What Imperial Officers Did in Their Free Time (Canon)

When you look at an Imperial officer in a crisp gray uniform, you often think of tight discipline, long briefings, and endless orders. But every officer in the Galactic Empire still lived a full life behind those cold corridors. Their free time didn’t follow one rule across the galaxy. Some officers relaxed more than you’d expect, while others lived under strict control from their superiors. Let’s walk through the places that shaped their off-duty hours and how different their routines could be.

Freedom Under a Lazy Moff on Ryloth

Assignments on Ryloth stood out from most Imperial postings. Officers there enjoyed freedoms that many of their colleagues only dreamed about, and this all came from one person: Moff Delian Mors. She lived on Ryloth’s largest moon, surrounded by comfort and Twi’lek attendants, and didn’t track where her officers went when their shifts ended. As long as nothing exploded into a planet-wide revolt, she didn’t interfere.

That lack of control also drew the attention of the Free Ryloth Movement, because their missions kept pulling them into the places where officers spent their off-duty hours. Whenever the rebels passed through Lessu, they saw exactly how openly Imperial personnel drifted into the city’s darker corners.

Because of that freedom, many officers spent their time off inside Lessu’s Octagon district, a place filled with nightlife and vice. When Isval moved through the pit of the Octagon during one of the Movement’s operations, she walked past “smoke and leers and spice and vice,” which says a lot about the places Imperial officers visited after hours. The lower levels held Twi’lek girls trapped in the sex trade, and those rooms became a regular destination for officers looking to escape discipline.

One junior officer was deep into that routine the night Isval found him standing with a Twi’lek girl named Ryiin. His face was “drink-reddened,” and his smile hung in a sloppy curve as he slurred, “Aren’t you pretty? Why don’t you join us?” He wasn’t on duty. He was spending his free time in a place built to hide everything the Empire didn’t put on its reports.

Scenes like that weren’t rare. When Isval tried to pull Ryiin out of the district, the girl said, “There’s no escape from this.” She had already spent “weeks in the Hole,” one of the Octagon’s lowest levels. Isval had heard similar stories before and told her, “This is the point when previous girls had turned back. Rarely, but it sometimes happened.” That pattern shows how often officers visited these places, and how many girls had been dragged through the same cycle.

Even after she escaped with Isval, Ryiin still feared Imperial retaliation. “They’ll come after me,” she said. She wasn’t talking about stormtroopers on patrol. She meant the same officers who used their nights off inside those clubs, pits, and back rooms.

Many officers even pushed their daytime responsibilities onto Twi’lek security forces, local groups who handled patrols so Imperials didn’t have to. With someone else walking the streets for them, their free time stretched even longer.

That freedom lasted until the Free Ryloth Movement stopped tolerating it. After their attacks shook Mors’s command, she had no choice but to tighten control. The officers who once drifted through the Octagon without consequence suddenly faced stricter oversight, and their late-night habits shut down almost overnight.

Ryloth became one of the clearest examples of how Imperial officers spent their off-duty hours when no one bothered to hold them accountable: heavy drinking, spice-filled districts, brothels, and whatever else they could find in the lower levels of Lessu.

Scarif, the Paradise for Imperial Officers

Scarif looked like paradise compared to many other Imperial posts. The world served as the vault for the Empire’s top-secret projects, so its population mainly consisted of scientists, engineers, security personnel, and officers. Up until the Rebel attack shown in Rogue One, the planet rarely saw any kind of battle or civil trouble. Because of that calm environment, officers treated the posting like a reward.

Many high-ranking officers found ways to request Scarif assignments. The tropical climate, quiet beaches, and polished facilities created the closest thing to a vacation spot within the Empire. Officers relaxed more often, stayed in comfortable quarters, and enjoyed long breaks without worrying about civilian unrest or active combat. The higher command on Scarif paid attention to major security tasks, but many officers drifted into a laid-back rhythm that fit the planet’s slow, sunny days.

Serving Under Tarkin: Zero Tolerance, Even Off Duty

Not every post gave officers the same freedom. Anyone who served under Grand Moff Tarkin faced a completely different lifestyle. Tarkin demanded strict discipline at all times, and his officers lived with that pressure during and after their shifts.

One incident shows how far that discipline stretched. During a surprise inspection, Tarkin found a junior officer using illegal spice while off duty. Tarkin humiliated him on the spot for his lack of discipline, and the officer ended up in the brig. Cases like this often ended a career right away, and everyone who served under Tarkin understood that a single mistake could remove them from the Imperial ranks.

In one memorable account, Tarkin conducts a surprise inspection aboard the Death Star that exposes just how little tolerance he had for off-duty indiscipline. He lines up all 168 gunners, forces them to “Push up. Your. Sleeves,” compares scars with his bare chest, and orders a duel with a vibroblade, concluding that any man unable to perform will face de-commissioning or labour-colony reassignment. You can read the full breakdown in What Tarkin Wanted to Do Every Day on the Death Star (Canon).

Officers in Tarkin-led sectors also handled a demanding schedule. They could request a short leave period each year to visit family or close friends, though most commanding officers discouraged these requests during the Galactic Civil War. Commitment to the war effort came first, so leave became rare for many officers as the conflict grew heavier across the galaxy.

Bars and Cantinas Sometimes

Even with strict rules in certain sectors, officers still found ways to relax. Many of them visited local cantinas on the worlds where they served. Others spent time at bars inside Imperial installations, including the massive battle stations. These places gave officers a short break from the formal atmosphere of their duty posts.

Some officers even showed small moments of kindness. One officer, posted on a worn-down world far from the Core, gave a handful of credits to a homeless woman during his walk through a city street. Stories like this appeared from time to time and revealed that not every Imperial officer lived with the cold, distant attitude the Empire encouraged.

The Imperial Ball, A Reward for the Best of the Empire

For officers who stood out through loyalty and strong performance, the Empire offered one of its highest social rewards: an invitation to the Imperial Ball on Coruscant. Held during Empire Day inside the Imperial Palace, the event gathered the most elite figures of the regime. Officers walked into a world of chandeliers, royal colors, and orchestral music.

Those who earned a place at the Ball had the chance to speak with high-ranking leaders, nobles, and influential guests. They danced on the grand floor, tasted fine wines, and enjoyed dishes prepared for the Empire’s upper class. The event also served as a showcase of unity and strength, and officers viewed the invitation as a major achievement in their careers.