In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, citizens of Imperial Center, the Imperial capital world, carried out a riot in Monument Plaza to celebrate the imminent fall of the Galactic Empire, as well as the death of its Emperor, Sheev Palpatine, who had secretly been the persona of Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith who had for decades secretly twisted and corrupted the galaxy under his influence. The citizens gathered in the plaza and toppled a statue of the Emperor before Imperial forces descended in the area to break up the riot and restore order.
Darth Sidious, Emperor of the Galactic Empire, was killed in the Battle of Endor.
During the Galactic Civil War, the Alliance to Restore the Republic launched an all-out assault on the second Death Star. The Battle of Endor became a decisive moment in their fight to topple the Galactic Empire. The Emperor himself, Darth Sidious, was aboard the Death Star and hoped to bait the Rebel Alliance into a trap. The plan failed, however, and the Emperor was killed by Darth Vader, his apprentice, who had been redeemed from the dark side of the Force by his son, Luke Skywalker. Shortly after the Emperor perished, the Alliance Fleet destroyed the Death Star. The two victories left the Empire in chaos, while the Rebel Alliance celebrated their victory on Endor.
The people of Coruscant celebrated in Monument Plaza as word spread of the Emperor's demise.
As the Rebel Alliance celebrated on Endor, so too did worlds across the galaxy, from the Core Worlds to the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim Territories. One such world was Imperial Center, a Core world and the capital of the Galactic Empire. Coruscanti citizens erupted into celebration in Monument Plaza, where some citizens toppled a statue of Emperor Palpatine. They wrapped chains and ropes around the neck of the statue and began pulling it down, assisted by speeders whose acceleration helped tear the statue from its base. The statue fell to the ground, breaking it into pieces; the head of the statue broke off and fell into a nearby fountain.
As the statue was destroyed, Coruscant Security Forces arrived in the plaza to restore order and immediately opened fire, killing numerous civilians. Despite their actions, the citizens fought back, throwing chunks of the Sidious statue at Imperial police speeders and even jumping onto the speeders themselves to fight the officers directly. The police continued firing, however, intent on restoring order to the group of citizens that had turned into a mob.
Despite the citizens fighting back during the riot, Imperial Center (known as Coruscant during the Old Republic) remained under Imperial control. Some resistance fighters did emerge in the days following the Battle of Endor and the riot, however, intent on reclaiming the planet from the Empire. The planet devolved into a civil war as pro-Imperial Coruscanti and Imperial forces led by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda and the Imperial Security Bureau battled pro-rebel Coruscanti and resistance forces.
The riot in Monument Plaza was first depicted in the 1997 Special Edition re-release of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, showing the citizens of Coruscant toppling the statue of the Emperor and celebrating in the streets. The scene was slightly revised for the 2004 DVD release of the film, which inserted the Galactic Senate Building and the Jedi Temple – later revealed to have been converted into the Imperial Palace – into the background of the scene. The events were expanded upon by Chuck Wendig in his 2015 novel Aftermath, revealing that the celebration became a full-blown riot upon the arrival of Imperial forces.
- Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
- Star Wars: Timelines
- Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire