The Imperial Center of Military Research, also called the Imperial security complex and more frequently known as Scarif base, functioned as a research and development center for the Galactic Empire. This installation was situated on the tropical planet Scarif, found within the Outer Rim Territories. The facility served as the primary location for research, structural engineering, and the production of munitions related to the Death Star project. In the time leading up to the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance successfully breached Scarif's deflector shield and initiated an attack on the security complex. This assault was part of their larger objective: to acquire the plans for the Death Star.
The expansive Imperial security complex was built upon the surface of the tropical planet Scarif, located in the Outer Rim. The complex was composed of a substantial tower with a broad base, known as the Citadel Tower. This tower was surrounded by various support structures like hangar bays and barracks. The security complex acted as the central hub for research, structural engineering, supply storage, and manufacturing activities associated with Project Stardust. Project Stardust was a program dedicated to the creation of the Empire's planet-destroying battle station: the Death Star. Due to the complex's critical role in Project Stardust, Orson Krennic, the director of the Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research, frequently visited the facility. He maintained an executive landing pad atop the Citadel Tower. A train system, consisting of large armored wagons on reinforced tracks, was implemented to facilitate troop and supply transport between the Tower and the facilities located across the planet. This system allowed for the secure deployment of personnel to any location within the complex as needed.
Following its time above Geonosis, the Death Star's construction was relocated to Scarif. The facility was under the command of General Sotorus Ramda. In the period preceding the Battle of Yavin, the Alliance to Restore the Republic initiated an attack on Scarif as part of their mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. After penetrating the planet's deflector shield via a Shield Gate, the Rebel Alliance launched an assault on the security complex. While rebel forces engaged the Imperial garrison in a fierce battle on the ground and in space, Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor managed to transmit the plans, with considerable difficulty, to the rebel fleet in orbit. In a last-ditch effort to prevent the rebels from escaping with the stolen Death Star plans, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin ordered the Death Star to use its superlaser to destroy the security complex and Scarif. This resulted in the deaths of everyone on Scarif. However, despite Tarkin's actions, Princess Leia Organa successfully escaped with the Death Star plans aboard the CR90 corvette Tantive IV into hyperspace.
The Imperial security complex was a location conceived and developed for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the first Star Wars anthology film, which was released on December 16, 2016. The first glimpse of the complex was presented in the Rogue One teaser trailer on April 7, 2016.
During the early stages of Rogue One's development, the Imperial security complex was initially imagined as an installation where the Death Star would directly dock. It would function as an elevator, transporting materials from the planet's surface to the battle station. The facility's overall design drew inspiration from the data ports that R2-D2 accessed in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. While many aesthetic elements were preserved in the installation's final design, the docking tower was replaced with the Citadel Tower, which featured a large transmission array at its peak.