Alliance to Restore the Republic

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Alliance to Restore the Republic

TheAlliance to Restore the Republic, also known as theAlliance to Restore Freedom to the Galaxy, theRebel Alliance, or informally as theRebellion, was a loosealliance ofplanetary,system, andsector-level insurrectionistfactions. They were generally united in common cause, against a common enemy in the form of theGalactic Empire. In order to achieve their primary goal in restoring the formerGalactic Republic, the Alliance aimed to removeEmperorPalpatine from power, and his hegemonicNew Order fromthe galaxy. Members of the Rebellion were known as "Rebels," "Rebs," or "Rebel scum" bystormtroopers and other Imperials.

The origins of the overall anti-Imperial movement dated back to19 BBY, shortly before the Galactic Republic'stransformation into the Empire. Some of the Alliance's core founders, such assenatorsBail Prestor Organa andMon Mothma of theLoyalist Committee, joined theDelegation of 2000 in its opposition against the authoritarian leadership of then-Chancellor Palpatine. In18 BBY, barely a year into the Empire's existence, military resistance had already been formed in opposition to the new regime; one of which was a group of insurgents known asThe Eleven, joined by thefugitiveJediFerus Olin. By2 BBY,severalresistancegroups wereunified into a single rebellion, thus creating the Rebel Alliance. Ironically, the Rebel Alliance's formation was secretly instigated by theOrder of the Sith Lords. In what was supposed to be a plot for drawing theEmperor's enemies out from hiding, theSith LordDarth Vader ordered hissecret apprentice,Starkiller, to organize various rebels and dissidents into a large resistance movement. After Starkiller was betrayed by hisMaster, however, the former apprenticesacrificed himself to ensure the survival of theRebel leaders.

Hence, theGalactic Civil War erupted with the fledgling Alliance challenging the Empire for control of the galaxy. Rather than challenging the Empire directly, the rebels fought a war of attrition, destroying key Imperial targets and liberating numerous worlds. Though vastly outnumbered inmanpower,starships, weapons and various other resources, the Rebels themselves possessed a strong will to fight. By and large, the Alliance was composed of well-trainedsoldiers and brilliantcommanders, some of whom dedicated their lives to the Rebellion after defecting from the Empire due to the atrocities that were committed by the Imperial regime. After securing early victories against the Empire onKamino andToprawa, the Rebels achieved one of their most significant triumphs at theBattle of Yavin, in which aRebel pilot namedLuke Skywalker destroyed the Imperial battlestation code-namedDeath Star. In4 ABY, roughly four yearsafter thedestruction of the first Death Star, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader bothperished during theBattle of Endor.

In the wake of their victory atEndor, the Rebel Alliance established theAlliance of Free Planets as a interim civilian administration while the Rebel Alliance reorganization into theNew Republic. Ultimately, the New Republic was later remade into theGalactic Alliance, a more autocratic union that united much of the galaxy under arepublican form of government, just as the Old Republic haddone in its time, though such a system ultimately could not withstand the threats it faced, and like the Old Republic was laid low by the Sith.

History[]

Early foundations[]

In the finaldays of theGalactic Republic, certainsenators, such asPadmé Amidala ofNaboo,^[24]Bail Organa ofAlderaan^[25] andMon Mothma ofChandrila^[3] grew increasingly concerned over the constitutional amendments that weakened the legislature and empowered theexecutive branch with neardictatorial authority.^[23] Although a majority of the Senate supported such alterations to the government's overall structure because of theSeparatist Crisis and subsequentClone Wars, both of which threatened to dividethe galaxy in half between the Republic and theSeparatist insurrection,^[26]

The Rebellion against theGalactic Empire began as a peaceful movement by a political minority, known as theDelegation of 2000, within theGalactic Senate.^[23] the members of the Delegation of 2000 felt that the amendments were too radical, unconstitutional, and generally detrimental to the future of the Republic. Despite the fact that the Separatists were on the verge of defeat in19 BBY, the final year of the Clone Wars, most senators continued to invest even greater authority withinSupreme ChancellorPalpatine. Fearing that the Republic would inevitably drift into an authoritarian regime, the Delegation of 2000 formally presented their concerns to the Chancellor with the request for the relinquishing of his emergency powers.^[23]

Unknown to the Delegation of 2000, however,^[23] Chancellor Palpatine was secretly aSith Lord namedDarth Sidious. For athousand years, theOrder of the Sith Lords waited and plotted for the time when they would reassert their dominance over the galaxy, specifically by overthrowing the Galactic Republic and theJedi Order. As Palpatine, Sidious spent decades infiltrating the political hierarchy of the Republic. His election as chancellor, the creation of theKaminoclone army, the escalation of the Separatist movement and the outbreak of the Clone Wars were all factors in theSith'splot to seize control of the galaxy.^[27]

Three years of galactic warfare strengthened Chancellor Palpatine's position as a public figure. Public support for his leadership in the Clone Wars remained strong throughout the conflict; he was immensely popular with the Republic citizenry, and the Senate majority remained firmly committed to its leader in regard to his policy-making decisions. Yet the systematic suppression of thousands of years of Republic traditions and democratic ideals convinced Amidala, Organa, and a group of like-minded senators that the Republic was in danger of losing its core principles for the sake of security. The passing of theSector Governance Decree all but made the Senate obsolete; entiresectors would be controlled by a cabal of militarygovernors—otherwise known asMoffs—hand-picked by Chancellor Palpatine.^[23]

Thus, the Delegation responded with apetition of two thousand signatures from members of the Senate who objected to the Moffs' virtual usurpation of the Senate's responsibilities. They also hoped that their collective opposition would force Chancellor Palpatine to restore the Republic to its pre-war state. The Delegation's cause to prevent further amendments to theConstitution was ultimately lost when Palpatine issuedOrder 66, acontingency directive that caused theRepublic clone soldiers tobetray and murder theirJediofficers.^[23] Palpatine then called for a special session of congress, in which he presented a fabricated recollection of a Jediassassination attempt on his life. The invention of a "Jedi rebellion" presented Palpatine with the justification for his ultimate modification to the Republic; hedeclared himselfEmperor of the first Galactic Empire.^[28] Amidala and Organa, two of the leading members in the Delegation of 2000,^[23] watched in abject shock as their colleagues cheered the end of democracy with thunderous applause.^[28]

One of the earliest orders of business for theEmperor'snew regime was the targeting of the Delegation of 2000. Charged withsedition andhigh treason, many who had signed the petition in opposition to Palpatine's policies were imprisoned, executed or forced into exile. After the Empireconquered and razed theWookieehome planet ofKashyyyk, many more members of the Delegation withdrew their support out of fear for their lives. However, Organa and Mothma were both able to avoid persecution for a time.^[29] Prior to Amidala'sdeath, the Naboo senator advised her political allies to oppose the Emperor in secret while feigning obedience.^[23]

Armed resistance[]

Emperor Palpatine's strategy for the enforcement of the New Order was based on brutal tactics, such as the implementation of the fear ofmilitary force in order to discourage ideas of insurrection. The rise of the Galactic Empire was not supported by all member worlds. One of the firstplanets that attempted to resistImperialization was the Emperor's own homeworld of Naboo, ruled byQueenApailana at the time.^[31] Under Apailana's leadership,the Naboo continued to celebrate the memory of the Republic, rather than acknowledging the Empire's rule over the galaxy.^[32] The Queen also began considering military options that involved sheltering Jedi fugitives. Such actions were discovered and interpreted as signs of rebellion byImperial Intelligence, and thus the Empire retaliated with the deployment of armed forces to Naboo. The501st Legion, anelitedivision ofclonestormtroopers under the command of the Sith LordDarth Vader,assaulted thecapitalcity ofTheed in18 BBY. Although the Queen'ssecurity detail was augmented by the Jedi, they were ultimately unable to repel the 501st. The city fell to the Imperials, itsgarrison was destroyed, and Apailana was assassinated during the battle. In the following years, the Empire repeatedly overthrew disloyal governments through force, often relying on Vader's 501st Legion for enforcing the Emperor's rule where ever it was opposed.^[31]

In the same year, a group of disillusioned civilians publicly protested against the Empire's despotic policies, including its high taxation ofGhorman. They staged their protest on the landing platform where MoffWilhuff Tarkin'sship was set to arrive. Their attempt to block Tarkin's arrival did not succeed; in what became known as theGhorman Massacre, the Governor simply landed his vessel on the platform, killing hundreds of activists in the process. This event was interpreted as a tragedy by outraged sympathizers who also disagreed with the direction of the Empire.Jan Dodonna and othercareer officers whose service recordsdated back to the Republic either resigned or retired from Imperial service. The incident also convinced Bail Organa that the Empire was a malevolent government. Yet with so many disorganized and uncoordinated rebel cells, Organa remained convinced that the time was not right for open rebellion.^[4] He continued tomeet in secret with his closest political allies, senators Mon Mothma andGarm Bel Iblis ofCorellia in theCantham House on Coruscant in order to discuss options for creating their own rebellion against Palpatine. Mothma, however, was forced to flee into exile after being labeled a traitor to the Empire due to her outspoken criticism of the New Order.^[33] Iblis's failure to hide his own discontent with the Empire also drove him underground in order to escape persecution.^[16]

Further incidents of armed resistance against Imperial rule involvedremnants of the fallen Separatist movement.Gizor Dellso, aGeonosian war criminal who survived the Clone Wars, fled into hiding onMustafar. Utilizing an abandoneddroid factory, Dellso constructed his ownprivate army ofbattle droids for the sole purpose of reviving the Separatist cause. Before his plot could be carried out, the 501st Legionattacked Mustafar and destroyed his army; Dellso died during the fighting shortly before his factory was destroyed byImperial Star Destroyers viaorbital bombardment.^[31]

Another insurrectionist plot against the Galactic Empire was later discovered on Kamino, the world that was responsible for the creation of the Republic clone army. Arogue group ofKaminoancloners resented the Empire's control of their homeworld. Throughout the first decade of the Empire, they secretly engineered and trained anarmy of rebel clone troopers, all of whom were programmed with absolute loyalty to Kamino.^[34] After Darth Vader uncovered the scheme, he dispatched the 501st—under the leadership of thebounty hunterBoba Fett—to the planet. Thesubsequent battle resulted in the destruction of the rogue clones and their creators, as well as the fall ofTipoca City and all of Kamino. The incident was classified and kept hidden from public records, but Palpatine decided that an army of clones from onegenetic template was too susceptible to corruption. Hence, both theImperial Army andStormtrooper Corps were heavily diversified with the introduction of new clonesoldiers who were based on a variety of different templates.^[31] The Empire later redirected the clone program to pursue other projects, and thus the military was compensated with an increase in the recruitment of birth-bornHumans as enlistedtroopers.^[35]

Darth Vader's secret apprentice[]

Years before the formation of the Rebel Alliance, Darth Vader discovered a young Human child namedGalen Marek during anattack on Kashyyyk.^[37] Marek's father and mother,Kento andMallie Marek, were bothtrained members of the Jedi Order.^[17] Thus, he possessed an incrediblypowerful connection tothe Force. Realizing the boy's potential was too great to discard, Vader abducted Marek andindoctrinated him into the ways of the Sith as asecret apprentice. As time passed, Marek developed into a highly efficientSith assassin, known only to a select few by the codename Starkiller;^[16] his past and former identity were ultimately forgotten as he had been too young to remember what his life was like before falling under Vader's relentless tutelage.^[37] As his training neared completion, Starkiller was all but a true Sith. Under theRule of Two, however, only two Sith Lords were allowed to exist.^[38] Starkiller's Master still answered to another Master, the Galactic Emperor. Ultimately, Vader assured Starkiller that they would eventually unite theirpowers to overthrow Palpatine in order to rule the galaxy as master and apprentice.^[2]

In2 BBY,^[36] Darth Vader commanded Starkiller to search the galaxy for various rebels and dissidents who opposed the Galactic Empire. He was then required to unite them into a single rebellion that would plunge the Empire into a state of civil war. Vader reasoned that an insurrection created the best opportunity toassassinate the Emperor, especially because his attention would be focused primarily on destroying the rebels. Hence, the apprentice embarked on his mission in earnest, and eventually broughtJedi MasterRahm Kota, the only known survivor from Marek's missions to exterminate any Jedi who survived Order 66, and Bail Organa into the fold after earning their trust. Through Organa, Starkiller also made contact with the fugitives Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis. Organa's adopted daughter,PrincessLeia Organa also pledged her support to the nascent rebellion while still serving as her father's successor in theImperial Senate.^[2]

Birth of the Rebellion[]

Starkiller's fellow subversives were initially resistant to the notion of open rebellion. They felt that the galaxy had to be shown one way or another that the Empire was vulnerable. In accordance with Darth Vader's counsel, Starkillerdestroyed an Imperialshipyard that orbitedRaxus Prime. As a singleStar Destroyer moved to intercept him, the apprentice used the Force to rip the massive vessel from the sky, causing it to crash on the surface below. The symbolic victory had the desired effect as Vader predicted. Starkiller and the senators rendezvoused on Corellia where theyceremoniously proclaimed the birth of the Rebellion, as well as their intentions to restore liberty to the galaxy.^[2]

However, Starkiller had been betrayed by theDark Lord of the Sith. The true purpose of his mission was to gather the Emperor's enemies in a single location so that Imperialtroops could arrest them all at once. Darth Vader revealed the truth to his shocked apprentice: he never intended to overthrow the Emperor with Starkiller at his side. After leaving his former assassin for dead, Vader transported the Rebel leaders to theincomplete Death Star where Emperor Palpatine awaited their arrival.^[2] Yet Starkiller survived and ultimately renounced his Sith persona, thus resuming the use of his birth name "Galen Marek," recovered from repressed memories of his past.^[37]

Marekinfiltrated thebattle station and single-handedly slew countless Imperial soldiers before defeating his former Master in alightsaber duel. With Darth Vader severely damaged and at the apprentice's mercy, Emperor Palpatine urged Marek to assume the mantle of a true Sith Lord by killing Vader in cold blood. Though briefly tempted to pursue his lifelong goal once more, Marek chose to rescue the Rebel leaders by attacking the Emperor. The Rebels escaped with their lives, but Marek was forced to sacrifice his own in order to provide them with enough time to flee the Death Star in theRogue Shadow.^[2]

In the aftermath of Galen Marek's demise, the Rebel leaders reconvened on Kashyyyk where they held a meeting in their fallen leader'schildhood home. The Alliance to Restore the Republic was officially realized. At Leia Organa's behest, the Rebels chose to honor the secret apprentice's memory by basing their organization's emblem on theMarek familycrest, effectively turning it into a symbol of hope that many beings rallied around during the subsequentGalactic Civil War.^[2]

New allies and weapons[]

The most notable equipment contributions included the defection of someIncom Corporation staff and all relevant material involved in the development of an advanced starfighter, theT-65 X-wing, which was acquired at theBattle of Fresia. With this advanced fighter, Rebel pilots had a clear advantage over the more numerous yet unshieldedTIE fighters. With the help ofGial Ackbar, who had recently been freed by Rebel forces from slavery under the Empire, Mon Mothma then secured an alliance with theMon Calamari, who openly joined the Rebel Alliance and used their renowned skill in ship construction to supply badly neededcapital ships that could take on theImperial Navy. Their considerable fleet ofMon Calamari Star Cruisers gave the newly formed Alliance substantial firepower. Part of the Alliance's strategy was the doctrine ofspace denial. That is, the Alliance would attack Imperial shipping in hit and run raids; both to disrupt Imperial supplies and operations, and to confiscate desperately needed materials. In these situations, their fighters had hyperdrive capability along prearranged routes which would allow this kind of harassment and escape before the Empire could react.

At the same time, the Rebel Alliance annexed most of the remainingSeparatist holdouts. Some remaining Confederate materiel, such asRecusant-class light destroyers, ended up in Rebel hands.^[40]

Largely because of their fighting against the Empire,High GeneralCassio Tagge stated in the history of the Imperial Army in the official field manual for the Imperial Military,Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide, that the Rebels, and by extension those who claimed kinship with them, feared order, distrusted prosperity, and hated progress.^[41]

Destruction of Alderaan[]

Because several key Alliance figures were held prisoner on it after the signing of the Corellian Treaty, the Alliance learned of the construction of theDeath Star, an enormous terror weapon capable of destroying an entire planet, intended to secure the Empire's power. Anoperation headed byPrincessLeia was successful in retrieving the schematics of the station, butDarth Vader discovered the act and captured Leia. In an effort to get the young princess to divulge the location of the secret Rebel base, Grand Moff Tarkin threatened to destroy her home planet of Alderaan. Yet even after Leia gave him the location of an abandoned Rebel base on Dantooine, Tarkin ordered the Death Star to fire its primary weapon—a planet-destroying superlaser. Leia watched as billions of her fellow Alderaanianswere murdered by the vicious super-weapon. The Alliance would use this act as apropaganda tool to recruit more people into its ranks.^[8]

A New Hope[]

The Force was with the Alliance.Luke Skywalker, a young man fromTatooine, came under the tutelage ofJedi MasterObi-Wan Kenobi, after stormtroopers destroyed hisfarm and killed hisuncle andaunt. The aged Jedi had been watching Luke for a long time. Knowing his family history and importance to defeating the Emperor, Obi-Wan began training the boy as aJedi. The duo, along with the droidsC-3PO andR2-D2, secured passage on afreighter,Millennium Falcon. With the help of smugglerHan Solo and hisWookiee co-pilotChewbacca, the group managed to free Princess Leia Organa from the Death Star (only after Obi-Wan sacrificed himself in a duel with Vader) and deliver the plans to the Alliance. As a result, the Alliance succeeded in attacking and destroying the battle station, and also, in Luke, they gained their only loyal member with training in the use ofthe Force and the skills of the practically extinctJedi Knights.^[8]

Galactic Civil War[]

As a result of the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance gained credibility as a legitimate military opponent to the Empire. Between the effects of the battle and the dissolution of the Imperial Senate, thousands of star systems openly joined the Alliance in the months following the Death Star's destruction.^[42] As a result, the Empire began occupying worlds it had allowed to remain untouched earlier, both actions resulting in an escalation of the war.

The Alliance could afford to waste no time following its major victory at Yavin. Following numerousraids on theirYavin 4base, the Alliance relocated temporarily to abase onThila while setting up a more permanent establishment on the ice planetHoth. There were some setbacks, namelyGarm Bel Iblis leaving the Alliance following a major disagreement with Mon Mothma to create his ownrebellion. This was a blow to the Alliance, though it was offset by the joining ofBorsk Fey'lya and his sizable faction ofBothans. Mon Mothma took steps to create a true navy for the Alliance, raising the Mon Calamari Gial Ackbar to the rank of Admiral and appointing himSupreme Commander of theRebel Fleet. Under Ackbar's leadership the fleet grew in size and ability. Along with the headquarters of the Rebel Alliance, Ackbar's fleet was the most important asset of the Rebellion. During this time Luke, Han, Leia, and their companions proved to be the most valuable Alliance members, performing countless crucial missions.

The ensuing battles aroundthe galaxy were a number of engagements between either side. Many were Rebel soldiers fighting to sabotage Imperial weapons or destroy Imperial facilities. A large number of people were inspired by the defeats of the Galactic Empire to join the Rebellion. However, the might and oppressive nature of the Empire inspired others to join theImperial Military.

Loss of Hoth[]

The Alliance suffered asetback whenEcho Base,Alliance High Command's main base of operations on the ice planet Hoth, was discovered by anImperial probe droid and overrun by Darth Vader's forces. In the ensuing battle to escape, the Rebels used their large ground-based ion cannon to disable several of the Star Destroyers in orbit, effectively punching temporary holes in the Imperial blockade long enough for RebelGallofree transports and other craft to escape the planet. The Alliance was forced to scatter and remain mobile until the end of the war for fear of losing another main base. Therefore the High Command was transferred to the Rebel Fleet, using Ackbar's flagshipHome One as their mobile base of operations. This was a dark time for the Alliance with the loss of men and equipment on Hoth as well as being forced into hiding from the Empire. Also, Rebel hero Han Solo was captured while inLando Calrissian's hospitality onCloud City, subsequently frozen incarbonite, and sent toJabba the Hutt on Tatooine by the bounty hunterBoba Fett. Furthermore, the secret shipyards in theVergesso Asteroids were destroyed by Darth Vader's fleet.^[10]

Crucial Victory at Endor[]

News that a new and more powerful Imperial space station,Death Star II, was nearing completion, forced the Alliance to take its greatest risk. The entire Rebel Fleet was amassed nearSullust, in order to launch an attack on the installation before it could become operational. Most important to the decision to initiate this attack was the knowledge that the Emperor himself was overseeing the final stages of construction on board the Death Star. However, in secret, the Empire had organized its forces there so that when the Rebel fleet was lured in, it would be destroyed. The plan backfired, and the subsequentBattle of Endor was a massive victory for the Alliance. Palpatine was dead; his Death Star destroyed, along with many Imperial warships, including Darth Vader's flagship,The Executor. Darth Vader, who was redeemed byLuke Skywalker, his son, becameAnakin Skywalker once again and sacrificed himself to kill Palpatine, saving Luke in the process.^[43]

Reorganization into New Republic[]

About one week after the death of the Emperor at Endor, Mon Mothmadeclared the Rebellion (which became theAlliance of Free Planets) to be at an end, one month after that, shedeclared theNew Republic to be established as the successor state. The Alliance to Restore the Republic had succeeded—a new Republic was to be born, though in many people's eyes the movement only gained real legitimacy with thecapture of Coruscanttwice byRogue Squadron and New Republic forces in6.5 ABY.

Government and politics[]

The Civil Government[]

Main article:Alliance Civil Government

The Alliance was divided into theCivil Government and theMilitary, led by theChief of State and theCommander-in-Chief, respectively. Throughout the Galactic Civil War, however, the two positions were occupied by the same person,Mon Mothma.^[20] The Civil Government was responsible for handling the numerous jobs of any planetary civil government—including protecting the Alliance's peoples, revenue gathering, the maintenance of vital services, and foreign relations and defense. Many of these functions were left to each member world or government of the Alliance.

TheChief of State was the head of the Alliance. Essentially an elected dictator, the Chief of State had virtually unlimited power over the Alliance. Elections were held every two years, though in practice this was only a formality asMon Mothma had unanimous support amongst the Alliance members. According to theCorellian Treaty, the position of Chief of State "will be abolished when the Emperor is deposed, killed, or resigns his position of power." When this happened, it was the duty of the Advisory Council to assume executive control of the Alliance and convene aConstitutional Convention to form a new Galactic Republic.^[20]

Below the Chief of State was theAdvisory Council, which was composed of representatives of seven Allied governments who had given the most lives in battle to defeat the Empire. This council was the primary advisory body to the Chief of State, responsible for approving or dismissing the proposals of the Chief of State. Furthermore, the Advisory Council had the right to dismiss a Chief of State with a two-thirds majority vote, providing a check to the powers of the Chief. During most of the history of the Alliance, worlds likeAlderaan,Dac, andSullust were members of the Advisory Council, due to their extreme devotion and high losses of life suffered in Alliance service.

TheAlliance Cabinet was the body of Ministers through which the Chief of State could maintain and run the Alliance. Each member was selected by Mon Mothma for their devotion, intelligence, and ability to get things done. The Cabinet was composed of six ministries: theMinistry of Finance, responsible for overseeing Alliance funds; theMinistry of Education, which controlledAlliance Civil Intelligence and distributedpropaganda; theMinistry of State, which handled relations with other non-member governments; theMinistry of Industry, which controlled all Alliance factories and production; theMinistry of Supply, which maintained supply chain for the Alliance government; and theMinistry of War, which advised Chief of State on directing Alliance military forces and controlled theAlliance High Command.

The Allied Commands[]

Main article:Allied Command

The AllianceAllied Commands were the individual local governments of planets, sectors, organizations, and groups that were members of the Alliance.^[20] Each Allied Command varied slightly depending on how each member world was organized, though in practice Allied Commands mimicked the structure of the Alliance government. Allied Commands ranged from member worlds like Mon Calamari or Alderaan to whole sectors likeAtrivis orChurnis.

Alliance Military[]

Main article:Alliance Military

The Alliance Military was charged with defeating the forces of theGalactic Empire and bringing down the Emperor's reign of terror, a task to which all Rebel military personnel pledged themselves. Its members variously included RepublicLoyalists, formerSeparatists, and Imperial defectors. The Alliance Military's civilian leaders were theCommander-in-Chief and theMinister of War. Below them was theChief of Staff, who worked between the Commander-in-Chief and the sevenSupreme Allied Commanders ofAlliance High Command. High Command's structure was an odd amalgam reflecting the Rebel military's reliance on the centralizedAlliance Fleet, andAlliance Starfighter Corps, local military forces, and clandestine resistance cells.^[20]

Fleet Command controlled theAlliance Fleet, withAdmiralGial Ackbar as Supreme Commander from0 ABY. TheAlliance Starfighter Corps answered toStarfighter Command, which was nominally subordinate to Fleet Command, though this was rarely the case in reality as the Alliance came to depend heavily onstarfighters as its primary combat force in its early years, though from 0 ABY tactical control of starfighters was assigned to fleet elements or theSector Forces.^[20]

Special Forces Command controlled theAlliance Special Forces, the most capable soldiers of theAlliance Army. The SpecForces were a flexible backbone for the entire Rebellion, with barracks regiments acting as specialist support elements for the Fleet and Sector Forces, or guarding High Command's main bases, while temporary task forces conducted most fighting missions. The SpecForces were routinely used to buttress the weakness of Sector Forces.^[20]Ordnance and Supply and theSupport Services handled military procurement, transport, and logistics, while theChief of Intelligence controlledAlliance Intelligence.

Sector Command oversaw the Alliance's thousands ofSector Forces, whoseground forces formed the non-Special Forces element of theAlliance Army. Sector Command generally granted the Sector Forces great leeway in conducting operations in their sectors. The Sector Forces in principle belonged to the Allied Commands, though High Command claimed supreme military authority over them where necessary. Sector Command would sometimes ask individual Sector Forces to detach ships and troops to the central Alliance Fleet for crucial operations.^[20]

Astrography[]

Bases[]

Main article:Rebel base

• Haven Base onArbra
• Hidden Rebel Base onCorellia
• AX-235 in theCron Drift
• Dantooine base onDantooine
• Endor Station onEndor
• Golrath Station onGolrath
• Echo Base onHoth
• Polis Massa Base onPolis Massa
• Tak Base onTalay
• Anchorhead Base onTatooine
• Vergesso Base in theVergesso Asteroids
• Great Temple onYavin 4

Alliance worlds[]

Though the Rebels lacked the resources of the Empire, they did control planets.

Major members[]

• Gial Ackbar—Admiral,Supreme Commander of theAlliance Fleet
• Wedge Antilles—Commander, Leader ofRogue Squadron following Luke Skywalker's departure
• Walex Blissex—General and key engineer
• Lando Calrissian—General, Commander of starfighter forces duringBattle of Endor
• Chewbacca— Han Solo's first mate and key member of his rescue fromJabba's Palace
• Airen Cracken—General, Supreme Commander ofIntelligence
• Jan Dodonna—High General, Supreme Commander ofStarfighter Command, Commander of Massassi Station on Yavin IV and a Alliance Military Advisor
• Juno Eclipse—First Captain in the Alliance, Commander of theSalvation
• Borsk Fey'lya—Political Advisor; a leader of theBothan Spynet
• SenatorGarm Bel Iblis—Senior General, Co-founder
• Ylenic It'kla—Jedi Knight, Co-founder and Bail Organa's adviser (Deceased - Perished in the Destruction of Alderaan) †
• Bob Hudsol—General, Commander of resistance forces inBothan Space
• Obi-Wan Kenobi—Jedi Master and one of the earliest Alliance Hero's (Deceased - Sacrificed himself during his rematch with Darth Vader aboard the Death Star) †
• Rahm Kota—Founder, Commander of his own Militia that helped form the Rebellion, General andJedi Master
• Crix Madine—General, Supreme Commander ofSpecial Forces
• Galen Marek—Founder, Leader (Deceased - Sacrificed himself to save the other leaders aboard theDeath Star I) †
• Pharl McQuarrie—General, Advisor to resistance forces onRalltiir
• SenatorMon Mothma—Chief of State andCommander-in-Chief, Co-founder
• Ral'Rai Muvunc—Minister of Supply and Supreme Commander ofOrdnance and Supply
• Ferus Olin —Jedi Knight and Early Founder (Deceased - Killed by Darth Vader) †
• SenatorBail Organa—Co-founder, Alliance Military Advisor and a important leader of the Rebel Alliance (Deceased - Killed in the destruction of the planetAlderaan) †
• Qu Rahn—Jedi Master and General (Deceased - Killed by Jerec) †
• Carlist Rieekan—General, Commander ofEcho Base onHoth
• Ristt—General, Commander ofRing Base
• Roons Sewell—General, Former Commander of Massassi Station on Yavin 4 †
• Corwin Shelvay—Former Jedi Knight and Commander.
• Echuu Shen-Jon—Jedi Master and General (Deceased- Killed by Darth Vader) †
• Col Serra—Commander ofRenegade Squadron
• Rachi Sitra—Jedi Knight and Commander.
• Luke Skywalker—General, Former Leader of Rogue Squadron andJedi Knight
• Han Solo—General, Commander of special forces team sent toEndor
• Starkiller; Repentant dark Jedi. (Cloned from the original Galen Marek by Darth Vader)
• Tardi—Minister of Finance †
• Vanden Willard—General, Commander ofDelta Base onNew Kisge
• Vernan—General, Former Supreme Commander of Intelligence †
• X2—Commander ofGrey Squadron andJedi Knight

Command Structures[]

• Alliance High Command

Supreme Allied Commands

• Fleet Command
• Ordnance and Supply Command
• Starfighter Command
• Support Services
• Intelligence
• SpecForces Command
• Sector Command(s)

Behind the scenes[]

The Alliance to Restore the Republic was the main protagonist faction of theoriginal trilogy ofStar Wars. When writing the films,George Lucas loosely based the Rebel Alliance on the communist guerrilla groupViet Cong during the Vietnam War, and the Galactic Empire primarily on theUnited States at that time, albeit slightly disguised because the Vietnam War was still ongoing when he pennedThe Star Wars in 1973. Such themes were inspired by Lucas' involvement in the creative process ofFrancis Ford Coppola's filmApocalypse Now, which was released in 1979.^[47][48] When James Cameron pointed out how the Rebels were similar to theMujahideen andAl Qaeda in their technically being a terrorist group, Lucas indicated that that had been his exact intention when writing the films, while adding that it was rooted in anti-colonialist thinking.^[49] The Rebellion's tactics bear similarities with Chinese communist revolutionary leaderMao Zedong's strategy of apeople's war.^[50]

George Lucas's alternate explanation of the roots of the Rebel Alliance appeared in thefifth season of theStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series, in the episodes "A War on Two Fronts," "Front Runners," "The Soft War," and "Tipping Points."^[51]

In part six of his Endnotes toThe Essential Guide to Warfare, Jason Fry admitted that he deliberately wrote the Separatists' backstory to be very similar to that of the Rebel Alliance in order to show why the Imperials remained loyal to the Empire despite its atrocities.

Appearances[]

Non-canon appearances[]

• "The Hidden" — Star Wars Tales 6(Mentioned only)
• "Child of Light"(Unlicensed)
• "The Rebel Four" — Star Wars Tales 9
• "A Wookiee Scorned!" — Star Wars Tales 10
• LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed —Ultimate Sith Edition
• "Murder on theExecutor"(Unlicensed)
• "An Apology"(Mentioned only)
• LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters video game
• LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters — "Rebel Rally Time"
• LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles — "Escape from the Jedi Temple"(Mentioned only)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles — "Race for the Holocrons"
• LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles — "Raid on Coruscant"
• LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles — "Clash of the Skywalkers"

Sources[]