Battle of Endor

"Today is a day of celebration. We have triumphed over villainy and oppression and have given our Alliance&mdash;and the galaxy beyond it&mdash;a chance to breathe and cheer for the progress in reclaiming our freedom from an Empire that robbed us of it."

- Admiral Gial Ackbar, after the Battle of Endor

The Battle of Endor was the climactic battle that took place during the Galactic Civil War between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. It saw the destruction of the Death Star II and the deaths of both Darth Vader and Emperor Sheev Palpatine.

Prelude
"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come."

- Mon Mothma

The last major battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire, which had taken place on the frozen world of Hoth, had resulted in a clear and humiliating defeat for the Rebels. Some time later, Bothan spies intercepted information that revealed the Empire was building a second Death Star in orbit over the forest moon of Endor. Thanks to the Bothan spies, the Alliance also learned that the Emperor Palpatine was to oversee the final construction stages of that Death Star.

Leaders of the Rebel Alliance devised a plan destroy the second Death Star. A strike team, led by General Han Solo would land on Endor and proceeded to destroy the shield generator protecting the Death Star. The strike team would use the Tydirium, an recently stolen Imperial Lambda-class T-4a shuttle. The strike team would land on Endor via the stolen shuttle and take out the SLD-26 planetary shield generator.

Meanwhile in Space, the Alliance fleet, led by Admiral Gial Ackbar, with aid from General Lando Calrissian would engaged the any naval forces and attacked the Battle station.

Unbeknownst to the Alliance, Palpatine had leaked false information. The Death Star was in fact fully operational and also had a fleet of Imperial-Class Star Destroyers waiting to ambush and destroy the Rebel fleet upon their arrival.

The space battle
"Admiral! We have enemy ships in sector 47!''" "''It's a trap!"

- A Mon Calamari captain and Admiral Ackbar

Ready to lead the planned attack on the second Death Star, the Rebel general Calrissian reached the Endor system aboard the starship Millennium Falcon by utilizing a secret Imperial hyperspace route known as the Sanctuary Pipeline. Accompanied by groups of X-wing, A-wing, B-wing and Y-wing starfighters. Calrissian discovered that the superweapon's shields were up, which meant that their assault had been anticipated. The general hurriedly ordered his fighter squadron to turn tail and meet the rest of the Rebel fleet, but to no avail. The Empire's trap had already been sprung, and the Alliance starfleet, spearheaded by the Mon Calamari star cruiser Home One, found itself surrounded by the largest flotilla of Imperial-class Star Destroyers ever assembled.

The ground assault
"An entire legion of my best troops await them."

- Emperor Palpatine

General Han Solo led a landing party on Endor that included Princess Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, and a number of Rebel troopers.

Scouts troopers spotted members of the strike team shortly after landing. Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia pursued the troopers on speeder bikes. Leia was seperated from the group and soon after befriended Wicket the Ewok. Through a series of events Han, Leia, Luke, R2-D2 and C-3P0 managed to befriend a tribe of Ewoks. Later that night, Luke turned himself over to the Empire.

Upon finding how heavily guarded the main entrance was, Ewoks showed General Solo an alternate entrance, a bunker guarded by only a few Imperial soldiers. At the front of the bunkers entrance, Paploo, one of the Ewoks, stole an Imperial speeder bike to distract most of the guards. Members of the Rebel strike team entered the bunker with intentions of blowing up the shield generator.

The Rebel strike team quickly fell victim to Empire's trap. Imperial troops flushed the strike team out of the bunker and held them at gunpoint. Moments later, a local Ewok tribe attacked, allowing Solo and his team to break away. With the help of two ewoks, Chewbacca managed to hijack an AT-ST and use its weapons systems to destroy at least one other AT-ST, as well as take out several stormtroopers. The Rebels managed to breach the bunker and detonate their charges. With the shield generator destroyed, the Rebel fleet would now be able to proceed with the attack on the Death Star's main reactor.

Demise of the Sith
"You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister&hellip; you were right."

- The redeemed Anakin Skywalker to his son, Luke

At the same time, Darth Vader brought Luke Skywalker before the Emperor in an attempt to turn Luke to the dark side of the Force. In spite of his initial refusal to yield to the Emperor's temptations, when faced with the imminent destruction of the Rebel fleet and the loss of his friends, Skywalker would allow himself to be coerced into fighting. Luke engaged his father in a fierce lightsaber duel within the darkened arena of the Emperor's throne room, eventually drawing upon his anger to overwhelm and disarm Vader. After Skywalker refused to give in to Palpatine's demands to kill Vader, the Sith Lord attempted to torture the young Jedi using his Force lightning. Refusing to see his son die, Vader killed his master by grabbing Palpatine and throwing him down the Death Star's reactor shaft. In the process of saving Luke and killing the Emperor, Vader was mortally wounded by the Emperor's force lighting. Vader would die soon afterwards, but not before confirming Luke's assertion that there was still good in him. Luke managed to escape with his father's body using a vacant shuttle before the Death Star was destroyed.

Final actions
"The shield is down! Commence attack on the Death Star's main reactor.''" "''We're on our way. Red Group, Gold Group, all fighters follow me!"

- Admiral Ackbar and General Calrissian

Seizing the opportunity, General Calrissian called for fighters from Red Group and Gold Group to follow him into the Death Star's superstructure to destroy the Death Star's main reactor. Several TIE fighters followed the group into the superstructure. As the fighters flew through the station's coolant shafts, a TIE fighter shot down one of the X-Wings. On Calrissian's orders, several fighters in the group split off and headed to the surface to draw away some of the pursuing TIE fighters.

To buy Calrissian more time, Admiral Ackbar ordered to concentrate all fire on the Super Star Destroyer. The Executor soon lost it's bridge deflector shields and was destroyed after a wayward Rebel A-wing starfighter crashed into its bridge, causing the Super Star Destroyer to lose control and smash into the Death Star. Ciena Ree tried to stop the A-Wing from crashing, but couldn't get it in her sights because of its speed and distance away from her.

Calrissian and Wedge Antilles soon reached the Death Star's main reactor. Antilles fired proton torpedoes at the battle station's power regulator, destroying it. Calrissian followed by launching concussion missiles at the reactor core, causing a chain reaction that would destroy the Death Star. The Falcon raced against the chain of explosions enveloping the superstructure of Death Star and narrowly escaped as the unfinished superweapon exploded.

Aftermath
"This is Leia Organa, last princess of Alderaan, former member of the Galactic Senate, and a leader in the Alliance to Restore the Republic. I have a message for the galaxy. Emperor Palpatine&mdash;the greatest tyrant civilization has ever known, responsible for death and suffering beyond measure&mdash;is dead. He and a second Death Star battle station were destroyed by Alliance forces earlier today. This does not mark the end of the Empire. The fight will continue. But you must take this opportunity. Join us in the foundation of a new Republic to be shaped by the will of the governed. Claim your freedom and your future. Help is on the way."

- Leia Organa, in a holographic transmission sent to the Anoat sector in the wake of the Battle of Endor

After their successful victory, the Rebels and Ewoks celebrated through the night; an event occurring on thousands of planets across the galaxy, such as Bespin, Tatooine, Naboo and Coruscant. The Emperor was dead, and the Empire had been dealt a massive blow. In this glorious celebration, Leia Organa revealed to Han Solo that Luke Skywalker was her brother, a revelation that Skywalker personally revealed to her. The celebration continued into the night time, with the Rebels rendezvousing at Bright Tree Village. The Ewoks later proceeded to celebrate by utilizing helmets of stormtroopers and TIE pilots, confiscated from the Imperial survivors, as drums. During this time, Luke, upon returning from creating a funeral pyre for his father, saw the spirit of his father, along with the ghosts of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and then joined in the celebration with his sister and friends. That same day, Organa sent out a holographic transmission to places such as the Anoat sector, relaying the news of the Empire's defeat and urging citizens to take up arms against the remaining Imperial forces.

The next morning, Han Solo led a strike force to take out a group of Imperial holdouts on the other side of the moon. After capturing the base, they found numerous communication records and plans regarding the Imperials' post-Endor plans.

Anti-Imperial protests erupted on several worlds such as Naboo, Tatooine, Bespin and even the Imperial capital of Coruscant. Imperial authorities reacted to the protests, sparking riots such as one in Coruscant's Monument Plaza. In the following months, the Rebel Alliance reorganized into the New Republic and continued to wage its war against the Empire, fighting to reclaim the Core Worlds. The Empire, meanwhile, splintered into various factions, some of which the New Republic believed had retreated to the Outer Rim to prepare a major offensive against their enemies. The heads of the major Imperial factions came together on the world of Akiva, assembling all of their troops and starships to determine the future of the Empire.

In the days after the Battle of Endor, Imperial Governor Adelhard instituted a blockade of the Anoat sector and implemented a disinformation campaign in an attempt to mask the Emperor's death and the Empire's defeat at Endor. Adelhard's Purge Troopers were instrumental in instituting his protocols, for any citizens with knowledge of the Emperor's fall&mdash;along with their friends, families, and any other associated parties&mdash;were systematically tracked down, quarantined, and killed. It was not until approximately two months after the Battle of Endor, that a young smuggler managed to uncover an Imperial record of Organa's transmission.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Lost Stars
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Battle Pod
 * Star Wars Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Return of the Jedi Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
 * "The Levers of Power"
 * Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Part I
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Star Wars: Uprising

Non-canon appearances

 * Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi