Monument Plaza / Legends Monument Plaza , also known as Monument Park , was a large plaza on the city - planet of Coruscant . The plaza circled the summit of Umate , one of the highest peaks of the Manarai Mountains . Thousands of tourists came to the plaza each day to touch the giant lump of rock in the center ; it was said that Monument Plaza was the only place on Coruscant where people could touch bare rock . The surrounding mall resembled a stadium with the peak of Umate standing in the center . Huge statues and colorful banners decorated the grounds , while restaurants and shops were built into the plaza walls . Amongst the popular sites in or near the plaza were the Manarai restaurant , the Galactic Museum , and the old Senate Hall . Monument Plaza was the site of several events throughout its history , including a battle of the Great Droid Revolution , a terrorist threat by the Separatist movement , and a Republic rally during the Clone Wars . When the Galactic Empire came to power it replaced the statues of the plaza with those honoring Imperial heroes . Monument Plaza was damaged sometime before 29 ABY , during the Yuuzhan Vong War , when it and the peak of Umate were turned into a yorik coral - covered crater . After the war , the Reconstruction Authority restored the plaza to its original state , rebuilding much of what was damaged . Description . Monument Plaza was a bowl - shaped arena in the Manarai Mountains , and the only place on Coruscant where one could touch the bare rock of the planet — namely the peak of Umate , one of the highest peaks in the Manarai . It sat one kilometer south of the site of the Imperial Palace , and was visible from that building . Monument Plaza resembled a sports arena , with towering buildings forming its perimeter and an open space occupying the area inside . The bare peak of Umate sat in the center of the plaza , protruding from a hole in its floor . It was forbidden to chip away pieces of Umate ' s rock . Surrounding the plaza were a number of restaurants and souvenir shops , including the prestigious Manarai restaurant . The Galactic Museum lay next to it as well , and the original Senate Hall was nearby . The buildings of Monument Plaza were in the style of the Hasennan period , characterized by an epic style of architecture . The North Garden was one of the sections of the plaza , capable of holding over 6 , 000 individuals . A cavalcade of memorials and banners of various cultures and species lined the approach to Monument Plaza , and a set of main gates provided entrance to it . Statues commemorating heroes and colorful banners lined the plaza , giving the plaza its name , and the overall atmosphere was bright and airy . In the time of the Galactic Republic , the plaza statuary consisted of heroes and key figures from all over the galaxy , in a celebration of galactic diversity . Senators often used the plaza to hold press conferences , supporting their image with the presence of these celebrated cultural figures . One of the last statues to be installed during the Republic was that of Phow Ji , a mercenary who had fought for the Republic in the Clone Wars . Under the Republic ' s successor state , the Empire , the statues of the plaza were of Imperial dignitaries and the Empire ' s own heroes , and above them all , a gigantic statue of Emperor Palpatine . Monument Plaza was overseen by a Plaza Director , a position held by Shelbin Dang in 22 BBY . Monument Plaza was a historic landmark , and the public concourse of the Manarai historical site . It was a popular recreational area , with many of the planet ' s inhabitants and civil servants visiting . Admission to the plaza was free , and it was continuously open . Monument Plaza was one of Coruscant ' s most popular tourist attractions , with thousands of visitors every day viewing the peak in curious disbelief at the thought that it was the only spot they could touch the planet ' s bare surface . It was also a popular starting point for tours of the city . However , the plaza was also seen by some as the epitome of all that was wrong with the planet . They compared the display of bare rock to the caging of an animal in a zoo . After the ravaging of the plaza in the Yuuzhan Vong War , all that remained visible was an immense crater in the ruins of the Manarai Mountains . A ring of permacrete remained along the shoulder of the crater , which was inhabited by winged creatures . The plaza itself was buried beneath two meters of yorik coral , and Umate covered in stone - dissolving lichens , speculated to be a terraforming device . However , with Monument Plaza ' s reconstruction , the thousands of statues that had once filled it were recreated identically . Others were added , in particular " Devoted Technician " , a statue commemorating the droids that had helped the Reconstruction Authority rebuild the galaxy after the war . Holograms of individuals of various species were set up near the statues to give information on the monuments to visitors , some of it self - aggrandizing propaganda on the part of the Authority . With the rebuilding , the plaza once again became a popular site for tourists and office workers , though the heavy amount of tourist traffic left it strewn with litter . The post - war plaza square was made of durasteel , and where it dropped off into the chasms between buildings it was blocked by a transparisteel safety wall . Sites around the plaza included the Traveler ' s Palace and Curat Commercial Center , with traffic routes out including the Arakyd Towers ThroughPass and TravRat Gap , which passed between the Palace and Commercial Center . A no - fly security zone was enacted over Monument Plaza , keeping the sky above it free of traffic , and plainclothes security agents were stationed around the plaza to keep watch for potential terrorist attacks . History . In 4015 BBY , the Great Droid Revolution began , with droids rising in revolt and turning on Coruscant . Monument Plaza was the site of one of its battles ; in a memorable battle above the plaza , the juggernaut war droid s of Coruscant ' s home guard destroyed a platoon of the Republic ' s rocket - jumpers . The plaza remained a popular destination almost 4 , 000 years later , in the time of the late Republic . Approximately a month before the Clone Wars began , an untraceable anonymous call was made warning that there would be a Separatist terror attack on the plaza . The call warned that the attack would be carried out through a droid - delivered bomb . In response , local security closed the plaza and evacuated its inhabitants , including the Flames of Umate followers , who responded by praying loudly in protest of their ejection from the site . Security also banned all droids from the area and increased armed security around the peak of Umate . Shelbin Dang , Plaza Director at the time , announced that the Plaza was planned to reopen within a week . In fact , it would not open for a year and a half . With clone troopers standing guard over Umate , the Plaza ' s reopening was celebrated with a rally by the Commission for the Protection of the Republic ' s SAGroup . Over 6 , 000 members marched in military fashion from the Jrade - Daders Concourse to the plaza , carrying banners of loyal Republic worlds in celebration of recent Republic victories , while 10 , 000 citizens watched . Still others throughout the Core Worlds watched on a live broadcast . At the plaza , the SAGroup members assembled in the North Garden , where brigade leader Nenevanth Tion recited an ancient speech of Uueg Tching , Emperor of the Atrisi system , on the removal of corruption . The youths then sang from Dha Werda Verda , after which Supreme Chancellor Palpatine addressed the gathering via holocom . As one of his last acts as Supreme Chancellor , Palpatine had a statue of the mercenary Phow Ji installed . When the Empire came to power , the statues celebrating galactic heroes were torn down and replaced with statues of Imperial heroes and officials . A massive statue of Emperor Palpatine was erected in the plaza as well , looming over all the other sculptures . The displays along the approach to the plaza , however , remained as diverse as they ever were . The plaza ' s Manarai restaurant became a popular place for the Imperial upper - class , and Palpatine often visited Monument Plaza when he sought solitude . When Palpatine died , the Monument Plaza was the site of a riot by various Coruscanti people celebrating their freedom from the Empire before it was put down by Ysanne Isard . In addition , in the long term , the Empire fell into chaos , as different factions sought to claim supremacy . During the Imperial Civil War , elements of the Empire engaged in battle in Monument Plaza . Over the next decades , as the New Republic retook Coruscant and eventually became involved in the Yuuzhan Vong War , Monument Plaza remained a fixture of the planet . However , when the Yuuzhan Vong invaded Coruscant , they bombarded and terraformed the world , destroying many of the planet ' s structures and converting others into wildlife and plant - covered landscape . It is possible that Monument Plaza was used by the Vong to grow their organic war materiél . When the Galactic Alliance landed on Coruscant in 29 ABY , they found a large crater in the plaza ' s place . After the close of the Vong War , the Reconstruction Authority was formed , an organization dedicated to rebuilding the war - ravaged galaxy . As a finale to its project , the Authority spent years restoring Monument Plaza . It took three years to removed the layer of yorik coral that coated the plaza and five years to rebuild the statues with the original materials and methods . A year was also spent removing the stone - dissolving lichens from the peak of Umate . When the project was finished , the Authority pronounced it their crowning achievement and an incredible success in their mission to restore the galaxy to its pre - war state . By 41 ABY , the plaza was once again a popular tourist attraction . It was this and many other secrecy - aiding aspects of the site that made it a common place for Galactic Alliance Guard captain Lon Shevu to meet his informants , as he did with fugitive Jedi Ben Skywalker . Skywalker , in opposition to the Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance , Darth Caedus , sought information on Caedus ' whereabouts , and along with his aunt Leia Organa Solo and cousin Jaina Solo , rendezvoused with Shevu in the plaza . Shevu was followed by GAG personnel , though , including Caedus ' Sith apprentice Tahiri Veila , and they soon closed in on Shevu and Skywalker . Though Skywalker attempted to fight his way from the plaza , he was captured and transported from the plaza in a GAG Doomsled . The Solos hijacked a medwagon and pursued , though they were ultimately unsuccessful in retrieving him . Inhabitants . The Flames of Umate were a religious sect local to the plaza area who had guarded the peak of Umate for generations . The Flames wore robes , and sought to communicate with the " world - spirit " that they believed resided in the molten core of Coruscant by meditating with their hands touching the rock . They attempted to seek the peace that the planet had felt before it had become entirely urbanized . The Flames also kept vigil to prevent tourists from chipping rock off the mountain . In 22 BBY , the Flames of Umate were ejected from the plaza due to the terrorist threat against it . Even in the time of the Empire , Palpatine tolerated the existence of the sect . In the time of the Empire , the bounty hunter / assassin Anniha Nega used Monument Plaza as a contact point . Those who wished to hire him placed their request under a specific paving stone in the plaza , where he would pick it up . Locations . Manarai . The Manarai was an upscale restaurant in Monument Plaza , and a popular spot for the Imperial elite . It was located in a spire alongside the plaza , and diners could view the plaza and cityscape below . The levels of the restaurant were , in fact , tiered to ensure an optimal view of both . The most exclusive restaurant on Coruscant , the Manarai required reservations months in advance , and even then only from individuals on the approved list . One of its owners was the crime lord Prince Xizor , who often dined there . Galactic Museum . The Galactic Museum was the galaxy ' s chief repository for important artifacts . The Museum held billions of relics , with less than 1 % on display . The exhibits , like the plaza , celebrated the galaxy ' s diversity . When the Empire came to power , many wings of the Museum were transformed into a celebration of the New Order or closed off , including the exhibits on the Jedi Order . The Jedi section also housed a secret tunnel to the Super Star Destroyer and secret prison " Lusankya " . Umate . Umate , also known as KnobHead , was one of the Manarai Mountains ' highest peaks , though not " the " highest . Made of granite , the lump of rock protruded above the plaza about twenty meters , casting its shadow over visitors . Removing rock from the peak was forbidden , and the Flames of Umate kept an eye out for this . During the Yuuzhan Vong occupation of Coruscant , it was covered with stone - dissolving lichens . Behind the scenes . Monument Plaza first appeared in " The Illustrated Star Wars Universe " , where it was portrayed in a drawing by Ralph McQuarrie and extrapolated on in text by Kevin J . Anderson . As some of the McQuarrie art used in this book was concept art from the " Star Wars " movies and other pieces were commissioned for the book , with whom the idea for Monument Plaza originated is unknown . It was called both " Monument Plaza " and " Monument Park " in this book , though the former would be the more lasting name . However , with the publication of " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " in 2008 , " Monument Park " was listed as a separate entry from " Monument Plaza , " with " Monument Park " surrounding " Monument Plaza . " In the " " multimedia project , Monument Plaza was used again . For that project ' s soundtrack , composer Joel McNeely created a piece representing Coruscant in the track " Imperial City . " The piece is structured as an approach to Coruscant from space , followed by a journey through its buildings , as well as Monument Plaza . A welcoming fanfare signals the arrival at the gates of the plaza , which is followed by a reflective theme that plays during the trip through it .