Imperial Oasis

"He happened to notice his datapad was set for the Imperial oasis base."

―Eyan McDermitt speaking of Jubai Laetlii^[2]

The Imperial Oasis was a small body of water on the planet Tatooine, near the Mospic High Range and the Jawa Mountain Fortress. It was considered one of Tatooine's greatest vistas by spacers across the galaxy. Accompanied by a small military garrison, the oasis and its base were occupied by the Galactic Empire during the time of the Galactic Civil War, and was frequently patrolled by Imperial stormtroopers. Colonel Darkstone, a male Zabrak, also oversaw a mission from the oasis to rescue Doctor Bledsoe from the Rebel Alliance sometime after the destruction of the first Death Star in 0 BBY.

Description[]

ImperialOasisBuildings — A couple of buildings at the Imperial Oasis base

The Imperial Oasis was a small oasis on the planet Tatooine, located west of Mos Espa, and north of the Jawa Mountain Fortress. It consisted of a small body of water surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation. Though the water was mostly shallow, parts of it were deep enough to swim in. The water was home to a number of lifeforms, including various fish varieties. Indeed, fishing at the oasis was possible for anyone who desired to do so. As a whole, the Imperial Oasis was nestled within a large valley. Surrounding the oasis were tall mountains, many of which joined the Mospic High Range.^[1]

The Imperial Oasis was accompanied by a small military base. The base was known to have been fully built following the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY. The outpost was frequently patrolled by Imperial stormtroopers during the Galactic Civil War. Despite being a military installation, the Imperial Oasis base included structures that mirrored typical Tatooinian architecture. During the time of the Galactic Civil War, two of its structures were decorated with furniture, consisting of several bedrooms, and were occupied by civilians. Outdoors, the Imperial Oasis base had a café-like area consisting of wooden tables with parasols. However, military aspects were still plentiful. The garrison consisted of three watch towers and a small metallic outpost building. The appearance of these structures contrasted greatly with the more civilian-like, tan-colored buildings. The Imperial Oasis base also had a portion of its perimeter protected by a solid metal barrier.^[1]

History[]

"One of the few Oases on Tatooine, Imperials settled near this one to ensure they had a plentiful supply of water"

―Description of the Imperial Oasis^[3]

ImperialOasisIncident — The painting *Imperial Oasis Incident*

The Empire built an outpost near the oasis to have access to a plentiful supply of water.^[3] Because Tatooine only had around one percent of surface water, the location was a uniquely rare sight.^[4] During the time of the Galactic Civil War, stormtroopers would frequently patrol the garrison. An Imperial recruiter was also stationed by the garrison's parked Imperial shuttle. Sometime following the Battle of Yavin, a Zabrak Imperial colonel named Darkstone was stationed at the Imperial Oasis base. By that time, his service as the main point of contact in regard to Imperial officers who found themselves in hostage situations was drawing to an end.^[1]

This section of the article assumes 100% game completion of Star Wars Galaxies. Any alternate stories may be noted in the "Behind the scenes" section. The events in this section may or may not have been confirmed as canon within the Star Wars Legends continuity.

From there, Darkstone tasked Imperials with a mission to rescue Doctor Bledsoe from a Rebel Corellian corvette.^[1] A Human male named Jubai Laetlii also stayed at the oasis during that time. He illegally possessed plans for a new prototype military speeder that was in development by the Incom Corporation. A spy who worked for a Human male named Sarlis Beni stole the encrypted datapad from Jubai in order to protect Incom's intellectual property.^[2] Around this time, a number of spacers visited the Imperial Oasis, and considered it one of Tatooine's greatest vistas.^[3]

Assumption ends here.

Later, an artist painted a depiction of an explosion occurring at the Imperial Oasis. This painting was titled Imperial Oasis Incident, and was produced by a Human female named Navari Trik in Mos Eisley as part of the Galactic Empire Painting Contest.^[5]^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"This area is cool because it's an Imperial facility right next to a small lake. It has patio tables and chairs and has two cantina-type structures (fully decorated). It comes across as an officer's club of sorts. It would be good for RP events, Imperial meetings or as a PVP location. As a bonus it has a Lambda shuttle parked on a landing pad to give it an "official" look."

―Jason "Pex" Ryan^[6]

The Imperial Oasis was one of four bodies of water on the planet Tatooine in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts,^[1] prior to its closure on December 15, 2011.^[7] The other three were the Southern Oasis, the Northeastern Oasis, and the Eastern Oasis.^[1] In the game, players could visit the Imperial Oasis to complete the Panoramic Vistas collection for Tatooine. Completion of this collection awarded players with a painting of Jabba's Palace.^[3] At the oasis, players could also find a bubbling rock, and the right bracer of Imperial shock trooper armor. Both items helped to complete two other separate collections.^[8]^[9]

In the game, a quest titled "Corporate Espionage" required that the player go to the Imperial Oasis to obtain an encrypted datapad from Jubai Laetlii. If the player was a spy, they could either steal the datapad harmlessly, or kill Jubai altogether. The quest journal mentioned that Jubai was a capable fighter, and that killing him might prove difficult. It suggested that simply stealing the datapad might be the player's best option. Even though the quest was tailored for players of the spy profession, players of other professions could carry out the mission as well. Because stealing was an ability reserved only for the spy profession, players of other professions were required to kill Jubai to receive the datapad and complete the quest.^[2] In the game, players of the Imperial faction could perform a mission for Colonel Darkstone at the Imperial Oasis. The mission required players to go to a Rebel Corvette to rescue Dr. Bledsoe. Although players could choose not to do any of the quests or collections connected to the Imperial Oasis, this article assumes 100% game completion.^[1]

In celebration of the sixth anniversary of Star Wars Galaxies, Sony Online Entertainment announced a "Galactic Call to Arms Fan Art" Contest. From Monday, May 18, 2009 to Monday, June 8, 2009, players could submit their own artwork for the chance for it to be nominated, voted on, and included in the game as a decorative house painting.^[10] At the Galactic Gathering at the 2009 Fan Faire, Sony Online Entertainment announced the three finalists for each of the categories. From the Imperial category, the three finalists included a painting titled Tightening the Noose by Darev Sool of TCPrime, Scouting the Forest for the Main Force by Gardas of Chilastra, and Imperial Oasis Incident by Lexx Yovel of Starsider. Players could then vote on these three paintings on the Star Wars Galaxies official message boards from Wednesday, July 22, 2009 to Wednesday, August 5, 2009.^[11]^[12] At the end of the vote, Imperial Oasis Incident emerged victorious,^[13] and was added to the game on October 12, 2009 as part of Game Update 14,^[14] where players could freely obtain the painting from Navari Trik in Mos Eisley.^[15]

Jason "Pex" Ryan, the former events manager of Star Wars Galaxies, also mentioned that the Imperial Oasis was one of his favorite in-game locations.^[6]