Battle of Jakku

"We're headed toward a large standoff with the rebels. We're committing a fair portion of the fleet, and if the damned Rebellion wants to stand a chance of keeping that sector, they'll have to do the same. This promises to be the largest battle since Endor."

- Grand Moff Randd

The Battle of Jakku took place just over a year after the Battle of Endor between the forces of the New Republic and the Galactic Empire.

Prelude
"Here we have the desert world of Jakku&mdash;worthless on its own but soon to live forever in history as the place where the Empire defeated the Rebellion once and for all."

- Randd, during the planning of the Battle of Jakku

During the Battle of Endor, the Galactic Empire was drastically weakened when the Alliance to Restore the Republic managed to destroy its dreaded battle station, the Death Star II. Before it was destroyed, Luke Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, turned his father, the Sith Lord Darth Vader, away from the dark side of the Force. Vader, once again the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, threw Darth Sidious, his former Sith Master and Galactic Emperor of the New Order, down the second Death Star's reactor core, where he died. The Rebels celebrated their victory on the Endor moon, believing the fight to be won. Nevertheless the Rebellion, now a rival galactic government known as the New Republic would still be engaged in bloody combat against the remaining forces of the Empire in the year following the station's destruction.

The Battle
"Our victory on Endor was just the beginning. Now over the barren world of Jakku, we stand against the Galactic Empire."

- Rebel trooper

The Battle of Jakku occurred one year and four days after the Battle of Endor between the forces of the New Republic and the Galactic Empire. With the rebels aiming to capture a critical sector in the galactic war and receiving intelligence of an Imperial weapons facility on the planet, the Empire readily dismissed the notion of a rebel victory and sent a large portion of its now militarily exhausted Navy to combat the rebels over control of the planet in a battle that could change the course of the war. With the Empire's command of many of the galaxy's major shipyards, Republic forces planned a bold move to capture the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Inflictor, sending Thane Kyrell and a number of former Imperials to board the ship and disable its hyperdrive and self-destruct mechanism, due to their knowledge of Star Destroyer layouts.

The battle, while tactically in the Empire's advantage from the beginning soon turned into a rout, with New Republic soldiers assaulting the concentrated Imperial positions from multiple sides at once both on the ground and in space. With the Imperials no longer having the martial advantage it once had in the years before Endor, flawed tactics as much as leadership gnawed away at an Imperial victory. With Imperial Captain Ciena Ree of the Inflictor about to contact Grand Moff Randd to suggest splitting up the fleet to combat the Rebel star cruisers from multiple angles, as well as sending twentry-gun raiders into the atmosphere to support the TIE fighters in orbit, her ship was suddenly boarded by New Republic soldiers. With no choice, the commander of the vessel attempted to activate the ship's self-destruct, only to discover that the boarders had disabled it. Seeing no other option, as well as seeing a way to leave the Empire she disliked while keeping her oath, Ree ordered her crew to evacuate and then scuttled the ship by crashing the Star Destroyer onto the surface of Jakku, sending shockwaves across the desert world. However before the crash, the rebel Thane Kyrell stunned and managed to carry her to an escape pod before the Inflictor crashed, bringing the Captain and miraculously his former lover into Republic custody. The battle had ended in a decisive defeat for the Galactic Empire.

Aftermath
"In the month since the Battle of Jakku, the Empire has attempted no further large-scale offensives. Sources report all Imperial vessels within the Core and Inner Rim staying within the boundaries defined by the treaty. A few prominent members of the Provisional Senate have speculated that the New Republic's war with the remnants of the Empire has finally come to an end and that a final surrender may be imminent. However, in her address today, the chancellor warned that all planets should remain on high alert, and that the New Republic Starfleet should be kept on a war footing for the foreseeable future."

- A New Republic news holo

With the battle ending with a victory for the rebels, Captain Ciena Ree wondered whether the Empire's plans for making a stand at Jakku were betrayed by an admiral or Grand Moff in a power play, as well as believing that outdated Imperial battle tactics played a part in the Empire's defeat. With the old strategy calling for a concerted, simultaneous effort by all ships engaged in combat and controlled by a central command, the lack of martial resources and effective leadership played a key role in the Empire's defeat, with rebel attacks on Imperial flanks ultimately proving fatal and contributing to heavy Imperial losses. A month following the battle, the Empire did not attempt to instigate any large-scale offensives with the New Republic. Eventually, the exhausted Empire negotiated a treaty with the New Republic, forcing Imperial vessels located in the Core and Inner Rim to remain within pre-determined boundaries. With the treaty signed, a few prominent members of the reestablished Galactic Senate believed that the New Republic's war with the Empire was nearing its end and that the Empire's surrender was imminent.

Approximately thirty years later, Jakku's desert landscape was still littered with wreckage from the battle in an area known as the Graveyard of Giants, with the fallen Star Destroyer Inflictor and at least one X-wing fighter remaining at least somewhat intact. Rey, a female human scavenger, drove through the old battlefront on her speeder bike. Sometime later, the Millennium Falcon and several First Order TIE fighters were involved in a skirmish over the wreckage.

Behind the scenes
The Battle of Jakku made its first appearance in the novel Lost Stars, but is also seen in Star Wars Battlefront as a free downloadable level released on December 8, 2015, two weeks before the premiere of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Anyone who pre-ordered the game received the DLC one week early on December 1, 2015.

Appearances

 * Lost Stars
 * Star Wars Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens