User:Brandon Rhea/template2

"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 Ackbar, after the Battle of Endor

The Battle of Endor was one of the most decisive battles of the Galactic Civil War fought between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire. The battle, waged on and above the forest moon of Endor, was the culmination of the Alliance's years-long struggle against the Empire, with the Alliance Fleet banding together to launch an all-out assault on the second Death Star battle station and the Emperor, Darth Sidious, himself.

The battle was made possible by what the Alliance believed was covertly-retrieved information relating to the operational status of the Death Star and the Emperor's presence aboard the station. In reality, the Emperor allowed the Alliance to learn of his whereabouts, and fed them false information about the Death Star's status. The Rebel leadership used this intelligence to plan the attack, which they slated to be two-pronged: first, a team of soldiers would infiltrate the forest moon and destroy the generator powering the Death Star's deflector shield; second, the Alliance Fleet would jump into Endor's orbit and assault the Death Star. General Han Solo was chosen to lead the ground forces, who would arrive using a shuttle, Tydirium, stolen from the Empire by a team led by Princess Leia Organa. The Alliance Fleet was put under the command of Admiral Gial Ackbar and General Lando Calrissian.

The battle commenced as Solo led his team&mdash;which included Organa, Commander Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and a special forces team known as the Pathfinders&mdash;to Endor, where they covertly engaged Imperial forces while making their way towards the shield generator. They were captured by the native Ewoks, but they soon became allies of the primitive culture and the Ewoks agreed to help them fight against the Empire. Skywalker, meanwhile, departed from the rest of the group, choosing to turn himself into the Empire in an attempt to redeem his father: Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith once known as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Skywalker was brought before the Emperor, who attempted to turn the young Jedi to the dark side.

The Alliance Fleet arrived in orbit to find that the shield generator had not yet been destroyed. Alliance forces instead engaged TIE fighters that attempted to destroy their fleet, while Solo and his team were captured by Imperial forces on the planet. The Emperor revealed to Skywalker that the battle was a trap and had the Death Star's primary weapon fire on ships within the Rebel fleet. Skywalker lashed out in anger, leading to a lightsaber duel between the young Jedi and Darth Vader. Eventually, with the help of the Ewoks, Solo and his Pathfinders were able to fight back against Imperial troops and destroy the shield generator, giving the Rebels a chance to enter the Death Star's super structure and attack. Aboard the station, meanwhile, Skywalker defeated his father in combat but chose not to strike him down, instead proclaiming himself a Jedi Knight like Anakin Skywalker once was. The Emperor attempted to kill Skywalker, but Vader, unwilling to watch his son die, grabbed his master and threw him down a reactor shaft to his death. Skywalker tried to bring his mortally wounded father to safety, but the redeemed Anakin Skywalker soon succumbed to his wounds. Skywalker escaped from the Death Star just before it exploded above Endor.

The Battle of Endor brought an end to the rule of the Sith over the galaxy and left the Empire leadership and in chaos. Worlds across the galaxy celebrated their newfound opportunity for freedom, while Alliance leaders, including Admiral Ackbar and Princess Organa, sent messages across the various worlds in order to rally them against what remained of the Galactic Empire. The Empire attempted to prevent people from learning of the Emperor's demise, calling it baseless propaganda, but, in the months that followed, the Alliance transformed itself into the New Republic. Despite these victories, the Galactic Civil War continued for at least one year after the Battle of Endor.

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

- Chancellor Mon Mothma of the Rebel Alliance

During the Galactic Civil War, the Alliance to Restore the Republic destroyed the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's deep space battle station that was capable of annihilating entire planets. The Empire began construction of a second Death Star, one that was larger than the first and had more firepower than its predecessor. Through Bothan spies, the Rebel Alliance learned of the second Death Star's existence four years after the Battle of Yavin and knew that it had to be destroyed before it could become operational, lest more planets be destroyed by the Empire. Two such planets were Mon Cala, the homeworld of Rebel Admiral Gial Ackbar; and Chandrila, home of Alliance Chancellor Mon Mothma. According to intelligence, the Emperor, Darth Sidious, planned to send massive invasion fleets to the two worlds, destroy all resistance to Imperial rule, blockade the planets, and await the Death Star's arrival to destroy them. Unknown to the Rebellion was that the Emperor allowed them to not only learn that the Death Star was being constructed, but that he himself would be present on the station to oversee its completion. The Emperor knew that this would be an opportunity the Alliance could not let pass, and he could lure them into a trap and destroy them once and for all.

The Alliance leaders began planning an assault on the Death Star, which was being constructed in orbit over the Forest Moon of Endor. The plan called for two phases. First, a team of commandos would infiltrate the Forest Moon and destroy the generator powering the deflector shield protecting the Death Star. Second, the Alliance Fleet, which the leadership planned to gather over the planet Sullust, would take a secret Imperial hyperspace route called the Sanctuary Pipeline from Sullust to Endor and arrive in orbit over the Forest Moon. The fleet would then engage the Imperial Navy, allowing Rebel starfighters to enter an exposed area of the Death Star's superstructure and destroy the reactor core. In order for the plan to be successful, however, the leadership knew that they would need time to gather the scattered fleet, time in which they feared the Empire could discover their plan.

To distract the attention of the Empire, Princess Leia Organa, one of the Alliance's leaders, proposed Operation Yellow Moon, in which she would travel to the Corva sector, far from Sullust and Endor, on a mission intended to look like she was recruiting for the Rebellion. Because Organa was a high profile target, she believed the Empire would take the bait and attempt to capture her with a massive military force, thus diverting their attention from the true plan. Chancellor Mothma approved the plan, and Organa set out with a crew on her mission. The Alliance believed that Operation Yellow Moon was successful, as the Alliance Fleet was able to gather at Sullust seemingly without Imperial detection, as the Rebellion did not yet know that they were walking into an Imperial trap. Organa's mission also allowed the Rebellion to acquire a strategic military assets: an Imperial shuttle, Tydirium, which the Rebellion planned to use to bring a team of commandos to Endor using stolen Imperial military codes to bypass the Death Star's shields.

Fall of the Sith
"I'll never turn to the dark side. You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

- Luke Skywalker, to Darth Sidious

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 in the wake of the Battle of Endor

The Battle of Endor left the Empire in complete chaos. The Imperial fleet retreated from Endor, while worlds across the galaxy began celebrating the Empire's defeat. Even citizens on the Imperial capital world of Coruscant took to the streets to celebrate the Emperor's death, toppling a statue of him in Monument Plaza before Imperial forces arrived in an attempt to break up the gathering. Shortly after the battle, Princess Organa sent out a holographic transmission, seen in such places as the Anoat sector, telling the galaxy that the Emperor was dead. The princess urged the people of the galaxy to take up arms against the remaining Imperial forces and to help the Alliance in restoring the Republic.

The Rebels themselves celebrated after the battle on Endor, joining with their Ewok compatriots in Bright Tree Village for the joyous occasion. The spirits of Anakin and Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, who guided Skywalker's Jedi training, appeared as spectres to watch Skywalker and the celebration. Pilots who flew during the battle returned to the Alliance Fleet and were allowed to join their comrades on the surface, as fireworks exploded in the sky. By the next morning, only one Imperial outpost was known to have remained on Endor, containing a group of holdouts hoping to find a way to launch a counterattack against the Alliance. General Solo led his Pathfinders in an assault on the base, where they found numerous communication records and plans regarding the Empire's post-Endor plans.

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.

The months that followed the Battle of Endor saw the Rebel Alliance reorganize into the New Republic, which continued the war against the Empire, fighting to reclaim the Core Worlds and the galaxy itself. The Empire, meanwhile, splintered into various factions, some of which the New Republic believed 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 reality, the gathering was orchestrated by a surviving fleet admiral who wanted to destroy weaknesses within the surviving Imperial ranks. The plan was successful, as the gathering resulted in a battle between the assembled factions.

The war continued for many more months. The Empire committed numerous forces to another decisive battle, the Battle of Jakku, hoping to deliver a devastating blow to the New Republic at the desert world of Jakku. Instead, the battle resulted in a major victory for the New Republic. In the weeks after the battle, the Empire did not attempt any additional large offensives, and they stayed within the boundaries of a treaty signed with the New Republic. Members of the New Republic's Senate believed that the Galactic Civil War had reached its end and that an Imperial surrender was imminent. Nonetheless, Mon Mothma, who had been elected Chancellor of the New Republic, continued to stress that the New Republic Starfleet and its member worlds remain on high alert.

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
 * "The Levers of Power"
 * Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Part I
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Aftermath
 * Aftermath