Riot in Monument Plaza In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor , citizens on the Imperial capital world of Imperial Center carried out a riot in Monument Plaza to celebrate the fall of the Emperor , Darth Sidious , who perished during the battle . The citizens gathered in the plaza and toppled a statue of the Emperor before Imperial forces descended in the area to break up the riot and restore order . Prelude . During the Galactic Civil War , the Alliance to Restore the Republic launched an all - out assault on the second Death Star . The Battle of Endor became a decisive moment in their fight to topple the Galactic Empire . The Emperor himself , Darth Sidious , was aboard the Death Star and hoped to bait the Rebel Alliance into a trap . The plan failed , however , and the Emperor was killed by Darth Vader , his apprentice , who had been redeemed from the dark side of the Force by his son , Luke Skywalker . Shortly after the Emperor perished , the Alliance Fleet destroyed the Death Star . The two victories left the Empire in chaos , while the Rebel Alliance celebrated their victory on Endor . The riot . As the Rebel Alliance celebrated on Endor , so too did worlds across the galaxy , from the Core Worlds to the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim Territories . One such world was Imperial Center , a Core world and the capital of the Galactic Empire . Coruscanti citizens erupted into celebration in Monument Plaza , where some citizens toppled a statue of Emperor Palpatine . They wrapped chains and ropes around the neck of the statue and began pulling it down , assisted by speeder s whose acceleration helped tear the statue from its base . The statue fell to the ground , breaking it into pieces ; the head of the statue broke off and fell into a nearby fountain . As the statue was destroyed , Coruscant Security Force s arrived in the plaza to restore order and immediately opened fire , killing numerous civilians . Despite their actions , the citizens fought back , throwing chunks of the Sidious statue at Imperial police speeders and even jumping onto the speeders themselves to fight the officers directly . The police continued firing , however , intent on restoring order to the group of citizens that had turned into a mob . Aftermath . Despite the citizens fighting back during the riot , Imperial Center ( known as Coruscant during the Old Republic ) remained under Imperial control . Some resistance fighters did emerge in the days following the Battle of Endor and the riot , however , intent on reclaiming the planet from the Empire . The planet devolved into a civil war as pro - Imperial Coruscanti and Imperial forces led by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda and the Imperial Security Bureau battled pro - rebel Coruscanti and resistance forces . Behind the scenes . The riot in Monument Plaza was first depicted in the 1997 Special Edition re - release of , showing the citizens of Coruscant toppling the statue of the Emperor and celebrating in the streets . The scene was slightly revised for the 2004 DVD release of the film , which inserted the Galactic Senate Building and the Jedi Temple — later revealed to have been converted into the Imperial Palace — into the background of the scene . The events were expanded upon by Chuck Wendig in his 2015 novel " Aftermath " , revealing that the celebration became a full - blown riot upon the arrival of Imperial forces .