Galactic Civil War

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Galactic Civil War

TheGalactic Civil War (2 BBY–19 ABY), also known as theImperial–Alliance War, and as theRepublic–Empire War by theyear18 ABY during the later phase of the conflict, and later theFirst Galactic Civil War by43 ABY, was a majorgalactic conflict fought primarily between theGalactic Empire and theAlliance to Restore the Republic. The Alliance was a rebel faction dedicated to the restoration of theGalactic Republic, the government that the Empire had supplanted at the culmination of theClone Wars in19 BBY.

The origins of the conflict could be traced to theGalactic Senate during the final days of the Old Republic, sometime after the Clone Wars, where dissenting and prominent Senators, such asBail Organa andMon Mothma, secretly opposed the powers and authority thatSupreme ChancellorPalpatine continued to accumulate under the guise of security and wartime measures.

The war did not begin in its real sense, that of an Alliance against the Empire with its goals and ideals laid out for the galaxy, until nearly two decades after the rise of the Empire, when various Rebel leaders signed theCorellian Treaty and issued theDeclaration of Rebellion. Likewise, several Imperial citizens, despite the Empire's atrocities, ended up siding with the Empire, as they were reluctant to join a group similar to the Separatists from the Clone Wars. Initially, the Empire, especially Palpatine, did not consider the Alliance a significant threat, but rather a political tool to further consolidate power that would eventually lead to thedissolution of theImperial Senate and a massive, unprecedented military build-up. Resistance was galvanized after the Empireobliterated theplanetAlderaan for Rebel sympathies, and afterLuke Skywalker destroyed thefirst Death Star at the fatefulBattle of Yavin. Thereafter, the threat posed by the Alliance became real to the Empire, and more serious measures were drafted to restore Imperial control over the galaxy.

The decisive moment came at theBattle of Endor, when the Alliance, against overwhelming odds, defeated theImperial Military and destroyed thesecond Death Star, killingEmperor Palpatine,Supreme CommanderDarth Vader and some of the best minds in theImperial High Command. From there, the Empire gradually decayed and fragmented, and despite resurgences underYsanne Isard,Grand AdmiralThrawn, arevived Emperor Palpatine, and AdmiralDaala, over a period of fifteen years it was reduced to a mereremnant of its former self, while the Alliance evolved and grew into theNew Republic. Peace between the two warring factions was realized in19 ABY with the signing of theBastion Accords between Grand AdmiralGilad Pellaeon andChief of StatePonc Gavrisom, ending over two decades of constant struggle. The Empire continued to exist as an autonomous entity in the years succeeding the war's end, and would eventually enter an alliance with its former enemy during theYuuzhan Vong War, andemerge as the galaxy's leading government overone hundred years later, seemingly bringing history back full-circle; however, the exploits of the Alliance and the New Republic were not forgotten, and the galaxy was still very different from what it had been during the Empire's reign.

The origins of the Galactic Civil War[]

Disturbance in the Senate[]

The emergence of theGalactic Empire was brought about by decades of engineering, manipulation, and deceit, masterminded by the cunning and elusiveDark Lord of the Sith,Darth Sidious, and carried out by his various apprentices and willing (and not-so-willing) agents and puppets. Under the guise of the charismaticSenator Palpatine ofNaboo, Sidious took full advantage of the corruption and inefficiencies in the Republic bureaucracy to have himself electedSupreme Chancellor.^[62] Once in office, Palpatine engineered the galaxywideClone Wars, secretly controlling both the Republic and theConfederacy of Independent Systems, as a means to further draw powers to his office. Citing special emergency wartime powers and mandates required to maintain security against the Separatist threat, Palpatine accrued autocratic power over the Republic.^[63] At the war's end, Palpatine did not relinquish his powers, instead instigating theGreat Jedi Purge by fabricating evidence that theJedi Council had attempted toassassinate him. Palpatinedeclared aNew Order and announced the creation of the Galactic Empire to much applause from the Senate, the culmination of theOrder of the Sith Lords' thousand-yearGrand Plan to seize control ofthe galaxy.^[64]

Taking the title ofGalactic Emperor, Palpatine set out to establish his authoritarian regime and end his Order's millennia-old feud with theJedi Order with the total annihilation of theJedi. Palpatine used the "Jedi Rebellion" as his means of turning public opinion against the Jedi, allowing him to enactOrder 66, a secret contingency order that hadclone troopers turn their weapons on their Jedi commanders. Of the several thousand Jedi in the galaxy, very few survived the execution of Order 66 and the subsequent Great Jedi Purge in19 BBY, most notablyJedi MastersObi-Wan Kenobi andYoda.^[64]

During this tumultuous time, two children, the offspring ofAnakin Skywalker andPadmé Amidala, were born.Luke andLeia Skywalker would grow up to lead the Alliance against the Empire and become heroes on their own right; at the time, however, they were separated at birth to escape the wrath of their father, Anakin, who had transformed into Palpatine's third apprentice,Darth Vader. Leia was adopted byBail Organa, and Luke was cared for by his family onTatooine,Beru andOwen Lars.^[64] AsSupreme Commander,^[52] Vader became Palpatine's chief enforcer and carried out his will with terrifying results; he hunted down and killed the remaining Jedi and stomped insurgency, all the while unaware that his children were alive, assuming they had died with his wife onMustafar.^[61]

With the Empire firmly established,Imperialization began throughout the galaxy. The Senate was reorganized into theImperial Senate, its powers and influence reduced as to become nothing more than a rubber-stamp assembly.^[65] Many Senators were all too willing to allow the Empire to come to pass, as many were under Palpatine's influence or saw it as necessary to secure galactic peace after the events of the Clone Wars. Much of the Galactic populace even saw the early Galactic Empire as an improvement on the Old Republic, particularly following the celebratedReconquest of the Rim from19 BBY to17 BBY, which in years to come many Imperial Loyalists would remember fondly as the final removal of Separatists and criminals and the long-overdue restoration of the rule of law in theOuter Rim Territories.^[14]

A few Senators, however, began to sow the seeds of dissent that would grow into the Rebel Alliance in the years to come; Bail Organa andMon Mothma were some such Senators, including the late Amidala, who urged patience in defying Palpatine's regime. If they acted too quickly, too overtly, Palpatine would crush them,^[61] and lingering fears of Separatism and disorder meant that it would take nearly twenty years for organized resistance against the Empire to be realized. While Organa and Mothma planned their resistance in aseries of meetings atCantham House onCoruscant, during this time Palpatine and his cabal had nearly free-reign in instituting the various new changes to the galaxy.Humanocentricpolicies became prominent, advocating human supremacy.^[12] Some species, such as theWookiees,Mon Calamari,Yuzzem, andLurrians were reclassified as non-sentient and subjected toslavery (or "domestication," as Imperial policy officially stated). State-sponsored terrorism soon became a policy of the Empire, with such notions as the concept of rule through fear, popularized by then-MoffWilhuff Tarkin'sDoctrine.^[27] Examples such as the pacification of theNembus sector and theKwymar Suppressions exemplified this brutal approach to stifling dissent in the Empire.^[65][66] Finally, theGhorman Massacre and the very concept of theDeath Star made it clear that the Empire was willing to use any means necessary to maintain its power and control over the galaxy, with no regard towards sentient rights. But the Empire's own disregard for its citizens and implementation of the Tarkin Doctrine would prove to be its undoing, as the sheer oppressiveness of the Imperial regime enraged many citizens, spreading dissent like wildfire.

Ferus Olin's adventures[]

When the Empire subjugated theCore WorldBellassa in17 BBY, formerJedi PadawanFerus Olin started an underground resistance movement by forming the group known asThe Eleven. Eventually, Imperial forces captured Olin and his business partnerRoan Lands and imprisoned them in the Empire's garrison/prison facility inUssa. But Olin escaped to go into hiding. The resistance movement had such an impact on theBellassans that nearly all of Ussa became devoted to protecting him, a fact that greatly displeasedInquisitorMalorum, the chief of security in Ussa.^[67]

Obi-Wan Kenobi eventually tracked down Ferus and decided to help him. Not long after Obi-Wan located Ferus, Malorum issuedContingency Order 37. Mass arrests were made in Ussa when this order was issued, and an ultimatum was issued over theHoloNet: if Ferus wasn't turned in within 48 hours after Order 37 was issued, all of the civilians would be executed. Though Ferus planned to give himself up, his safehouse was discovered byBoba Fett andD'harhan, a pair ofbounty hunters in Malorum's employ. Ferus and Obi-Wan managed to evade the bounty hunters and return to Ussa to devise a plan to rescue to civilians with the other members of the Eleven. The plan succeeded, but Obi-Wan and Ferus were exposed, and they, along with a boy namedTrever Flume, fled Bellassa.^[67]

Ferus and Obi-Wan eventually split up. After his association with the Jedi Master, Ferus decided to return to the Jedi Order and locate Jedi that survived Order 66, creating a safehouse for Jedi on an unchartedasteroid in the middle of an atmospheric storm.^[67]

During his search for Jedi refugees from the Empire, he was blackmailed into aiding Emperor Palpatine, but would act as a double-agent, seeking information and attempting to undermine the Empire from the inside, eventually confronting Darth Vader himself. His resistance movement spanned the galaxy from Bellassa, Acherin, Coruscant, Naboo, and Samaria to Alderaan as well as other planets. This lasted until the Empire thwarted his plans for early rebellion by destroying his secret asteroid base. He eventually accepted a mission from Obi-Wan to watch over Princess Leia Organa on Alderaan, where he would reside for many years. He would ultimately end up sacrificing himself to save Leia and her brother Luke from Vader, dying at the hands of the latter.^[67]

Starkiller's mission[]

Since18 BBY, Darth Vader had secretly been training anapprentice,Galen Marek, who had been captured as a child during thesuppression ofsurviving Jedi onKashyyyk. Around3 BBY, Marek was knighted as aSith Lord and received the codename of "Starkiller", and was sent on numerous missions to eliminate surviving Jedi and disparate rebel groups. At aTIE Fighter Construction Facility overNar Shaddaa, Starkillerdestroyed themilitia led by Jedi MasterRahm Kota and left their leader for dead. OnRaxus Prime, hekilled the insaneAleena JediKazdan Paratus. Finally, in amission onFelucia, he killed Jedi MasterShaak Ti. Starkiller expected to overthrow the Palpatine and rule the galaxy at Vader's side, but the Emperor had discovered his identity and ordered the Supreme Commander to kill him. Upon Starkiller's return, Vadersavagely injured him and cast his body into space.^[60]

Palpatine, however, came to think that Marek could be useful to him. Marek's body was recovered and sent for extensive medical treatment aboard the hospital shipEmpirical. Around2 BBY, Marek had recovered and was to be used to round up senators and leaders that were speaking against Empire in the Senate. Vader utilized Marek as an unwitting double agent, letting him believe that he was still working against the Emperor. Marekrecovered the blinded and despondent Rahm Kota fromBespin and convinced him to resume his fight against the Empire. He thenreturned to Kashyyyk, where PrincessLeia Organa was being held hostage by GovernorOzzik Sturn, and rescued Organa, killed Sturn, and disrupted the Empire's slaving operations against the Wookiees. Returning to Felucia, Marekfought the Empire's attempted genocide of theFelucians and rescued Bail Organa fromMaris Brood, Shaak Ti's grief-stricken apprentice. On Vader's advice, Marek subsequentlydestroyed a shipyard overRaxus Prime as a symbolic blow against the Empire.

Marek then gathered Senators such as Bail Organa, Bail's daughter Leia,Garm Bel Iblis, and Mon Mothma, as well as Jedi Master andGeneral Rahm Kota, onCorellia. In a swift series ofMeetings, they agreed to form theAlliance to Restore the Republic,^[60] signing theCorellian Treaty with other rebel organizations and organizing into one Alliance.^[69]

However, Vader, along with Imperial forces, raided the meeting, apprehended the rebels, and revealed to Marek that he had only been used as bait in rallying the Empire's enemies. The former Sith apprentice tracked the Supreme Commander and the captured Alliance leaders to theDeath Star in theHoruz system. There hedueled both Vader and Palpatine. Marek sacrificed himself, allowing the rebels to be rescued by hispilot,CaptainJuno Eclipse. Escaping to Kashyyyk, the senators, inspired by what he had done, vowed to continue with the Rebellion he had started.^[60]

The Declaration of Rebellion[]

Main article:Declaration of Rebellion

Following the signing of the Corellian Treaty, the new Alliance's leaders made a publicDeclaration of Rebellion in2 BBY. The Declaration was an overtly political one, intended to combat the Empire's propaganda that the Rebellion was nothing more than a new breed of Separatists. In it, the Rebels recognized the necessity of Galactic Government, but also declared that "when a Government displays a history of usurpation, abuse and moral atrocity, displaying a clear design to subjugate totally and absolutely beings born free under the auspices of nature, it is our right—our duty—to depose of that Government."^[69]

In addition to the symbolism of the Declaration, the Alliance took on a new emblem in the form of theMarek family crest, in memory of Galen Marek's sacrifice.^[60] Thus began the war that would last two decades and cost billions of lives.^[69][12]

History[]

Early campaigns (2–1 BBY)[]

The first strikes (2–1 BBY)[]

The Declaration of Rebellion had mixed results: somesystems enthusiastically declared their support for the Alliance. Branded the "Secession Worlds" by the Empire, they were swiftly crushed by theImperial Navy in engagements like theBattle of Chabosh. Additionally, while Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis and Bail Organa were united in their determination to defeat the Empire, they were divided on how to achieve that goal: Mothma feared that the new Alliance was too weak to risk its forces in pursuing even symbolic strikes, while Bel Iblis feared that inaction would lead to frustrated Rebels going their own way.^[14] Early victories were gained in battles atMantooine and theSilken Asteroids, and thefrigateSalvation was captured in askirmish over Ylesia.^[31] A decisive moment was theliberation ofGial Ackbar from slavery in theEriadu system. The Mon Calamari had been kept as a valet byGrand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and had been secretly feeding the Alliance Imperial Military secrets for months. Party to a great deal of information on Imperial Military doctrine, Ackbar would go on to be one of the Alliance's most successfulnaval commanders. However, at this early stage the Alliance's successes were few and far between.^[14]

One year after the Declaration of Rebellion,General Rahm Kota, tired of inaction, formedhis own commando squad, believing that tactical strikes by small forces against critical targets could effectively disrupt Imperial forces throughout an entire region. Kota successfully struck at Imperial targets on several worlds, includingDruckenwell,Selonia, andKuat, against the orders ofAlliance High Command, with the assistance of CaptainJuno Eclipse aboard theSalvation. In araid atCato Neimoidia, however, Kota was caught in an ambush and thought dead by the Alliance, though was in fact captured and forced intogladiatorial combat by the Imperial administrator,BaronMerillion Tarko.^[31]

Suspended from active duty over Cato Neimoidia, Juno Eclipse continued to support Kota's philosophy and enlisted the aid of Gial Ackbar for amission to Dac, which was still under Imperial occupation. Eclipse believed that a display of resistance would galvanize theDac rebels and bring them and theshipyards of theCalamari sector into the Alliance fold. The successful mission humiliatedGovernor Tarkin, who had believed that he could use the opportunity to recapture Ackbar and split the Mon Calamari Resistance, brought Dac closer to the Alliance, and united both the Mon Calamari and theQuarren in resisting the Empire, laying the groundwork for their eventualsuccessful revolt.^[31][14]

Unbeknownst to the Alliance, Darth Vader had spent the past six months attempting toclone Galen Marek, ultimately producing andtraining a stable clone known asStarkiller, whom he planned to send to kill Kota. However, after Starkiller hadvisions of Juno Eclipse, whom Galen Marek had come tolove, Vader dismissed him as anaberrant clone and attempted to kill him. Starkillerescaped from thecloning facility onKamino and resolved to join the Alliance and find Eclipse.Rescuing Rahm Kota fromTarko-se on Cato Neimoidia, the two attempted to rejoin theRebel fleet in theItani Nebula, but the fleet wasengaged by Imperial forces led by the bounty hunter Boba Fett, whom Vader had contracted to capture Eclipse, knowing Starkiller would seek to rescue her.^[68]

Abducting Eclipse and bringing her to Kamino, Starkiller and the Alliance pursued andbattled the Empire over the ocean planet, taking heavy casualties. The battle culminated with theSalvation being used as aramship to take down the shield aroundTimira City, allowing Starkiller and General Kota's troops to enter the city, rescue Captain Eclipse and even captureLord Vader.^[68]

Though the Dark Lord of the Sith would ultimately escape, Alliance morale soared in the aftermath of the victory on Kamino. Additionally, Mon Mothma came to accept the need for greater action against the Empire, and seriously considered adopting Eclipse and Kota's tactics.^[31]

Operation Domino (1 BBY)[]

Main article:Operation Domino

Later in1 BBY, the Alliance crafted its first war plan,Operation Domino. This envisioned the Rebellion's newly organizedSector Forces defeating Imperial garrisons in showpiece ground battles across the galaxy, then digging in behind theirplanetary shields. It was expected that such examples would inspire a galaxywide revolution against the Empire.^[14]

In the event, Operation Domino met with disaster: the vast majority of the Sector Forces were ill-equipped or ill-trained, or lacked essential elements like air support. Virtually every uprising was swiftly put down by theImperial Military.^[14] AtDalron Five, Imperial forcesbesieged the planet and broke through to the surface using siege techniques developed byJan Dodonna, resulting in heavy civilian casualties. The operation prompted Dodonna to defect to the Alliance.^[70] The Alliance was vastly outmanned and outgunned by the well-organized and powerful Imperial Military. Sporting a vast fleet supplied by such companies asKuat Drive Yards and anArmy andStormtrooper Corps that numbered in the billions, the Empire secured a stranglehold on the galaxy that was impossible to challenge conventionally.^[65]

However, Operation Domino did contain a few bright spots that in the long term would be enormously decisive: theliberation ofDac was one of the few successes of the campaign, and theCalamari sector became a potent Rebel redoubt for nearly the entirety of the war. Calamariwarships that had escaped theImperial occupation, led by theIndependence, were added to the Alliance arsenal. TheMon Calamari Council nominally declared neutrality and heavilymined the routes leading into their sector, thus ensuring that any campaign to reclaim the region would be incredibly costly for the Empire. The Empire was hesitant to engage in such a campaign, fearing that anything other than a quick victory would embolden other rebellious systems.^[14]Early efforts by the Empire to reclaim Dac ultimatelydeveloped into fiascos.^[32] The Mon Calamari became an essential source of ships and supplies for the Rebellion, formally declaring for the Alliance in0 ABY.^[14]

This helped the Alliance's chances of survival, but it was still too small to directly confront the might of the Imperial Navy. The Rebels' bravery also inspired a surge of sympathy for them across the galaxy, including within the ranks of the Imperial Military. Numerous officers, including General Jan Dodonna, AdmiralAdar Tallon, and GeneralKryll, had seen their faith in the Empire sorely tested by its increasingly brutal and arbitrary conduct, and defected to the Alliance.^[14]

The Alliance strategy[]

The failure of Operation Domino convinced Mon Mothma that the Alliance could not win the Civil War if it fought conventionally. This prompted a divide between Mothma and her officers in Alliance High Command: as former Republic officers or Imperial defectors, they saw the struggle in terms of territory, and envisioned an advance from the fortified redoubt of Mon Calamari to seize the restlessTion Cluster, and from there move down thePerlemian Trade Route to capture restive worlds likeRoche,Contruum and Kashyyyk.^[14] Mon Mothma saw this as inevitably leading to a repeat of theOuter Rim Sieges, which would end with the Alliance's territories being ground down by the Empire's superior industrial base.^[71] Mothma thus favored astateless strategy: the Alliance was relegated to hit-and-run tactics, designed to harass Imperial shipping and operations.^[69]

TheAlliance Army was reorganized around theSpecForces: optimized for commando warfare and numbering barely one hundred thousand beings, the SpecForces became a flexible backbone for the entire Rebellion. Barracks regiments acted as specialist support echelons for other branches of theAlliance Military, while temporary task forces were detached for missions. Often, both regiments and task forces were used to buttress the weaknesses of the Alliance's localSector Forces.^[14]

As ground tactics shifted,Starfighter Command came to the fore, championed by General Jan Dodonna ofCommenor. A proponent of the largely unfashionable view that thestarfighter corps should be a separate branch of the military, Dodonna believed thathyperspace-capablestarfighters couldundermine the Empire's control of space. He demonstrated this with raids conducted byBTL Y-wing starfighters that destroyedStar Destroyer fleets atDenab,Vnas andTarawa. Thereafter, finding suitable targets for theAlliance Starfighter Corps became the priority forAlliance Intelligence, while Dodonna gearedOrdnance and Supply and theSupport Services to providing the materiel and men for raiding.^[14]

As the Rebellion grew, starfighters became its primary combat force, though the majority of fighter squadrons were attached to Sector Forces, or to the increasingly powerfulFleet Command. In the Alliance's early years, the brunt ofspace combat was borne by localSector Forces, particularly Garm Bel Iblis'Corellian Resistance. Fleet Command was created to oversee the ragtag collection ofcruisers that had escaped their home sectors, most notably the Alliance flagshipIndependence, which had escaped the occupation ofDac. The success of their starfighter tactics led many Rebel commanders to distrust cruiser warfare, but Mothma insisted on building up abattle line, led by the old CIS warshipsRebel One andFortressa as well as her own flagshipNew Hope. The newAlliance Fleet was under Dodonna's overall command, with its senioradmirals including Gial Ackbar of Dac.^[14] The Fleet would roam the galaxy, challenging Imperial authority merely by existing, and waiting for the chance of a decisive battle with the Galactic Empire.^[71]

Finally, diplomatic efforts were made by such Rebel leaders as Leia Organa to win the hearts and minds of species across the galaxy to add to the Rebel cause. Under the guise of mercy missions delivering aid to planets in need, Leia conducted her missions under secrecy aboard theTantive IV, her membership of the Imperial Senate giving her diplomatic immunity. Leia's missions in support of rebel groups took her toKostra,Belassar, andGendrah-Narvin. She secretly supported anuprising onSolaest, and helped GeneralCarlist Rieekan coordinate anevacuation of Rebel assets atNentan.^[4]

With the war still in its infancy, the Alliance and Empire both fought each other across an ever-widening playing field. The Alliance could not hope to make a direct stand against the Empire and thus spread out across the galaxy, planting cells and sowing dissent amongst population centers. The Empire, with its vast resources, fought to keep up and hunt the Alliance down. Fighting erupted onBarkhesh,Immalia,Ord Torrenze, and even atSalline on Mon Mothma's homeworld ofChandrila.^[72] Alliance outposts, such as one on Kashyyyk, werelocated and destroyed.^[73]

As the Rebellion grew, so too did the ferocity with which it was hunted. Entire sectors were set upon by Imperial forces, whenever they were identified as hotbeds for Rebel activity. AtBompreil, efforts toroot out a Rebel cell resulted in heavy civilian casualties.^[74] TheSullustan moon ofSulon wasviolently subjugated byInquisitorJerec after the inhabitants asserted independence from the corporate control of theSoroSuub Corporation, killing all the Rebels and desecrating their bodies. Shortly afterwards, a Rebel communications center on the asteroidAX-456 wasdestroyed bystormtroopers led byCadet LeaderKyle Katarn, who ultimately defected to the Rebel Alliance after he learned thathis father had been killed on Sulon.^[75] Thesmugglershadowports ofDatar andNar Shaddaa were attacked inseparatebattles in an effort to destroy the Rebels' smuggling-based supply network.^[76]

The X-wing and Turkana (1 BBY)[]

Main articles:Fresian campaign,Battle of Turkana andOperation Strike Fear

In1 BBY, a pivotal moment in the war occurred when the Empire nationalized theIncom Corporation. This caused a stir throughout the corporation that led designers and staff to offer their help to the Alliance. Through this, the Alliance learned of theT-65 X-wing starfighter and a holding facility onFresia where four prototypes of the starfighter were held. Seeking to replace the agingZ-95 Headhunters, Alliance Command thus launched theFresian campaign, aimed at stealing the X-wing prototypes in hopes of eventually mass-producing the starfighter for use against the Empire. Led byRaymus Antilles, a diversionaryassault was made onKuat, and asecond onWayland, to draw the Imperial forces away from Fresia. The Alliance then landed on Fresia and in thebattle that followed captured the prototypes. The Alliance subsequentlyrescued the Incom design team from Imperial captivity in theKessel system.^[73]

With the X-wing in possession, an Alliance task force led by Gial Ackbar defeated Imperial units at theBattle of Turkana; surprised by the Alliance's "secret weapon," the Imperial forces led byXamuel Lennox andFirmus Piett were destroyed. The Empire retaliated withOperation Strike Fear, an offensive intended to pacify Rebel systems in the restless Tion Cluster. The Alliance discovered the operation intworeconnaissance missions in theDellalt system led byKeyan Farlander, forcing them toevacuate theirbase onBrigia. The Alliance successfully delayed the operation with thecapture of an Imperial convoy, but the Imperials recovered with victories atRudrig andOrion IV.^[32] Elsewhere, Rebel Y-wings broke the Imperialsiege ofAnk Ki'Shor, saving its population from anorbital bombardment.^[77]

Imperial forces were drawn away from the Tion Cluster after theSullustan Resistance overthrew the SoroSuub-dominated corporate government of Sullust, which was backed by the Empire. In response, Imperial reinforcements in theSullust system captured numerousSullustan technicians, who were subsequentlyrescued by Alliance forces, paving the way fordiplomatic negotiations between Sullust and the Alliance. With the Sullustans in the Alliance's fold, together with information supplied by CommanderCrix Madine, a disaffected Imperial officer who was considering defection, the Alliancedestroyed the Star DestroyerInvincible, the flagship of the operation.^[32]

In the aftermath of Turkana, Ackbar was invited back to theCalamari sector to lead the rebuiltCalamari Defense Force. Ackbar resigned from the Alliance Fleet, but continued to supervise theShantipole Project—the Alliance's effort to create theB-wing starfighter—from afar, and worked to secure Dac's commitment to the Rebel cause. With the rescue of the Incom design team, Alliance began mass production of the X-wing starfighter, sharing the plans with sympathetic governments and species, including theVerpine and the Mon Calamari, assembling the craft in secret hangars and clandestine dry docks across the galaxy. The superlative fighter proved its worth in the subsequentFei Hu campaign of1 BBY, where theLightspeed Panthers fighter wing destroyed 286 TIE Fighters in nine months with the loss of only four T-65s. The humiliating destruction of three Imperial capital ships by the unsupported X-wings ofRenegade Flight at theBattle of Ton-Falk prompted the Empire to develop theTon Falk-class escort carrier. While later campaigns were less one-sided, with the Imperial introduction of theTon Falk-class, theTIE/IN interceptor and theLancer-class frigate, the Galactic Empire was never seriously able to challenge Rebel dominance in the air.^[14]

The ultimate power in the universe (1–0 BBY)[]

The Death Star and the Tarkin Doctrine[]

Main articles:Death Star andTarkin Doctrine

TheDeath Star project and other Imperialsuperweapons were the Empire's attempts to correct the Rebels'stateless strategy. Even with the immense size of the Imperial Navy, the galaxy was still far too large to be effectively policed, and the Rebel Alliance undermined the Empire throughhit-and-run strikes launched from hidden bases.^[4] The Empire's response was a policy of reprisal, a system of state terror that was institutionalized in the Tarkin Doctrine.^[65] However, the policy of overwhelming force in an effort to deny the Rebels haven did more to foment resistance than eliminate it.^[4]

The creation of theDeath Star was intended to reverse such a state of affairs by introducing the possibility of a reprisal so terrifying—namely, the destruction of entire planets—that no world would risk aiding the Rebellion. It came about in a roundabout way, first being suggested as theExpeditionary Battle Planetoid by then-Commander Wilhuff Tarkin to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in29 BBY as a means of correcting lawlessness on the Outer Rim. As his alter ego Darth Sidious, Palpatine orderedGeonosian Industries andPoggle the Lesser to begin conceptualizing the "Ultimate Weapon." WhenGeonosis fell to the Republic in the first battle of the Clone Wars,CountDooku delivered theplans to Sidious on Coruscant. Construction of thefirst Death Star began over occupied Geonosis in the weeks after the Clone Wars ended. Tarkin's involvement in the development of the Death Star came full circle in18 BBY, when he presented his fully formed Tarkin Doctrine to Emperor Palpatine. Impressed, Palpatine promoted Tarkin to the new rank of Grand Moff and placed in command of the Death Star project.^[4]

Construction of the Death Star was slow: the necessity of keeping such a project a secret meant that it was beset by supply problems, and uprisings by slave laborers and sabotage meant that the construction site had to be moved multiple times. The battlestation took nearly nineteen years to complete, but when it was finally operational in0 BBY it was the largest starship ever built: 120 kilometers in diameter, it boasted asuperlaser main weapon that could destroy an entire planet, and was invulnerable to even the largest fleet attacks.^[14]

However, the Death Star, and the strategy of terror it implied, caused strong friction within the Imperial Military's hierarchy. The "Generationals" of the Imperial Navy—those whose families had done military service for centuries—saw the fleet as a tool for establishing stability and order, and through it bring peace. They were horrified by the Tarkin Doctrine's principle of "rule through fear of force." The Death Star project even led MoffKalast to defect to the Rebellion. In contrast, up-and-coming officers like Tarkin and AdmiralConan Antonio Motti despised the Generationals for their commitment to traditional strategies and believed in the power of example to cow the rest of the galaxy into submission.^[4] Motti's arguments won Tarkin's ear, and he was appointed commander of Naval Operations aboard the Death Star.^[78]

The concerns of the Navy were, ironically, best articulated byHigh GeneralCassio Tagge of the Imperial Army, and commander ofArmy Operations aboard the Death Star. Tagge believed that the traditional model of the Navy commanding space to protect the Army in ground assaults was a proven, efficient and flexible strategy. He also considered the Alliance far more dangerous than the Empire realized, and that the Death Star was drawing away resources from more valuable endeavors like the stalledSarlacc Project, the development of anew class of gargantuanStar Dreadnoughts. Motti's response was that the mere existence of the Death Star left the Army free to act, and that if it met serious resistance on the ground, the Army could withdraw and the Death Star destroy the planet. Tagge's arguments that this was an inflexible strategy and Motti's flippant attitude, mockingly referring to the Navy as "your starfleet" to bait the General, habitually complicated operations on the Death Star.^[4]

Kalast's insurrection (1 BBY)[]

The Death Star project led the ImperialMoffKalast to contemplate defection to the Rebel Alliance, slipping information on the Death Star to theBothans and the Alliance at large from his Star Destroyer. Kalast hid onThyferra, and Vader was personally assigned the task of hunting down and bringing the treacherous Moff to Imperial justice. Afterescaping arrest at Thyferra, Kalast began fomenting uprisings against the Empire, first with aninsurrection onFondor, and then abattle onJabiim.^[73]

With information obtained from Jabiim, Vader learned that Kalast had fled to his base onAtzerri. Two battles were fought over Atzerri,the first between the Empire, Alliance, and a pirate who offered to sell information on the Rebellion to the Empire, andthe second in an attempt by Vader to arrest Kalast. However, the elusive Moff escaped. Enraged at yet another failure, the Supreme Commander established a task force complete with a newly mintedImmobilizer 418 cruiser to scour the galaxy and find the traitor. In an effort to protect Kalast, the Alliance Fleet engaged the Empire in a string of battles atShola,Dantooine, andNal Hutta. After perhaps months of actively pursuing the traitor, Vader finally pinned Kalast down andcaptured him. Kalast was brought before Palpatine and executed after he was forced to divulge his dealings with the Bothans, which led to thedeaths of many Bothans in a punitive mission toBothawui.^[73]

Operation Skyhook (1–0 BBY)[]

Main articles:Operation Skyhook andDeath Star plans

A project as massive as the Death Star could not be kept entirely secret. Through a combination of rumors, raids and an efficient and widespread intelligence network of Bothan spies, the Alliance learned of the construction of the Death Star.^[27] The Alliance thus launchedOperation Skyhook, one of the widest-ranging operations in its history, aimed at acquiring a complete set of plans for the Death Star so that they might locate and exploit a weakness. All resources were poured into the effort; if such a weapon was unleashed upon the galaxy, it would spell certain doom for the Alliance.^[12]

Construction of the Death Star had thus far taken many years; supervised by Tarkin, the project had hit many standstills, some of which included a shortage of labor, which was alleviated through theSubjugation of Geonosis and the enslavement of theGeonosians.^[73] Soon after, ariot erupted aboard the Death Star, led by Rebel prisoners. They managed to steal a technical readout of the battle station; while many of the rioters were killed, some escaped with the plans to theRebel base onPolis Massa, where they were transferred to Alliance Command amid araid on the base by the501st Legion.^[79] The Alliance received fresh confirmation of the progress of the Death Star project from an informant recovered by Princess Leia Organa under the guise of a mercy mission during theSubjugation of Ralltiir, which was later corroborated by the Imperial officerCommodoreLordTion.^[12]

The Polis Massa plans, combined with another setacquired by Kyle Katarn atDanuta,^[80] and another acquired during theBattle of Toprawa, allowed the Alliance to conceive a full technical readout of the Death Star that could be analyzed for weaknesses. The complete plans, however, were trapped onToprawa by Imperial reinforcements led by Lord Vader. Under the guise of a mercy mission, Princess Leia arrived in theToprawa system, and the plans were beamed to theTantive IV.^[27] The Signal branch ofImperial Intelligence'sAnalysis Bureau, however, tracked the transmission from Toprawa to Leia Organa's ship and Darth Vader's Star Destroyer, theDevastator, began an immediate pursuit.^[65]

Hoping to enlist the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Leia Organa rushed towards Tatooine with the plans in hand; however, Vader caught up and captured theTantive IV in ashort space battle. As Vader's forces entered her ship, Leia Organa made a desperate gamble and hid the plans of the Death Star in theastromech droidR2-D2. R2-D2, along withC-3PO, aprotocol droid on the ship, used anescape pod to travel to Tatooine, where they were purchased from theJawa scavengers who found them by Owen Lars, uncle of Luke Skywalker.^[27] Stormtrooper units, including the 501st Legion and theDesert Sands, were deployed to Tatooine to find the missingdroids, while Rebel forces in theTatoo system began adesperate series of skirmishes in an effort to waylay the Imperial search.^[81]

Skywalker soon discovered a portion of the message in R2-D2 and became interested. However, R2-D2, operating under programming included with the plans, escaped and tried to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Skywalker, who encountered Kenobi in theJundland Wastes, tracked him down. R2-D2 then played back for them Leia Organa's desperate plea for help. The two discovered that Imperial stormtroopers had attacked the Jawas who had sold them the two droids in a search for the plans. Luke returned to his home to find his aunt and uncle slaughtered at Imperial hands. He then accompanied Kenobi toMos Eisley, where, after evading Imperial troops, the two negotiated with smugglerHan Solo and his first mate,Chewbacca, to take them and the plans toAlderaan aboard theMillennium Falcon.^[27]

The destruction of Alderaan (0 BBY)[]

Main articles:Destruction of Alderaan andRescue of Princess Leia

In the meantime, Emperor Palpatine used the ongoing war as a pretext fordissolving the Imperial Senate.^[27][65] With the Death Star shortly to become operational, Palpatine felt that he no longer had any need of the last remnants of the Republic's bureaucracy to control the Outer Rim. The fear engendered by the battle station would be the principal source of Imperial control in the Outer Rim.^[27]

Princess Organa was transferred to the Death Star by Lord Vader and interrogated for the location of the Alliance's hidden base. Leia refused to yield totorture, but was forced into a difficult position when Governor Tarkin threatened to destroy Alderaan, her homeworld, if she did not reveal the base's location. Fearing the loss of Alderaan, but understanding she could not betray her allies onYavin 4, Leia lied to Tarkin and Vader, declaring that the base was on distant Dantooine, isolated from the galaxy at large. Tarkin, confident in his victory, continued with the operation to destroy Alderaan regardless, stating that Dantooine was "too remote for an effective demonstration." Thus,Alderaan was destroyed by a single blast from the Death Star, an act ofmundicide that killed billions of sentients, including Bail Organa, and sealed the fate of the Empire.^[27]

The Grand Moff of theOversector Outer still had matters with the Rebel base; a scout team was sent to Dantooine to ascertain whether a base was indeed there. Meanwhile, theMillennium Falcon arrived in-system, carrying Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R2-D2, who still had the Death Star's technical readouts. Trapped aboard the Death Star due to the massive array oftractor beams, Luke sought torescue Leia while Obi-Wan went alone to disable the tractor beam generator and confront Darth Vader.^[27]

Tarkin ordered Leia's execution when he learned of her deceit; however, before the order could be carried out, Luke rescued her. A daring escape through the Death Star's corridors commenced. As they made it to the hangar to escape aboard theFalcon, a concerned Luke watched as Obi-Wan Kenobi faced off against his former apprentice, Darth Vader. With a knowing smile, Obi-Wan purposefully let down his guard and allowed himself to be cut down by Vader'slightsaber, immediately becoming one withthe Force as his physical form disappeared.^[27]

The Battle of Yavin (0 BBY)[]

Main article:Battle of Yavin

TheMillennium Falcon escaped soon after, pursued by severalTIE Fighters but ultimately allowed to escape by Tarkin, as he hoped that theFalcon would lead straight to the Rebels' hidden base. His plan proved effective; with a homing beacon aboard the ship, the Empire learned that the Rebels were hiding on Yavin 4. Aftersending a platoon of stormtroopers to the moon to confirm Rebel activity,^[81] course was set to the Yavin system to destroy the Alliance.^[27]

In theGreat Temple, the technical readouts were analyzed and an attack plan was conceived by Jan Dodonna. With the Death Star looming overhead and entering range to unleash its superlaser, Rebel ships took off in a desperate attempt to destroy the behemoth battle station. The plan called for cutting across the Death Star's equatorial trench and following it down to a small thermal exhaust port, where a singleproton torpedo would be able to reach the Death Star's main reactor and set off a chain reaction, should it hit. In an intensebattle, Rebel pilots attempted to stave off Imperial starfighters while attack runs were made against the exhaust port. Tarkin, underestimating the Alliance's chances, refused to send out more than a squadron of starfighters to deal with the Rebel problem; he ignored ChiefMoradmin Bast's warnings of a threat to the exhaust port and continued with his descent upon Yavin IV.^[27]

As Darth Vader and other Imperial pilots destroyed Rebel pilots one by one, Luke Skywalker,Biggs Darklighter, andWedge Antilles made one last run against the trench. Vader killed Biggs and forced Wedge to retreat, and was moments away from shooting down his son, Luke, before Han Solo entered the fight with theMillennium Falcon. Solo drove Vader out of the battle, giving Luke one shot at the thermal port. The attack succeeded, and moments later the Death Star exploded, taking with it millions of Imperial lives. Yavin 4, and the Alliance, was saved.^[27]

This pivotal moment secured Luke Skywalker's journey towards being a Jedi Knight, and marked a major turning point in the galactic war against the Empire. From then on, the Empire no longer took the Rebellion for granted; Palpatine issued directives to drastically increase the size of the military, expanding the armed forces to unprecedented levels to counter the threat of the Alliance and growing dissent across the galaxy.^[69][65]

After Yavin (0–2 ABY)[]

The Blockade of Yavin (0 ABY)[]

Main articles:Yavin blockade andEvacuation of Yavin

The Battle of Yavin gave the Rebel Alliance credibility as a legitimate military threat to the Empire. With the Death Star's loss over Yavin, theDestruction of Alderaan and the murder of billions was no longer an object lesson, but a rallying cry for the resistance. The Empire increasingly relied on acts of terror to stamp out dissent, for example, the release of theCandorian plague onDentaal.^[71] In theTion Hegemony,Clariv was subjugated for Rebel sympathies.^[77]

The Rebel commanders knew celebrations would be short-lived. Because of the Death Star's destruction, the Empire would focus all of its military might into destroying the Rebels.^[12] Preparations were made for a full-scale evacuation of Massassi Station and relocation to another secure hideout. The Empire expected the Rebels to flee Yavin immediately, but instead much of the base remained intact. Jan Dodonna supervised evacuation efforts, but while some heavy equipment and critical supplies were removed, he convinced Mon Mothma that most personnel and equipment could be hastily evacuated at short notice. He saw making a stand on Yavin 4 as a powerful statement of defiance and a recruiting tool.^[14]

In turn, the Empire countered with apropaganda effort of its own: just prior to Yavin, the planetOrd Biniir had beentaken by a force of Rebel Y-wings. Thesecond squadron of the181st Imperial Fighter Wing, led by CaptainSoontir Fel, was sent to retake the planet. Under Fel's expert leadership, theSecond Battle of Ord Biniir was an utter rout. But for the fact it had happened on the same day as the Battle of Yavin, Ord Biniir would have been a terrible Rebel defeat. However, the Empire heavily publicized the victory to distract from Yavin, and Fel was publicly promoted toMajor and givende facto command of his unit, which was rebuilt as an elite group. The 181st Imperial Fighter Group would become one of the most celebrated units of the Galactic Empire'sStarfighter Corps, and one of the most feared by the Alliance.^[14]

The Imperial Navy established aloose blockade around theYavin system, but it was complicated by a lack of ships. The starfleet was spread thin searching for the roving Alliance Fleet, and to commit too many ships to Yavin would allow the Rebels to make major strikes elsewhere and make the Empire look impotent. Alternatively, if too few were committed, Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar might arrive in strength to break the blockade and win a second battle of Yavin. Darth Vader, meanwhile, was committed to leading the attack on Yavin personally from the bridge of his nearly completeStar DreadnoughtExecutor, a colossal warship designed to be so powerful that its mere existence would pacify multiple sectors.^[14] As theExecutor was completed, the blockade would fix the Rebels in place.^[71]

However, the Yavin blockade was riven by infighting betweenBaronOrman Tagge and MoffNox Vellam of theBright Jewel Oversector. Consequently, during the siege, Luke Skywalker and other Rebel pilots slipped through the blockade to perform covert missions and search for a suitable planet to relocate from Yavin. One suchmission took Luke to Fondor, where he saw the final stages of theExecutor's construction before its departure to Yavin. A subsequentmission took Luke toAridus, where he assisted theChubbit resistance in destroying an Imperialsignal amplifier known as theIron Tower. On his return from this mission, Luke stumbled upon the ice world ofHoth after an accident with a comet, which he reported back to Alliance Command as the perfect spot to relocate after Yavin was evacuated.^[83]

With theExecutor's launch, the Alliance launched a formalevacuation of Yavin. The 501st Legion descended upon the moon with elements of the Imperial Army and besieged the Alliance temple and headquarters; during a series of skirmishes that lasted some time, many Alliance commanders and personnel were killed, and Dodonna was captured and presumed killed by the surviving Alliance personnel who escaped through the Imperial blockade.^[12][79]

To aid evacuation efforts, Admiral Ackbar led theMon Calamari fleet in a diversionary assault on the nearby planetsKli'aar,Pinoora, and theVallusk Cluster; the assault was a success, with a significant portion of the Imperial fleet diverting its resources to deal with Ackbar.^[83] However, the assault showed that Mon Mothma and other Alliance commanders needed a stronger, unified fleet. Ackbar was promoted to Supreme Commander of the Rebel Fleet and military, and efforts were made to increase the size of the standard military.

Meanwhile, the Massassi leadership, prepared to escape down a series of secret routes to the Hydian Way via the uninhabitedTertiary Feswe system. However, the Empire cut off the Tertiary Feswe andFeswe Minor routes, forcing the Rebels to make a risky escape around the unstable starFeswe Prime, assisted by Luke Skywalker's use of the Force. Vader moved theExecutor to intercept, but was thwarted when the over-eager AdmiralAmise Griff rushed to engage, causing three of his Star Destroyers to come out of hyperspace right on top of theExecutor and slam into its shields. In the confusion, the Alliance escaped.^[71]

Alliance on the Run (0–1 ABY)[]

Subsequent Rebel operations were driven by the need to replenish supplies before they could relocate to a new base.^[71] Contact was made with Imperial OverlordGhorin of theGreater Plooriod Cluster, who offered his defection and aid along with badly needed shipments of grain. However, Ghorin had no intentions of defecting; his grain was poisoned and he intended to betray the Alliance. Unfortunately for Ghorin, the Alliance discovered his plan, and throughOperation Grain Snatch turned the tables on the Imperial Overlord. Through careful manipulation by the Alliance, Ghorin was seen as a traitor to the Empire; after the success of the operation, Vader paid a visit to Ghorin and, taken in by the Alliance ruse, killed the Overlord.^[32]

Subsequent to the Yavin evacuation was theReytha campaign, a Rebel operation on one of the Empire's most productiveagriworlds to acquire its food supplies. For a time, it succeeded owing to the complicity or incompetence ofGovernorAntes Belladar. However, after the capture of Yavin, Darth Vader extracted information from Jan Dodonna about the Rebel operation onReytha and dispatched his fleet to the Reytha system. He made contact with Governor Belladar, who sought help against the Rebel forces. Vader was suspicious of the Governor, but nonetheless annihilated the Rebel outpost. After the last of the Rebels were routed, Vader killed Belladar and installed a new Governor.^[19]

Meanwhile, in the absence of Dodonna's military leadership and Organa's diplomacy, a rift broke open between the two senior-most political leaders of the Rebellion, Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis. Increasingly wary of Mothma's ambitions, Bel Iblis became critical of her leadership and openly questioned her judgement. The breaking point was reached on the eve of araid on an Imperial base atMilvayne. Mothma had given approval for the attack on Milvayne without seeking the consent of Bel Iblis or any of her other military advisors.^[50]

A livid Bel Iblis requested that she postpone or reconsider the attack, citing his intelligence sources which told him that the purported Milvayne garrison was in fact a heavily fortified ImperialUbiqtorate base. Neither Mothma's nor his own troops were prepared to deal with such military might, he argued. As Mothma overruled him, Bel Iblis questioned her motives in ordering the attack, claiming it was simply part of a grab for power on her part. The two traded thinly veiled insults, with Bel Iblis eventually stating that none of his troops would have a part in the attack. For his dissent, Mothma told Bel Iblis that the Rebellion no longer required his services. In a chasm that would not be closed until9 ABY, Bel Iblis and theCorellian forces loyal to him withdrew from the Alliance, continuing the fight against the Empire on their own accord.^[84]

AtTingel Deepspace Besh, the bulk of theAlliance fleet wereambushed by the ImperialDeath Squadron, suffering near-catastrophe. The Empire hadreprogrammed the captured Rebel mathematicianJorin Sol to act as an Imperial agent. After he was rescued fromKalist VI by Luke Skywalker, Sol was cleared to return to duty, but he transmitted the Rebel fleet's location to the Empire, as well as its escape vectors. The Imperial fleet dropped out of hyperspace right after Jorin Sol's attempted assassination of the commanders on boardRebel One and began firing on the Rebel fleet, destroying transports and smaller capital shipsen masse. However, Sol fought off his programming long enough convinceTungo Li to order all Rebel ships to scatter into hyperspace rather than follow the now-revealed escape algorithms, which would only bring them to another Imperial fleet. Despite this, much of the fleet was deemed lost, possibly for good.^[14]

The disaster at Deepspace Besh might have been a mortal blow to the Rebellion, but the Alliance was saved by two things. Firstly, the Bothan political leaderBorsk Fey'lya committed his sizeable faction of theBothan Spynet to the Rebellion. Fey'lya had been impressed by the victory at Yavin, but many recognized that he had made his move not for ideological reasons, but to gain more status and power.^[12] Secondly, at Admiral Ackbar's urging, the Mon Calamari formally entered the war on the side of the Alliance.

In the aftermath of Yavin, Admiral Ackbar had traveled to his homeworld to convince the Mon Calamari Council to back the Rebellion, and after being rescued by theHeroes of Yavin from the Empire at theBattle of Daluuj, the Mon Calamari donated their entire naval strength to the Alliance. Mon Calamari Star Cruisers became the backbone of the Alliance Fleet, under the command of Admiral Ackbar as Supreme Commander. Ackbar reorganized and trained the ragtag group of ships and crews into a fighting force capable of facing the Empire. Ackbar shared with Mon Mothma an unease towards the Alliance's excessive reliance on raids by the Special Forces and Starfighter Corps, while at the same time rejecting the insistence of traditional strategists in the Alliance that the Rebellion should seek to seize territory.^[14]

Ackbar and Mothma drafted a new "fleet-first" strategy for the Rebellion. The traditionalists in the Alliance hailed Ackbar's reorganization of the fleet into a single armada powerful enough to challenge anybattle squadron of the Imperial Navy, but Ackbar looked at the fleet beyond its tactical role: his strategic thinking was cautious, conservative, and perfectly suited for the Alliance's guerrilla operations. He sawcapital ships as the decisive force ofspace warfare, which, like the mighty ocean predators of his homeworld, would hide in the deeps and strike when the enemy showed weakness. The Alliance Fleet would roam the galaxy, holding back from combat and building up its strength, becoming an ever-greater psychological threat to the New Order and undermining its authority merely by continuing to exist.^[14]

The Rebellion continued to stage guerrilla strikes on the Empire over the next year, includingOperation Ram's Head, which demolished four Star Destroyers indrydock. The Alliance Fleet remained scattered, however, and the military leadership continued to search for a new base.^[12] For fear of losing both in a single Imperial strike, Mon Mothma refused to join the Alliance's civilian government with the military leadership. Even though the Alliance's strategists warned that this increased the cost of operations enormously, it was a strategy that paid dividends during the near-disaster atTingel Deepspace Besh.^[4] The jungle planet ofThila was briefly used, but it was abandoned when it was suggested that the Empire would expect the Rebels to move to another jungle world like Yavin 4.^[12]

The Dark Trooper Project (1 ABY)[]

Main article:Dark Trooper Project

TheDark Trooper Project was a secret Imperial weapons program developed byRom Mohc to create the Empire's next generation of stormtroopers. The Dark Trooper was a highly advancedbattle droid that would, in time, succeed the stormtrooper as the main fighting unit of the Imperial Military.^[80]

The project was run from Mohc's production facility, the factory shipArc Hammer. After a devastatingattack onTalay, which saw the destruction ofTak Base, the Dark Troopers proved their effectiveness in their first combat operation. Kyle Katarn andJan Ors, mercenaries under the Alliance's employment, made famous for their previous efforts at collecting the data for the Death Star, were assigned by Mon Mothma to investigate the Dark Trooper Project and stop it at all costs.^[80]

Katarn and Ors succeeded in their mission; infiltrating theArc Hammer through Vader'sExecutor, Katarn killed Mohc in a fierce confrontation and then destroyed the factory ship with severalthermal detonator charges. With theArc Hammer destroyed and Mohc dead, the project was stymied; so furious was Palpatine that so many credits and resources were wasted on the failed project that he canceled the project entirely. The threat of the Dark Troopers ended.^[80]

Katarn was assisted in his mission by Crix Madine: after his help during Operation Strike Fear, Madine decided to fully leave the Empire after the release of theCandorian plague onDentaal.^[12] However, he was discovered by the Empire and held onOrinackra, scheduled for execution. The timely arrival of Katarn saw Madine rescued.^[80] Madine returned to Corellia, where he was scheduled to meet with Carlist Rieekan to finalize his defection to the Alliance. However, the meeting wasambushed by the Empire, but due to the intervention ofRogue Squadron and theMillennium Falcon, Madine was saved and shuttled off the planet.^[85]

Madine's intimate knowledge of Imperial tactics and operations earned him a spot on theRebel Alliance Advisory Council and role as Supreme Commander of Alliance Special Forces.^[69][86]

Renegade Squadron's exploits (0–1 ABY)[]

Renegade Squadron was originally created by Han Solo shortly after theBattle of Yavin, but many of its exploits occurred after the Evacuation of Yavin 4. During that battle, Renegade Squadron was instrumental in helping many members of the Alliance escape. Next, they traveled tothe Graveyard, the remains of Alderaan, to collect aholocron made by Bail Organa and encased inphrik, one of the strongest substances in the galaxy, strong enough even to survive the destruction of Alderaan. The holocron had a list of potential bases for the Rebel Alliance, in the case of the evacuation of the base on Yavin IV. After retrieving the holocron and escaping into hyperspace, they met up with Solo onOrd Mantell. Renegade Squadron fought off Imperial forces and IG-88 while Han worked on theMillennium Falcon, escaping with their lives.^[87]

Shortly afterwards, Admiral Ackbar, who had been investigatingBoz Pity as a potential site for a Rebel base, was captured by Boba Fett and handed over to the Empire. Renegade Squadron quickly acted torescue Ackbar overKessel before relocating to Tatooine in order to find the soldiers who had been captured with Ackbar.^[87]

The squadron headed back to their base on Boz Pity, but they were unaware that Boba Fett had put a tracker in one of their droids. Fett discovered their base, and a few hours after Renegade Squadron landed on Boz Pity, an Imperial planetary strike force, with anAT-AT, attacked. During the battle, the Squadron learned that Ackbar had been wounded during the battle, and they saved his life by bringing him abacta tank. Soon after, they evacuated, still looking for a new base.^[87]

Rogue Squadron (0–3 ABY)[]

Months after the Battle of Yavin, two of its famous survivors, Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles, formed an X-wing squadron that would arguably become the most famous in the galaxy: Rogue Squadron.^[12] The squadron's origins laid withinRed Squadron, then under the command ofArhul Narra, as Rogue Flight, working in tandem with Renegade Flight. Rogue Flight's early missions included aiding evacuation efforts at Yavin 4 and assistingTycho Celchu defect to the Alliance on Dantooine.^[49] Early victories on planets such as Tatooine,Barkhesh, andChorax earned the Rogues a quick reputation amongst Alliance and Imperial pilots alike, going as far as to convinceKasan Moor, commander of the128th TIE Interceptor Squadron, to defect. Moor's defection led to vital raids on Imperial production facilities, includingBalmorra andKile II. These victories did not come without a price, however;MoffKohl Seerdon noted the Rogues' performance and personally took interest in seeing the Squadron's destruction after theirattack onFest, site of Seerdon's research facility. Seerdon launched attacks on Chandrila and Thyferra in retaliation, but his plans were foiled by Rogue Squadron; over the skies of Thyferra, Seerdon's personal attack craft was shot down by Rogue Squadron, ending his reign of terror.^[85]

OnRalltiir, a team of scientists working with the Alliance were discovered by Imperial agents. The scientists activated adeflector shield around the city, temporarily saving them from Imperial reprisal. Two Star Destroyers in orbit opened fire on the shield as ground units, includingAT-ATs, descended upon the planet to shut down the shield and capture the scientists. Rogue Squadron was dispatched to Ralltiir to rescue the scientists; led by Skywalker, the Rogues utilized tow cables to destroy the walkers and halted the Imperial offensive. Using explosives constructed by the scientists, the bridges connected to the city were destroyed, thus cutting off Imperial forces from reinforcements to temporarily buy time to escape. During the rescue,Sarkli, a disgruntled Rogue pilot and nephew to Imperial AdmiralFirmus Piett, defected to the Empire, taking with him one of the scientists. Despite the last-minute surprise defection, the Rebels escaped with the surviving scientists.^[49]

During a convoy escort relocating supplies to Echo Base, anambush by Imperial forces atDerra IV all but wiped out Renegade Flight, killing Commander Narra.^[88] As a result, Rogue Flight was transformed into Rogue Squadron, and Luke Skywalker was given full command of the squadron.^[14]

The Empire strikes back (2–3 ABY)[]

Death Squadron (2–3 ABY)[]

Main article:Death Squadron

Eventually, Mon Mothma agreed to establish the new Rebel command headquarters atEcho Base on the frozen planet of Hoth. The planet seemed like a superb find for the Alliance: located in the isolatedAnoat sector in theGreater Javin, Hoth was situated on theIson Corridor, a decaying hyperspace bypass of theCorellian Trade Spine whose only common destination wasBespin. The difficulties of traversing theIvax Nebula and the debris field of theIson Rimward meant that ships invariably reached Bespin from the Coreward end of the Corridor fromIndellian. Very few ships passed beyond Bespin toAnoat, Hoth, orIson itself. Hoth was therefore secluded, largely unknown, but gave the Alliance quick access to the Corellian Trade Spine for raiding.^[4] Nevertheless, the base commander, General Carlist Rieekan, demanded a permanent state of readiness to evacuate should Echo Base be discovered.^[14]

Rieekan had good reason to worry: inspired by the victory at Yavin IV, many worlds had begun to pledge their allegiance—openly or behind closed doors—to the Alliance cause. Some planets, such asZaloriis, instead fought for their own independence from Imperial rule. After the Zaloran declaration of independence, they battled against their Imperial rulers, capturingMajor GeneralMaximilian Veers of the Imperial Army in the process. Vader descended upon Zaloriis and enacted swift devastation upon the populace; during the battle, Veers was rescued and, after analysis of the Zaloran archives, the Empire discovered that the new Rebel base was located in the vicinity ofElrood.^[19]

With this new information in hand, Vader assembled a personaltask force;Death Squadron. Led by theExecutor, it was formally composed of five other Star Destroyers but had the authority to attach warships from othersector groups if necessary. Beginning atCentares, Vader intensified his search for the Rebel base and his new obsession, the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star who bore the name of Vader's former self, Luke Skywalker.^[14]

Death Squadron advanced through the Outer Rim along theTriellus Trade Route, destroying smugglers' hideaways andshadowports. The strategy, developed byGrand AdmiralThrawn, was to disrupt the Rebels' smuggling-based supply network and so discover the location of Alliance High Command. Captured smugglers were interrogated, and a battle in theUlkantha asteroids tipped Death Squadron off to a Rebel-affiliatedSakiyan smuggling ring operating out of theSyvris shadowport. Thrawn's analysis of Rebel equipment captured at theBattle of the Poln system indicated that Rebels had chosen a barren, cold planet as their next base of operations.^[10] Additionally, Thrawn uncovered aCorellian smuggling operation on theHydian Way and masterminded the interception of a Rebel supply convoy atDerra IV. TheBattle of Derra IV was a disaster for the Alliance: the 181st Imperial Fighter Group led by Soontir Fel severely disrupted Rebel supply lines and killed Commander Arhul Narra of Renegade Flight.^[14]

By3 ABY, Death Squadron's terror strategy began to have results: Rebel forces in many Outer Rim sectors abandoned their bases and resistance cells dispersed. Admiral Ackbar relocated the Alliance Fleet repeatedly. The Derra IV convoy's supplies had been ticketed for Echo Base on Hoth in the Greater Javin, and the intel recovered from the convoy allowed Death Squadron to narrow its search to the Outer Rim sectors of theWestern Reaches.^[14] Thousands ofprobe droids were dispatched throughout the region in an attempt to discover the Rebel base. Reports came in daily from the probes, but many turned up smugglers' encampments, uncharted settlements, or otherwise nothing of value. However, then-CaptainFirmus Piett of theExecutor came upon a report from the Hoth system; after analysis of the feed by Piett, and then Vader, Hoth was confirmed as the site of the Rebel base.^[33]

The Battle of Hoth (3 ABY)[]

Main article:Battle of Hoth

Advancing from theQeimet system, Death Squadron was reinforced by four Star Destroyers from theJuris sector and traveled down theIson Corridor into theHoth system. TheBattle of Hoth commenced soon after, with the Rebels fighting a stalling effort to allow base personnel and command to evacuate with as many supplies as possible and regroup with the main Alliance fleet. If Imperial AdmiralKendal Ozzel, who was soon relieved as commander of Darth Vader'sDeath Squadron for his error, had come out of hyperspace further from the Hoth system, the Rebels could have been caught unaware and bombarded from orbit, but instead they erected a smallplanetary shield. Vader ordered General Maximilian Veers to lead awalker assault on Echo Base, which the Rebels could not effectively counter.^[33]

The Rebel base was overrun and destroyed, seventeen of thirty escaping Rebelmedium transports were totally destroyed as they attempted to traverse the Imperial blockade, and an intense pursuit of the escapingMillennium Falcon through theHoth asteroid field was conducted on Vader's seemingly erratic orders. Despite much Imperial effort, theFalcon escaped toCloud City onBespin, seeking asylum from Han's old friend,Lando Calrissian. Unknown to Solo and his companions, the Empire had forced Calrissian into cooperating with its efforts to capture theFalcon's outlaw crew. Vader, bounty hunter Boba Fett, and a squadron of stormtroopers apprehended the Rebels and prepared a trap for Luke Skywalker, whom Vader knew would investigate.^[33]

As the Alliance Fleet regrouped at a secret point above the galactic plane, Luke Skywalker, under the advice of theForce ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi, had traveled toDagobah and had become a Jedi apprentice to Jedi Master Yoda. Through the Force, Luke became aware of his friends' suffering and, despite the pleas of Yoda and Kenobi to stay and complete his Jedi training, left Dagobah for Cloud City in an attempt to save his friends, who ended up saving him after he confronted Darth Vader. Vader also revealed to Luke in their battle that he was his father. At the last second, the friends escaped aboard theMillennium Falcon, though Han Solo was taken incarbonite toJabba the Hutt on Tatooine by the bounty hunter Fett.^[33]

New superweapons[]

The Battle of Yavin was not the end of the Tarkin Doctrine. Following the loss of the first Death Star, the Empire began the construction of theTarkin, a stripped-downsuperlaser testbed named in honor of the martyred Grand Moff. Assembled in thePatriim system, it was destroyed by a Rebel strike team led by theHeroes of Yavin in3 ABY shortly after the Battle of Hoth.^[14] TheTarkin fired its superlaser only once in its existence: to destroy the planetAeten II to releaseStygium crystals for Grand AdmiralMartio Batch'sPhantom TIE Project.^[90]

Batch's project sought to develop invisible starfighters utilizingcloaking technology developed from Stygium crystals.^[91] Vader was impressed by the Phantom's demonstration in theDreighton Nebula, and mass-production of the starfighter began at afactory attached toImdaar Alpha. However,Ru Murleen andRookie One were able to steal a TIE Phantom and infiltrate theStar DreadnoughtTerror; through their actions they destroyed theTerror and the TIE Phantom production facility, putting an end to the short-lived Phantom project. At the conclusion of the mission, the Alliance sought to mass-produce their own Phantoms based on the starfighter retrieved by Rookie One; however, this plan was quickly eliminated, as Vader activated the self-destruct on all remaining TIE Phantoms, thus ensuring the end to the TIE Phantom line.^[90]

AdmiralMils Giel launched his project of a more arcane nature soon afterwards, aimed at using the mysteriousTeezl creature to enhance Imperial communications and fleet coordination greatly. Asecret armada led by theHelmsman was assembled to transport the creature from theValtha Divide to Coruscant. In response, the Alliance launchedOperation Earplug. The first part of the plan concerned the procurement of four black-market TIE fighters, which would be modified into hyperspace-capable starfighters and used by theFlying Bantha Squadron in subsequent missions. As part of their test run, the squadron's TIE fighters were used in an attack onSpindrift Station, an Imperial outpost said to hold the route coordinates for the fleet transporting the Teezl. With the coordinates secured, the entrance codes to the armada were next. These would be secured in an ambush on a TIE patrol, near the Imperial fleet's flight path. They assigned four Flying Bantha Squadron pilots to perform the final task of the operation: an almost certain suicidal infiltration mission that would culminate in the destruction of the Teezl.

Gaining access, the Rebel TIEs split off, chose random ships to target, and began the mayhem and confusion which would spread throughout the Imperial fleet. The commanders of the damaged vessels followed standard procedure. They counterattacked, but since it was unclear which ships had hit the targets, the warships lashed out randomly, hitting dozens of TIE fighters and other capital ships. Admiral Giel quickly realized the Rebel attack plan and thus ordered the Teezl to fill all available comm channels with static, to prevent further communication between the Rebels. The Teezl's jamming forced Luke Skywalker to rely only on the Force to distinguish friend from foe, as he finally reached the area of Giel's vessel where the Teezl was located. Being fired upon by defensive guns, he noticed a TIE fighter between him and the flagship. Using the Force to identify the pilot as an enemy, he fired on it and cleared the way for the main, powered-up shot. It struck the vessel, smashing through the hull and killing the Teezl instantly. After thebattle, Luke fled the area, using a patrol ship as a temporary shield from pursuing enemy fighters before escaping into hyperspace. As a result of the loss of the Teezl, Giel was demoted toLieutenant and reassigned.^[92]

Imperial explorations[]

Perhaps the Empire's most enduring and dangerous military creations were not weapons but explorations. Palpatine opened vast swathes of territory to new explorations, most significantly theDeep Core and theUnknown Regions. New routes like theByss Run were blazed into the Galactic Core at incredible expense and were kept open with non-massS-thread boosters. Worlds like the Emperor's redoubt atByss and the headquarters of theInquisitorius atPrakith were settled by enthusiastic Imperial citizens, and the region remained fanatically loyal to the Empire for years afterwards. The Deep Core was a refuge for Imperial forces after Endor, the site of the rebirth of Emperor Palpatine into a clone body, and he ledOperation Shadow Hand from it. The Deep Core was the refuge of the Empire's last significantwarlords before they abandoned it for theImperial Remnant in the Outer Rim.^[4]

The other significant region of Imperial exploration was the Unknown Regions, the vast quarter of the galaxy west of the core that had always defied colonization.^[4] Following his discovery byVoss Parck in19 BBY, theChiss Imperial officer Mitth'raw'nuruodo, better remembered as Thrawn, spent years charting this region of his birth at Palpatine's personal order, for which he received the rank of Grand Admiral. From a fortress known as theHand of Thrawn onNirauan inWild Space, Thrawn established a Loyalist confederation known as theEmpire of the Hand. Re-establishing contact with theChiss Ascendancy, Thrawn won the admiration of many young Chiss with his defeats of a myriad of threats, including the encroachingYuuzhan Vong. He returned to the Unknown Regions shortly before Endor, continuing his mapping mission and settling a vast new swath of territory and resources that could fuel the Empire. In8 ABY, before he returned to the galaxy one last time to fight hisfinal campaign, Thrawn swore to Voss Parck, now his second in command, that if he died he would return 10 years later.^[93]

The Sepan campaign (3 ABY)[]

Main article:Sepan campaign

Concurrent to Death Squadron's operations against Hoth was theSepan campaign, a series of battles initiated by the Empire in3 ABY with the objective of ending theSepan Civil War, which had raged for nearly three decades between theDimoks and theRipoblus. Imperial forces, led by AdmiralHarkov, started by intercepting both Dimok and Ripoblus attack forces, halting their attacks on one another. Unfortunately for the Empire, the result was that both the Dimoks and the Ripoblus aligned and declared war on the Empire, an ironic turn of events.^[9]

After a series of battles, the Empire defeated theSepan forces and forced a peace treaty upon the two, ending the civil war. Harkov urged cooperation with the Empire for greater prosperity for all.^[9] Under Imperial rule, hostilities ended in theSepan system, but in40 ABY, with the ongoing strife brought upon by theSecond Galactic Civil War, tensions flared up once more, and the system would find itself in civil war again.^[94]

The Alliance regroups (3–4 ABY)[]

Task Force Vengeance (3 ABY)[]

Main article:Spreading the Rebellion

The Battle of Hoth crippled the Rebellion, with untold amounts of military materiel being lost aboard the 17 destroyed transports.^[4] Many stormtroopers within the Empire's 501st Legion even believed they had ended the Rebellion.^[79] Though Alliance Command and the fleet stayed intact, more disasters were to follow. After the formation ofTask Force Vengeance, the Rebel Alliance was forced to give up its permanent assets in theElrood sector in favor of the more remote and less strictly controlledAiram sector. In the openingbattle of the campaign, many assets in the Elrood sector were evacuated, most notably, theXQ5 Platform-turned-hospitalHormuuz in theGelgelar system. Most places avoided Imperial attention, butHormuuz attracted the attention of AdmiralWooyou Senn, who deployed a strike team to capture any Rebels in the system. Although the Rebels, who had learned to react quickly after losing over half of its Echo Base assets to Death Squadron in the Hoth system, avoided major losses, manyZ-95 starfighters were sacrificed to cover the escape of the base staff, and several vitalcargo containers were left floating in space.^[95]

Afterstocking up on consumables and warheads, the Alliance went on to learn their enemy's strength—areconnaissance mission by Rogue Squadron scanned the ships of Task Force Vengeance and destroyed any freighter carrying warhead supplies. This culminated in adiversionary strike by theCalamari CruiserLiberty, intended to lure away some of the Imperial warships into anambush set in theGoff system. Rogue Squadronled a strike team to capture an Imperialinterdictor while it was undergoing repairs. The attempt was successful, and despite the Empire'sattempts to scuttle theCompellor, the Rogues brought the ship safely to theMobetta system. By maintaining tight patrols around the factory,Gallofree, the Rebelskept the modifications performed on theStrike-class cruiserPeregrine a secret, prepping theCompellor for its final mission. The baptism of fire for thePeregrine came shortly thereafter in theDerilyn system, where itassistedLiberty in pinning down and destroying a reinforcement and resupply fleet headed for Task Force Vengeance. Meanwhile, an Imperial strike forcelocated theCompellor, which blew up in full view of the Star DestroyersTitan andJuggernaut, according to the Rebels' plan, leading the Imperials to believe that neither they nor the Alliance had access togravity well technology anymore.^[95]

In the closing days of the campaign, Task Force Vengeance was already showing the effects of raids against their supply lines. In a last-ditch effort, Senntried to acquire supplies from the traitorousAiram clan leaderIlay, but was foiled by the efforts of Rogue andGreen Squadrons. The Alliance, intent on wearing down the remainders of the Imperial task force slowly but steadily, did not expect Admiral Senn to know the location of their most crucial asset in the Airam sector by this time: the shipyardCalenz. TheSuper Star DestroyerVengeance, accompanied by the Star DestroyerRage, attacked the shipyard directly. Not even the valiant efforts of Rogue and Green Squadrons, the Calamari CruiserLiberty and an Airamsuicidal armada could prevent the destruction ofCalenz at theBattle of Nocto, but despite the hefty blow to its Airam sector infrastructure, the Rebel fleet did destroy the last remnants of Task Force Vengeance, including the titular Star Dreadnought, and kill Admiral Senn.^[95]

Rogue Squadron's exploits (3 ABY)[]

Rogue Squadron's daring operations during the Galactic Civil War became the stuff of legend. Following thesubjugation of Bespin, the Rebel Alliance set out to save any Rebel prisoners from theBattle of Hoth. Rogue Squadronbesieged a smallImperial detention facility in theMaw system, freeing all captives.Red Squadron andGreen Squadron were dispatched toCalast, where they fell upon the Imperial prisoner transportVTR-LX while it was refueling. The ship managed to escape to a nearby Imperial base in theBundil system, but was pursued by the Rebels andsuccessfully raided.

Rogue Squadron provided air support to Rebel SpecForces during araid on Bespin just prior to theBattle of Endor. The battle raged both in the air and on the floating settlements of the gas giant, starting at the de facto capital ofCloud City, and moving outwards across the various gas refineries as the Rebels continued to gain ground. A point of confusion during the battle was the use of cloud cars on both sides, which led to several incidents of friendly fire. Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron attacked with their primary objective being to secure as manyTibanna gas platforms as possible. After destroying a large majority of the Empire's control systems, the squadron provided aerial support for those fighting on the ground, by disabling the city's power generators, which in turn deactivated the Imperial turbolasers, gun turrets, and communications. After the combined effort of the SpecForce and Rogue Squadron, the SpecForce moved on to capture the main Imperial mining platform. The Rebel forces landed and secured the gas extractor, and pushed the Imperials back to the other side of the platform. The Rebel forces moved in and captured the Imperial docks and landing platforms, trapping them in the main command center. Y-wings bombed the building, X-wings destroyed starfighters before they could lift off, and the enemy numbers dwindled. Teams of SpecForce soldiers moved in on the command building and secured it.^[81]

When the Rebels discovered that prisoners taken from the Battle of Hoth were being held at Bakura, the Alliance sent Rogue Squadron torescue them. After further prisoner rescue, aTIE Fighter disabledHobbie Klivian's X-wing, sending him crashing on the surface of the planet. Wedge journeyed down onto the planet in a stolen TIE Bomber to pick him up. However, hundreds of Bakuran heavy missile batteries littered the surface. Using his bomber's lock on concussion missiles, Wedge broke through the defenses and saved Hobbie. Upon arrival back in orbit, he noticed that debris littered the area. Crix Madine informed him that an Imperial vessel made off with a batch of scientists and destroyed the rest of the transports, and it seemed he was headed toward Geonosis.^[49]

The Rebellion stole an ImperialTIE Hunter in order to destroy anExecutor-class Star Dreadnought. The plan was to use an empty Rebel transport and have ram it into one of the shield generator command decks. The Empire found out the transport was a decoy and sent TIE fighters to destroy it but did not succeed. The frigateRedemption and several other squadrons, and twoCR90 corvettes, arrived to cover the attack on the generator. The generator was deactivated by Wedge Antilles'ion cannons, but he abandoned his TIE for a more stableA-wing interceptor. Antilles destroyed the shield generator and the Super Star Destroyer. Though this was a clear victory, the Emperor believed it would make the Rebels overconfident in the upcoming battles, thinking ahead to his plan to trap the Rebels at Endor.^[49]

Rescue of Han Solo (3–4 ABY)[]

Main articles:Battle of Gall andRescue of Han Solo

The Rebel Alliance fought a small campaign to recover Han Solo, who after his capture on Cloud City remained imprisoned incarbonite for nearly a year between3 and4 ABY. The smugglerDash Rendar confrontedIG-88 on Ord Mantell and learned the whereabouts of Boba Fett, who had Han Solo as a captive; he was repairing his ship onGall. Fett, the Rebels and the Empire engaged in theBattle of Gall as Luke Skywalker led the attempt to rescue Solo. Rogue Squadron and Rendar attacked Fett on the moon. However, this rescue mission was confounded by the presence of anImperial Enclave, with two Star Destroyers on patrol. Despite the piloting skills of the Rogues and Rendar, the Imperial numbers were too great, and Fett escaped.

Fett had to deal with other attacks by envious bounty hunters seeking to claim the money on Solo's head before he arrived on Tatooine to deliver Solo to Jabba the Hutt.^[3] Consequently, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa planned what would be their final rescue attempt.The first phase had Lando Calrissian infiltrateJabba's Palace, disguised as the guard Tamtel Skreej, as a contingency should anything go wrong. The second phase involved sending R2-D2 and C-3PO to the palace to peacefully offer Jabba the opportunity to release Han, with the droids themselves as a gift. When this failed, phase three involved Leia, posing as the bounty hunterBoushh, delivering a supposedly captured Chewbacca to Jabba for a bounty. Leia would have then freed Han in the night, released Chewbacca and escaped with them and Lando. When Jabba saw through the attempted rescue and captured all three (excluding Lando, who remained in disguise), they were forced to move to the final phase. Luke Skywalker entered the palace and, by means of severalForce techniques, made his way to Jabba's throne room. He underestimated Jabba, however, and, after killingJabba's petrancor, wound up captured and sentenced to death in the gullet of thesarlacc, along with Han and Chewbacca.^[2]

Luke, Han and Chewbacca were taken to theGreat Pit of Carkoon in theDune Sea. They were transported on adesert skiff while Jabba and his minions traveled onKhetanna, Jabba'sluxury sail barge. Once there, Luke freed himself with the help of R2-D2, and apitched struggle saw the destruction of Jabba andhis criminal empire, as well as the supposed demise of Boba Fett. Afterwards, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Lando, and the droids escaped unharmed and made their way back to the Rebel fleet.^[2][96]

Alliance triumphant (3–4 ABY)[]

The Second Death Star[]

Main article:Death Star II

After the destruction of the first Death Star, Palpatine ordered a new one to be designed,Bevel Lemelisk, the chief designer, removed the thermal exhaust port in favor of millions of millimeter-wide channels to disperse heat, eliminating the fatal flaw present in its predecessor. Additionally, theSecond Death Star was vastly larger than its predecessor, and powerful enough to reduce its firing cycle to once every three minutes, allowing it to target capital ships. Once completed, the new battlestation would be almost invincible.^[14]

However, sinceDespayre had been destroyed as the first Death Star's test,^[12] another isolated planetary body was needed as a construction site;Brenn Tantor, a General in the Imperial Army, was ordered to scout out a new world for the Empire to occupy for construction of a secret project. Tantor settled onEndor, the forested moon of agas giant in the isolated, backwaterModdell sector, and led a light scout force to the planet's moon. However, the mission went astray from the start; nativeEwoks assaulted the scout force. Tantor was reluctant to engage, as he did not know if they were indeed hostile or just nervous natives defending their territory. But Tantor was overruled by his superior,Grand GeneralMalcor Brashin, and Tantor eliminated the Ewok threat and secured a site for Imperial engineers that would serve as the shield generator of the Death Star II and base for the Empire.^[97] Subsequently, an obscurehyperlane known as theSilvestri Trace was expanded at huge expense to create theSanctuary Pipeline, a corridor for supply and construction ships to begin the development of the Second Death Star.^[14]

The road to Endor (3–4 ABY)[]

Main articles:Raid on the Suprosa,Battle of Kothlis andMission to Prefsbelt IV

Emperor Palpatine intended the Second Death Star to be more than a symbol of the Tarkin Doctrine. Since Yavin, the Galactic Civil War had been a disaster for the Rebel Alliance, and ayear after Hoth, the Rebels were still trying to regroup. Palpatine conceived the Second Death Star as part of a colossal trap to draw Admiral Ackbar's fleet into a final, decisive confrontation where it could be destroyed.^[14] Historians later remarked that had it not been for the disaster of theBattle of Hoth, the Rebels might not have been so desperate as to risk everything for a decisive battle at Endor.^[98]

Palpatine deliberately leaked information about the Second Death Star to the Bothan Spynet through theBlack Sun criminal organization. The Bothans learned that theDeath Star II plans were being secretly transported on afreighter, theSuprosa.Commander Luke Skywalker, along with the smuggler Dash Rendar, traveled to Bothawui and met their contactKoth Melan^[3] in 3.5 ABY^[12] to train the Bothan'sBlue Squadron tointercept the freighter. The Rebels intercepted the freighter, which was heavily armed, and lost six ships in the raid. Skywalker disabled the freighter,^[3] and Rendar boarded and took the data core containing the plans. The plans were then brought to the Bothan colonyKothlis.^[99]

After abattle at Kothlis, the plans were smuggled offworld to Alliance Command, confirming the battlestation's existence but resulting in the deaths of many Bothans. The Rebels additionally learned that the Emperor himself would be overseeing the final construction of the Death Star.^[3] After an attempt by Renegade Squadron to ambush Palpatine onKorriban failed,^[87] the Rebel Alliance saw this as an immense opportunity to deal the Empire a mortal blow.^[2]

As a preliminary to the battle, the Rebels aimed at stealing theLambda-class Imperial ShuttleTydirium to allow a strike team to infiltrate Endor and disable the Death Star's protective shield. General Madine, after their initial attempt at stealing theTydirium backfired and resulted in it being confiscated by the Imperials, ordered Wedge Antilles to go to the Imperial Academy onPrefsbelt IV and steal the shuttle. Wedge neutralized/evaded all the Imperial scanners and made his way to the Imperial airbase. Wedge infiltrated the base and stole the Imperial shuttle. He blew his cover at the shuttle's hangar, and later made a rendezvous with reinforcements who escorted the stolenTydirium to safety.^[88]

In the meantime,Death Squadron, reinforced to a strength of over thirty Star Destroyers, assembled at Endor to await the Rebel attack. Elsewhere the Empire assembled massive invasion fleets on the borders ofMon Calamari space and Mon Mothma's homeworld of Chandrila. Palpatine planned to smash Ackbar's fleet at Endor between the Death Star and Death Squadron while his fleets fixed the Mon Cals and Chandrila in place. Once the Death Star was completed, it would move to these worlds and destroy them to finally end the Rebellion.^[14]

The Battle of Endor (4 ABY)[]

Main article:Battle of Endor

After freeing Han Solo on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian (along with the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO) met up with the Rebel Alliance near the system of Sullust. The Rebels were amassing their entire fleet for the strike on the Second Death Star. Admiral Gial Ackbar along with General Crix Madine developed the plans for the battle: The Death Star was protected by aplanetary shield generated from the forest moon of Endor. Han Solo, Chewbacca, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, and C-3PO led an expedition in theTydirium to disable the shield and enable the attack. Once on Endor, however, Luke turned himself in to Darth Vader, his father, hoping to rescue him from the clutches of the Emperor and thedark side of the Force. Meanwhile, theEndor strike team was intercepted byTempest Force, and the Alliance Fleet was trapped in space between the Death Star and Death Squadron, which had hidden in wait on the far side of Endor.^[2]

Vader took Skywalker aboard the uncompleted Death Star and before the Emperor, who attempted to lure him to the dark side by placing him in combat with Vader, whom he defeated. However, instead of killing Vader, he renounced the dark side by declaring himself a Jedi, like his father before him. Palpatine then attempted to kill him with a shower of deadlyForce lightning, but Darth Vader, becoming Anakin Skywalker once again, threw the Emperor into a reactor core shaft, killing him. Palpatine's spirit survived, however, and fled to his secure redoubt of Byss in the Deep Core, where it began a period of rebirth into a new clone body. On the Forest Moon, the Rebels deactivated the shield by destroying the entire shield bunker with sequencer charges. The Battle of Endor culminated with the destruction of the Death Star, although Skywalker escaped with Anakin's body. Grand AdmiralNial Declann was killed when the Death Star was destroyed as he usedbattle meditation to direct the Imperial fleet, throwing the fleet into disarray. AdmiralFirmus Piett died when theExecutor was destroyed, while Grand AdmiralOsvald Teshik unsuccessfully attempted to rally the fleet and fought on alone before being captured by the Rebels. He would later be executed by the New Republic for war crimes.^[12] Meanwhile, the ranking officer, CaptainGilad Pellaeon of the Star DestroyerChimaera, ordered a retreat toAnnaj. Despite this tremendous Rebel victory however, many long years would go by before the Galactic Empire truly surrendered.^[2]

After Endor (4 ABY)[]

The Empire fragments[]

Main articles:Warlord andDefense Declarations

Following the Rebel Alliance's victory at the Battle of Endor and the death of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, riots and uprisings took place on a multitude of Imperial-held worlds, as the news spread across the galaxy. Even Palpatine's homeworld ofNaboo could not escape aliberation struggle. On Coruscant, billions reveled in their newfound freedom, andriots broke out from thenon-Human-dominated sectors in which all Imperial patrols were attacked in the streets, statues of Palpatine were toppled and other Imperial symbols were desecrated.^[2]

In the midst of all the celebrating and rioting, Imperial authorities ordered a massive crackdown on the rebellious elements in the city-planet's population and gave full power to the local military force to end the uprising and restore order to the system. The military retaliation was horrendous and the death tolls rose as the Empire struck down the insurrectionists and brought the populace back under its control. Following this,Grand VizierSate Pestage assumed the title of Galactic Emperor and established control over Coruscant.^[12]

However, Emperor Palpatine's death provoked a crisis of leadership within the Empire: Palpatine had never laid down a succession plan, and various members of theInner Circle opposed Pestage's reign. He would later be betrayed by theDirector of Imperial IntelligenceYsanne Isard. Meanwhile, Death Squadron regrouped and repaired atAnnaj, the capital of theModdell sector, and its remaining leadership fell to debating the next course of action. Gilad Pellaeon urged a return to Endor: three-quarters of the Rebel fleet holding position at the moon was in urgent need of repairs and he believed that despite their losses, Death Squadron remained powerful enough to overcome them. Pellaeon was countermanded by AdmiralBlitzer Harrsk, who regarded Pellaeon's tactical command as nullified with the end of the battle. Command now belonged to AdmiralAdye Prittick, who dithered for so long over the decision that Harrsk broke with the fleet, taking thebattlecruiserIlthmar's Fist and five Star Destroyers into the Deep Core until a clear chain of command could be established. Further defections to theElrood sector left Death Squadron with just twelve Star Destroyers, a force that Prittick judged too small to guarantee victory. He ordered a withdrawal toYag'Dhul to guard against a strike into theCore Worlds.^[14][4]

Wary of further Rebel strikes against key targets, Sate Pestage and the Ruling Council adopted afortress world strategy, fortifying key systems. This left the Rebellion, swiftly reconstituted as theAlliance of Free Planets, largely unopposed. Additionally, this defensive strategy caused many of the Empire's most ambitious Moffs and governors to think only of the safety of theirhomeworlds and power bases, causing them tode facto break with the Ruling Council and become the firstwarlords. Grand MoffZsinj fortified his holdings in theQuelii Oversector. Tarkin's successor as the governor ofOversector Outer,Ardus Kaine, abandoned much of the Outer Rim to defend theNew Territories in the north quadrant of the galaxy, forming the isolationistPentastar Alignment around his homeworld ofSartinaynian. FromCentares, AdmiralTreuten Teradoc carved out theGreater Maldrood. AdmiralSander Delvardus proclaimed himself "Superior General" and established theEriadu Authority, seeking to secure theRimma Trade Route up to Yag'Dhul. MoffPar Lankin established his own fiefdom in theLambda sector. In theCorellian sector, Grand AdmiralDanetta Pitta bribed thediktat into appointing him "Protector" of the sector in preparation for a move against Coruscant.Utoxx Prentioch andGaen Drommel fortified their home sectors ofSombure andOplovis, while in the Deep Core, Harrsk establishedZero Command.^[14][4]

TheLoyalist rump of the Imperial Starfleet that remained under Coruscant's control was led by capable officers likeBetl Oxtroe,Uther Kermen, Gilad Pellaeon, and Soontir Fel. Kermen commanded the entire fleet, which in practice was loyal to him rather than the Ruling Council. Pellaeon was a popular and respected officer but never considered himself a candidate for leadership, seeing his role as being that as a steward of the fleet.^[12] Fel was one of the Empire's greatest starfighter aces, a propaganda hero and a legend within the Empire. Fel's popularity and stature was such that, as the Galactic Empire's military situation deteriorated after Endor, Ysanne Isard suspected that a conspiracy of naval commanders was prepared to offer Fel the Imperial throne to replace her and Pestage.^[14][100]

Wary of re-unifying the disintegrating Empire, the Alliance of Free Planets opted for diplomacy over military action to win over sectors. Bothawui andDac declared themselves for the Alliance, as did representatives from Corellia,Duro, Kashyyyk, Sullust andElom. Others, likeHerglic Space and theTapani sector and theFreeworlds Territory declared independence or neutrality, which the Alliance respected. A decisive moment was Mon Mothma issuing theDefense Declarations, which proclaimed the Alliance's intent to devolve control of thePlanetary Security Forces, nationalized by the Empire, back to the sectors. Admiral Ackbar would later describe the Declarations as more decisive in delivering worlds from the Empire than any military campaign: members of the new government would be expected to support the common military, but could also now control their own planetary defense forces and at greater strength than under the Empire or the Republic. Imperial loyalist sectors dismissed the measure as illegal, but for others the Declarations caused many sectors that had been on the edge to side with the New Republic. Other sectors divided over whether to accept the Declarations, fomenting furtherwarlordism and infighting and significantly reducing the number of enemies the Alliance had to fight.^[14][4]

The Ssi-ruuvi invasion[]

Main articles:Ssi-ruuvi invasions andBakura Truce

The Alliance's diplomatic approach was driven by the need to confront three new unexpected enemies that had arrived from the Unknown Regions. Just one day after the Battle of Endor, an ImperialEmissary Droid Ship arrived in the Forest Moon carrying a message from the Imperial outpost of Bakura, which was under attack by an unknown species from the Unknown Regions. In the chaos following the Emperor's death, no Imperial troops were available to come to its aid. In response, Mon Mothma gathered a small Rebel fleet to come to the defense of Bakura. Thus, Luke Skywalker was named the commander of a fleet of fiveCorellian gunships, one modifiedbulk cruiserFlurry, 20 starfighters, and theMillennium Falcon. Upon arriving, they discovered that the attackers were an unknown reptilian species called theSsi-ruuk. The Ssi-ruuk practicedentechment, which involved transferring the life energies of a captive into a battle droid, starship or computer.^[4][16]

At Bakura, the Rebel fleet signed a truce with the local Imperial garrison underWilek Nereus. On the Ssi-ruuvi flagshipShriwirr, AdmiralIvpikkis prepared for battle. One of his officers owned a brainwashedForce-sensitiveHuman slave namedDev Sibwarra, who sensed the presence of Luke and alerted his masters. The Ssi-ruuk had intended to use his Force abilities to entech beings by proxy. To do this, Dev Sibwarra secretly contacted the Imperial governor Nereus and offered to leave Bakura alone if they handed Skywalker over. Skywalker was captured by the Ssi-ruuk and brought to a laboratory where they intended to entech him. However, he broke free and together with Dev Sibwarra defeated the Ssi-ruuk aboard the ship. The Ssi-ruuk abandoned theShriwirr rather than face the Jedi Knight in battle, and it was captured by the Rebel forces. The Ssi-ruuk were defeated, and then the Imperial CommanderPter Thanas, under orders from Nereus, turned the turbolaser batteries of his flagshipDominant on the Rebel Alliance shipFlurry, destroying it along with several Rebel starfighters. The Bakuran resistance cells, however, under leadership ofEppie Belden, overthrew their Imperial rulers. The Imperial garrison on Bakura surrendered to the Rebel Alliance, and Bakura became a member of the fledgling Alliance of Free Planets.New Republic Intelligence later referred to the battle as the "Bakura Incident," and believed that it would be best if the New Republic attempted to prevent widespread public knowledge of the Ssi-ruuk—advice that was controversial at best.^[16]

The Alliance sent a fleet consisting of Nebulon-B frigates and other smaller vessels under the capturedShriwirr, which had been renamedSibwarra, into theSsi-ruuk Star Cluster to counterattack. There, they discovered that the Ssi-ruuk had been attacked by an unknown foe, later revealed to be the Chiss Ascendancy. During anassault on the Ssi-ruuvi capital of Lwhekk, the Alliance fleet engaged Ivpikkis's fleet though both sides eventually reached a standstill. Seeing a weakened foe, the fleet retreated and assisted in theliberation of Clak'dor VII. It wouldn't be until years later during the theYuuzhan Vong War that the Ssi-ruuk resurfaced.^[4][12]

The Nagai and the Tofs[]

Main article:Nagai–Tof War

Following the Ssi-Ruuk came theNagai, fleeing from the satellite galaxyCompanion Besh, known to them as Firefist. The Nagai invaded the galaxy'ssouthern quadrant, assisted by stormtroopers loyal to thecyborgDark Side AdeptLumiya. They secured a forward base atKinooine before moving on toTerminus to gain access to the Hydian Way and the Corellian Trade Spine. The Nagai had an advantage in theirnavigation computers, which were far faster at calculating hyperspace jumps than standard galactic computers and utilizedtachyonic observational sensors to maprealspace hazards and landmarks much more efficiently than Imperial technology. Consequently, they were able to launch distant raids on Endor,Trenwyth andKabray, and even reach as far asIskalon,Mandalore andZeltros.^[14][4]

The Alliance of Free Planets prepared for war with the Nagai, but soon discovered that they were in fact fleeing another alien race, theTofs. The Tofs had subjugated the Nagai in Firefist for centuries and had pursued them to the galaxy. The Tofs underPrinceSereno established a base atSaijo after devastating thesurrounding sector, pursued the Nagai to Trenwyth and then tracked them to Zeltros, where they weredefeated by a joint force of Alliance, Nagai,Zeltrons andMandalorians under the command ofFenn Shysa. Concurrently, Luke Skywalker and the Alliance Star DestroyerEmancipatorraided Saijo and captured Prince Sereno. These two battles ended the invasion and the Nagai left the galaxy to reclaim their homeworld.^[14][4]

The advance of the New Republic (4–6 ABY)[]

The Republic strategy[]

One month after Endor, the Alliance of Free Planets reorganized and issued theDeclaration of a New Republic, proclaiming a new galactic government to replace the Empire. The document was signed by Mon Mothma, Leia Organa, Borsk Fey'lya, and Admiral Ackbar, as well as representatives from Corellia,Duro, Kashyyyk, Sullust andElom. These nine beings comprised theNew Republic Provisional Council, with Mon Mothma being electedChief Councilor. The expulsion of the Ssi-ruuvi, Nagai and Tof invasions had reassured citizens that the former Rebellion could defend the galaxy and legitimized the new government. Meanwhile, theNew Republic's military leaders met onDac to plan the invasion of the Galactic Empire.^[14]

The campaigns against the Ssi-ruuk, the Nagai, and the Tofs had stretched the Alliance of Free Planets to the breaking point,^[14] so the New Republic would not make any overt military moves until nearly six months after Endor. Instead, they consolidated their holdings and won over hundreds of planets through diplomacy. News of Palpatine's death caused many worlds in the Rim territories to defect to the New Republic. Rogue Squadron acted as scouts, escorts and negotiators in this period.^[12] The nascent New Republic already had a number of advantages: the Empire had been split by both theDefense Declarations and warlordism, Ardus Kaine's powerful Pentastar Alignment remained isolationist, and the New Republic Intelligence Service'sShadow Operations under the command ofAiren Cracken worked to exacerbate tensions within the Empire through sabotage, disinformation and assassination.^[14]

To avoid re-unifying the Empire against a common enemy, Admiral Ackbar planned to isolate and marginalize the weaker Imperial warlords while Mon Mothma continued the campaign of diplomacy.^[4] Ackbar split his navy into four fleets: theFirst Fleet under the command of AdmiralFirmus Nantz operated out ofSaijo in theWestern Reaches; theSecond Fleet under AdmiralHiram Drayson defended the New Republic's redoubt in theCalamari sector; theThird Fleet operated out ofBothan Space intothe Slice under Ackbar's personal command; and theFouth Fleet under AdmiralVoon Massa operated from Bothawui along theCorellian Run as a mobile reserve for the First and Third Fleets.^[14]

The early moves (4 ABY)[]

Main articles:Hevvrol Sector Campaign andLiberation of Kashyyyk

Moving from Saijo, Nantz' First Fleet moved against Delvardus and Prentioch. Nantz sentLando's Commandos under the command of General Calrissian toliberate Bespin and thenengage theEiattu pirates atAbraxas. The victory in theAbraxas system kept Prentioch fixed withinhis territories aroundBomis Koori IV and separated him from Delvardus' Eriadu Authority. Meanwhile, GeneralTyr Taskeen defeated Delvardus at theBattle of Glova, which prevented him from linking up with Imperial forces Rimward in theElrood andMinos sectors. With Delvardus and Prentioch contained, Nantzskirmished with Prentioch atKriselist before bypassing him andsecuring a new forward base atMoorja. First Fleet then movedSpinward viaBannistar Station toGlom Tho, where it began theHevvrol Sector Campaign against Par Lankin. TheBattle of Glom Tho saw the capture of several key manufacturing facilities by Taskeen's forces and successfully isolated theLambda sector, which held out until8 ABY before it surrendered. From Glom Tho, Nantz capturedKalarba. Meanwhile, Voon Massa's Fourth Fleet moved from Bothawui to the key industrial world ofDruckenwell, before moving up the Corellian Run to link up with the First Fleet.^[14][4]

Emboldened by their successes, Ackbar's Third Fleet moved toliberate Kashyyyk: the planet was at the crossroads of six major hyperspace routes that could support a strike into the Core, andMoffHindane Darcc had made a deal withTrandoshan leaderPekt to eliminate the Wookiee population of the planet. Han Solo and Chewbacca inserted on to Kashyyyk to stop Darcc and fought a campaign by both land and sea to destroy Imperial communicationsjammers. After destroying the signal jammers they sent a transmission to the New Republic, which was received by Lando Calrissian, before ascending to theAvatar Orbital Platform above Kashyyyk, where they killed Moff Darcc and Pekt.^[19] In orbit, meanwhile, Ackbar's Third Fleet squared off with and destroyed an Imperial fleet under Grand AdmiralPeccati Syn.^[14][4]

The Battle of Brentaal IV (4 ABY)[]

Main article:Battle of Brentaal IV (Galactic Civil War)

From Kashyyyk, Rogue Squadron moved viaBase Delta-Nine atRecopia to attackBrentaal IV, the crossroads of the Hydian Way and the Perlemian Trade Route. TheBattle of Brentaal IV was a propaganda struggle by both the Republic and the Empire: nine months after Endor, the New Republic needed to show its hand in the Core while Sate Pestage and the Imperial Ruling Council needed to show that the Empire was still powerful after the loss at Endor. However, the machinations of Ysanne Isard and the incompetence of AdmiralLon Isoto meant that Brentaal was lost to the New Republic and theTIE fighter aceBaron Soontir Fel was captured by the Rogues. On Coruscant, Pestage's position collapsed, and he began secret negotiations with the New Republic, offering them Coruscant in exchange for immunity. Isard exposed his dealings, and Pestage was forced to flee to theCiutric Hegemony.^[53] Isard, meanwhile, proclaimed herself Empress and massacred much of the Ruling Council.^[14][4] An effort by Rogue Squadron torescue Pestage fromCiutric IV failed, and the former Grand Vizier was murdered byDelak Krennel.^[53]

The Hast Raid (4 ABY)[]

4 ABY was less successful for the New Republic Second Fleet. Hiram Drayson and his three Mon Calamari subordinates,Kalback,Nammo andRagab, won an initialbattle atEmmer and isolated the fortress world ofMakem Te, but their plans for a push down the Hydian Way were derailed by an Imperialraid on the secretHast Shipyards. AdmiralLlon Banjeer destroyed or damaged more than thirty New Republic capital ships in the raid, halting New Republic plans for attacks on Zsinj and Teradoc. Concurrent to the New Republic's operations was theYevethan Uprising, whereYevetha slaves seized theBlack Fifteen shipyards overN'zoth and massacred or enslaved the Imperial crew. The newly armed Yevetha would emerge from theKoornacht Cluster twelve years later in theBlack Fleet Crisis.^[14][4]

Milagro and Trioculus (5 ABY)[]

Main articles:Milagro campaign,Trioculus affair andStenax Massacres

5 ABY began with Massa's Fourth Fleet pushing up the Corellian Run and engaging in the three-monthMilagro campaign, which ended when Imperial Admiral Uther Kermen launched aBase Delta Zero operation on the planet to deny its manufacturing facilities to the New Republic. Kerman regrouped atSpirana beforeraiding Milagro again, where Mon Mothma was meeting Fourth Fleet's commanders and establishing a new headquarters. Massa repelled the raid andcounterattacked, seizing Spirana and gaining a foothold in theInner Rim. For his conduct in the defense of theMilagro system, Luke Skywalker was promoted to the rank of general.^[14][4]

In the north, Admiral Drayson's Second Fleet sortied in an effort to stop theStenax people slaughtering Imperial military personnel and civilians alike in theThanium Worlds, theGordian Reach, and theSpadja sector. TheStenax Massacres were halted by the Second Fleet at theBattle of Tharkos, though only after the loss of millions of lives.^[14][4]

5 ABY was also marked by theTrioculus affair, in which the self-proclaimedCentral Committee of Grand Moffs led byBertroff Hissa attempted to pass off the three-eyedmutant HumanTrioculus as Emperor Palpatine'sillegitimate son in an effort to wrest power away from Empress Ysanne Isard. The scheme was in fact a sham orchestrated from afar by Darth Sidious, who used it to distract from his period of rebirth into a clone body on Byss.Trioculus' Empire ultimately fell apart owing to infighting with thefalse Supreme Prophet "Kadann" and ended with Trioculus' assassination by a New RepublicHuman replica droiddisguised as Princess Leia.^[102] The crisis also saw the deaths of Grand AdmiralsDanetta Pitta andJosef Grunger, whose fleets suffered mutual annihilation at theBattle of Tralus, where Grunger attempted to claim the system for the Central Committee in preparation for a drive towards Coruscant,^[91] while Grand AdmiralsMiltin Takel andRufaan Tigellinus had been executed by Trioculus after falling afoul of the Committee. The Grand Moffs involved in the conspiracy were executed, strengthening Isard's position as head of the Empire.^[12]

The Battle of Mindor (5 ABY)[]

Main article:Battle of Mindor

The same year saw the Third Fleet, detached to the command ofKalback andWillham Burke, move from Kashyyyk against Warlord Teradoc. The Third Fleethalted an advance by Teradoc atTogoria and securedLantillies andContruum, gaining the New Republic a beachhead on the Perlemian Trade Route. Burke then pursued AdmiralLedre Okins' fleet along the Perlemian Trade Route, eventually defeating him at theBattle of Colla and opening the way to the New Republic salient at Brentaal.^[14][4]

However, Kalback's attempt to drive up the Hydian Way was halted at theBattle of Corsin, where Warlord Zsinj'sStar DreadnoughtIron Fist drove him into retreat. Kalback regrouped atObroa-skai, where he joined forces with General Luke Skywalker'sRapid Response Task Force to eliminate the forces ofLord Shadowspawn, whoseTIE Defenders had been launching damaging raids fromMindor into theInner Rim,Expansion Region andMid Rim. TheBattle of Mindor was a protracted and bloody series of engagements that left thousands dead, including Kalback, despite the New Republic's eventual victory. The casualties prompted Skywalker to resign from theNew Republic Army and concentrate on therestoration of the Jedi Order.^[14][4]

The Delvardus campaign (5 ABY)[]

Main article:Delvardus campaign

Elswhere, Firmus Nantz' First Fleet moved from Moorja tocapture Yag'Dhul, before moving on to Thyferra and liberatingCilpar andMrlsst and opening negotiations with theHerglics, who had declared themselves neutral. Behind his lines in the Outer Rim, a desperate Warlord Delvardus attempted to break out with anattack on Sullust, but was defeated by First Fleet elements under the command of CaptainSien Sovv. With his Coreward front secure, Nantz sent a task force back down theRimma Trade Route to counterattack Delvardus.^[14][4]

TheDelvardus campaign rapidly collapsed the borders of the Eriadu Authority with rapid attacks onSanrafsix,Kabal,Sluis Van andClak'dor VII (the task force here reinforced by the fleet ordered to return fromLwhekk after pursuing theSsi-ruuk). Delvardus fled to the Imperial redoubt in the Deep Core, thoughEriadu itself would not surrender to the New Republic until9 ABY. The rapid campaign provided a needed boost to Republic morale after the attritional slogs of Milagro and Mindor.^[14][4]

Consolidation (6 ABY)[]

In6 ABY, the New Republic consolidated its holdings. Nantz attacked and captured Prentioch at theSiege of Bomis Koori and eliminated his dominion, securing the entireWestern Reaches. The Fourth Fleetcaptured Denon in a fierce battle that saw the death of Admiral Massa, advancing the Corellian Run front to the edge of the Colonies. From Kashyyyk, Admiral Ackbar led Third Fleet in the capture ofReytha, which forced the Empire to abandonGyndine andCyrillia. Ackbar then moved the encircle the Core, moving north up the Hydian Way to push back Zsinj and cut Coruscant off from the Imperial Loyalist systems in the New Territories and the Pentastar Alignment. Third Fleet won battles atUviuy Exen andDrearia, but AdmiralRagab was halted by Zsinj'sRaptors at theBattle of Paqualis.^[14][4]

Ackbar switched his advance toPalanhi in preparation for an advance on Coruscant down theNamadii Corridor. AdmiralNammo aboard theDefiance was sent to capture theBilbringi Shipyards secure the Republic's Rimward flank against the Imperial Loyalists in the north, but he wasdefeated by AdmiralTeren Rogriss andTurr Phennir's 181st Imperial Fighter Group. As the year drew to a close, the New Republic had kept the Pentastar Alignment isolated, had marginalized Teradoc, and had driven up to the Core Worlds. However, Isard still held a number of significant Core fortress worlds in addition to Coruscant, among themKuat and Balmorra, and Zsinj had emerged as a dangerous opponent.^[14][4]

The fall of Coruscant (6 ABY)[]

Main articles:Core Campaign andLiberation of Coruscant (Galactic Civil War)

By the middle of6 ABY, the New Republic had encircled theCore Worlds and was finally in a position to seize Coruscant from Imperial rule.^[12] The New Republic realized the importance of Coruscant beyond its mere designation as "000" in galactic charts. The planet was the most densely populatedecumenopolis in the galaxy and controlled two of the galaxy's five most heavily traffickedsuper-hyperroutes. Possession of the system would massively increase the New Republic's legitimacy.^[4]

To this end, the New Republic began a complex campaign aimed at isolating Coruscant. Rogue Squadron moved to a new base on the uninhabited world ofTalasea. There they were to operate as a feint to draw the Empire away from Admiral Ackbar's true target, the Colonies worldBorleias. En route toTalasea Base, however, Rogue Squadron was coincidentally pulled out of hyperspace in theChorax system by anInterdictor cruiser. The resultingbattle allowed the Empire to identify the X-wings as belonging to Rogue Squadron, and the Imperial Intelligence agentKirtan Loor was tasked with locating and destroying the squadron. Loor tracked Rogue Squadron to Talasea, and the Squadron only survived the subsequent Imperialraid on the planet thanks to AdmiralDevlia's incompetence. Rogue Squadron was relocated toNoquivzor after aretaliatory raid that killed Devlia atVladet.^[35]

From Noquivzor, the New Republic advanced on Borleias. However, theFirst Battle of Borleias was a disaster: GeneralEvir Derricote had secretly installed a much stronger deflector shield that rendered GeneralLaryn Kre'fey's orbital bombardment of the planet ineffective, and the New Republic lost numerous starfighters and two capital ships before the Y-wings ofDefender Wing allowed them to retreat. Miscommunication between Kirtan Loor and Ysanne Isard, however, meant that the Imperial defenses were not as strong as they could have been: Loor mistakenly believed that Isard was aware of his conclusions that the New Republic would use Borleias as a stepping stone to Coruscant after she ordered him to the planet, so did not share that information with her. (In fact, Isard had only sent Loor to spy on Derricote with the aim of seeing whether he could be of use in herKrytos virus project.) Consequently, the New Republic force escaped total destruction.^[35]

Following a feint at the Imperial missile production facility in theVenjagga system several weeks later, the New Republic at last captured the planet in theSecond Battle of Borleias, allowing them to assault Coruscant directly. Before the invasion could begin, however, Coruscant's powerfulplanetary shield would have to be disabled. Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron were sent undercover intoImperial City to sabotage the shield generator. The Squadron decided that if they could condense a large amount of water and create a super storm, they could destroy the energy shield protecting Coruscant with lightning strikes. The Rogue operatives hijacked aconstruction droid to take them to the command building, where they took remote control of one of the orbitingsolar mirrors. The tightly focused light beam from the mirror rapidly boiled one of the planet's reservoirs, which caused a huge storm, and the shields soon collapsed. With the shields down, a New Republic force led by Admiral Ackbar entered theCoruscant system. This task force easily overwhelmed the small Imperial defense force, since Ysanne Isard kept only a fewImperial-class Star Destroyers to defend the capital world. Soon, Coruscant was in the hands of the New Republic.^[4]

However, Isard was not to be found in theImperial Palace. Furthermore, an artificial pathogen called the Krytos virus was killing the planet's alien population. The virus was Isard's final attempt to undermine the leadership of the New Republic. Isard fled to thebacta-producing world of Thyferra and supported a coup to be electedHead of State, allowing her to control the bacta supply and undermine the Republic attempts to treat the Krytos plague.^[4]

Warlordism (7–8 ABY)[]

The Bacta War (7 ABY)[]

Main article:Bacta War

The New Republic government found itself in a bind over Thyferra: Isard controlled the bacta supply needed to treat the Krytos virus, but it felt that it could not depose an elected planetary leader.^[14] Consequently, Wedge Antilles led the pilots of Rogue Squadron in resigning from the New Republic fleet, and they made it their goal to capture Isard and destroy herStar DreadnoughtLusankya. Though the squadron was ostensibly conducting a private war against Isard, the New Republic Intelligence Service led byAiren Cracken was sympathetic and supported Rogue Squadron throughout their campaign.^[36]

Based out of Yag'Dhul and enlisting the aid of the smugglersBooster Terrik andTalon Karrde, Rogue Squadron began raiding Isard's bacta convoys. The Roguesdestroyed one of Isard's capital ships in the Alderaan Graveyard and convinced the captain of another to defect. Enraged, Isard resolved tocounterattack at Yag'Dhul with theLusankya, but was driven off by the threat of a massiveproton torpedo attack. However, the torpedoes were in fact aboard the starfighters of Rogue Squadron heading to Thyferra, where the Rogues and theLusankya fought. At theBattle of Thyferra, theLusankya was crippled by eighty proton torpedoes and was forced to surrender with the arrival of Booster Terrick aboard the captured Star Destroyer.^[36]

Isard was believed killed when her escape shuttle was destroyed. However, Isard in fact engineered the incident to cover her tracks. She spent the next few years in hiding and putting herself together mentally and would not strike again until after the Thrawn campaign.^[36] The New Republic's capture of the galaxy's bacta supply allowed it to resume effective treatment of the Krytos virus, and theVratix of Thyferra combined bacta withryll korspice to create a cure for the virus. TheLusankya was interned by the New Republic military. Rogue Squadron returned to Coruscant as heroes and were allowed to return to the New Republic military. After much wrangling, Booster Terrick was allowed to retain his captured Star Destroyer, which he renamed theErrant Venture and established as a mobile trading bazaar.^[12]

The Hunt for Zsinj (7 ABY)[]

Main article:Hunt for Zsinj

With the Bacta War over and Isard believed dead, a new strategic geography emerged in7 ABY that would define the rest of the Civil War. In theNorthern Dependencies beyond the Colonies, Loyalist systems were controlled fromOrinda by a reconstituted Ruling Council led byArs Dangor and the few surviving Imperial Advisors that had escaped Coruscant. This stretch of territory became known asImperial Space. Within this territory was Ardus Kaine's isolationist Pentastar Alignment, whose otherwise-powerful military based around the Star DreadnoughtReaper remained within its borders. On thePerlemian Trade Route stretching fromCentares to the borders ofHutt Space was Warlord Teradoc's Greater Maldrood. Beyond these territories were isolated Imperial fortress worlds likeCarida and Eriadu that had long since been encircled by the New Republic.^[4][14]

In 7 ABY, the Imperial Admiral Betl Oxtroe made secret entreaties to the New Republic in the hope of establishing a compromise peace. Oxtroe proposed to raise Emperor Palpatine's distant grand-niece, the 11-year-oldEderlathh Pallopides, as a figurehead constitutional monarch. In exchange for an amnesty to the Imperial Military, the New Republic Provisional Council would govern the galaxy in her name. The Republic proved receptive and talks began in earnest, but collapsed when Oxtroe was assassinated, apparently by aNoghri. The New Republic later speculated that Oxtroe was murdered on the orders of Grand Admiral Thrawn, still establishing his power base in the Unknown Regions in preparation for his return to the galaxy proper. With Oxtroe's death, the war continued.^[43]

Between Imperial Space and the Greater Maldrood wasZsinj's Empire, which stretched along the Hydian Way from the Inner Rim to theCorporate Sector. The eccentric former Grand Moff affected the white uniform of a Grand Admiral and a handlebar mustache that led many in the New Republic to dismiss him as a buffoon. However, he possessed a powerful military built around theSuper Star DestroyerIron Fist, and his elite units, theRaptors, had already halted New Republic incursions into his territory. After the capture of Coruscant, many Imperials saw him as the best hope for an Imperial resurgence.^[4][14]

Commanding theSolo Fleet aboard theMon Remonda, Han Solo and Wedge Antilles probed the borders of Zsinj's empire. A series of defeats at the hands of the Solo Fleet andWraith Squadron slowly discredited Zsinj in the eyes of Imperial Loyalists, and the warlord became increasingly erratic and self-centered. In an effort to obtain a new Super Star Destroyer, theRazor's Kiss, Zsinjraided Kuat. However,Kuat was still an Imperial Loyalist world, and the raid incensed the Galactic Empire outside Zsinj's territory.^[4]

In a attempt to destroy Zsinj, therefore, the New Republic made a loose alliance with the Empire's AdmiralTeren Rogriss, slowly chipping away at Zsinj's territory. The campaign also brought theHapes Consortium out of isolation, with theChume'daIsolder lending aid in the hopes of winning Princess Leia Organa's hand in marriage. During theBattle of Dathomir the New Republic won, and Zsinj was killed by Han Solo. Shortly thereafter, Organa married Solo. Despite this, Isolder and theHapes Cluster entered a limited alliance with the New Republic.^[4][12]

After Zsinj (8 ABY)[]

Main article:Post–Zsinj campaigns

Though his reign lasted a mere four years, Zsinj's death had widespread repercussions. The greatest single threat to the New Republic was eliminated, but Zsinj's death also left the Empire free to return their focus to the New Republic. Even worse, Zsinj's forces remained active, but lacked direction. Much of his fleet was claimed by a number of independent warlords.In the fighting that followed,Treuten Teradoc attempted to claim Zsinj's former territory in theGordian Reach, but was defeated by Ackbar at theMaridun andThanos. Teradoc and his holdings in the Mid Rim were rescued by his younger brotherKosh, who set about joining what remained of the Greater Maldrood and his Deep Core holdings into the "Federated Teradoc Union." The disgraced elder Teradoc, meanwhile, fled into the Deep Core, where he entered the service of the recovering Emperor Palpatine. Admiral Rogriss, meanwhile, expanded Imperial Space up to the Hydian Way.^[4][12]

In the campaigns, the New Republic lost a significant portion of their military forces.Crynyd,Rebel Dream, and other Star Destroyers were either destroyed or recaptured by the Empire. The New Republictook Kuat, but the yards were heavily damaged and rife with Imperial partisans. Furthermore, the New Republic lost the coreKDY design team when they leapt to the Deep Core with the half-completedStar DreadnoughtEclipse. Eventually, Rogriss and the Imperial forces began to back down from fighting the New Republic, and Teradoc and other warlords retreated into their pocket empires. Within a year from Zsinj's defeat, the galactic situation was more stable, with the New Republic in nominal control of three-quarters of the known galaxy. The stage was set for the next great conflict, and the re-emergence of the last Grand Admiral.^[12]

The Empire in resurgence (9–11 ABY)[]

The Thrawn campaign (9 ABY)[]

Main article:Thrawn campaign

Following Zsinj's defeat,Anaxes, the "Defender of the Core" and the site of theNavy War College, surrendered to the New Republic after AdmiralFeyet Kiez fled the system with the Star DreadnoughtWhelm. Kiez had received orders from the reborn Palpatine to join him in the Deep Core, but the New Republic was as-yet unaware of Kiez's destination.^[14] Nevertheless, the loss of Anaxes badly damaged Imperial hopes of reconquest.^[4] Imperial Space had been pushed back to a bare quarter of its former territory.^[84] Additionally, as the Empire lost ground, its sources of crewmen dried up. Instead ofAcademy graduates, Loyalist officers like Captain Gilad Pellaeon had to make do with recruits trained on the job, and were even forced to order conscription raids to press men into service.^[103]

However, the New Republic was not in a much better shape. During the relentless battles after Zsinj's death the Empire and the New Republic had both suffered appalling fleet losses. With the Kuat shipyards almost completely destroyed by KDY itself, both sides were forced to either capture each other's ships or rely on lesser, overstretched shipyards. Given the scale of the fighting and the Empire's ever-increasing fragmentation, a speedy recovery for either was unlikely anytime soon, and fleet sizes on both sides were incredibly finely balanced. Consequently, by the end of8 ABY, Mon Mothma ordered a suspension of New Republic operations in order to rebuild its forces, entrench the government and integrate its territories. Imperial Space was poorly developed economically, and she was content to let a strategy ofeconomics slowly win over systems. Thus, the Empire continued to hold its territories beyond the Hydian Way in the New Territories, while Zsinj's former empire between the Hydian and thePerlemian Trade Route became a region of divided loyalties known as theBorderland Regions. Meanwhile, the New Republic occupied a salient along theCelanon Spur from Ord Mantell captured during thepost–Zsinj campaigns, and nominally controlled the galaxy south of the Perlemian. However, many of these systems had yet to return representatives to Coruscant, and the New Republic's authority was largely theoretical beyond the major trade routes. For a brief time, an uneasy peace existed.^[14][4]

In9 ABY, however, approximately two years after the capture of Coruscant, reports started to reach the New Republic of a Grand Admiral commanding the Imperial fleet. This man was Mitth'raw'nuruodo, a Chiss better known by hiscore name, Thrawn. Returning from the Unknown Regions, Thrawn had taken control of the Galactic Empire and started a new campaign against the New Republic.^[12]

Raising his flag on the Star DestroyerChimaera, Thrawn took the popular and respected Captain Gilad Pellaeon as his second-in-command. Ars Dangor's Ruling Council on Orinda gave him the nominal position ofSupreme Commander, but in reality the Council and the Moffs hoarded military assets as much in fear of each other as the New Republic. The force truly available to Thrawn consisted only of the dozen Star Destroyers still remaining inDeath Squadron after the defeat at Endor, which he split into two fleets: afleet of six Star Destroyers led by theChimaera under his personal command, and a second force of six ships led by CaptainDorja aboard theRelentless.^[14]

Thrawn's plan to defeat the Republic needed three things, the locations of which were provided by araid on the library world ofObroa-skai. The raid gave Thrawn the location of Wayland, a trophy planet for Palpatine. Arriving on Wayland after a side trip toMyrkr, Thrawn was confronted byJoruus C'baoth, a clone of the Jedi MasterJorus C'baoth. Protected by Force-blockingysalamiri taken from Myrkyr, Thrawn persuaded C'baoth to help him by promising C'baoth the Force-sensitive Skywalker twins, along with Leia's soon-to-be-born twins. On Wayland, Thrawn found an array ofSpaarti cloning cylinders taken fromCartao during the Clone Wars. Using the ysalamiri, Thrawn counteracted the Force-induced "clone madness" inherent in any clone grown in less than a year. Consequently, Thrawn greatly swelled the numbers of troops available to him by creating new clones in a matter of days.^[103][104]

Thrawn's first strike against the Republic were the shipyards atSluis Van. Using stolen mole miners cloaked using a cloaking shield found at Wayland, Thrawn attempted to steal the capital ships in drydock. He was prevented by the timely intervention of Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker. Thrawn, however, planned for his loss at Sluis Van: though he did not have the warships, they were also denied to the New Republic, and through Imperial Intelligence, he planted data that incriminated Admiral Ackbar in leaking secrets to the Empire, leading to Ackbar's removal from command. This led his political rival, Borsk Fey'lya, to take control of the government, polarizing the Senate and stalling a large-scale response to Grand Admiral Thrawn. In fact, Thrawn was relying onDelta Source, a Clone Wars–era audio surveillance system in the Imperial Palace installed inch'hala trees, to gain inside information.^[104]

Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Thrawn orderedNoghri commando teams to capture Leia Organa Solo for C'baoth. A failed raid on Kashyyyk led to the capture of one of the Noghri, who identified Leia as the heir of Darth Vader. After traveling toHonoghr, the Noghri homeworld, she exposed the Imperial attempts to keep the planet environmentally damaged, leading the Noghri to become supporters of the New Republic.^[104]

With the government stalled and polarized, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo discovered Thrawn's new scheme to acquire ships: he planned to locate theKatana fleet, a 200-ship force lost before the Clone Wars. Solo and Skywalker led an unofficial mission to capture the Katana fleet before Thrawn. During the search, Solo and Calrissian met with the former Rebel leader Garm Bel Iblis, who had located a number of Dreadnaughts from the fleet several years previously. When the Katana fleet was found, a small Republic force was sent to capture it. They met an Imperial force which had already taken the majority of the Dreadnaughts. However, with the help of Bel Iblis and Talon Karrde, the Republic force escaped. The battle, however, revealed the source of Thrawn's forces, and the revelation that Thrawn was using a clone army changed the Republic's first priority in the war: find Thrawn's cloning facility.^[104]

The New Republic was unable to mount such a mission, however: Thrawn's capture of the Katana fleet had tilted the balance of fleet power in favor of the Empire, and his continued attacks on Republic worlds, such as the agricultural world ofUkio and the base atOrd Pardron, kept their fleets busy. These strikes culminated in a space battle over the New Republic capital, Coruscant. Using cloaked asteroids, Thrawn effectively kept the city-world under siege, thus crippling the New Republic. To defend the capital, Garm Bel Iblis was convinced to at last reconcile with Mon Mothma and returned to a leadership position in the New Republic military.^[14][4][104]

Thrawn's campaign totally reversed the strategic geography of the Galactic Civil War, forcing the New Republic to adopt afortress world strategy, with rapid reaction fleets deployed to defend Coruscant, Bothawui, Kashyyyk and Mon Calamari. Desperate for a victory, the New Republic organized a plan to end the siege of Coruscant: the capture of a CGT array from the Imperial shipyard ofBilbringi.^[14][4]

Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker led the search for the source of the clone army. He found help in Talon Karrde, who organized the Smuggler's Alliance to help track down the source. The information didn't come from the work of Skywalker or Karrde, but from the knowledge ofMara Jade, formerEmperor's Hand. When the location of Wayland was discovered, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian and Mara Jade led an expedition that ended with the destruction of the cloning center and the defeat of Joruus C'baoth.^[104]

TheBattle of Bilbringi started badly for the Republic, with Interdictor cruisers pulling the Republic forces out of hyperspace. Help arrived in the Smuggler's Alliance, who aided the New Republic in the battle. Republic forces had just breached the shipyard when Grand Admiral Thrawn was killed by his Noghri bodyguard,Rukh. Captain Pellaeon, once again leader of the Imperial forces, ordered his second retreat.^[104]

The return of Palpatine (10–11 ABY)[]

Main articles:Pre–Shadow Hand campaign andImperial Civil War

After the death of Thrawn, the New Republic Provisional Council quickly moved against local warlords to show that they had not been as hamstrung by the Grand Admiral as might have appeared. Ackbar occupied the Imperial Ruling Council's capital of Orinda and struck atDelak Krennel of theCiutric Hegemony. A New Republic force led by Rogue Squadron liberated the Hegemony and killed Krennel.^[14][4]

With theNew Republic Defense Fleet far out in the Outer Rim, however, the Core Worlds were left lightly defended. Meanwhile, the reborn Emperor Palpatine had been gathering his forces and in10 ABY, the surviving Imperial warlords, assembled by Palpatine and encouraged by what Grand Admiral Thrawn had so recently accomplished with so little and in such a short time, agreed to organize under the Imperial Ruling Council for an offensive thrust into the Galactic Core. The New Republic could not match multiple attacks out of the Deep Core, led by twelveStar Dreadnoughts (including the missingWhelm), against which they had no counter. Subsequent attacks out of the New Territories by the re-unified Outer Rim Empire on Anaxes and Borleias collapsed the New Republic's defenses, and after a short, decisive campaign the Empire had retaken the former Imperial Center in theSecond Battle of Coruscant.^[14][4] The New Republic government fled toDa Soocha V inHutt Space.^[37]

Having taken Coruscant, the Ruling Council decided to assemble a new Imperial Senate that would serve the Galactic Emperor. The governors, Moffs, and Grand Moffs agreed but with the requirement that they too be granted seats in the Senate and that their votes would be weighted for the number of worlds they controlled. The Councilors, however, refused, as this would in effect decentralize power and share it among local rulers. Matters quickly fell apart. The Imperial military sought to take power itself, but a split between the Army and the Navy occurred. The latter insisted that it alone could choose a new Supreme Commander. Then the bureaucrats andCOMPNOR attempted a coup, claiming that any change to the New Order would invalidate the Empire's existence. TheISB and Imperial Intelligence, in turn, embarked on a campaign of assassinations against each other. The Dark Side Adepts alone kept out of this inter-factional maneuvering.^[37]

An armed conflict that became known as theImperial Civil War soon broke out amongst the various Imperial factions on Coruscant. It laid much of the planet to waste and ended only when the reborn Emperor Palpatine declared his return several months later. While most of the rank-and-file returned to loyal service, few of the warlords did likewise. Most instead fled for their lives, as the Emperor was not expected to take kindly to their usurping of his throne. Palpatine may even have encouraged this internecine conflict through his use of the dark side of the Force to remove powerful opponents, publicly referring to the Civil War as "culling the weak." The New Republic involved itself by stirring up regional hatred with attacks using captured Imperial starships on rival factions. It was on one of these missions that Luke Skywalker was swept up in a powerfulForce storm, which brought him to the Deep Core world of Byss. There, Skywalker met the man whose demise had led to the Rebellion's victory at Endor: the resurrected Emperor Palpatine.^[37]

Operation Shadow Hand (10–11 ABY)[]

Main article:Operation Shadow Hand

Faced with a resurrected Emperor, Skywalker decided to do what many had tried in the past: to destroy the dark side from within. He agreed to become the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, and lead the new attack on the Republic. Using new weaponry, such as theWorld Devastators and theEclipse-class dreadnought, the Empireattacked the temporary Republic capital-world ofDac. Skywalker attempted to sabotage the Imperial war effort from his position as Supreme Commander, smuggling the command codes of the World Devastators to the New Republic, thus enabling them to shut the otherwise-invincible machines down. Soon, however, Skywalker found he was unable to free himself from the grasp of the Emperor. Only with the help of his sister, Leia Organa Solo, did Luke Skywalker free himself over the moon ofDa Soocha V. The Skywalker twins then defeated the Emperor, turning the Emperor's Force storm against him, destroying both him and his flagship, theEclipse.^[37]

Although Luke Skywalker was once again working with the New Republic, Palpatine was reborn in another clone body in11 ABY. Imperial forces under the command of ExecutorSedriss, a Dark Side Adept, invaded the planet of Balmorra, an important Imperial factory world sympathetic to the Republic. This battle was fought to a stalemate, and persuaded the Governor of Balmorra to aid the New Republic, if only in secret. Sedriss also invaded the planet ofOssus, but was beaten by the indigenousYsanna aided by Luke Skywalker andKam Solusar. Sedriss himself was killed by theNetiOod Bnar, who had survived in his tree-like form since the time ofExar Kun.^[37]

In response to the near-continuous attacks by the Empire, the New Republic devised a counterattack on the Emperor's throne world of Byss. UsingX-1 Viper Droids given to them by the Governor of Balmorra, they wouldattack the Emperor's Citadel. The battle on the planet started well for the Republic, with the Vipers destroying almost all Imperial opposition. Only the arrival of rancors mutated by Sith alchemy turned the tide of the battle against the Republic. The surviving Republic forces were quickly extracted off-planet by smugglers friendly to the Republic. In retaliation for this Rebel attack, Palpatine unleashed theGalaxy Gun, a new superweapon that fired hyperspace-capable missiles that could destroy an entire planet. Palpatine used the Galaxy Gun to destroy Da Soocha V.^[37]

Palpatine's final defeat (11 ABY)[]

Main article:Battle of Onderon (Galactic Civil War)

With the Galaxy Gun, Palpatine forced many more planets to submit to Imperial Rule. Yet despite his growing Empire, Palpatine's power in the dark side was slowly causing his mind to degenerate. The increasing insanity of their Emperor prompted a cabal composed of theEmperor's physician and the traitorousRoyal GuardCarnor Jax, who wished to become Emperor in Palpatine's stead, to poison the genetic material used to make Palpatine's clone bodies. Faced with this situation, Palpatine traveled to Korriban to consult the spirits of the Sith Lords there, who advised him to enter the body of Leia Organa Solo's newest son, Anakin.^[37]

Palpatine brought his newest flagship,Eclipse II, to the planet ofOnderon to capture Anakin Solo. When the flagship engaged New Republic forces over Onderon, a team of Jedi led by Luke Skywalker boarded the ship to find the Emperor, but were too late, as the Emperor had already traveled to the surface of the planet to find Anakin. However, Lando Calrissian and R2-D2 had hijacked the hyperspace controls for the flagship, and sent it to the same coordinates as the Galaxy Gun over Byss. When theEclipse II left hyperspace, the two superweapons collided, and the Galaxy Gun's final missile was pulled into Byss by the planet's own gravity, destroying it.^[37]

On the surface of Onderon, Palpatine battled with Leia Organa Solo over her son, Anakin. The arrival of Luke Skywalker with two other Jedi,Rayf Ysanna andEmpatojayos Brand, eased Leia's burden, but Palpatine continued to better the Jedi, mortally wounding Ysanna and Brand. Palpatine was not defeated by either of the Skywalker twins, however, but by Han Solo, who shot Palpatine in the back. Still, it was not over for Palpatine. As his last clone body died, his spirit flew towards Anakin Solo's body. However, the fatally wounded Empatojayos Brand jumped in front of Anakin, shielding him from Palpatine. As Brand became one with the Force, he dragged down Palpatine's spirit with him into the depths of the Force. Palpatine, leader of the Empire, Dark Lord of the Sith, and scourge of the galaxy, was finally dead.^[37]

Low-intensity phase (11–14 ABY)[]

The Crimson Empire and the Council of Blood (11 ABY)[]

Main article:Crimson Empire

Because the resurgent Empire had made no attempt at governance, most planets in occupied territory immediately announced their allegiance to the New Republic after the destruction of Byss and the final death of Palpatine. The New Republic quickly re-occupied the Core as the Emperor's fleets once again fell to infighting, and announced plans to rebuild the ruined surface of Coruscant. Elsewhere, however, Imperial control remained strong in the northern quadrant. Though Ardus Kaine had died in Operation Shadow Hand, the Pentastar Alignment remained, and around this core of territory, in a band stretching fromPantolomin in the Colonies toBirgis in the Outer Rim, the traitorous Royal GuardCarnor Jax established hisCrimson Empire.^[4]

With the Empire's fleets shredded by the Imperial Civil War and the Deep Core reverting to warlordism, the Crimson Empire represented the only Imperial territory still answerable to central Imperial control: the Imperial Interim Ruling Council, nicknamed the "Council of Blood," was established, and Carnor Jax proclaimed himself ruler of the Empire and head of the Council. Ruling fromOrd Cantrell, Jax's council consisted of a number of alien members, a first for the traditionally anti-alien Empire, though racial prejudices still dominated. This allowed Jax to maintain isolated holdings in various galactic quadrants, as well as his core of territory in the north that includedQiilura, theKol Huro system,Celanon, and theD'Astan sector, which gave him the support of the influentialD'Asta family and the galaxy's largest private fleet.^[4]

The Crimson Empire faced New Republic attack almost immediately, with the Super Star DestroyerLusankya reactivated to strike at the Empire's western flank anddefeating Jax atPhaeda.^[4] In order to maintain his rule, Jax ordered his stormtroopers to kill all remaining members of the Royal Guards. One guard escaped,Kir Kanos, who was utterly sickened by the treachery of his fellow Guardsman and the Imperial Ruling Council. Carnor Jax used all his strength and resources to track down Kanos. On the planetYinchorr, Jax found Kanos. When they met, the former men of Palpatine's Royal Guarddueled. Kanos won, killing Jax, and removed his helmet, saying he was not fit to wear it.^[106]

After the battle, Kanos was on the move again, as Black Sun was trying to sabotage the Council. A member of the council,Xandel Carivus, decided to disband the council and rule as Emperor alone. Carvius was soon killed by Kanos, and he eliminated the Council that had engineered the death of his Emperor soon afterwards.^[107]

Renewed warlordism (11–12 ABY)[]

Main articles:Sun Crusher,Ismaren plot andDaala campaign

Utter collapse of Imperial authority followed in the aftermath of Carvius' death. The warlords formed allegiances with several Deep Core planets and carved out personal fiefdoms there. Only the New Republic's relative weakness as it rebuilt its navy in the aftermath of Operation Shadow Hand prevented it from launching a campaign that could have swept away the Empire's Rim holdings for good. Consequently, the New Republic left most of the Imperialfortress worlds alone, believing that a lack of trade would force their surrender.^[4]

Loyalist officers like Gilad Pellaeon despaired for the state of the Empire; Pellaeon had privately believed the Empire to be doomed with Thrawn's death.^[108] With no significant Empire left for him to serve, Pellaeon, now aVice Admiral, took his own task force into the Deep Core to joinTreuten Teradoc, who had the largest warlord fleet, and hoped that things would remain stable and secure in Teradoc's fleet until some sort of leadership emerged to unify the Empire's scraps. In the meantime, the warlords wasted their forces in petty quarrels in the heart of the galaxy.^[14]

In11 ABY, AdmiralNatasi Daala emerged fromthe Maw after years of seclusion there. At Wilhuff Tarkin's orders, she had remained behind at the Imperial weapons research facility atMaw Installation when he departed for the Death Star, and had remained totally cut off from contact with the galaxy. Discovering only then that the Empire was no more, she launched asavage, vengeful campaign against the New Republic, despite possessing a barethree Star Destroyers. Sheattacked Dantooine andDac before retreating into theCauldron Nebula.^[109]

The New Republic was distracted in its response to Daala by the machinations of AmbassadorFurgan of the Imperial fortress world of Carida, one of the few Loyalist Core planets left. Furgan poisoned Mon Mothma to destabilize the Republic andattacked Anoth in an effort to kidnap the infant Anakin Solo to groom him as a new Emperor, though was unsuccessful. Additionally, the New Republic's military leadership was decapitated when Admiral Ackbar resigned in disgrace after it appeared that a piloting error had led him to crash hisB-wing onVortex,destroying theCathedral of Winds and killing countlessVors. He returned to service after Leia Organa Solo retrieved evidence that Furgan had sabotaged his craft, and he led the defense against Daala atDac.^[12] Worse still was the rampage ofKyp Durron, a student at Luke Skywalker's newJedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 driven to the dark side by the spirit of the long-deadSith LordExar Kun. Durron stole theSun Crusher, asupernova-inducing superweapon from Admiral Daala and carved a swath of destruction through the Empire, ruining Daala's campaign bydestroying the Cauldron Nebula, but killing billions of innocents as well. Durron's campaign came to an end when hedestroyed theCarida system, destroying a significantImperial training academy but killing his brotherZeth in the process. Overcome with remorse, Durron was induced to return to thelight side of the Force, and participated in a New Republicattack on the Maw Installation to destroy the Sun Crusher and the other prototype superweapons stored there. Defeated, Daala escaped into the Deep Core aboard her sole remaining Star Destroyer,Gorgon.^[109]

The next year saw theIsmaren plot, a complex plan by the former Emperor's HandRoganda Ismaren and her sonIrek to revitalize the Empire. Using asubelectronic converter in Irek's brain, Ismaren used her son's strength in the Force to take control of theEye of Palpatine, a battlemoon that had been one of the Galactic Empire's earliest superweapons and had lain dormant in theMoonflower Nebula since18 BBY. Approaching the nobles of theSenex-Juvex, Ismaren presented Irek as Emperor Palpatine's son, and hoped to use both theEye and their support to reclaim control of the galaxy. However, the plot was foiled when Luke Skywalker and his two Jedi studentsCray Mingla andNichos Marr destroyed theEye of Palpatine overBelsavis, in the process rescuing the Order 66 survivorCallista Ming from imprisonment aboard theEye.^[109]

Imperial Reunification (12 ABY)[]

Main article:Imperial Reunification

In the Deep Core, Admiral Daala was revolted by the squabbling warlords she discovered there, and found an ally in Gilad Pellaeon. Followingbattles at Harrsk andTeradoc's headquarters, Daala forced the thirteen most powerful Imperialwarlords to meet atTsoss Beacon to reunify the Empire in12 ABY. However, hours of arguing saw the warlords refuse to agree on anything, and a disgusted Daala poisoned them all and proclaimed herself Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet. Following the warlords' deaths, Daala took command of their forces and made Pellaeon her second-in-command, consolidating fleets ofVictory-class andImperial-class Star Destroyers, Skipray Blastboats, and even a singleExecutor-class Star Dreadnought,Knight Hammer, taken from the now-dead "Superior General" Delvardus. Additionally, Daala instituted societal reforms in the Imperial military, ending decades of oppression against women and non-humans.^[44]

The Moffs in the New Territories did not formally ally with Daala'sUnited Warlord Fleets, but supported her logistically and financially. However, a successful early campaign was undone by thehumiliating defeat at Yavin 4. Seventeen Star Destroyers and theKnight Hammer came out of hyperspace in the system, but despite making a planetary landing, the vanguard was repelled by a wave of Force energy focused throughDorsk 81, at the cost of Dorsk's life. Meanwhile, theKnight Hammer was crippled by the Jedi KnightCallista Ming and was lost to the gravity well ofYavin Prime. Following the defeat, Daala resigned her position and gaveVice Admiral Gilad Pellaeon the rank of full Admiral and made him Supreme Commander of the Empire.^[4][44]

In the aftermath of the disastrous campaign, Pellaeon decided to abandon the Deep Core and re-establish the Empire by connecting the fortress worlds in the northern Rim. From the Deep Core armories he recovered two Star Dreadnoughts, theMegador and theDominion, which he combined with a third, Ardus Kaine'sReaper, recovered from the remnants of the Pentastar Alignment. He pledged this powerful fleet to the defense of the Imperial Rim factions provided they join his "true Empire." Many of the Moffs, with fond memories of Pellaeon's mentor Grand Admiral Thrawn, accepted and formed the newCouncil of Moffs. Thus was established an official "Imperial Remnant," though it continued to refer to itself as the Galactic Empire.^[4][14]

The Orinda campaign (12 ABY)[]

Main article:Orinda campaign

A mere six months after Daala's resignation, Pellaeon, now commanding from the bridge of theReaper, decided to campaign for the conquest of the planet of Orinda in the Mid Rim. The trade world had been one of the New Order's proudest holdings outside the Core and had been the refuge of the Imperial Ruling Council after the fall of Coruscant. However, the planet had been lost to the Empire since the Thrawn campaign, and Pellaeon saw the reconquest of the world as an effective demonstration of renewed Imperial power.^[14]

Pellaeon and GeneralTurr Phennirstruck Orinda and six other systems Coreward along theEntralla Route beforedigging in atLonnaw. Pellaeon then offered terms to the New Republic, declaring that he had recaptured a world of great cultural importance to the Empire and offered mutual recognition of borders in exchange for a cessation in hostilities. However, the New Republic panicked with the reappearance of Star Dreadnoughts and saw the offensive as a preliminary to a new Imperial push into the Core Worlds. Coruscant responded by sending a fleet under the command of General Wedge Antilles aboard theLusankya.^[14]

The New Republic's performance in thesubsequent campaign was hampered by political debate within the military over the value of smaller cruisers and starfighters versus largerbattleships. After over a month of fighting, these arguments led to the New Republic's defeat at theBattle of Orinda: the fleet carrierEndurance was delayed in launching itsE-wings, and was destroyed with the majority of its fighter complement still on board when theDominion, kept secretly in reserve by Pellaeon, arrived in-system behind six Interdictor cruisers.^[14]

The Orinda campaign secured the Imperial Remnant's southern border for another five years. The performance of theLusankya and the threat of theReaper also prompted a change in New Republic military philosophy. Whereas dreadnoughts had previous been considered wasteful, the New Republic now increased the development of new dreadnought-analogues, namely theMediator-class battle cruiser and theViscount-class Star Defender.^[14]

The Borderlands Campaign (13 ABY)[]

Main articles:Adumari Civil War,Battle of Adumar,Death Seed,Battle of Nam Chorios andBattle of Celanon

After the Orinda campaign, the battle lines along the Mid Rim came to a stalemate as both sides fortified their acquisitions. Both sides constantly maneuvered for advantage in systems on each other's flanks, a notable action being thecelebrated engagement between Rogue Squadron and the 181st Imperial Fighter Group atAdumar, which ultimately saw Adumar join the New Republic and the defection of Imperial AdmiralTeren Rogriss.^[14]

That same year, MoffTol Getelles of theAntemeridian sector allied withSeti Ashgad ofNam Chorios, exiled there by Palpatine before the Clone Wars, to expand his influence into theMeridian sector. TheLoronar Corporation sold arms to groups throughout the Meridian sector to foment uprisings while Ashgad promised to unleash a plague against the New Republic to leave the sector open to Getelles' conquest. However, Ashgad was in fact under the influence ofDzym, a hugely mutatedDroch who was using Getelles to spread theDeath Seed plague across the galaxy. Luke Skywalker was alerted to the crisis by the plight of the Force-sensitiveTsil crystals, mined by Loronar from Nam Chorios to acted asCCIR matrices forSynthdroids andNeedle starfighters. The New Republic defeated Getelles at theBattle of Nam Chorios, with the unexpected assistance ofCallista Ming and Admiral Natasi Daala.^[110]

With Getelles chased back to theAntemeridian sector and the Republic moving against the scattered Imperial systems in theBorderland Regions, the Moffs ordered Pellaeon to take the offensive again. The Moffs had been emboldened by the success of the Orinda campaign, but Pellaeon was uncertain. The Imperial Remnant launched a two-pronged attack fromCelanon andBotajef, which began well enough with victories atLucazec andBarison, but they weredefeated in the north atArda, andin the south atQuell, forcing a retreat to Celanon. At theBattle of Celanon, Pellaeon was defeated byEtahn A'baht and theReaper was destroyed.^[14]

In the aftermath, Pellaeon sought to rebuild the Remnant's defenses and establish a functioning state based on New Order principles. The New Republic chose not to press its advantage and opted to promote commerce in an effort to establish peace. The next five years proved relatively peaceful.^[14]

The Empire Reborn (12–14 ABY)[]

Main article:Empire Reborn

14 ABY saw the culmination of LordHethrir'sEmpire Reborn movement. Independent of Pellaeon's empire, Hethrir was one of the few survivingFirrerreos, a student of Darth Vader and the former ImperialProcurator of Justice. At Palpatine's order, prior to the Battle of Endor he hadmassacred his own people and had imprisoned the survivors, including his mateRillao, aboard twenty-foursleeper ships. He sought to become Emperor in his own right at the head of an organization financed by slavery and powered by the influence of the mysteriousWaru. Summoned via forbidden practices using the unique Force circumstances around the crystallizingwhite dwarf starCrseih, the Waru resembled nothing less than a slab of meat coated in gold scales. The creature wassentient,Force-sensitive and highly intelligent, however, and in exchange for Force-sensitive victims to feed on, Waru would give Hethrir absolute power over the Force, and so the galaxy.^[45]

In pursuit of captives for Waru, Reborn forces planned toassault the Yavin Praxeum. The assault was launched from the Reborn's flagship,Doomgiver, led by Hethrir's chief lieutenantsGalak Fyyar andDesann. However, the attack turned into an unmitigated disaster. Kyle Katarn had infiltrated the ship just before it set out from theCairn Installation. During the hyperspace leap, he confrontedGalak Fyyar and killed him. Coming out of hyperspace, he rescued his partner Jan Ors, and alerted Rogue Squadron to the ship's location. Bringing down the shields, he helped the fighter squadron destroy the ship, including many of the full but undeployed assault ships. What few forces managed to land on Yavin 4 were destroyed, and Katarn killedDesann in the Great Temple. This drastically reduced the military forces of the Empire Reborn.^[55]

Even with his two main lieutenants killed, Hethrir was not prepared to give up on his dream; he would just have to resort to more drastic and radical plans. After the Yavin plan failed, Hethrir kidnapped Han and Leia Organa Solo's children while they were on a diplomatic mission toMunto Codru. After the Solo children were kidnapped, Leia along with Chewbacca tracked Hethrir through the Force. They discovered Hethrir'ssleeper ships andRillao, who joined Leia and Chewbacca and led them to theIndexers ofChalcedon, a rival in the slave trade to Hethrir's own based atCrseih Station.^[45]

OnCrseih Station, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker were investigating reports of Waru, whom they believed to be a lost Jedi, leaked by con-artist and former acquaintance of Solo,Xaverri. Xaverri had been on the station for a number of years and was deeply concerned about the "healer"Waru, and wanted them to investigate. Luke, however, seemed to be taken by the strange being, his judgment and Force ability crippled by the resonance of the nearby crystallizing star. He became distrustful of Han and Xaverri and convinced that he needed Waru's help and healing.^[45]

Arriving at Hethrir'sworldcraftRebirth, Leia, Chewbacca, and Rillao rescuedJacen,Jaina and the other children in theAlderaan. However they were too late to rescueAnakin Solo as Hethrir had already departed for Crseih Station intending to relaunch the Empire Reborn and sacrifice Anakin in the temple of Waru. Leia and her party met up with Luke, Han, and Xaverri at the temple of the Waru. In a grand ceremony surrounded by all his supporters, Lord Hethrir planned to sacrifice Anakin on the altar of Waru. Luke, affected by the nearby crystallizing star, dove into the altar in Anakin's place, forcing Han and Leia to follow. Hethrir, realizing that Luke was a better sacrifice than Anakin anyway, believed his plans were finally coming to fruition. Rillao, however, launched herself onto Hethrir in a furious attack.^[45]

Inside the golden ichor of Waru, Han and Leia drew Luke back, aided by the cries of the Solo children. Enraged by the missed opportunity and Hethrir's failure to fulfill his bargain, Waru consumed Hethrir instead. With Hethrir's Force power the being returned to its home dimension, killing Hethrir and ending the Empire Reborn.^[45]

Final campaigns (13–19 ABY)[]

Republic difficulties (13–17 ABY)[]

Main articles:Restored Empire,Disciples of Ragnos crisis,Black Fleet Crisis andAlmanian Uprising

The period that followed the Orinda campaign and the collapse of the Empire Reborn movement was marked by relative peace between the Galactic Civil War's belligerents. However, the frontier between the two sides, nicknamed "Thunder Alley," was subject to ceaseless patrols by the New Republic Defense Fleet.^[21] While Admiral Pellaeon assumed control of the Imperial Remnant, both sides faced a string of new threats.

In13 ABY, the Imperial Remnant weathered a near-civil war with the appearance ofEnnix Devian's "Restored Empire" movement. A hyperconservative hardliner dedicated to "the sacred Restoration of the True Empire of Palpatine," Devian concocted a complex plot to seize control of the Imperial Remnant. In an effort to restart the Civil War, Devian organized themurder of Imperial and New Republic diplomats conducting peace talks. Pellaeon suspected New Republic betrayal, and his assembly of capital ships in preparation for a counterattack left Orinda poorly defended, allowing Devian tocapture the planet. With the assistance ofRagez D'Asta, however, the Restored Empire's fleet was defeated and the Remnant force sent to attack the New Republic swiftly recalled. Devian himself was killed in single combat withKir Kanos.^[7]

13 ABY also saw the end of theFederated Teradoc Union withKosh Teradoc's death at the hands ofWraith Squadron. Ruling what little remained of the Greater Maldrood in the Mid Rim, Kosh had been devastated by his brother's murder by Daala at Tsoss Beacon and was not party to the reunification effort. Wraith Squadrontraveled toRyvester, and with the aid ofMulus Cheems, convinced Teradoc to purchase a supposedly valuable statue. The piece had in fact been rigged with explosives, and it detonated in the vaults below Teradoc's weapons research laboratories, killing the warlord.^[111]

14 ABY saw theDisciples of Ragnos crisis, where aSith cult calling itself theDisciples of Ragnos, backed by an Imperial Remnant faction andInvisible Market traders, attempted to resurrect the ancient Sith LordMarka Ragnos. The cult, led by theDark JediTavion Axmis, believed that Ragnos would give them unlimited power and bring the galaxy under their control. Their plans were thwarted, mostly due to the actions ofJedi KnightJaden Korr, and they were defeated in abattle on Korriban.^[40]

In16 ABY, as the New Republic sought to expand its diplomatic and economic relations, it entered negotiations with theDuskhan League of theKoornacht Cluster, which the localYevetha had seized from their Imperial taskmasters in4 ABY. During the meetings,ViceroyNil Spaar manipulated New Republic politics to sow internal chaos while he initiated the xenocidalGreat Purge, ethnically cleansing the entire Koornacht Cluster and completely depopulating worlds likePolneye. When confirmation reached Coruscant, Chief of State Leia Organa Solo extended her executive powers to send New Republic forces into the Cluster. The war in the Koornacht Cluster saw the deployment of the New Republic Defense Force'sFifth Battle Group under GeneralEtahn A'baht, the first fleet to be wholly composed of New Class vessels. Despite Yevethan home advantage, uniquethrustship technology and willingness to use civilians as living shields, the New Republic defeated the Yevethan fleet, aided by a group of Imperial military personnel held hostage by the Yevetha. At the conclusion of theBattle of N'zoth, MajorSil Sorannan and the Imperial prisoners seized theBlack Fleet ships used by the Yevethan navy and fled into the Deep Core in search of what remained of the Empire.^[112]

On the heels of the Black Fleet Crisis, a pair of Dark Jedi,Kueller andBrakiss, staged theAlmanian Uprising in17 ABY. The two former Jedi Praxeum students overthrew theJe'har ruling caste ofAlmania. Using the wealthy Brakiss' access to the droid factories ofTelti, they planted bombs in droids to kill entire planetary populations, with the aim of sowing chaos so they could seize control of the New Republic. Like the Yevethan plot before them, the Dark Jedi applied pressure to the fragmented political state of the New Republic, using Organa Solo as a wedge to drive the state apart. Their terrorist campaign saw thegenocide of thePydyrians and thebombing of the Senate Hall on Coruscant before Luke Skywalker discovered his former student on Almania. However, Kueller captured the weakened Luke and threatened to kill him unless Leia Organa Solo surrendered control of the New Republic. While the plot was foiled by a combination of Jedi and New Republic Defense Force efforts at theBattle of Almania, it drove Organa Solo from office, who resigned from her post despite surviving her secondVote of No Confidence.^[22]

The final Imperial campaign (17 ABY)[]

Main article:Imperial Skirmishes

While the New Republic rebuilt, the Imperial Remnant's Moffs saw the bewildered Republic as ripe for picking. Since the Orinda campaign they had received an injection of forces from the Black Fleet fleeing the Yevetha, among them theprototype Star DestroyerEX-F, renamed theRakehell. In17 ABY, the New Republic lifted its ban on former Imperial officials holding elected office. The move was intended as a peace offering, but the Moffs saw it as the prelude to an invasion. TheCouncil of Moffs contacted Admiral Daala, who'd returned to the Deep Core and unified the "replacement warlords," ambitious beings who had taken control of what little infrastructure remained after Pellaeon abandoned the Deep Core and replaced the officers Daala had killed atTsoss Beacon. Daala was convinced to fight, and the Moffs ordered Pellaeon to begin another campaign against the New Republic. Pellaeon thought the plan mad, but hoped to that he could win a few quick victories to satisfy the Moffs before offering peace terms to the New Republic.^[14][4]

What followed was an unmitigated disaster for the Imperial Remnant. Daala struck out of the Deep Core, but her fleet was shattered by Garm Bel Iblis at theBattle of Columus. She was forced into a blind hyperspace jump and thought dead until she re-emerged in40 ABY. Pellaeon's attack began well: hetook Adumar and won surprise attacks onTaris andChampala on the Hydian Way, pushing all the way to the edge of the Core Worlds, but with Daala defeated, Ackbar and Bel Iblis brought the full weight of the New Republic Defense Force to bear.^[14][4]

TheSecond Battle of Champala was an Imperial rout. Pellaeon was chased back to Imperial Space, which was rapidly reduced after defeats atKetaris andTangrene. Hoping to salvage a victory, Pellaeon deployed his surviving dreadnoughtsDominion andMegador, as well as theRakehell, atAnx Minor. TheBattle of Anx Minor was a disaster, with theMegador andDominion suffering severe damage in the detonation of theRakehell'santimatter reservoir. Pellaeon ordered an immediate retreat to Sartinaynian, the last planet to becodenamed "Bastion." In mere weeks the Empire had been reduced to a rump of eight Outer Rim sectors withBastion,Yaga Minor andMuunilinst the only planets of note. It would remain there for another two years before it finally offered surrender terms to the New Republic. The Republic kept the Imperial Remnant bottled up during theCorellian Crisis, and the Empire would never break out again; they were now an overlooked backwater.^[14][4]

The Caamas Document Crisis (19 ABY)[]

Main articles:Caamas Document Crisis andHand of Thrawn

TheCaamas Document Crisis was the final campaign of the Galactic Civil War, and still nearly tore the New Republic apart. In19 ABY, Gilad Pellaeon approached theCouncil of Moffs and declared that the Galactic Empire had lost the war, making clear his intention to seek peace terms. In response, a diehardSinister Triumvirate composed ofMoffVilim Disra, MajorGrodin Tierce, and thecon artistFlim planned to overturn the peace talks by provoking the Empire to a new campaign. To this end, Flim was disguised with blue skin dye and red contact lenses to make it appear that Grand Admiral Thrawn had returned from the dead.^[93]

Tierce was in fact a clone of thereal Major Tierce, who had died in the Thrawn campaign some years earlier, and had beenflash-imprinted with Thrawn's memories. With Flim as "Thrawn," Disra's knowledge of politics and diplomacy and Tierce's grasp of strategy and tactics, the three believed that they could fake Thrawn's return. Elsewhere, in response to the spreading rumors that Thrawn had returned, Admiral Voss Parck of the Hand of Thrawn, the base of operations Thrawn had established in the Unknown Regions, sent out severalClawcraft to investigate. These werepursued back to Nirauan by Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker.^[93]

Concurrently, adatacard recovered from the ruins of Palpatine'sMount Tantiss storehouse on Wayland was discovered to contain a corrupted copy of theCaamas Document: a list of Bothan saboteurs who had assisted the Empire in collapsing theplanetary shields ofCaamas in the early years of the Empire, allowing it toexterminate the peacefulCaamasi people in aBase Delta Zero bombardment. A political firestorm erupted throughout the New Republic. After the Triumvirate leaked Thrawn's "resurrection" to the rest of the galaxy, the New Republic fell into panic, with planets fortifying, others re-declaring for the Empire, and a new civil war apparently about to begin. The only solution to the crisis was to find a complete copy of the Caamas Document. The smuggler Talon Karrdesearched forJorj Car'das' copy in theKathol Rift, while Han Solo and Lando Calrissian infiltrated the Imperial archives on Bastion, the location of which was heretofore unknown to the New Republic.^[93]

Disra and Tierce ensured Pellaeon was isolated from the crisis bykidnapping his emissary to the New Republic atMorishim. Consequently, Pellaeon was kept waiting for several weeks atPesitiin while the New Republic had no idea that he wished to negotiate. Meanwhile, Disra altered the copies of the Caamas Document in the Imperial archives on Bastion and Yaga Minor in the hopes of intensifying the crisis. On Disra's orders, theCavrilhu Piratesattacked Pellaeon at Pesitiin to make him believe that the New Republic had betrayed him. However, Pellaeon was unconvinced by the tactics they displayed and concluded that factions within the Remnant were responsible.^[93]

Meanwhile, the New Republic enlisted the aid of the smuggler Booster Terrik for araid on Yaga Minor to obtain a copy of the Caamas Document. Terrik's vessel, theImperial-class Star DestroyerErrant Venture, was refitted to impersonate an Imperial vessel, theTyrannic, on the run from a New Republic task force. This task force, led by thePeregrine, would jump out of hyperspace soon after, engaging the base's perimeter defenses. While the Imperials were distracted, a slicer team would be sent in to the orbitingUbiqtorate station to download the Caamas Document. If the deception was uncovered, theErrant Venture would try to hold off the Imperial forces just long enough to transmit a copy of the document to the New Republic forces in the perimeter and surrender.^[93]

At the same time, in his disguise as Thrawn, Flim sent threeImperial-class Star Destroyers to theBoth system. The lead vessel was theTyrannic. TheObliterator and theIronhand were also deployed, together with a few small scout vessels in civilian disguise. All three Star Destroyers were assigned to moor themselves to a comet and lie in wait, with theircloaking devices engaged. When Imperial saboteurs caused a failure in Bothawui'splanetary shields and instigated a battle between pro- and anti-Bothan forces in Bothawui orbit, they would then be ready to destroy both fleets and devastate the surface of Bothawui. Soon, over fifty-six vessels had arrived in the Both system, either to threaten or to defend the Bothans over the Caamas Document. This number quickly increased: by the time of the final battle, the combined pro- and anti-Bothan forces contained nearly two hundred capital ships. The New Republic only had a token force in-system to keep the two fleets apart. A larger New Republic force, commanded by General Garm Bel Iblis, was supposedly nearKothlis, but this force was really massing in theMrisst system for the raid on Yaga Minor.^[93]

At Yaga Minor, the Triumvirate saw through theErrant Venture's ruse instantly, since theTyrannic had already been sent to Bothawui. Before they could attack the New Republic force, however, Pellaeon arrived in-system with Talon Karrde, who had learned from Jorj Car'das the truth about Flim and Tierce. Pellaeon exposed Flim as a fraud, killed Tierce and ordered Disra's arrest fortreason, stopping the Battle of Yaga Minor from becoming a rout. At Bothawui, Lando Calrissian and the Republic's Chief of StatePonc Gavrisom exposed the three Star Destroyers hiding behind their cloaking devices and acting asagents provocateurs, and the fleet unified andchased them from the system.^[93]

Meanwhile, at the Hand of Thrawn fortress on Nirauan, Voss Parck introduced the captured Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade to the Empire of the Hand, an immense swath of the Unknown Regions that Thrawn had mapped and settled in his service to the Emperor years earlier. Thrawn had told Parck years before that if he died he would return ten years after his death, and unaware that "Thrawn's" return was a fraud, Parck now planned to hand over the Hand's considerable territory and resources to Bastion and so restore the Galactic Empire. However, Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade escaped, destroying all spacecraft in the fortress to prevent an emissary being sent to Bastion and fled through the tunnels below. In the bottommost chamber, unknown even to Parck, they found what Thrawn had truly meant when he said he would return: floating inside a single Spaarti cloning cylinder was a fully grownclone of Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Debating whether to kill the clone, they were set upon by guard droids, and the ensuing fight flooded the chamber with water and destroyed the cylinder. Escaping via a stolen Clawcraft, they discovered that R2-D2 had sliced Thrawn's personal archive and downloaded a complete, unaltered copy of the Caamas Document.^[93]

Bastion Accords (19 ABY)[]

Main article:Pellaeon–Gavrisom Treaty

With the Crisis defused, the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant at last began peace negotiations, beginning, inauspiciously enough, at thehologame table of theMillennium Falcon in thePesitiin system. The resultingpeace treaty was signed above Bastion aboard the Star DestroyerChimaera by the Imperial Remnant's Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet,Fleet Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, and the New Republic's Acting Chief of State, Ponc Gavrisom, in19 ABY, marking the formal end of the Galactic Civil War.^[8]

The Bastion Accords did not outline a surrender of any sort on the side of the Imperial Remnant; it instead put forth terms that would leave what remained of the Galactic Empire intact but with an end of hostilities between the two rival parties. It additionally opened the Imperial Remnant to trade and commerce with the New Republic, and put forth limitations on smuggling for both nations to enforce. The Galactic Civil War was finally over.^[8]

Legacy of the Galactic Civil War[]

The Rebels formed the New Republic after the Battle of Endor, which eventually encompassed much of the galaxy. It included a new Senate and a more powerful chief executive, the first of which was Mon Mothma. However, it was hampered by both fear of dictatorship and corruption, proving that the Alliance had not completely restored theOld Republic, but did succeed in other areas, such as promoting democracy and restoring hope.

A few Imperial bitter-enders refused to recognize the Bastion Accords and conducted a campaign ofpiracy and guerrilla operations against the New Republic. The New Republic Defense Force fought alow-level campaign against these Imperial holdouts, among them the Deep Core military colony ofPrakith, from 19 to around25 ABY. The most significant of these insurgencies was theSecond Imperium Crisis in23 ABY, a short, small war where a final die-hard faction led by Brakiss rejected the Bastion Accords and attempted to create an army ofDark Jedi aboard the rovingShadow Academy space station. The final expression of the Galactic Empire through violence, theSecond Imperium fought only four important battles which were smaller than those in the Civil War, and came to a decisive end at theThird Battle of Yavin.^[24]

The New Republic ended with theinvasion of the alienYuuzhan Vong in25 ABY, where both the incompetence of Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya and the unwillingness of theNew Republic Senate to commit to war eventually discredited the Republic's system of governance. It was reorganized into theGalactic Federation of Free Alliances byCal Omas, which in a way completed the original goals of the Rebel Alliance. In response to the horrifying brutality of the Yuuzhan Vong and inefficiency of the Republic, many in the Imperial Remnant expressed the belief that the Galactic Empire would have been more effective in repelling the invasion.Vana Dorja believed that Emperor Palpatine would have rapidly annihilated the Yuuzhan Vong with overwhelming force, while in55 ABYLenang O'Pali wrote that Thrawn and Palpatine were misunderstood heroes for trying to prepare the galaxy to face the invasion, and held the Rebellion to be a tragic mistake that left the galaxy defenseless. Both were speaking from highly partisan positions.^[14]

Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade'smission to Nirauan in the Caamas Document Crisis exposed the Empire of the Hand, and through it the Chiss Ascendancy, to the galaxy at large. The Empire of the Hand was believed to be absorbed by the Chiss after the death of Thrawn's clone, and through theSyndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo's Household Phalanx was involved in the Yuuzhan Vong War. However, the Empire still existed in some capacity by44 ABY as an ally ofJagged Fel.^[114]

A more negative legacy was revealed during the time of theSecond Galactic Civil War: since theDefense Declarations of4 ABY had devolved control of thePlanetary Security Forces to the systems, wealthier planets had been seeking ever-larger and more powerful navies that by37 ABY gave the Galactic Alliance cause for concern. TheSector Defense Limits aimed to limit the scale of the Planetary Security Forces, prickling the pride of Corellia and triggering a Second Corellian Crisis and eventually aSecond Galactic Civil War.^[14] Another negative legacy was the establishment of theGalactic Alliance Guard, a secret police organization aimed at spying on possible Corellian subversives. Its brutal methods and hard-line views made it comparable in some respects to the Stormtrooper Corps of decades past.^[115]

The damage wrought by the Galactic Civil War, along with the further ravages of theYuuzhan Vong War, also inspired theSith LordDarth Krayt into planning the eventual rise of a newSith Empire, with himself as Emperor. Krayt believed this would prevent further destabilization of the galaxy like the one he had experienced while growing up.^[116]

Politics of the Civil War[]

Many species and planets supported the Rebel Alliance's bid to overthrow the Emperor, including the Mon Calamari and Bail Organa's own home planet of Alderaan. Although early on the Rebels used positions in the Imperial Senate to gain influence and took advantage of the diplomatic immunity provided, the Senate was abolished in0 BBY, and many Rebel Senators were discovered. Mon Mothma, leader of the Rebel Alliance, barely escaped capture by the Imperial Security Bureau, the Empire's ruthless secret police force.^[12]

Few planets could support the Rebellion openly, aside from small (usually uninhabited except by secret rebel bases) planets outside the usual scope of the Empire. Goods had to be produced secretly, either in factories built away from their usual areas or through bureaucratic trickery, although piracy was a common means of funding the Rebellion. Not until around the time of Endor and afterwards, when the Rebellion possessed enough support to challenge the Imperial Navy conventionally, could planets openly declare without fear of orbital razing or a firm put-down by ruthless stormtroopers.^[12]

The Empire continued to erode freedoms during this period, using the conflict as an excuse. Under Tarkin's suggestion, the Emperor mandated the Tarkin Doctrine, which stated that the Empire would use fear of force rather than force itself to control dissent. This culminated in the construction of the first Death Star. Its use at Alderaan was to be one of its only uses; its purpose was to demonstrate Imperial power, not to eliminate countless worlds. The Emperor also began to come under the influence of what became known as his Inner Circle. These men, including the devious Sate Pestage, eventually took control of the day-to-day operations of the Empire. Although evil enough in his own right, Palpatine allowed his bureaucracy to grow exceedingly large and corrupt under the influence of these men.^[12]

The Alliance and Separatism[]

The memory of theSeparatist Crisis and the Clone Wars lingered a long time in the minds of the galaxy's citizens. When the New Order was declared in 19 BBY, many in the galaxy were tired of war and disorder, and the fear of the return of Separatism meant that it took seventeen years before Mon Mothma, Bail Organa and Garm Bel Iblis could establish a unified resistance movement. Even in the Declaration of Rebellion, the Rebel Alliance had to couch its criticisms of the Empire as those of Republic Loyalists to avoid accusations of Separatism. Even after the Empire's atrocities were exposed, many stayed with the Empire out of fear of disorder.^[14]

Nevertheless, despite the Empire's attempted eradication ofSeparatist holdouts, many former Separatists came to support the nascent Rebellion. While some seemed natural allies, others remained at odds with the Rebellion’s goals. Many Rebels still viewed Separatists with suspicion, distinguishing between resisting Imperial tyranny and betraying the ideals of the Republic. The atrocities committed by some Separatist factions during the Clone Wars made reconciliation difficult, and lead to disagreements within the Alliance leadership as to what role they should play. Bel Iblis argued for the acceptance of those Separatists that had not committed war crimes, nothing that other groups seeking regional independence had been accepted by the Rebellion. Organa disagreed, contending that all Alliance members must accept the Rebellion's primary goal of the Republic's restoration. Mon Mothma conceded Bel Iblis' point, but worried that accepting Separatists would be a target for Imperial propaganda.^[14][117]

Some former Separatists would join the Alliance after publicly disavowing their pasts: the former CIS GeneralHorn Ambigene and hisBryx Freedom Fighters came under the Rebellion as theBryx Sector Force, though at the cost of the subjugation of theBryx sector by the Empire. More generally, however, the Rebels and Separatists settled on a policy of tacit acceptance, quiet mutual support, and non-interference. TheNeimoidianTrade Defense Force CaptainBlox Hatha was refused formal Alliance membership but became a renownedprivateer bearing a Rebelletter of marque and reprisal. In theAtravis sector, however, a three-way war broke out between the Alliance, Separatists and the Empire that lasted for years.^[14]

Political tensions extended even among the former Separatists themselves. While some, disillusioned with Imperial rule, chose to support the Rebellion, others rejected a return to the Republic altogether, seeing it as a corrupt and ineffective system. Many corporate-aligned Separatists prospered under the Empire, growing wealthy and maintaining their loyalty to Imperial authorities. As a result, ex-Separatists fractured into multiple paths: some allied with the Rebellion, others fought the Empire independently, some remained neutral, and a few actively supported the Empire. This fragmentation contributed to a galactic political landscape that remained as divided and volatile as it had been during the Clone Wars.^[117]

Inter-species politics[]

Prejudice towards alien species was common under the Human-dominated Galactic Empire. The Inner Council practiced Human High Culture, which denied nonhumans entry into formal Imperial organizations like the government or the military. They were also often the target of exclusionary policies, perhaps as a result of the stigma surrounding the alien-based Confederacy of Independent Systems.^[4] Several pro-Human organizations like theCommission for the Protection of the Republic and its chapterSAGroup had also originated on Coruscant and other Human worlds during the Clone Wars.^[12]

Other species were enslaved because of their strength or their talents. Examples include the Mon Calamari, who were enslaved for their prowess in shipbuilding, and the Wookiees of Kashyyyk, who were enslaved for their strength and were used as laborers for various Imperial projects including theDeath Star and theMaw Installation. In some cases, sentient aliens had been virtually exterminated by the Empire (infamously, the Empire occasionally used an ecological act permitting the eradication of dangerous species to justify military operations against sentient species).^[12]

The discrimination against nonhumans encouraged many species to join the Rebel Alliance. Many of the Rebels' strongest supporters were of the alien species who were enslaved by the Empire, including the Mon Calamari, the Wookiees and the Sullustans. Two of the Rebel Alliance's greatest heroes—Admiral Ackbar and Chewbacca—had escaped from Imperial slavery. However, the early Rebel Alliance was mostly made up of Humans, and the commanders who led the Rebels into battles against the Empire were almost always Human.^[12]

As the Rebel Alliance grew into the New Republic, more and more species became its allies. However, tensions arose between the Human and alien members of the New Republic. Non-Humans were disappointed at how many of the New Republic's top government positions were given to Humans, notably Mon Mothma and Leia Organa Solo. Many suspected that the New Republic was practicing its own form of Human High Culture, while many more remembered the prejudice practiced by the Empire. Both Ysanne Isard and Warlord Zsinj tried to exploit these tensions. Ysanne Isard used the Krytos virus—a bio-engineered disease that affected only non-humans—to cause a split within the New Republic between alien species, and the immune humans. Warlord Zsinj started Project Funeral, a brainwashing scheme whose purpose was to cause distrust towards some of the New Republic's trusted non-human species, including Twi'leks, Gotals and Sullustans. However, both schemes were defeated before they achieved the desired effect. Late into the Galactic Civil War, an alien paramilitary group called theDiversity Alliance was formed, whose aim was to eliminate all Humans in the galaxy. Although their public face was as an alien-rights movement, investigation by theNew Jedi Order in24 ABY confirmed it to be otherwise, and it was subsequently defeated by the New Republic.^[12]

As the Galactic Civil War moved into its final stage, many of the inter-species tensions on both sides of the conflict were loosened. The New Republic elected theCalibop Ponc Gavrisom as Interim Chief of State, the first nonhuman to fill the post. The crisis with the Diversity Alliance led to the formation of theCooperative Council of Independent Planetary Governments, a group committed to improving relations between the various species of the New Republic. However, the biggest reform came from the Galactic Empire. When Admiral Daala took charge of the Imperial Remnant, she allowed both women and nonhumans to join the Empire's military forces, thus ending over thirty years of Human High Culture.^[12]

Behind the scenes[]

The Galactic Civil War has been for decades the titularStar Wars that defines the saga. Most of the fiction created inStar Wars was, for years, set during the Galactic Civil War. Even with theExpanded Universe moving into conflicts that happened after it, or long before it, it still remains the most well-known plot point. After being introduced inStar Wars: Episode IVA New Hope, the course of the Galactic Civil War was elaborated by early Expanded Universe materials like1978'sSplinter of the Mind's Eye, the firstStar Wars novel, and theStar Wars comic series produced byMarvel. The first comic series ran from1977 to1986, and introduced elements like the Yavin blockade, Luke Skywalker's discovery of Hoth, and theTarkin superweapon.^[119]

With so little canon material to work with, however, early works related to the Galactic Civil War were largely unstructured and unrefined. With the Galactic Empire's apparent defeat in1983'sStar Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi, Marvel moved towards creating new antagonists, leading to the introduction of such concepts as the Nagai–Tof War. In1987, however,West End Games producedStar Wars: The Roleplaying Game, and this required an internal consistency that made the game's sourcebooks a substantial source of Expanded Universe material related to the Galactic Civil War. Indeed,Timothy Zahn usedThe Roleplaying Game's sourcebooks as background material when he wroteHeir to the Empire in1991. Zahn'sThrawn Trilogy, and theStar Wars: Dark Empire comic series released the same year, expanded the course of the Galactic Civil War in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, detailing the continued resistance of the Galactic Empire and introducing such characters as Grand Admiral Thrawn, Gilad Pellaeon, Mara Jade, and Emperor Palpatine's clone.^{[120][104][37]}

Dark Empire andThe Thrawn Trilogy both influencedKevin J. Anderson's1994Jedi Academy Trilogy, which detailed the efforts of Luke Skywalker to restore the Jedi Order, the reconstruction in the aftermath of the reborn Emperor's campaign, and introduced the Imperial exile Admiral Daala. Also in 1994,The Truce at Bakura introduced theSsi-ruuvi invasion in the immediate aftermath of Endor, andThe Courtship of Princess Leia introduced the character of Warlord Zsinj, though in an undeveloped form, and the concept of post-Endor Imperialwarlordism and faction fighting. Kevin J. Anderson's subsequent1995 novelDarksaber detailed Daala'sreunification of the Imperial warlords left scattered and feuding by Palpatine's defeat, with the help of Gilad Pellaeon, concluding with Daala's resignation and appointment of Pellaeon as Supreme Commander.^{[109][44][6][16]}

1996 saw the release ofStar Wars: Shadows of the Empire, a multimedia project intended to bridge the gap betweenThe Empire Strikes Back andReturn of the Jedi, which detailed the Rebel Alliance's efforts to rescue Han Solo from Boba Fett while seeking to acquire the plans to the Second Death Star. That same year saw the release of the first ofMichael A. Stackpole'sX-Wing novels, detailing and expanding the lives and personalities of the pilots of Rogue Squadron.Rogue Squadron,Wedge's Gamble, andThe Krytos Trap related the New Republic's actions from Endor up to the liberation of Coruscant, and introduced the character of Ysanne Isard and expanded Warlord Zsinj as a background threat.^[3][121]

Other fiction released around this time tended to move away from the Galactic Empire as an enemy, withThe Black Fleet Crisis,Young Jedi Knights, andStar Wars: The Corellian Trilogy viewing the post-Daala Empire as either neutered or even utterly defeated.1997'sX-Wing: The Bacta War filled out the earlier history of the Galactic Civil War with Rogue Squadron's continued actions against Ysanne Isard in the aftermath of the capture of Coruscant. November of that year, however, saw the return ofTimothy Zahn to writeSpecter of the Past, set fifteen years after the events ofReturn of the Jedi and depicting Gilad Pellaeon now in command of an exhausted Imperial Remnant, outnumbered by the New Republic and ready to sue for peace. SubsequentX-Wing novels released from1998 to1999 saw the expansion of the early campaign against Zsinj and developed the warlord into a wily and dangerous opponent. Zahn'sHand of Thrawn Duology concluded in September 1998 with the release ofVision of the Future, which saw the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic finally conclude peace, bringing the Galactic Civil War to a close and introducing concepts that would unfold in the laterNew Jedi Order novels, including the Chiss, the Empire of the Hand, and the upcomingYuuzhan Vong invasion.^{[112][23][121][93]}

Though after 1999 the Expanded Universe largely moved on to works related to theprequel trilogy andThe New Jedi Order series, the Galactic Civil War's narrative was further fleshed out in various reference guides such as roleplaying sourcebooks and theEssential Guides.2000'sThe Essential Chronology introduced the Orinda campaign and the Imperial Skirmishes as actions that took place between Daala's reunification and Pellaeon's peace treaty, with the latter being described as the Imperial Remnant's death blow. The narrative was subsequently expanded in2005'sThe New Essential Chronology, while2009'sThe Essential Atlas and2012'sThe Essential Guide to Warfare related the campaigns of the war to newly produced maps of the galaxy and developed coherent strategies for the Rebellion, the Empire, and the New Republic.^{[39][12][4][14]}

Appearances[]

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Star Wars: Battlefront Star Wars: Battlefront II Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Star Wars: The Force Unleashed novelization(andunabridged audiobook) Death Star Rebel Dawn Death in the Undercity(reprinted inClassic Adventures: Volume Three) The Abduction(reprinted inClassic Adventures) "The Evacuation of Jatee" —Supernova "The Spira Regatta" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 1(reprinted inThe Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, Issues 1-4) "Swoop Gangs" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 6(reprinted inClassic Adventures: Volume Four — The Best of the Journal)(Mentioned only) "Rebel Escape" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 "Gone To Ground" —No Disintegrations "The Black Sphere" —No Disintegrations Ultimate Core Dump onWizards.com(backup link) (original site is defunct)(Mentioned only)(Unlicensed) Rookies: Rendezvous Rookies: No Turning Back "Rebel Breakout" —Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II novelization(andaudiobook) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II graphic novel Star Wars Adventures: Han Solo and the Hollow Moon of Khorya Star Wars: Lethal Alliance Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire audio drama Empire 1 Empire 2 Empire 3 Empire 4 Empire 8 Empire 9 Empire 10 Empire 11 "Resurrection" — Star Wars Tales 9 "The Value of Proper Intelligence to Any Successful Military Campaign is Not to Be Underestimated" — Star Wars Tales 19 Star Wars: Empire at War Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption "The Farlander Papers" —Star Wars: X-Wing Star Wars: X-Wing "Galaxywide NewsNets" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 3(Mentioned only) Empire 5 Empire 6 Star Wars: Dark Forces Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster Jedi Dawn "Interlude at Darkknell" —Tales from the New Republic "Hammertong: The Tale of the "Tonnika Sisters"" —Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina(andaudiobook) Empire 13 Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice Star Wars Journal: Captive to Evil Star Wars: Episode IVA New Hope Star Wars: A New Hope novelization(andunabridged audiobook)(First appearance, in book) Star Wars: A Storybook Super Star Wars Star Wars (1977) 1(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld andStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope)(First identified as Galactic Civil War) Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition 1 Droids (1986) 6 Star Wars (1977) 2(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld andStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope) Droids (1986) 7 X-Wing Rogue Squadron ½ Empire 12 Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition 2 Star Wars (1977) 3(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld andStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope) "A Certain Point of View" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 8(reprinted inTales from the Empire andHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) Star Wars (1977) 4(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld andStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope) Droids (1986) 8 Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition 3 Star Wars (1977) 5(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld andStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope) Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition 4 Star Wars (1977) 6(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld andStar Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope) Empire 15 Star Wars: Trench Run onStarWars.com(backup link) (original site is defunct) Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Empire 14 "Priority: X" —Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 12(Indirect mention only) Star Wars: Rebellion Empire 7 "Imperial Spin" —Imperial Sourcebook(reprinted inSecond Edition) "Changing the Odds: The Adventures of Dannen Lifehold" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 3(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club)(Mentioned only) Star Wars Missions 1: Assault on Yavin Four Star Wars Missions 2: Escape from Thyferra Star Wars Missions 3: Attack on Delrakkin Star Wars Missions 4: Destroy the Liquidator Star Wars Missions 17: Darth Vader's Return Star Wars Missions 18: Rogue Squadron to the Rescue Star Wars Missions 19: Bounty on Bonadan Star Wars Missions 20: Total Destruction "Droid Trouble" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 3(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club)(Mentioned only) "A Deal Gone Sour" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 4 "To Fight Another Day" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 6(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club)(Mentioned only) "Small Favors" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 12 Star Wars (1977) 7(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 8(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 9(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 10(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 11(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 12(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 13(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 14(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 15(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Scoundrels(andaudiobook) Rebel Force: Target Rebel Force: Hostage Rebel Force: Renegade Rebel Force: Firefight Star Wars Missions 5: The Hunt for Han Solo Star Wars Missions 6: The Search for Grubba the Hutt Star Wars Missions 7: Ithorian Invasion Star Wars Missions 8: Togorian Trap Empire 16 Empire 17 Empire 18 Star Wars (1977) 24(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 16(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 17(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 18(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 19(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 20(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld) Star Wars (1977) 21(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 22(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 23(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 25(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 26(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 27(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 28(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters)(In flashback(s)) Star Wars (1977) 29(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 30(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 31(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 32(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 33(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 34(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Vader's Quest 1 Vader's Quest 2 Vader's Quest 3 Vader's Quest 4 Star Wars (2013) 1 Star Wars (2013) 2 Star Wars (2013) 3 "The Second Kessel Run"(colorized inClassic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 6) "Tilotny Throws a Shape" —The Empire Strikes Back Monthly 154(colorized inClassic Star Wars: Devilworlds 2) Star Wars (1977) 35(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars Annual (1977) 1(colorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 36(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars (1977) 37(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) Star Wars Science Adventures: Emergency in Escape Pod Four Star Wars Science Adventures: Journey Across Planet X "Tatooine Sojourn"(colorized inClassic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 4) Rebel Force: Trapped Rebel Force: Uprising Star Wars Missions 9: Revolt of the Battle Droids Jedi's Honor Tatooine Manhunt(reprinted inClassic Adventures: Volume Three)(Mentioned only) Star Wars Missions 10: Showdown in Mos Eisley Star Wars Missions 11: Bounty Hunters vs. Battle Droids Star Wars Missions 12: The Vactooine Disaster "Galaxywide NewsNets" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 4(Mentioned only) Untitled comic —Pizzazz 1 Untitled comic —Pizzazz 2 "Dread Discovery!" —Pizzazz 3 "A Matter of Monsters!" —Pizzazz 4 "Pursuit among the Ruins!" —Pizzazz 5 "Do You Know What Your Children Are?" —Pizzazz 6 "Caverns of Mystery!" —Pizzazz 7 "The Keeper's Secret!" —Pizzazz 8 "The Final Fury!" —Pizzazz 9 "The Kingdom of Ice!" —Pizzazz 10 "The Snow Demons!" —Pizzazz 11 "Treachery!" —Pizzazz 12 "Death Trap!" —Pizzazz 13 "Snow Fury!" —Pizzazz 14 "The Ice Worm Cometh!" —Pizzazz 15 Empire 19 Allegiance(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) "The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 1–2) "Darth Vader Strikes"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 2–4) "The Serpent Masters"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 4–6) "Deadly Reunion"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 6–7) "Traitor's Gambit"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 7–8) "The Night Beast"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 8–9) "The Return of Ben Kenobi"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 10–11) "The Most Dangerous Foe" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 11(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron "Race for Survival"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 15–17) "Death Star Pirates" —Star Wars Kids (1997) 16–20 "The Paradise Detour"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 17–18) "A New Beginning"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 18–20) "Showdown"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 20) "The Final Trap"(colorized inClassic Star Wars 20) "Fair Prey" —Star Wars Gamer 1 River of Chaos 1 River of Chaos 2 River of Chaos 3 River of Chaos 4 Empire 20(Mentioned only) Empire 22 Empire 23 Empire 24 Empire 25 Galaxy of Fear: Eaten Alive(Mentioned only) Galaxy of Fear: City of the Dead(Mentioned only) Galaxy of Fear: Planet Plague(Mentioned only) Galaxy of Fear: The Nightmare Machine Galaxy of Fear: Ghost of the Jedi(Mentioned only) Empire 26 Empire 27 Empire 28 Galaxy of Fear: Army of Terror(Mentioned only) Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd: A Hyperspace Exclusive onHyperspace(article) (content obsolete and backup link not available)(Mentioned only) Empire 29 Empire 30 Empire 31 Empire 32 Empire 33 Empire 34 Empire 35 Empire 36 Empire 37 Empire 38 Empire 39 Empire 40 Choices of One Galaxy of Fear: The Brain Spiders(Mentioned only) Galaxy of Fear: The Swarm(Mentioned only) Rebellion 0 Rebellion 1 Rebellion 2 Rebellion 3 Rebellion 4 Rebellion 5 Rebellion 6 Rebellion 7 Rebellion 8 Rebellion 9 Rebellion 10 Rebellion 11 Rebellion 12 Rebellion 13 Rebellion 14 Rebellion 15 Rebellion 16 Introductory Adventure Game Graveyard of Alderaan(reprinted inClassic Adventures: Volume Two) Boba Fett: Overkill Galaxy of Fear: Spore(Mentioned only) "Planet of Kadril" "Sand Blasted" — Star Wars Tales 4 Galaxy of Fear: The Doomsday Ship(Mentioned only) Galaxy of Fear: Clones(Mentioned only) Riders of the Maelstrom(reprinted inClassic Adventures: Volume Three) "The Constancia Affair"(colorized inStar Wars Special: The Constancia Affair) "The Long Arm of the Hutt" —Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game(Indirect mention only) Under a Black Sun(Mentioned only) Beyond the Rim "Takeover at Whisper Base" —Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Beginner Game "Operation: Shadowpoint" "Perlemian Haul" —Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook "Dead in the Water" —Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Game Master's Kit Onslaught at Arda I Rescue at Glare Peak "Gambler's World"(colorized inClassic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 1–3) "Princess Leia, Imperial Servant"(colorized inClassic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 5) "Bring Me the Children"(colorized inClassic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 7) "As Long As We Live..."(colorized inClassic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 8) "The Frozen World of Ota"(colorized inClassic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 9) Star Wars (1977) 38(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 2: Dark Encounters) "Dark Knight's Devilry" —The Empire Strikes Back Monthly 153(colorized inClassic Star Wars: Devilworlds 1) "Dark Lord's Conscience" —The Empire Strikes Back Monthly 155(colorized inClassic Star Wars: Devilworlds 1) Star Wars Missions 13: Prisoner of the Nikto Pirates Star Wars Missions 14: The Monsters of Dweem Star Wars Missions 15: Voyage to the Underworld Star Wars Missions 16: Imperial Jailbreak "The Silent Witness" —Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game "The Quality of Mercy" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 1 Star Wars: Assault Team Operation: Elrood Galaxy of Fear: The Hunger(Mentioned only) "Lady Luck" — Star Wars Tales 3(Mentioned only) The Star Wars Holiday Special "Lando Calrissian: Idiot's Array" onHyperspace(backup link) (original site is defunct) Imperial Double-Cross(Mentioned only) Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine Star Wars Galaxies:An Empire Divided Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye 1 Splinter of the Mind's Eye 2 Splinter of the Mind's Eye 3 Splinter of the Mind's Eye 4 The Bounty Hunter "Crimson Bounty" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 14(Mentioned only) "Combat Moon" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 9(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Do No Harm" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 10(reprinted inTales from the Empire andHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "The Capture ofImperial Hazard" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 10(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Side Trip"(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Lucky Stars" — Star Wars Tales 15 Star Wars Adventures: Princess Leia and the Royal Ransom Star Wars: TIE Fighter "The Stele Chronicles" —Star Wars: TIE Fighter Battle for the Golden Sun Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell(Mentioned only) A Valentine Story(Mentioned only) Star Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back Star Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back junior novelization Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back novelization(andunabridged audiobook) Star Wars (1977) 39(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil andStar Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back) Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "Freedom's Winter" The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "The Coming Storm" The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "A Question of Survival" Star Wars (1977) 40(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil andStar Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back) "Murder on theExecutor"(Unlicensed) The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "Fire and Ice" "Entrenched" —Star Wars: Visionaries Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance Star Wars (1977) 41(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil andStar Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back) The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "The Millennium Falcon Pursuit" The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "Way of the Jedi" Star Wars (1977) 42(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil andStar Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back) Star Wars Adventures: Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "New Allies, New Enemies" Star Wars (1977) 43(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil andStar Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back) The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "Dark Lord's Fury" The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "Gambler's Choice" Star Wars (1977) 44(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil andStar Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back) The Empire Strikes Back radio drama — "The Clash of Lightsabers" "Thank the Maker" — Star Wars Tales 6 "Jedi Heirlooms" —Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game Star Wars (1977) 45(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 46(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 47(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 48(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 49(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 50(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) "Permission Granted" —Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook Star Wars (1977) 51(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 52(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 86(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 53(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 3: Resurrection of Evil) Star Wars (1977) 54(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 55(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 56(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 57(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 64(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars Annual (1977) 2(colorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 58(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 59(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 60(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 61(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 62(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 63(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 65(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars (1977) 66(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 4: Screams in the Void) Star Wars Adventures: The Will of Darth Vader Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter: Balance of Power Campaigns "The Emperor's Trophy" —Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 11 "Slaying Dragons" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 9(reprinted inTales from the Empire andHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Firepower" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 8(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Desperate Measures" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 10 "And the Band Played On: The Band's Tale" —Tales from Jabba's Palace Star Wars (1977) 68(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 69(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire Shadows of the Empire 1 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire novel Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire video game Shadows of the Empire 2 Shadows of the Empire 3 Shadows of the Empire 4 Shadows of the Empire 5 Shadows of the Empire 6 Star Wars (1977) 70(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty)(In flashback(s)) Star Wars (1977) 73(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 74(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 75(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 76(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 77(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 78(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 79(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars (1977) 80(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) Star Wars Annual (1977) 3(colorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty) "A World to Conquer" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 2 "Special Ops: Ship Jackers" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 13 "Special Ops: Drop Points" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 13 Star Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi Star Wars: Return of the Jedi novelization(andunabridged audiobook) Star Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi junior novelization Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi "Goatgrass: The Tale of Ree-Yees" —Tales from Jabba's Palace Star Wars Journal: Hero for Hire "Sleight of Hand: The Tale of Mara Jade" —Tales from Jabba's Palace Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand 1 Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand 2 "The Passage From Perdition" —Mos Eisley Adventure Set The Mandalorian Armor(Mentioned only) Slave Ship Hard Merchandise "One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid" —Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina The Truce at Bakura "A Day in the Life" — Star Wars Tales 12 Star Wars (1977) 81(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 5: Fool's Bounty)(Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 82(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 83(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World)(Mentioned only) Star Wars (1977) 84(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 85(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 88(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 90(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) X-Wing: Rogue Leader 1 X-Wing: Rogue Leader 2 X-Wing: Rogue Leader 3 Star Wars (1977) 91(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 89(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 98(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 92(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 93(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 94(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 95(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 6: Wookiee World) Star Wars (1977) 96(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 97(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 101(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 99(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 100(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 102(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 103(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 104(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 105(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) Star Wars (1977) 106(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) "Lucky" — Star Wars Tales 23(Mentioned only) X-Wing Rogue Squadron Special X-Wing Rogue Squadron 1 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 2 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 3 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 4 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 5 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 6 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 7 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 8 "A Credit for Your Thoughts" —Star Wars Gamer 2(Mentioned only) "Escape from Balis-Baurgh" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 1(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club)(Mentioned only) "Gathering Shadows" —Tales from the New Republic Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand 3 Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand 4 Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand 5 Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand 6 "Mara Jade: A Night on the Town" — Star Wars Tales 1 Star Wars (1977) 107(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away) "Lumiya: Dark Star of the Empire" —Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 3 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 11 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 12 "Lando's Commandos: On Eagles' Wings" — Star Wars Tales 5 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 13 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 14 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 15 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 16 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 17 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 18 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 19 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 20 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 21 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 22 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 23 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 24 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25(In flashback(s)) X-Wing Rogue Squadron 26 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 27 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 28 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 29 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 30 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 31 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 32 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 33 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 34 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 35 Star Wars (1977) 108 "Marooned" — Star Wars Tales 22 The Glove of Darth Vader The Lost City of the Jedi Zorba the Hutt's Revenge Mission from Mount Yoda Queen of the Empire Prophets of the Dark Side Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor Dark Forces: Rebel Agent Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II Dark Forces: Jedi Knight "The Battle of Cadinth" —Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 2 "Fists of Ion" onHyperspace(backup link) (original site is defunct)(Indirect mention only) "The Package" —Twin Stars of Kira(Mentioned only) "Missed Chance" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 7(reprinted inTales from the Empire andHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "A Glimmer of Hope" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 1(reprinted inThe Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, Issues 1-4) "Whispers in the Dark" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 2(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) X-Wing: Rogue Squadron(andunabridged audiobook) X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble(andunabridged audiobook) X-Wing: The Krytos Trap(andunabridged audiobook) X-Wing: The Bacta War(andunabridged audiobook) "Conflict of Interest" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 13 "Chessa's Doom" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 1 "Explosive Developments" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 3 "Starter's Tale" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 4(Mentioned only) "Vengeance Strike" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 5 "Countdown to Disaster" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 7(Mentioned only) X-Wing: Wraith Squadron(andunabridged audiobook) X-Wing: Iron Fist(andunabridged audiobook) X-Wing: Solo Command(andunabridged audiobook) "Little Empires" — The Kathol Outback (Reprinted and collected inThe DarkStryder Campaign, Deluxe)(Mentioned only) "The Masters of Exocron" — The Kathol Outback (Reprinted and collected inThe DarkStryder Campaign, Deluxe)(Mentioned only) "Wildfire" — The Kathol Outback (Reprinted and collected inThe DarkStryder Campaign, Deluxe)(Mentioned only) "First Contact" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 1(reprinted inThe Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, Issues 1-4;Classic Adventures: Volume Four — The Best of the Journal;Tales from the Empire; andHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Crisis of Faith" —Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition The Courtship of Princess Leia(andunabridged audiobook) "Hutt and Seek" —Tales from the New Republic(Mentioned only) A Forest Apart Tatooine Ghost "The Trouble with Squibs" —Star Wars Insider 67(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Mission to Zila" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 3(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Shadows of Darkness" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 4(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) Heir to the Empire(andunabridged audiobook) Heir to the Empire 1 Heir to the Empire 2 Heir to the Empire 3 Heir to the Empire 4 Heir to the Empire 5 Heir to the Empire 6 Dark Force Rising(andunabridged audiobook) Dark Force Rising 1 Dark Force Rising 2 Dark Force Rising 3 Dark Force Rising 4 Dark Force Rising 5 Dark Force Rising 6 The Last Command(andunabridged audiobook) The Last Command 1 The Last Command 2 The Last Command 3 The Last Command 4 The Last Command 5 The Last Command 6 X-Wing: Isard's Revenge "Counterstrike" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 8(reprinted inClassic Adventures: Volume Four — The Best of the Journal)(Mentioned only) "Rendezvous with Destiny" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 9 "Blaze of Glory" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 8(reprinted inTales from the Empire andHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club)(Mentioned only) "Betrayal by Knight" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 12(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "Retreat from Coruscant" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 7(reprinted inTales from the Empire andHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club) "A Change of Command" —The Jedi Academy Sourcebook "A Rebel's Job is Never Done ..." —Dark Empire Sourcebook Dark Empire 1 Dark Empire 2 Dark Empire 3 Dark Empire 4 Dark Empire 5 Dark Empire 6 Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith Dark Empire II 1 Dark Empire II 2 Dark Empire II 3 Dark Empire II 4 Dark Empire II 5 Dark Empire II 6 Boba Fett: Agent of Doom(Mentioned only) Empire's End 1 Empire's End 2 Crimson Empire 1 Crimson Empire 2 Crimson Empire 3 Crimson Empire 4 Crimson Empire 5 Crimson Empire 6 The Bounty Hunters: Kenix Kil Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 1 Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 2 Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 3 Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 4 Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 5 Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood 6 Jedi Search "Firestorm" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 15(Mentioned only) Dark Apprentice Champions of the Force I, Jedi(andunabridged audiobook) "The Secret Tales of Luke's Hand!" — Star Wars Tales 8 Children of the Jedi Jedi Academy: Leviathan 1 Jedi Academy: Leviathan 2 Jedi Academy: Leviathan 3 Jedi Academy: Leviathan 4 "Simple Tricks" —Tales from the New Republic Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast "Shades of Gray" onHyperspace(backup link) (original site is defunct) Darksaber X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar Planet of Twilight Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost 1 Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost 3 Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost 4 Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost 5 The Crystal Star Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy "Collapsing New Empires" — Star Wars Tales 19 Before the Storm Shield of Lies Tyrant's Test The New Rebellion "Two for One" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 15(Mentioned only) Ambush at Corellia Assault at Selonia Showdown at Centerpoint Specter of the Past(andunabridged audiobook) Vision of the Future(andunabridged audiobook) "Red Sky, Blue Flame" —Star Wars Gamer 7(Mentioned only) Junior Jedi Knights: The Golden Globe(Mentioned only) Junior Jedi Knights: Promises(Mentioned only) Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest(Indirect mention only) Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress(Mentioned only) Survivor's Quest(andunabridged audiobook)(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Heirs of the Force(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Darkest Knight(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Under Siege(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Shards of Alderaan(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Diversity Alliance(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Delusions of Grandeur(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Bounty(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: The Emperor's Plague(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Return to Ord Mantell(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Trouble on Cloud City(Mentioned only) Young Jedi Knights: Crisis at Crystal Reef(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime Chewbacca (2000) 3 Chewbacca (2000) 4(Indirect mention only) Invasion 1(Mentioned only) Invasion 5(Indirect mention only) Invasion: Rescues 4(Indirect mention only) The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide I: Onslaught(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide II: Ruin(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Balance Point(Indirect mention only) The New Jedi Order: Recovery(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest(Indirect mention only) "Emissary of the Void"(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club)(Indirect mention only) The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory II: Rebirth(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Star by Star(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Traitor(Indirect mention only) The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Ylesia(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic I: Remnant(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee(Mentioned only) "Or Die Trying" —Star Wars Insider 75(reprinted inHyperspace: The OfficialStar Wars Fan Club)(Indirect mention only) The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic III: Reunion(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy(Mentioned only) The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force(Mentioned only) Dark Nest I: The Joiner King(Mentioned only) Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen(Indirect mention only) Dark Nest III: The Swarm War(Mentioned only) Legacy of the Force: Betrayal(Mentioned only) Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines(Mentioned only) Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice(Mentioned only) Legacy of the Force: Inferno(Mentioned only) Legacy of the Force: Revelation(Mentioned only) Legacy of the Force: Invincible(Indirect mention only) Millennium Falcon(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) Fate of the Jedi: Outcast(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) Fate of the Jedi: Omen(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) Fate of the Jedi: Abyss(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) Fate of the Jedi: Backlash(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) Fate of the Jedi: Allies(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) Fate of the Jedi: Conviction(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only) Legacy (2006) 18(Indirect mention only) Legacy (2006) 41(Indirect mention only) Rookies: Day Long Remembered(canceled)