Coruscant Uprising


The Coruscant Uprising was an event that took place on the city planet of Coruscant that occurred shortly after the Battle of Endor.

Background


Following the Rebel Alliance's triumph on Endor and the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and his apprentice Darth Vader, riots, uprisings, and celebrations took place on a multitude of Imperial-held worlds, as the news spread across the galaxy. Despite the Empire's attempts to prevent the details of the Battle of Endor from becoming public until they could put a proper spin on it, several Rebel groups began transmitting the unaltered facts just hours after the Death Star was destroyed. Although the citizenry of Coruscant were nominally loyal to Palpatine, there was nonetheless much rejoicing in at least the Monument Plaza.

The uprising


On Coruscant, several Rebel insurgent groups, including one of which future Wraith Squadron pilot Castin Donn was a member, retransmitted the news feed from a New Republic HoloNet broadcast showing the explosion of the second Death Star. The rebroadcast overrode the normal channels and went out on a wide band, ensuring that every personal comlink and holoprojector would show the footage.

A stormtrooper in the CSF is attacked by Rebel-loyal citizens during the uprising.

A stormtrooper in the CSF is attacked by Rebel-loyal citizens during the uprising.

Subsequently, a significant amount of citizens began celebrating the fall of the Empire, and an armed uprising sprang out in several sectors. On Monument Plaza, Imperial patrols were attacked, statues of Palpatine were toppled with explosives and skimmers and other Imperial symbols were desecrated by Rebels and Rebel-leaning civilians. The citizens started cheering in celebration phrases such as "Down with the Emperor!", "Long live the Republic!", "Freedom!", and at least one Huttese saying of "Gi Shatta Gasha!" However, in the midst of all the celebrating and rioting, Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard ordered a massive crackdown on the rebellious elements in the city-planet's population and gave full power to the local military force to end the uprising and restore order to the system. The populace was eventually put back under control through military retaliation, with high death-tolls on the part of the insurrectionists. Donn himself witnessed a young mother being shot in the head and had to grab her infant son to prevent him from being trampled by the fleeing crowd.

Aftermath


Lighters of fireworks are executed, shortly after the uprising is struck down.

Lighters of fireworks are executed, shortly after the uprising is struck down.

On receiving the news that the uprising had been quelled, Grand Vizier Sate Pestage was glad of the results, although less pleased with the fact that Isard took action without seeking his permission first. The lack of reaction by the remaining leaders to the revolts likewise convinced Isard that none of them were fit to lead the New Order, and thus engineered the downfall of Pestage, alongside general Paltr Carvin and Grand Moff Bertroff Hissa, ensuring her role as the unofficial ruler of the Empire by 5 ABY. Despite the victory and display of power, this was the beginning of the Galactic Empire's end, as feuding warlords and an ever-growing New Republic ensured its eventual disintegration into the Imperial Remnant. Two years after the initial uprising was struck down, the New Republic freed the system from Imperial control. Luke later recalled that the events of the uprising as shown on the HoloNet as well as how the Coruscanti populace in particular celebrated longer and louder than anyone else proved that Palpatine's style of ruling through fear was wrong.

Behind the scenes


The Coruscant Uprising is somewhat of a retcon maneuver to erase the incompatibility between the celebration scenes inserted in the 1997 special edition of Return of the Jedi and the notion of the Empire maintaining control of Coruscant for some years after the Battle of Endor. Despite this, however, the event technically was contradicted by Vader's monologue during Palpatine's torture of Luke in the novelization as well as the sourcebook Coruscant and the Core Worlds, which implied that the citizenry of Coruscant had genuine loyalty to Palpatine.

Contrary to popular belief, the crowd was not shouting "The Son of Suns" during the celebrations. Pablo Hidalgo verified with Matthew Wood that the chant in question was actually the Huttese phrase "Gi Shatta Gasha!"

Sources


  • The New Essential Chronology
  • Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
  • Star Wars: Beware the Sith
  • The Essential Guide to Warfare
  • Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
  • Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 12

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