Echo Base

SWC-CSS

"That's it. The Rebels are there.''" "My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be&hellip;" ''"That is the system. And I'm sure Skywalker is with them."

- Darth Vader and Admiral Ozzel discover Echo Base

Echo Base was the settlement established by the Rebel Alliance on the frigid planet of Hoth in the wake of the Battle of Yavin. Shortly after its establishment, the base was discovered by the Galactic Empire who then invaded Hoth, forcing the Rebels to evacuate.

Description
Echo Base was carved out of the ice and protected from orbital bombardments with a massive deflector shield and ion cannon. In its cavernous ice hangars, the base hosted a contingent of speeders, which were specially modified to operate in the harsh conditions and which the Rebels used for patrol and defense of the outpost. As the technicians had trouble adapting their airspeeders to the subzero temperatures of Hoth, the base also held a herd of native tauntaun creatures for the patrols and recon missions.

History
Early in the Galactic Civil War, the Rebel Alliance base made its home in the Great Temple of Massassi on Yavin 4, the fourth moon of the planet Yavin. The Galactic Empire tracked the Rebels to Yavin 4 and attempted to destroy the moon with the Death Star, a deep-space mobile battle station capable of destroying entire planets. The Rebels launched the Battle of Yavin in a successful attempt to destroy the Death Star, an event that was carried out by Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker. Though the Death Star was destroyed, the Rebels evacuated the Great Temple as the Empire still knew where the Alliance was housed. The initial search for a new base was conducted by General Jan Dodonna during the evacuation from Yavin 4. The Rebels eventually decided to establish their new base of operations on the ice planet Hoth, where they carved out ice caverns and built Echo Base.

Three years after the Battle of Yavin, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, searched for Skywalker&mdash;whom he had learned was his son&mdash;across the galaxy. Vader's fleet sent Viper probe droids to all corners of the galaxy, one of which was sent to Hoth. Vader believed that Hoth was the location of the Rebel base and that Skywalker was there, so he ordered his fleet to the snowy planet. Once the Rebel Alliance realized that the Empire had discovered their location, General Carlist Rieekan ordered that Echo Base be evacuated. The Rebels set about to pack up their base and escape on transports, hoping that they would have enough time before the Empire arrived.

The Empire's arrival led to the Battle of Hoth. Imperial forces sent All Terrain Armored Transports on the ground in order to destroy the base's shield generator. While Rogue Squadron fought the AT-ATs, the Rebels launched their X-wing-protected transports to carry personnel off-world. The transports escaped and the shield generator was destroyed, allowing Vader and his stormtroopers to enter Echo Base. Although Skywalker was on Hoth, he escaped before Vader could capture him.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: Battle Pod
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * AT-AT Attack!