus LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Escape from Coruscant"
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