Coruscant

In the Star Wars universe, the planet Coruscant derives its name from a rare and valuable gemstone, the corusca gem (a fictional gem in Star Wars lore). The lights of the planet-wide city, as seen from space,{{Cite web |last=Greicius |first=Tony |date=2015-12-15 |title=Meanwhile, in a galaxy not so far, far away... |url=http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/meanwhile-in-a-galaxy-not-so-far-far-away |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=NASA}} were said to resemble the glittering of these gems.

In the real world, the word "coruscant" originates in the late 15th century from the Latin word coruscant, meaning "vibrating, glittering". It comes from the Latin verb coruscare, meaning "to glitter". The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as a poetic and literary adjective meaning "glittering; sparkling".See also [http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?o2=&o0=1&o7=&o5=&o1=1&o6=&o4=&o3=&s=coruscant Princeton WordNet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728220242/http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?o2=&o0=1&o7=&o5=&o1=1&o6=&o4=&o3=&s=coruscant |date=July 28, 2020 }} In French, "coruscant" is also used as an adjective meaning "glittering; sparkling". As a literary adjective, the French term can be used to describe a decadent and overly complicated language, decorum, or community.

The concept of a city-planet in the Star Wars universe originated with the initial drafts of Star Wars when author George Lucas included a planet called Alderaan, a city-planet and the capital planet of the galaxy.{{sfn|Rinzler|2008|pp=351-400}} In Lucas's 1975 draft, Adventures of the Starkiller as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars, the capital planet of Alderaan is described as a floating city in the clouds, "suspended in a sea of cirrus methane".{{sfn|Hearn|2005|pp=86-87}}{{sfn|Bouzereau|1998|pp=67-68}} This concept was illustrated in early sketches commissioned by Lucas from conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie, and the design very closely resembles Cloud City, the floating city featured in The Empire Strikes Back.{{cite web|title=An Annotated Guide to The Star Wars Portfolio by Ralph McQuarrie {{!}} StarWars.com|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/an-annotated-guide-to-the-star-wars-portfolio-by-ralph-mcquarrie|website=StarWars.com|access-date=20 April 2017|date=14 January 2014|archive-date=June 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624093601/http://www.starwars.com/news/an-annotated-guide-to-the-star-wars-portfolio-by-ralph-mcquarrie|url-status=live}} In Lucas's third draft, the Imperial City of Alderaan became the homeworld of the Sith Lords, where Darth Vader held Princess Leia captive. Lucas continued to hone his script, aided by screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz. By the fourth draft, scenes on the Imperial capital planet had been moved to a space station called the Death Star and the name of Alderaan was given to a peaceful world destroyed by the Empire.{{sfn|Hearn|2005|p=99}}

The Empire's homeworld, Had Abbadon, came up in early drafts of Return of the Jedi. The entire planet was to be a sprawling city. However, concluding that the realization of such a city was impossible at the time, the creators abandoned the idea. Later, in the graphic novel Legacy 29: Vector, Part 10 the name Had Abbadon was given to a lost mythic planet in the Had Abbadon System of the Deep Core. This mythic planet was covered by dry fields, linked to the birth of the Jedi, and the location of a planned assassination attempt by Cade Skywalker on Darth Krayt. It was also the home to an Imperial.

The Empire's homeworld first appeared in the Star Wars Expanded Universe and was called Coruscant for the first time in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire.

In various novels, characters aligned with the Empire refer to Coruscant as the "Imperial Center". Within the stories, this is explained as an administrative renaming undertaken to emphasize the differences between the Old Republic and the Empire.

Coruscant was in some early sources called "Jhantor" in homage to Isaac Asimov's Trantor.{{cite web |last1=Maemura |first1=Emily |title=Total Urbanization of a Planet - The Ecumenopolis |url=https://www.tboake.com/gravity/maemura/coruscant.htm |website=tboake |access-date=18 August 2022 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818001147/https://www.tboake.com/gravity/maemura/coruscant.htm |url-status=live }}

Production artwork produced by Ralph McQuarrie for Return of the Jedi included some unrealized designs for the imperial capital, Had Abbadon. During the production of The Phantom Menace, it was decided that scenes would be set on the capital planet, now called Coruscant. Artist Doug Chiang was tasked with designing the imperial city for which he turned to McQuarrie's original concept art.{{sfn|Hearn|2005|p=193}} The appearance of the cityscape has been described as a "retro-futuristic metropolis", and the streams of floating vehicles traveling between soaring skyscrapers is thought to have been partly inspired by Fritz Lang's 1927 film, Metropolis.{{cite book|last1=Lamster|first1=Mark|title=Architecture and Film|publisher=Princeton Architectural Press|isbn=9781568988375|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rBmtVk9Rt8cC&q=coruscant%20fritz%20lang%20metropolis&pg=RA2-PT113|access-date=21 April 2017|language=en|date=2013-07-02}}{{cite web|title=The Cinema Behind Star Wars: Metropolis|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/the-cinema-behind-star-wars-metropolis|website=StarWars.com|publisher=Lucasfilm|access-date=21 April 2017|date=18 August 2014|archive-date=June 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623142038/http://www.starwars.com/news/the-cinema-behind-star-wars-metropolis|url-status=live}}

In Attack of the Clones, the depiction of Coruscant was expanded greatly. Chiang created a more urban, apocalyptic environment for the street level, taking inspiration from Ridley Scott's 1982 hit film Blade Runner.{{cite book|last1=Cotta Vaz|first1=Mark|title=The Art of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the clones|date=2002|publisher=Ballantine Publ. Group|location=New York|isbn=9780345431257|edition=1.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/artofstarwarsepi0000vazm}}

For the television series Andor, VFX supervisor Scott Pritchard chose to move away from the "high science fiction" depiction of Coruscant seen in the prequel trilogy and instead opted for a more realistic and grounded take on the planet's cityscape, inspired by New York City's Art Deco stone buildings. Real world locations in London, such as the Barbican Centre and Canary Wharf, were used for filming scenes on Coruscant and were later extended or augmented with CGI.{{cite news |last1=Ordoña |first1=Michael |title=Emmy-nominated VFX help make sure 'Andor' does not feel like a galaxy far, far away |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2023-08-18/emmy-nominated-vfx-help-andor-not-feel-like-a-galaxy-far-far-away |access-date=14 March 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=18 August 2023}}

Coruscant is the location of a sequence added to the 1997 Special Edition release of Return of the Jedi, its first onscreen appearance. The sequence depicts the reaction of citizens of Coruscant upon hearing of the death of Emperor Palpatine, where many citizens are seen celebrating with fireworks and pulling down his statue. The 1998 novel X-Wing: Iron Fist included an eyewitness account of this scene.Allston, Aaron. X-Wing: Iron Fist (Bantam Books, 1998), ch. 3.

Coruscant was prominently featured in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as the location of the Galactic Republic Senate building and the central Jedi Temple.

There is a speeder chase through the skies of Coruscant in Episode II: Attack of the Clones that eventually leads to a nightclub in the bowels of Coruscant's Uscru Entertainment District. Another area of Coruscant shown is Coco Town (short for "collective commerce"). Coco Town is the site of Dex's Diner in Attack of the Clones. Another notable area of Coruscant is 500 Republica, an area where the elites of the city, such as politicians and diplomats, gather.

In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Coruscant is featured in a space battle (known as the Battle of Coruscant) during the opening scene. Separatist cyborg, General Grievous kidnaps Chancellor Palpatine and uses the Separatist fleet to help assault the capital and cover his escape.

The planet's cityscape is then prominently featured throughout much of the movie with Chancellor Palpatine's office as well as the Senate building being the primary two settings on Coruscant. A theatre in 500 Republica is where Anakin Skywalker and Palpatine watch a ballet; during the show, Palpatine encourages Skywalker to ally with the Dark Side by telling him of the supposed Sith ability of resuscitation.

Image:Modimapgalaxy1.jpg; Coruscant's XYZ coordinates are designated 0,0,0 and the grid coordinates are L-9.]]

After a failed attempt by the Jedi to arrest Palpatine when he divulges his true identity as Darth Sidious to Skywalker, Palpatine appoints himself Emperor of the first Galactic Empire in the Republic Senate Building on Coruscant.

Coruscant features prominently in both the 2003 traditionally-animated Clone Wars series and the 2008 animated The Clone Wars series, as the headquarters of the Jedi Temple and the Senate.

In Rogue One, Jyn Erso has a flashback of her young self on Coruscant.

In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Coruscant makes its first extensive live-action appearance in the Star Wars saga since the prequel trilogy. Coruscant is prominent in a montage of footage from the Star Wars prequel films, and the Jedi Temple of Coruscant is the setting of several scenes.

Coruscant is a prominent setting in the Andor series. The Majority of Mon Mothma, Dedra, and Syril's scenes take place on Coruscant.

In Tales of the Jedi, Coruscant appears prominently in three of the six episodes. Count Dooku and Mace Windu attend the funeral of Council Member Katri at the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka Tano is shown extensively training for combat in the same location, and the final lightsaber duel between Master Yaddle and Count Dooku takes place in Darth Sidious' manufacturing-district lair. In one scene, Dooku remarks upon the fact that Coruscant is a planet of "Steel and Stone", lacking much in the way of wild nature; Qui-Gon Jinn, who was born there, had never seen a tree before visiting the Jedi Temple for the first time as a boy.

In the 19th episode of The Mandalorian, Coruscant is featured as a New Republic capital. On Coruscant, we are re-introduced to Dr. Penn Pershing and Elia Kane, a former communications officer on Moff Gideon's cruiser, who are now revealed to be a part of the New Republic Amnesty program. We are also introduced to the Shipyard Depot, a salvage yard where decommissioned Star Destroyers are being dismantled.

Coruscant appears as the background of a space battle in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

In Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, players can visit Coruscant's Federal and Uscru Districts.

In the prologue of the comic series Dark Empire (1991), set after the original film trilogy, Coruscant is ravaged by battles between warring Imperial factions.

Coruscant appears as the opening level in 2023's Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. Cal Kestis is tasked with tracking down Senator Daho Sejan, the player chasing after the senator's yacht until catching up with it.{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/star-wars-jedi-survivor/Coruscant_-_Pursue_the_Senator%27s_Yacht|title=Coruscant - Pursue the Senator's Yacht|date=August 6, 2024|publisher=IGN|website=ign.com|last=Harvey|first=Angie}}

Coruscant is seen in the X-Wing series of computer games.

Concept art by Ralph McQuarrie served as the basis for the pyramidal Imperial Palace, depicted in The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (1995) by Kevin J. Anderson, which claims it is "the largest structure on Coruscant, perhaps on any planet".{{Cite book|last=Anderson|first=Kevin J.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/32388635|title=The Illustrated Star Wars universe|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1995|isbn=0-553-09302-9|location=New York|pages=74|oclc=32388635|access-date=May 23, 2021|archive-date=May 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512135110/http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/32388635|url-status=live}} According to the Star Wars Encyclopedia (1998), it is located next to the Senate building.{{Cite book|last=Sansweet|first=Stephen J.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/36960986|title=Star Wars Encyclopedia|publisher=Ballantine|year=1998|isbn=0-345-40227-8|edition=1st|location=New York|page=58|oclc=36960986|authorlink=Steve Sansweet}} Although this version of the Imperial Palace appears in a variety of Expanded Universe works, in canon, the Imperial Palace is located at the site of the former Jedi Temple, where Palpatine resides.{{Cite web|title=Jedi Temple|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/jedi-temple|access-date=2021-05-23|website=StarWars.com|language=en|archive-date=April 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424164006/https://www.starwars.com/databank/jedi-temple|url-status=live}}

In The New Jedi Order series (1999–2003), Coruscant is the capital world of the New Republic until, in The New Jedi Order: Star by Star, the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong overwhelm the New Republic defenses in three attack waves led by Warmaster Tsavong Lah who takes over the planet, destroying the New Republic and creating the theocratic Yuuzhan Vong Empire. After surrendering, the Yuuzhan Vong agreed to help the Alliance rebuild Coruscant. The new Coruscant is a combination of technology and organic life representing the peace between the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (Galactic Alliance) and the Yuuzhan Vong.

James Luceno's novel Labyrinth of Evil (2005) introduces a deserted manufacturing area known as 'The Works' as the meeting place for Sith Lords Darth Sidious (Palpatine) and Darth Tyranus.

With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were re-branded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014.{{cite web|date=April 25, 2014|title=Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/disney-publishing-worldwide-and-random-house-announce-relaunch-of-star-wars-adult-fiction-line|access-date=May 26, 2016|publisher=StarWars.com|archive-date=May 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514073722/http://www.starwars.com/news/disney-publishing-worldwide-and-random-house-announce-relaunch-of-star-wars-adult-fiction-line|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=McMilian|first=Graeme|date=April 25, 2014|title=Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe|work=The Hollywood Reporter|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/lucasfilm-unveils-new-plans-star-698973|access-date=May 26, 2016|archive-date=August 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830203115/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/lucasfilm-unveils-new-plans-star-698973|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=April 25, 2014|title=The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page|access-date=May 26, 2016|publisher=StarWars.com|archive-date=September 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910044317/http://www.starwars.com/news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page|url-status=live}}

{{In-universe|section|date=May 2021}}

The Senate District (also sometimes referred to as the Federal District) is located on the planet's equator, and is known to contain numerous notable sites such as the Ambassadorial Sector (canonically home to 500 Republica and the Senate Apartment Complex), Embassy Mall, the Coruscant Opera House, the Galactic Museum, the Heorem Complex (where the Heorem Skytunnel is located), Judicial Plaza (home to the Glitanni Esplanade and the Judicial Arcology), the Legislative Borough, Senate Plaza, the Avenue Of The Core Founders, the Republic Executive Building, the Galactic Senate Building, Hospital Plaza, the Galactic Senate, the Palace District (home to the Imperial Palace and Senate Hill), Quadrant A-89 (home to the CSF HQ), the Fellowship Plaza, the Galactic Justice Center and the Temple Precinct (home to the Jedi Temple), Sector H-52, Sector I-33, the Uscru Boulevard, Westport and Xizor's Palace.

The Senate District is depicted as the de facto capital of Coruscant, the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, the New Republic, the Galactic Federation Of Free Alliances, and the One Sith. It is shown bordering the Financial District and the Sah'c District and is also adjacent to The Works (an industrial sector on the planet). The Senate District is also referred to as the Legislative District, Government District, and Government Center.

The Alien Protection Zone is referenced as a walled ghetto on Coruscant of an unknown location, housing the planet's non-human population. Neighborhoods within the zone are shown representing the cultures of these minority groups. The Alien Protection Zone was constructed in 19 BBY by the Galactic Empire and opened by the New Republic in 6 ABY.

Sah'c Town, also known as Sah'c District or Quadrant H-46, is an area described as situated on the Equator, named after and controlled by the wealthy Sah'c family. It was home to an emergency bunker where the chancellor of the Galactic Republic or New Republic ruled in case of emergencies. The area also contains Sah'c Canyon, which is the exit point of the Senate District's Heorem Skytunnel.

Uscru District

The Uscru District appears in Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. On its upper levels, it hosts the Galaxy's Opera House. The district's lower levels were collectively referred to as the Entertainment District. The Outlander Club, seen in Attack of the Clones and mentioned in Jedi: Fallen Order, is in the Entertainment District.

Coruscant also appears as one of the in–ride "destination planets" in the theme park attraction Star Tours – The Adventures Continue in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

{{Portal|Speculative fiction|Film}}

• Ecumenopolis
• List of Star Wars planets and moons
• Star Wars 1313
• Trantor

Footnotes

{{notelist}}

Citations

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last1=Rinzler|first1=J. W.|date=2008|title=The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film|publisher=Ebury Press|isbn=9780091924997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AKqMW5ChgScC&pg=PP1|access-date=20 April 2017|language=en}}
• {{cite book|last1=Hearn|first1=Marcus|title=The Cinema of George Lucas|date=2005|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|location=New York|isbn=9780810949683|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sJQLAQAAMAAJ|access-date=21 April 2017|language=en}}
• {{cite book|last1=Bouzereau|first1=Laurent|title=Star Wars: the Annotated Screenplays|date=1998|publisher=Titan Books|location=London|isbn=9781852869236|edition=1st UK|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=36hFPgAACAAJ|access-date=21 April 2017}}

• The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons (Star Wars), 1st edition, by Daniel Wallace, Scott Kolins. 1998. {{ISBN|0-345-42068-3}}
• Star Wars, X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble, (Book 2 of the X-Wing series) 1st paperback printing, 1996. Michael A. Stackpole, {{ISBN|0-553-56802-7}}
• Star Wars, X-Wing: The Krytos Trap, (Book 3 of the X-Wing series) 1st paperback printing, 1996. Michael A. Stackpole, {{ISBN|0-553-56803-5}}
• Star Wars: Before the Storm, (Book 1 of The Black Fleet Crisis), first paperback printing, 1996. Michael P. Kube-McDowell, {{ISBN|0-553-57273-3}}
• Star Wars: Shield of Lies, (Book 2 of The Black Fleet Crisis), first paperback printing, 1996. Michael P. Kube-McDowell, {{ISBN|0-553-57277-6}}
• Star Wars, Darksaber, 1st paperback printing, 1995. Kevin J. Anderson, {{ISBN|0-553-57611-9}}
• Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, 1996. Steve Perry, {{ISBN|0-553-57413-2}}
• Heir to the Empire, (Book 1 of The Thrawn Crisis), 1st edition, 1991. Timothy Zahn. {{ISBN|0-553-07327-3}}
• Dark Force Rising, (Book 2 of The Thrawn Crisis), 1st edition, 1992. Timothy Zahn. {{ISBN|0-553-08574-3}}
• The Last Command, (Book 3 of The Thrawn Crisis), 1st edition, 1993. Timothy Zahn. {{ISBN|0-553-09186-7}}
• Edge of Victory: Rebirth (Book 8 of the New Jedi Order) 2001. Greg Keyes, {{ISBN|0-09-941044-3}}
• Star By Star, (Book 9 of the New Jedi Order) 2002. Troy Denning, {{ISBN|0-09-941038-9}}
• The Shadow Academy, Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. Berkley, 1995. ({{ISBN|1-57297-025-1}})
• The Lost Ones, Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. Berkley, 1995. ({{ISBN|1-57297-052-9}})
• Alain Musset, From New York to Coruscant. Essay on Geofiction (in French only: De New York à Coruscant. Essai de géofiction, PUF, 2005. This author uses science fiction as a way to explore the present (assuming that writers base their fiction as an extension of today) [https://web.archive.org/web/20051120064340/http://tecfa.unige.ch/perso/staf/nova/blog/2005/07/13/from-new-york-to-coruscant/] / [http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/IMG/pdf/vdp23_en.pdf] (p. 109)

• {{Star Wars Databank|subject=coruscant|text=Coruscant}}
• {{Wookieepedia|Coruscant}}
• For a description of the word coruscant in French with examples, look at the blog "Le Garde Mot" [http://blog.legardemots.fr/post/2007/04/03/Coruscant]

{{Star Wars universe|state=collapsed}}

Category:Star Wars planets

Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1991

Category:Megacities in fiction

Category:Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Category:Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

Category:Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith