Echo Base

"That's it. The Rebels are there.''" "My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be&mdash;" ''"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. In 3 ABY, the base was discovered by the Galactic Empire who then invaded Hoth, forcing the Rebels to evacuate.

Description
"Now let's get you warmer and then to work. It never gets comfortable here, and you don't quite get used to it, but there are ways to make it livable."

- General Philap Bygar

Echo Base was carved out of a glacier and connected by artificial corridors linked together with structural supports, while natural caverns were expanded to suit the Alliance's needs. It was protected from orbital bombardments with a massive deflector shield generator and v-150 ion cannon, which would help the Alliance evacuate the base in case of an attack. Designed to be evacuated at a moment's notice, the base was hastily constructed and often as not, wampa ice creatures would sneak into the base at night, forcing the closures of various corridors. Owing to slab-dab construction methods, a single faulty element in the base's electrical system could deny heat to half the base. Nevertheless, soldiers of the outpost were better equipped and displayed better discipline than those stationed elsewhere. 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.

Several sentry posts were stationed around the base, including Echo Station 3-T-8, Perimiter Outpost Delta and Outpost Beta. Outpost Delta stood far to the northwest of Echo Base, while it was a mere hundred meters outside the base's energy shield.

The interior of Echo Base held a number of important locations for the Rebels. The base housed a large hangar where Rebel technicians maintained the numerous speeders that the Alliance had at its disposal. The hangar was open to the outside with a large door, which could be closed to protect the base from the frigid wastes. Most of the troops present slept in enormous bunkers with several hundred others, and often had scant rations. The medical bay contained a bacta tank used for healing wounded Rebels, which was overseen by a medical droid; the bacta was used to heal Luke Skywalker after he was wounded in a wampa attack, and&mdash;according to Captain Han Solo&mdash;made him look strong enough to pull the ears off of a gundark. The base also contained a command center where the Rebel leadership coordinated Rebel activities, including the eventual evacuation from Hoth.

Owing to the base's top secret nature, many soldiers fighting across the galaxy were withheld information regarding its location, while rumors of it being on an asteroid or an underwater city spread like wildfire among the Alliance Fleet. Ships en route to the base were sent on a random path through hyperspace in which they would be transmitted new jump coordinates in an effort to shake any possible Imperial pursuers.

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 and expanded ice caverns and built Echo Base, inhabiting it for less than a month before the Empire discovered it.

For three and a half 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 plan kay one zero be taken into immediate effect, calling for Echo Base be evacuated, despite only having inhabited it for less than a month. With a strategy conference having been held on the planet not too long before, several key members such as Princess Leia Organa and General Carlist Rieekan were still stationed on the world, while the Rebels soon 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 landed All Terrain Armored Transports at the Moorsh Moraine to begin the ground assault on the base's shield generator. The Imperials were first spotted on the ground by Outpost Beta, with it being the first destroyed, while the walkers were spotted by Rebel scouts at Echo Station 3-T-8, who relayed the message to the rest of Echo Base. 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
 * Lost Stars
 * Battlefront: Twilight Company
 * Star Wars: Battle Pod
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * AT-AT Attack!
 * Star Wars: Uprising

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back