Coruscant

Coruscant was a planet in the Core Worlds whose entire surface was covered by a single planet-spanning city, a type of world known as an ecumenopolis. As the effective center of galactic civilization, it was awarded the coordinates 0, 0, 0 on all standard navigation charts despite not lying at the true center of the galaxy. For thousands of years it served as the capital of the Galactic Republic and the seat of the Galactic Senate, and it remained the capital under the Galactic Empire, when it was renamed Imperial Center. It was also the home of the Jedi Order, whose Jedi Temple was one of the most recognizable structures on the cityscape. Beneath the glittering upper levels lay a vast, lightless underworld where the planet's poorest and most desperate residents lived.

A planet-spanning city#

Coruscant's surface was buried beneath thousands of layers of buildings and skyscrapers, making it one of only a handful of city-planets in the galaxy. Its great city was divided into sectors named by designated coordinates, some of which also carried unofficial names; sector H-46, for example, was nicknamed "Sah'c Town" after the family that owned much of it. Sectors were further divided into zones organized by purpose, such as financial, senatorial, or industrial districts.

Air traffic moved along skylanes governed by auto-navigation systems that guided airspeeders along preprogrammed routes, making crashes extremely rare. The planet's effective status as the center of the Republic earned it the navigational coordinates 0-0-0. Trillions of beings lived on the world, from the wealthy of the upper districts to the blue-collar working population in the shadows of the skyscrapers.

Seat of the Republic#

Victory over the Sith at the Battle of Ruusan led to the birth of the modern Galactic Republic, with Coruscant as its capital. For roughly a thousand years afterward the planet was the heart of galactic government, home to the Galactic Senate and to the Jedi Order. The Jedi Temple, built on a plain of low-lying urban blocks and crowned with five distinctive spires, was the hub of all Jedi activity throughout the galaxy. Part school and part monastery, it housed the Jedi High Council in one of its spires, led by the Grand Master, which directed the Jedi and advised the Senate and the Supreme Chancellor.

The Sith on the capital#

Having survived its near-destruction through Darth Bane's Rule of Two, the Sith Order conspired for generations to reclaim its dominance. By the time of Darth Sidious, the Sith secretly resided on Coruscant in spite of the Jedi Order's presence on the very same world, while the Jedi believed their ancient rivals had been extinct for over a millennium. A derelict hangar in the neglected industrial district known as the Works became the site of clandestine meetings between Darth Sidious and Darth Tyranus during the Clone Wars.

A capital at war#

The Clone Wars began with the First Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY. On Coruscant, an elite force of clone shock troopers, the Coruscant Guard, was raised under Clone Commander Fox to serve as peacekeepers and military police. Unknown to nearly everyone, the entire war was continually manipulated from the capital by Palpatine, who as Supreme Chancellor took overall charge of the Republic military while as Darth Sidious he secretly directed the Separatist war effort. The Senate hostage crisis, carried out by the bounty hunter Cad Bane to free the Hutt Ziro Desilijic Tiure, and other incidents were used to justify the expanded use of clone troopers on the capital.

In the war's final year, the Battle of Coruscant saw Palpatine captured and taken aboard the Separatist flagship Invisible Hand, from which he was rescued by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Great Jedi Purge then commenced on Coruscant with the siege of the Jedi Temple by Vader and the 501st Legion.

Imperial Center#

After Palpatine seized power, Coruscant was formally renamed Imperial Center and its Galactic City became Imperial City. The Empire's policies against non-humans and its tightening grip on the population bred unrest, especially in the alien communities of the underworld, where residents tried to avoid Imperial authorities entirely. The world held numerous Imperial agencies, and its medical facilities were used to build the life-sustaining armor that kept Darth Vader alive after his defeat. Eventually open rioting broke out between Coruscanti and Imperial security forces.

New Republic and beyond#

After the Galactic Civil War, the New Republic installed a provisional government over Coruscant led by the former Imperial Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, while the restored Galactic Senate was re-established on Chandrila and later rotated among member worlds rather than remaining fixed on the old capital. Coruscant became a key administrative hub and remained home to a trillion permanent residents, still called "the center of the galaxy." It grew associated with the Centrist faction, which favored centralized rule akin to the old Empire and opposed the Populists. Despite its grandeur, even respectable districts were troubled by gang violence, and tourism all but vanished. By 35 ABY, Coruscant's skies were patrolled by First Order Star Destroyers, but the world joined an open revolt against the regime, contributing to its downfall.