Galactic City, also known as Coruscant City, Capital City or the City of Spires...
HistoryPre-RepublicGalactic City c.5,000 BBY. As of 100,000 BBY, Coruscant's indigenous Human population had grown to such an extent that the entire planet was enveloped in a worldwide ecumenopolis consisting of vast cities and industrial districts. It can be presumed that it was founded thousands of years before that—possibly as the first Human city in the galaxy—although no records stretch back that far. Its development would have began after the Human victory over the Taungs.
New buildings were built on the old. As a result, there was virtually no exposed land. In the forgotten underlevels of the city, there was darkness, pollution and crime. Higher up, there were government offices and penthouses owned by the elite. The lower 50 levels of the ecumenopolis last saw sunlight around 95,000 BBY.
Around 30,000 BBY, Coruscant was conquered by the Rakatan Infinite Empire who enslaved its Human inhabitants. Under Rakatan domination, the Humans of Coruscant's colonization attempts were limited to sleeper ships, which ended up on Alderaan, in the Tion Cluster, Seoul 5, Kuat, Alsakan, Axum, Anaxes, Atrisia, Metellos, Corulag, and many other worlds. The Rakata were eventually decimated by a massive plague, leading to slave revolutions on Coruscant and other subjected worlds.
The RepublicThe cityscape of Coruscant in 32 BBY.Over the next two centuries, Coruscant was linked to other Core Worlds, including Corellia and Duro, by hyperspace cannons which was later developed into the hyperdrive proper. It was during this time that the Coruscant government peacefully absorbed the nearby Azure Imperium. By 25,000 BBY, Coruscant had become the capital of a democratic union—the Galactic Republic.
In past times, it was also referred to as Republic City, although that seems to have dropped out of usage sometime after the Great Hyperspace War of 5,000 BBY. In 12,000 BBY, the famous Galactic Museum was constructed and became a key tourist attraction for visitors to the capital while the Jedi Order established their Temple following the Hyperspace War which became their headquarters for the following millennia. In 2,973 BBY, the Senate Rotunda was founded, replacing the previous assembly place. The exterior of this massive structure would survive the planet's transformation into the new Yuuzhan'tar.
However, Republic City's key strategic location made it the primary objective in several wars including the Tionese War with the Honorable Union of Desevro and Tion in 24,000 BBY in which Coruscant was bombarded with Tionese pressure bombs, the Alsakan Conflicts, the Duinuogwuin Contention, the Great Hyperspace War, the Third Great Schism, the Great Droid Revolution, and the Great Sith War. At the time of the Great Sith War, Galactic City's densest population points were around Coruscant's equator.
The streets of Galactic City.Although technically applying to all of Coruscant, in common usage it seems to have meant the Senate, Temple and Ambassadorial Districts—the areas of the City which housed the Senate Building, the Jedi Temple, the Republic Executive Building, the Presidential Palace, and other main organs of the Republic government.
In 23 BBY, near the end of the Separatist Crisis, the Confederacy of Independent Systems began to become a significant threat against the Republic, causing several systems to secede, including Ando and Sy Myrth, resulting in a mass exodus of Aqualish and Sy Myrthians from Galactic City.
During most of the Clone Wars, Galactic City was subject to frequent Separatist terrorist acts, assassinations of leading Republic figures, and military strikes including the Coruscant Insurrection and the Battle of Coruscant which were both won by the Republic. The latter attack which took place towards the end of the conflict in 19 BBY saw a large scale space battle between the Republic and Confederate navies while a nearly-successful kidnapping attempt was made on the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine himself.
Such incidents prompted the Republic to implement numerous changes on Galactic City in the name of increased security. Huge stretches of the cityscape were transformed into military staging areas, and clone troopers were seen everywhere. The fanatical pro-Human COMPOR was founded, the local SAGroup led by Nenevanth Tion marching in a patriotism parade. COMPOR pressured Tannon Praji into deporting from the capital all members of species whose homeworld had joined the Confederacy. Vice-Admiral Terrinald Screed was placed in charge of Coruscant Planetary Defense.
Imperial ComplicationsGalactic City during the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, with the Jedi temple in the background.During the time of the Galactic Civil War, Trey Duna was the mayor of Imperial City; presumably the position was similar to that of governors on other Imperial worlds. The city's security was handled by a succession of several moffs, one of them being Kadir.
Under the Empire, the alien residents of the planet-wide city were forced into ghettos, also known as "ethnic neighborhoods" such as Invisec. Emperor Palpatine ruled with a rod of iron over his citizens.
In 7 ABY, Ysanne Isard tore a hole in the cityscape using her Super Star Destroyer Lusankya and then escaped into hyperspace. As a result, large areas of the planet-wide city was destroyed and millions were killed. Later, the Krytos Virus took the lives of millions of aliens before being controlled by the occupying New Republic authorities.
More calamity would befall Imperial City during the reborn Emperor Palpatine's insurrection in 10 ABY.
