The Imperial Mission is an unprecedented program for the Galactic Empire in many ways. Not only does it spread the word of the Empire through non-violent means, but it also uses former Jedi to do it. These particular Jedi were captured on Coruscant when it was taken from the New Republic by the forces of Emperor Damascus. When Grand Admiral Thrawn took over as regent of the Empire, he released the Jedi that Damascus had imprisoned and offered them a chance to take part in a program to help the Empire rebuild worlds shattered by the Xen’Chi War.