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The rescue on Kessel was an operation that took place around 1 ABY. During the Rebellion's assault on Kile II, Wedge Antilles's Y-wing starfighter had been disabled by Imperial forces. Antilles was smuggled into an evacuation shuttle and shipped to the prisons of Kessel. Rogue Squadron commander Luke Skywalker led a raid on the prisons using modified X-wing starfighters, equipped with ion cannons. He and Rogue Squadron disabled the Armored Hover Train carrying Wedge using their ion cannons. Soon after the rescue of Antilles, Rogue group returned with a commando team commanded by General Crix Madine and freed the remaining prisoners using Wedge's knowledge of the prison. They disabled the shield generator protecting the prison centers, evacuated the Rebel prisoners, and proceeded to rendezvous with the Rebel fleet.

Prelude
Following the defection of Kasan Moor, the Imperial commander of the 128th TIE Interceptor Squadron, to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the Alliance used her knowledge of Imperial bases and operations to their advantage, and won a string of battles striking against Imperial installations. During an assault on the Imperial spaceport in the canyons of Kile II, Wedge Antilles, of the elite Alliance starfighter unit Rogue Squadron, was shot down by Imperial forces, and was taken as a prisoner of war. Antilles was scheduled to be transferred to the prisons on the spice planet Kessel. Rogue Squadron, under the command of Luke Skywalker, refused to let this happen, and a rescue operation was initiated to safely extract Antilles from the hover train transferring him and other prisoners to the main prison facility.

Rescue of Wedge Antilles
"There it is. Rogue group, use your ion cannons. We want to disable this train, not destroy it."

- Luke Skywalker

Using modified X-wing starfighters equipped with ion cannons, which shuts down the electric systems of whatever it impacts, Rogue Squadron deployed to disable the hover train carrying Wedge Antilles and other prisoners. The Imperials attempted to use a convoy full of their men to mislead Rogue group's onboard lifesign scanners, but Kasan Moor, Rogue group member and a former Imperial pilot, recognized this tactic and persuaded Rogue group to ignore it. Skywalker destroyed the convoy before moving onto the hover train carrying the prisoners. Zev Senesca's long range scan confirmed Antilles to be on the train, and a barrage of ion cannon fire caused the train's systems to shut down, allowing Antilles and the train's passengers safe passage to escape.

Extraction of other prisoners
Based on advice given to him by Antilles, General Crix Madine organized an operation to free other rebel prisoners of war held on the planet. The prison camp Antilles was to be taken to, situated in a series of canyons, had three main facilities protected by a main shield generator. The battleplan called for Rogue Squadron to knock out the main power generator, allowing Madine to deploy his commandos via a modified landing craft into the prison facilities and free the prisoners. Essentially a swift hit and run operation, the battleplan was successful, and the rebel strike team made it off the planet in one piece.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron