Name: Lothal City
Planet: Lothal
Starport Type: Stellar
Traffic: High
Control: Imperial / Republic
Docking Areas: 30 Hangers
Docking Fee: 5 credits per day
Customs: Imperial / Republic
Law Enforcement: Imperial / Local
Services: Fully Serviced
Population: 2 Million
Points of Interest: Academy for Young Imperials, Capital City spaceport, Capital City zoo, Imperial Complex, Junior Academy of Applied Sciences, Lothal City Capitol Building, Lothal City fuel depot, Sector 5-1-5, Sienar Systems Advanced Projects Laboratory, Technical Institute for Agricultural Research, Bridger household, Unidentified wholesale food market
Background: Lothal’s first colonists founded Lotha City (Capital City) as the planet’s primary trading outpost site. During the Galactic Republic, Capital City was the site of the Lothal City Capitol Building, which was the seat of Lothal’s government.
After the Clone Wars, the Galactic Empire responded to pleas from the beleaguered planetary government and established a permanent presence in Capital City. Using eminent domain laws, the Imperial Governor seized and demolished property in the city’s center to pave the way for Imperial style skyscrapers. Depopulating entire sectors of the city to make way for industrial and military buildings, the Empire employed mass arrests and violent crackdowns to supplant local insurrections and maintain the peace. Imperial patrols kept a strict curfew, and abuse of the locals was frequent and violent.
Following the removal of Governor Ryder Azadi, his successor Governor Arihnda Pryce oversaw the expansion of Imperial industrial, mining, and military projects and facilities on Lothal, including Capital City. In response to Lothal’s economic development, several Core Worlds families settled in Lothal City, including the Leonis and the Spanjaf families. Many farmers whose land had been purchased by the Empire for mining projects, such as Beck Ollet’s family, also settled in Capital City. While many people welcomed the prosperity and stability brought by the New Order, some, like Beck, resented the loss of land and the Empire’s unwillingness to address peoples’ grievances.
After his parents, Ephraim and Mira Bridger were arrested by the Imperial authorities for speaking out against the Empire, their son Ezra Bridger lived on the streets of Capital City for several years. He earned a living as a street urchin, pickpocket, and con artist under the guidance of the Xexto pawnshop owner Ferpil Wallaway. Bridger assisted Bossk in hunting the Dug criminal Gronson Takkaro and exposed the corrupt Imperial Security Bureau officer Lieutenant Jenkes.
By 5 BBY, the Spectres rebel cell had developed a presence in Capital City, raiding the local Imperial authorities. The Lasat rebel Garazeb Orrelios had a brief skirmish with Imperial stormtroopers and a TIE fighter pilot after coming to the aid of an Ugnaught salesman and his droid. Later, Ezra was caught up in the Spectres’ heist to steal Imperial supplies in Capital City’s markets. Following a brief mission to free Wookiee prisoners on Kessel, Ezra joined the Spectres after Kanan Jarrus offered to train the Force-sensitive boy in the ways of the Jedi.
Later, Ezra infiltrated the Imperial Academy to obtain information about a kyber crystal shipment off-world. He was aised by the Imperial cadet Zare Leonis, who was searching for his sister Dhara Leonis who the Grand Inquisitor had kidnaped. Zare’s girlfriend Merei Spanjaf, used snooper programs to hack into the Imperial database at the Transportation Ministry. Merei discovered Dhara joined a secret Imperial project called Project Harvester, based on the planet Arkanis. Merei’s data breach triggered an Imperial investigation led by her mother, Jessa Spanjaf, a leading Imperial data security investigator.
In 4 BBY, the Spectres disrupted the Empire Day celebrations in Capital City by blowing up a prototype TIE Advanced v1 starfighter, humiliating Minister Maketh Tua, Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko, and Taskmaster Myles Grint. In addition, the rebels evacuated a Rodian named Tseebo, a former Imperial Information Office employee who had deserted the Empire. In response, Governor Pryce launched a mass security crackdown on Lothal, including Lothal City, which led to the arrests of many criminals and dissidents. Under the direction of Captain Piers Roddance, Imperial cadets at the local Imperial Academy, including Zare Leonis and Nazhros Oleg, were also deployed as auxiliaries during the crackdown.
Minister Tua and the ISB Agent Kallus also tried to capture the Spectres by using the faux dissident Senator Gall Travis to lure the rebels into a trap in the Lothal City Capitol Building. However, the Spectres escaped, and Trayvis was exposed as an Imperial agent. Meanwhile, Merei was indebted to Gray Syndicate crime lord Yahenna Laxo, who had supplied her with the snoopers. Laxo forced her to do several courier jobs until Merei managed to break free of the Gray Syndicate by framing Laxo for the Transportation Ministry data breach and her kidnapping. As a result, Imperial stormtroopers stormed the Gray Syndicate’s headquarters and wiped out the crime syndicate.
In response, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the Governor of the Outer Rim, visited Capital City to chastise the local Imperial authorities for their failure. He had the Grand Inquisitor execute Aresko and Grint as a warning to Minister Tua and Agent Kallus. Under Tarkin’s direction, Kallus and the Grand Inquisitor managed to capture Kanan in the nearby town of Jalath but failed to apprehend the other Spectres. The destruction of the Imperial Communications Center disrupted communications throughout Lothal, including Capital City, and led many industries to rely on courier droids for transporting information.
Before rescuing Jarrus, the Spectres stole a Gozanti-class cruiser from an Imperial airfield. In response to Kanan’s escape, the Emperor dispatched Darth Vader to deal with the rebel presence on Lothal. After her friend Jix Hekyl was arrested over his role in the Transportation Ministry data breach, Merei, her parents, and the Leonis parents fled off-world with the help of the Ithorian bartender Old Jho and the Spectres rebel cell.
Under the leadership of Darth Vader, the Empire launched a renewed search for the Spectres rebel cell and a harsh crackdown on Lothal. When Minister Tua attempted to defect from the Empire, the Spectres traveled to Capital City to rescue her. Before they could escape, Tua was killed by Agent Kallus in a bomb that was blamed on the Spectres to turn Lothal against the insurgents. The rebels hid in the former Bridger household but were pursued by Imperial forces. The Spectres then infiltrated the Imperial Command Center, only to be ambushed by Vader. Following a fierce duel, the Spectres escaped Capital City on a Sentinel-class landing craft.
Later, Ezra, Kanan, and the C1-series astromech droid Chopper landed in Capital City during a visit to find the former prisoner Ryder Azadi, who knew Ezra’s parents. Azadi revealed that Ezra’s parents had perished while escaping an Imperial prison. Azadi subsequently became the leader of another rebel cell on Lothal, which included operatives like Old Jho, the former farmer Morad Sumar, and his wife Marida Sumar. Azadi’s group specialized in sabotaging vehicles produced by Capital City’s Imperial Armory Complex, resulting in a high rate of defective Imperial equipment made on Lothal.
By 2 BBY, Grand Admiral Thrawn, a rising star in the Imperial Navy, decided to take action against the saboteurs. He ordered Morad Sumar to ride a defective speeder bike, which claimed the life of the rebel operative. Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper infiltrated the factory and obtained intelligence on the Empire’s TIE/D Defender initiative. They managed to escape with the help of Agent Kallus, who had become the secret rebel operative known as Fulcrum. Thrawn soon realized that the Empire had a mole within their ranks.
Later, Thrawn briefed Governor Pryce and Admiral Kassius Konstantine about the rogue Senator Mon Mothma’s escape at the Imperial Command Center. Pryce and Konstantine led a failed attempt to apprehend the rogue senator. Before the Battle of Atollon, Thrawn held a secret meeting with Pryce and Konstantine to discuss intelligence about the Rebel Alliance’s plan to attack the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal. This meeting was a ruse to lure Agent Kallus into revealing his identity as Fulcrum and the location of Phoenix Cell’s base.
In 1 BBY the Rebel Alliance launched a raid against the Imperial Armory Complex in Lothal City, which Hera Syndulla led the attack. Although Hera’s Spectre comrades and their local allies successfully eliminated the Imperial artillery defense, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s fleet and TIE fighters managed to shoot down most of the rebel strike force. In Lothal City, a group of rebel starfighters experienced a crash landing. Unfortunately, Secon Daree and Hera were captured by the Noghri tracker, Rukh. However, Chopper and Mart Mattin could escape to the sewers and connect with the other rebels. During his travels on the highway, Kanan even encountered a legendary loth-wolf.
Governor Pryce then tortured Hera for information about the Alliance Fleet at Pryce’s office at the Imperial Complex on Lothal. Hera remained defiant during interrogation. Afterwards, Kanan, Ezra, and Sabine utilized Loth-bat gliders to enter the Imperial Complex. Kanan managed to rescue Hera, while Ezra and Sabine stole a patrol transport. They met up at the Lothal City fuel depot, but then they were chased by Governor Pryce and a group of AT-AT walkers. Pryce was determined to eliminate the rebels, so she commanded the AT-AT walkers to attack the fuel depot.During the explosion, Kanan sacrificed himself by holding back the explosive wave so his fellow rebels could escape on their patrol transport. Governor Pryce organized a mandatory parade for all citizens and workers to mask the destruction of the fuel depot and the halt of TIE Defender production on Lothal. Despite this, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Sabine, and Zeb saw through the facade and recognized that the Empire had suffered a defeat.
During the Imperial search for rebels, Pryce supervised the proceedings at the Imperial Complex. During this time, Ryder contacted her, pretending to betray his fellow rebels in exchange for escaping imprisonment. However, it was all part of a plot to lure Pryce and her forces into a trap at the Lothal cliff dwelling. This was the new base for the Lothal resistance and Spectres. The plan was successful, and Pryce was captured. The rebels then used Pryce to infiltrate the Imperial Complex. Ryder initiated Protocol 13 to evacuate all Imperial forces on Lothal as part of the plan to liberate it from Imperial rule.
Before they could fire the thrusters at the Imperial Complex, Thrawn returned aboard the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Chimaera. He managed to force Ezra to meet him aboard the Chimaera by bombarding Capital City. This caused significant damage and resulted in many civilian casualties and injuries. While Ezra negotiated with Thrawn and the Emperor, the other rebels could reactivate the two deflector shield generators. This was done just before Thrawn unleashed his second bombardment wave. A group of space-faring purrgil then joined the rebels. They wiped out Thrawn’s Seventh Fleet and carried Thrawn and Ezra aboard the Chimaera into the unknown reaches of space.
After finishing their task, the rebels activated the thrusters of the Imperial Complex and moved it to the upper atmosphere of Lothal. They left safely on the Ghost before blowing up the Complex. Pryce, who chose to stay behind and most of the Imperial troops on Lothal, perished when the Complex blew up in orbit. The inhabitants of Capital City celebrated, considering it the end of Imperial domination on Lothal. A few stray Imperial soldiers, among them an officer and some stormtroopers, were captured by the locals.
After the “Dome” was destroyed and Imperial rule ended, Lothal’s cityscape was restored to its original white color. Despite concerns about the Empire’s return, it never returned to Lothal and ultimately collapsed after the Battle of Endor. With the final defeat of Imperial forces at the Battle of Jakku, the New Republic rose as the dominant government of the galaxy, bringing about a new era. Sabine remained in Lothal City, creating a mural featuring her fellow Spectres alongside loth-wolves. At some point after the events of Endor, Sabine, and former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano set out on a mission to bring their friend and comrade Ezra Bridger back home.
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