Battle of Tatooine (Galactic Civil War)

"I keep telling you, the Rebellion is a long way from here. I doubt if the Empire would even fight to keep this system. Believe me Luke, this planet is a big hunk of nothing..."

- Laze Loneozner

The original Battle of Tatooine was the first major "cleansing" of Rebel enemies of the Galactic Empire, carried out in parts by the renowned 501st Legion of stormtroopers, within just a few days before the climactic Battle of Yavin.

The battle was made up of several Rebel suppressions&mdash;on or around the desert world of Tatooine&mdash;and although these minor exterminations all added up to a more increased feeling of security for the Empire, it would only move the determined Rebels to fight harder throughout the lengthy remainder of the Galactic Civil War.

Pre-Battle Conflicts
The disguised corvette, Tantive IV, was being used as an important vessel in the Rebel Alliance fleet, most notably in the operation to steal the Death Star schematics.

The theft of these plans successfully occurred during a distracting Rebel prisoner revolt on the Death Star, being supplemented by partial documents stolen during the Battle of Danuta and the Battle of Toprawa.

Immediately, the initiation of an Imperial assault on a makeshift Rebel base on Polis Massa was ordered to retake the missing plans. This, however, failed in recovering the lost schematics. The next part of the recovery effort, involved the Emperor's feared enforcer, Darth Vader, taking his legion of Imperial stormtroopers to where the Tantive IV was harbored&mdash;within the Tatooine system&mdash;which Rebels had confessed as being the location of the missing plans, as well as a Bothan having told the same information to Palpatine on Bothawui.

The First Extermination: In Space
Upon reaching the system, the Imperial Navy was ambushed by a pirate organization orbiting the planet. Upon taking out most of the attackers, the Navy hid in the surrounding nebulas, avoiding detection by Blue Squadron, led by Raymus Antilles, who were scouting the area. When the Tantive IV moved toward the uplink station, the Immobilizer frigates were activated, preventing the Tantive's escape. A clash between the Imperial Navy and the Alliance Fleet broke out, both sides taking several casualties in the crossfire, including Blue Leader Raymus Antilles on the Alliance side. The Star Destroyer Devastator pursued the Tantive IV out of the battlefield and chased it around the planet Tatooine.

A laser hit near the bridge of the Tantive, disabling the main reactor and preventing the vessel from entering Tatooine's atmosphere. The Devastator moved in and caught the frigate in a tractor beam. Vader would then dispatch a TIE boarding craft to take control of the ship:

As troopers of the 501st stormed the hallways of the Tantive IV, a skirmish in the hallways erupted between them and Rebel troopers defending the ship. Due to the use of thermal detonators, both sides incurred heavy casualties, but the 501st broke through, capturing the main Rebel barracks and clearing the way for Lord Vader's arrival.

Vader personally destroyed all security terminals on the bridge, disabled a turbine console and stole a set of access codes, in an attempt to gain entry to the ship's escape pod bays. He and a set of Imperial bodyguards, then set out through the corridors, killing some Rebel troopers and capturing many more. Vader also captured C-3PO, a Rebel protocol droid, who was able to access even more areas of the ship. Eventually Vader captured the Rebel command, capturing Princess Leia and killing the ship's captain, Colton Antilles.

The captive protocol droid, along with a certain astromech droid vital to the Rebellion, subsequently escaped the ship: R2-D2 having secretly obtained the Death Star schematics Vader had been so eager to recover.

The Second Extermination: In the Desert
This second Imperial strike was originally intended as a means of eliminating native desert inhabitants, primarily unruly Tusken Raiders, so desert outposts could be secured and set up to overlook activity in the nearby spaceport of Mos Eisley.

Mos Eisley, renowned as a magnet for outcasts, crooks, and untergalactic escapees, was believed to be the refuge of the runaway droid R2-D2. With the stolen schematics, R2-D2 was a big Imperial target and because of the Tantive IV's suspiscious location over the dangerous, barren planet, the Empire suspected a Rebel base may have been hidden away in Mos Eisley. Whether true or not, the Dune Sea was secured and a vital command post established. But not without a fight...

As Imperial sandtroopers attempted to construct command stations in the Dune Sea, they were assailed by the fierce, nomadic Tusken Raiders. However, a deadly sarlaac pit in the center of the Dune Sea attack point, prevented Imperials from crossing Tusken territory to besiege the Raiders' camps.

Soon after, Rebel soldiers, working in Mos Eisley as seemingly normal merchants, mechanics, and pilots, quickly departed from the city to fend off both the Imperials and Tuskens&mdash;many having surreptitious relations to the reclusive Rebel Jedi Ben Kenobi who lived in the Jundland Wastes. It is suspected the sudden presence of the Rebels could also have its origin from the hideaway base in the neighboring Tatooine community of Anchorhead.

A three-way battle broke out, with the Tuskens not standing a chance. Rebels who were effortlessly able to smuggle heavy weaponry into lawless Tatooine, now exposed their explosive equipment. At least one AT-ST walker was felled by Rebel rocket launchers. Nevertheless, the Empire, using AT-STs to eliminate both enemy ranks, were diminishing their foes.

The small Rebel army was completely eradicated&mdash;and now positive that Rebels possessed a section of Mos Eisley, head sandtrooper commander, Praji, had the city hastily surrounded by his men.

The Last Extermination: In the City
The Imperial sandtroopers, led by Commander Praji, joined with the local Mos Eisley stormtrooper garrison and scattered throughout the city, to retrieve information about the stolen Death Star plans. A few local Rebels, using guerrilla tactics, kept the sandtroopers on their feet by coming out through alleys, striking suddenly, and then shrinking away. Armed troopers, some on dewbacks, casually strolled through neighborhoods and homes, interrogating anyone they felt inclined to.

Praji requested, and was given a decree for his troopers, from the Emperor, allowing those who could not supply a valuable response to questioning, to be immediately accused of withholding secret information&mdash;a form of treason&mdash; and be shot on sight. Several Mos Eisley locals, as well as their whole families, were executed thusly. Some tried to put up fights, but this only furthered Praji's cause by justifying his murder of locals. Apparently, the order was extended to permit entire, unhelpful communities to be slaughtered in the form of incineration. The Lars family, adoptive parents of the to-be Rebel leader, Luke Skywalker, met their doom in this way. In the Mos Eisley cantina, a scuffle between a smuggler and Greedo the Younger caused the unit stationed in Mos Eisley to divert their attention toward the cantina. Imperial spy, Garindan, informed the stormtrooper force of the droids' locations, and that the smuggler, Han Solo, was helping the droids escape. The squad moved into Docking Bay 94, where they engaged Han Solo in a firefight, only to have him escape. During the firefight, Captain Terrik was gunned down by Imperial traitor Davin Felth. After the Millennium Falcon's escape from Docking Bay 94, a "pacification" campaign was waged in the streets, though for the most part it was only a more tactical handling of the massacre already being waged. Several Mos Eisley citizens, along with Rebels, managed to secure run-down apartment districts and a damaged sail barge- as well as a few other locations- both of which suffered an onslaught of Imperial might. During the pacification, Garindan led a sandtrooper squad toward Anchorhead Base, but was intercepted by Rebel Ketwol. Ketwol managed to kill some infantry and send the rest and Garindan in retreat. Meanwhile, back in Mos Eisley, the pacification and skirmish in the streets continued, and most of the rebels were destroyed.

Ultimately, the Rebels ended their hit-and-run attacks&mdash;most blasted dead before causing any real harm to Imperial soldiers&mdash;and so the Empire was technically victorious during this final extermination. However, they never did recover the lost Death Star plans, something which would result in the Rebel's amazing victory in the Battle of Yavin, not long after.

Rookie One and Ru Murleen, in an attempt to hit back the Imperials, piloted their X-wings against the AT-ST unit stationed in Mos Eisley. After causing several casualties for the Empire, they turned their weapons upward towards the Devastator. They managed to strike a critical blow, but didn't destroy the flagship. Afterwards, the Imperials continued occupying their posts in the Dune Sea until they were called back to the Death Star I in preparation for the Battle of Yavin.

Afterward
The punishment of Mos Eisley would continue for many monthes- homesteads were continuously harassed by Viper probe droids. The Galactic Empire decided to make a harsh maneuver- a TIE Bomber run harassed Mos Eisley, killing dozens of civilians and destroying many buildings. The pacification finally came to an end in 2 ABY- during the First Mission to Tatooine- when Rogue Squadron intercepted and destroyed the TIE Bombers.

During the four years of Tatooine's brutal control by the Empire, the planet saw only little relief during the aftermath of an Rebel attack on an Imperial station on the planet. The citizens would finally be freed during the Liberation of Tatooine.

Behind the scenes
The computer game Rebel Assault includes a bonus level where X-wings from Anchorhead Base have to clear out Mos Eisley from AT-ST walkers soon after the Tantive IV incident above Tatooine. That attack might be a part of the above-mentioned skirmish, as Star Wars: Complete Locations confirms that AT-STs were stationed in Mos Eisley. It's also possible that Anchorhead Base was the base of the ground forces that participated in the skirmish.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Rebel Assault
 * Force Commander
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * Empire at War
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Original Trilogy