First Battle of Ord Biniir

"Y-wing pilots bragged of their great victory at the First Battle of Ord Biniir."

- Soontir Fel

In 0 BBY, during the Galactic Civil War, the First Battle of Ord Biniir&mdash;also known simply as the Battle of Ord Biniir&mdash;took place when a group of Rebel Alliance Y-wing starfighters attacked the Imperial controlled planet Ord Biniir. The Imperial 233rd Imperial Fighter Group defending Ord Biniir attempted to repel the Alliance attackers, but the Rebel Y-wing starfighters easily defeated them, capturing the planet for the Alliance. However, a few days later, the second TIE Fighter squadron of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing recaptured the planet in the Second Battle of Ord Biniir.

The battle
"The 233rd got mauled by Rebel Y-wings and lost Ord Biniir..."

- Colonel Evir Derricote

In 0 BBY, during the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance&mdash;the planet of Ord Biniir in the Outer Rim Territories was under the control of the Empire. The planet was protected by the 233rd Imperial Fighter Group, composed of approximately three starfighter squadrons. However, that same year, a large amount of Rebel BTL Y-wing starfighters attacked Ord Biniir&mdash;in what would later be called the First Battle of Ord Biniir, or simply the Battle of Ord Biniir &mdash;hoping to capture the planet for the Alliance. The 233rd's starfighters tried to fend off the Y-wing assault, but the the Rebel Y-wings decimated the Imperial fighter group, seizing Ord Biniir.

Aftermath
The Rebels' capture of Ord Biniir helped prove the usefulness of the Alliance's Y-wings in battle, and many Y-wing pilot veterans of the battle went on to brag about their exploits at Ord Biniir. However, a few days after the First Battle of Ord Biniir, the Empire dispatched the second TIE Fighter squadron of the 181st Fighter Wing under the command of Captain Soontir Fel to retake the planet. In the Second Battle of Ord Biniir, Fel's second squadron defeated the Y-wings stationed on Ord Biniir and conquerored the planet.

In 4 ABY, four years after the battle, Fel was captured by the Rebel Alliance, and, during his interrogation, Fel briefly mentioned the First and Second Battles of Ord Biniir.

Behind the scenes
The First Battle of Ord Biniir was first mentioned in the Y-wing's entry in The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, published March 19, 1996. The backstory and events of the battle were later expanded in the twenty-fifth issue of the X-wing: Rogue Squadron comic series, The Making of Baron Fel, published November 5, 1997.

The Making of Baron Fel refers to the 233rd as a fighter wing, made of approximately six starfighter squadrons. However, the 233rd's entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia&mdash;released in 2008&mdash;states that the 233rd was a fighter group, made of about three squadrons. Since the encyclopedia is the more recent canon source, this article assumes that the 233rd was a fighter group, not a fighter wing.

Appearances

 * X-wing Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel