Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet

"The fleet is Mon Cala's pride."

- King Lee-Char, speaking of the Mercantile Fleet

The Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet was the trading fleet of the planet Mon Cala during the reign of King Lee-Char and the rise and occupation of the Galactic Empire.

In 18 BBY, Admiral Raddus utilized at least five Star Cruisers and many smaller vessels as part of the defense of Mon Cala's southern hemisphere. Raddus grouped the vessels, and was able to create an underwater fortress that repelled various attacks by Imperial submarines.

In 1 ABY, the Rebel Alliance approached Grand Admiral Urtya, the commander of the fleet and regent of Mon Cala since King Lee-Char had been deposed. In desperate need of a navy to take the war to the Empire, they wished to militarize the fleet by refitting its cruisers into warships, but the Mon Calamari were reluctant to use such action as long as their king remained a prisoner.

After the rebels successfully infiltrated the king's prison on Strokill Prime, they discovered that Lee-Char was only kept alive by machines and that he wouldn't survive being taken off of them. The dying king recorded a final message to his people, encouraging them to oppose the Empire's atrocities before he was killed by stormtroopers attempting to stop the rebels. After retrieving the recording, Urtya broadcasted the message to the fleet captains. The Mon Calamari crews witnessed their king's final message and his death at the hands of the Empire, leading to open revolt against the Imperial officers and stormtroopers stationed on their ships.

Behind the scenes
"And I would say, being a Mon Cal loyalist, that it's the best trading fleet in the galaxy."

- Kieron Gillen about the Mon Calamari Mercantile Fleet

Kieron Gillen said in an interview that the idea for the Mercantile Fleet came from the need to explain how the Rebel fleet had suddenly grown between the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and those of Return of the Jedi. He imagined a similar story to the post-Second Punic War situation of Carthage; although Rome forced them to demilitarize, they were allowed to continue trading and this allowed them to quickly settle the war reparations that they owed. Gillen said that he developed a similar backstory for the Mon Calamari living under Imperial occupation, but still possessing a large trading fleet which allows them to pay back their debts to the Empire.

Appearances

 * Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 16: Burning Seas, Part IV
 * Star Wars 44: Mutiny at Mon Cala, Part I
 * Star Wars 45: Mutiny at Mon Cala, Part II
 * Star Wars 46: Mutiny at Mon Cala, Part III
 * Star Wars 47: Mutiny at Mon Cala, Part IV
 * Star Wars 48: Mutiny at Mon Cala, Part V