The Imperial Palace was the seat of power for Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, throughout his reign as Emperor Sheev Palpatine of the Galactic Empire. Before the Age of the Empire, the Palace was known as the Jedi Temple. As the headquarters of the Jedi Order on Coruscant, the Temple served the Order in three capacities: a monastery for the Jedi to reflect on the will of the Force; a trainingcenter for Jedi younglings and Padawans who endeavored to join the ranks of the Jedi Knights; and government, in which the Masters of the Jedi High Council guided the Order's direction.

After the fall of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, the Temple became the Palace of the Emperor and a location for his dark side artifacts. It would serve as Sidious' residence for over two decades until his death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. After the destruction of the Sith, Luke Skywalker—the last of the Jedi—recovered fragments of a Force-sensitive tree that was once located at the heart of the Jedi Temple.