Shadow Academy The Shadow Academy was a battlestation that was used as a hidden training center by the Second Imperium . The center was founded by the fallen Jedi Brakiss to train Dark Jedi in 23 ABY . Characteristics . The Shadow Academy was built in a - shaped battlestation that featured massive observation and docking towers on one side . In the event that the Shadow Academy needed to defend itself , or function as a battle platform , its perimeter was ringed with gun emplacements that pointed out in all directions . Those guns were seen as a last resort and used only rarely because the Shadow Academy was equipped with a cloaking device that allowed it to remain hidden . The torus was also ringed with engines , allowing it to maneuver and accelerate to hyperspace if it needed to serve as a transport or escape if it had been discovered . Interior . The Shadow Academy was equipped to train a new generation of Dark Jedi , who were what the Great Leader of the Second Imperium ( being Emperor Palpatine ) believed were needed to defeat the Republic . They would also be needed to hold together the new Empire that would rise from the ashes of the destroyed Republic . The Shadow Academy housed thousands of explosives that could be detonated from afar . For if Brakiss failed in his endeavor to raise an order of Dark Jedi , or if he were to prove rebellious , the Great Leader would need a means to punish him and remove any threat that his Dark Jedi might pose to him . Hallways . The hallways of the Shadow Academy were , by and large , monochromatic and institutional . The walls were interrupted only by the occasional computer terminal or doors marked with stenciled labels . The only sounds that one might hear in the hallways were status reports , chronometers that chimed at each quarter hour . Students ' Quarters . The quarters of Shadow Academy students were cubical , stark , bare - walled rooms . Students were confined to these rooms and ordered to rest or meditate during a specified sleep period . The decision to keep the quarters of students free of normal comforts may have been made by Tamith Kai , since she believed that adversity and deprivation were necessity to honing one ' s skills . Meeting Room . Dozens of Shadow Academy students would endure Brakiss ' s various lectures in a sparse room that featured a series of narrow , backless benches . Brakiss ' s Office . Brakiss ' s office contained a form - chair and a long desk with a recording pad . Brakiss would use the recording pad to store and review the day ' s records , as well as make daily reports to the Great Leader . The office ' s walls , which were lined with thick , black , transparisteel contained glowing holographic images of cosmic violence such as : Brakiss would attempt to harden his inner strength by using Force techniques to meditate and absorb the events depicted by the holograms . He felt they were beautiful in a way , depicting unlimited power , whether it was man - made or resided in nature . Training Chambers . The Shadow Academy featured a number of training chambers which were used by students to hone their fighting skills . Among these were a chamber equipped with a computer sensor grid which allowed for the projection of holo - remotes and holoshrouds upon its users . Another chamber , used to test their powers contained a number of openings from which projectiles were hurled . A few blindfolded students would stay in the chamber , with only wooden sticks to defend themselves . Another student would have control of a number of remotes powerful enough to destroy any of the projectiles . This student would sit in the relative safety of an observation room . The program for this drill had three difficulty levels : The first would hurl hard balls at the students ; the second would throw rocks at them ; the third would throw knives . This drill claimed the lives of at least six students at the Shadow Academy . Torture Chamber . The Shadow Academy contained at least one torture chamber . To any Shadow Academy recruit , it would seem like an empty , unassuming room at first , but the emptiness hid the incredible danger that the room contained . A transparisteel panel separated this chamber from the observation room , which contained controls for nearly all of the variables in the chamber that could be manipulated . Those inside the chamber were exposed to flashing lights , and temperature extremes . The walls contained spray nozzles capable of discharging near - freezing water at extremely high pressure . The ceiling contained a hatch through which a hardened sonic generator could be dropped , and thus high - pitched , ear - piercing sounds were introduced to the chamber . The instructor observing the torture , typically Tamith Kai , would inform the recruit inside the chamber that the only way to make all of the unpleasantness inside the chamber stop would be to smash the sonic generator . The sonic generator was incredibly heavy and reinforced , so the only way that one could destroy would be if he called upon the dark side of the Force to strengthen himself . Docking Bays . The Shadow Academy ' s docking bays allowed it receive , house , and launch various spacecraft . A typical docking bay was lined with flashing yellow lights to guide craft in and out of the space station . The walls of the docking bays were covered with a reflective durasteel . Embedded in the wall opposite of the opening of a docking bay was the observation chamber from which one could open or close the doors of the docking bay . The Shadow Academy ' s main docking bay held standard Imperial vehicles including TIE / LN starfighter s , TIE / sa bombers , GAT - 12 Skipray Blastboat s , Imperial Assault Shuttle s and Battle Platform s . History . Following his nearly fatal battle with Luke Skywalker on Telti and the defeat of Kueller , Brakiss joined the so - called " Second Imperium " which was led by the mysterious Great Leader of the Second Imperium . Since the Imperium needed its own cadre of Dark Jedi to counter those of Skywalker ' s Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 , Brakiss was recruited for that purpose . He used funds appropriated by the Imperium to construct a cloaked space station called the Shadow Academy to serve as a mobile academy for his Dark Jedi . It was Brakiss ' hopes that these Dark Jedi would help maintain order across the faltering remnants of the Empire . In conjunction with a group of exiled Nightsisters led by Tamith Kai , Brakiss began recruiting youths . Those who were found to be Force - sensitive became Dark Jedi Knights while those who weren ' t became Stormtroopers and TIE pilot s . The Dark Jedi were supplied with lightsabers mass - produced at the Academy . In 23 ABY , Qorl joined the Shadow Academy having escaped from Yavin 4 after nearly two decades of eking out a living in the jungle moon . Qorl was placed in charge of the growing starfighter corps of the Second Imperium . He also revealed that Luke Skywalker ' s Jedi Praxeum was now training a young generation of Jedi Knights who could be bent to serve the Second Imperium . Thus , a bold plan to kidnap trainees from the Jedi Academy was hatched . During a raid on GemDiver Station which orbited the nearby gas giant of Yavin , the Shadow Academy used a small fleet consisting of a modified assault shuttle and four GAT - 12 Skipray Blastboat s to kidnap the Solo twins and their Wookiee classmate Lowbacca , as well as Em Teedee . It came to be a disaster because they proved to be too strong to be indoctrinated . They later escaped with the help of Skywalker and another trainee Tenel Ka Djo . Plans to abduct more trainees from the Praxeum were scuttled . Following that , Brakiss maneuvered the Shadow Academy close to the Republic capital of Coruscant so that they could launch attacks on supply ships carrying weapons and hyperdrives . This also gave them the opportunity to gather more recruits . Thus , agents were sent to the lower levels of the planet - wide metropolis to recruit the dregs of galactic society on the promise of giving them a better life . Among these were the orphaned street urchin Zekk and the street gang known as the Lost Ones . However , it was not long before the Academy ' s presence was discovered . The Solo twins , along with Lowbacca and Chewbacca , used the orbiting solar mirrors to burn out the Academy ' s cloaking devices , thus exposing it to the defending Republic forces . However , the Shadow Academy managed to jump into hyperspace and evaded capture . Soon , Zekk — who had been discovered to be Force - sensitive — became the Darkest Knight of the Academy after slaying Vilas . He was then placed in charge of a task force which raided Thikkiiana City , a major city on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk which was an important computer center . However , when faced with the prospect of killing Jaina , he could not do so . Instead he warned her that the Jedi Praxeum was the Second Imperium ' s next target . Meanwhile , the Great Leader , who had earlier revealed himself to be yet another clone of Palpatine , arrived at the Shadow Academy in a massive repulsorlift isolation chamber . He refused even to see Brakiss and was attended and represented by four Imperial Royal Guards . This caused Brakiss to be concerned about the Emperor ' s health . Later , from his isolation chamber , a hologram of Palpatine prompted Brakiss to launch an assault against the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 . At first the battle went as planned before the arrival of the Republic fleet under Admiral Ackbar . Brakiss , defying his master , journeyed down to the jungle moon to be defeated in a lightsaber duel with Skywalker . Having made it back to the space station , Brakiss made a beeline for the isolation chamber and demanded to see the Emperor . However , he was blocked by two of the Royal Guards . Enraged and giving in to his anger , Brakiss cut them down with his lightsaber and then entered the chamber . There , he discovered a third Royal Guard working on a bank of controls , computer screens and holographic generators and realized that Palpatine had never returned . In reality , the Royal Guards had created this illusion so that they could control the Second Imperium . Unfortunately for Brakiss , the fourth guard used the override controls to activate the Shadow Academy ' s self - destruct systems , destroying the Shadow Academy and killing all aboard .