Yavin Prime

"Yavin is one of those gas giants that looks like it missed out on starhood by a very slim margin."

- Suz Tanwa

Yavin Prime, also known as Yavin (Yavin pronounced: YAH-vin), was a bright red gas giant in the Gordian Reach sector (part of the Bright Jewel Oversector).

Description
It was located on the backward Gordian Reach, a hyperspace route from which the sector got its name. Yavin was best known for its moon, Yavin 4, which was the location of the Rebel Alliance's base prior its discovery and near destruction in the Battle of Yavin. Of its overall total of 26, Yavin had two other moons that were habitable; Yavin 8 and Yavin 13.

Yavin's atmosphere was made up of thick clouds swept about by violent, hurricane-force winds. Any craft that entered the atmosphere without benefit of a tracking beacon would quickly become lost, its pilot disoriented by the buffeting winds. It was believed these storms lasted all the way to the surface without letting up. The immense atmospheric pressure was also something to contend with, and could easily crush an unprotected ship. It was for these reasons that Yavin was chosen as the initial location for disposing of the Imperial Sun Crusher superweapon. However, the Sun Crusher's superstrong hull proved resistant to Yavin's dense atmosphere, and was quite space-worthy when later recovered by Kyp Durron.

History
"We are approaching the planet Yavin. The Rebel base is on a moon on the far side. We are preparing to orbit the planet."

- An Imperial to Wilhuff Tarkin via intercom

The Yavin system was conquered by the Rakata during the reign of their Infinite Empire, but later abandoned.

After the Great Sith War, Yavin Station orbited the planet and was used for corusca gem "fishing" until it blew apart in 3956 BBY and crashed on Yavin 22. Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Baron Orman Tagge constructed Achtnak Turbine Station, hidden within the gas giant, from which he launched TIE attacks on Massassi Station; Achtnak was destroyed by Luke Skywalker. Lando Calrissian later established GemDiver Station in the giant's orbit, for the "fishing" of corusca gems. GemDiver Station was attacked by the forces of the Shadow Academy.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Yuuzhan Vong took Yavin along with the rest of the Yavin system in 26 ABY following the capture of the Jedi Praxeum.

Behind the scenes
The PC game Star Wars: Rebellion mistakenly states that Yavin Prime is in the Sumitra sector.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 4: Death of a Dark Jedi
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 5: Sith Secrets
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 2: The Battle of Coruscant
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 3: The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 6: Dark Lord
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars: X-Wing
 * Death Star
 * Star Wars: Empire 9: Darklighter, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Empire 12: Darklighter, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Empire 13: What Sin Loyalty?
 * Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice
 * Star Wars Journal: Captive to Evil
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Empire 11: The Short, Happy Life of Roons Sewell, Part 2
 * Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron ½
 * Star Wars Droids 8: Star Wars According to the Droids, Book III
 * Star Wars: Empire 15: Darklighter, Part 4
 * Star Wars 5: Lo, The Moons of Yavin!
 * Star Wars 6: Is This the Final Chapter?
 * Star Wars: Empire 14: The Savage Heart
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Star Wars Missions 1: Assault on Yavin Four
 * Star Wars Missions 2: Escape from Thyferra
 * Star Wars Missions 4: Destroy the Liquidator
 * Rebel Force: Renegade
 * Star Wars 7: New Planets, New Perils!
 * Star Wars 8: Eight for Aduba-3
 * Star Wars 9: Showdown on a Wasteland World!
 * Star Wars 10: Behemoth from the World Below
 * Star Wars 11: Star Search!
 * Star Wars 15: Star Duel
 * ''Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
 * Star Wars 18: The Empire Strikes
 * Star Wars 25: Siege at Yavin
 * Star Wars 26: Doom Mission
 * Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter
 * Star Wars 29: Dark Encounter
 * Star Wars 35: Dark Lord's Gambit
 * Star Wars Annual 1: The Long Hunt
 * Death Star Pirates
 * Star Wars: Empire 19: Target: Vader
 * Star Wars: Empire 22: Alone Together
 * Star Wars: Rebellion 12: Small Victories, Part 2
 * Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell
 * Entrenched
 * Star Wars Journal: Hero for Hire
 * X-Wing: Rogue Leader 1
 * The Glove of Darth Vader
 * The Lost City of the Jedi
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Champions of the Force
 * I, Jedi
 * Darksaber
 * Jedi Academy: Leviathan
 * Junior Jedi Knights: The Golden Globe
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Lyric's World
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest
 * Young Jedi Knights
 * The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest
 * I, Jedi
 * Darksaber
 * Jedi Academy: Leviathan
 * Junior Jedi Knights: The Golden Globe
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Lyric's World
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest
 * Young Jedi Knights
 * The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest
 * The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga