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The Mon Calamari Cruiser Defiance was a MC80 Home One type Star Cruiser and part of the Alliance Fleet during the Galactic Civil War.[1]
History[]
The Defiance engaging TIE fighters
During the Rebel Alliance's investigation of the Galactic Empire's Death Star superweapon, Red Squadron Rebel pilots Keyan Farlander and Breth Gart were temporarily assigned to the Defiance to aid in the training of new starfighter pilots. In orbit over[7] the planet[8] Bestine,[1] the Defiance was attacked by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Immortal which launched two squadrons of TIE/sa bombers, Gamma and Delta, to destroy it, escorted by the TIE/IN interceptors of Beta Squadron. Though most of the Defiance's veteran pilots were away flying other missions, Blue and Red Squadron pilots, including Gart and Farlander, scrambled to the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser's defense. The Rebel pilots and the Defiance's gunners occupied the Imperial forces until the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser was able to jump to safety in hyperspace.[7]
During the evacuation of Yavin 4, the Alliance High Command requested the Defiance's presence in order to protect the Rebel ships attempting to escape the Imperial Yavin blockade to hyperspace.[4]
Defiance, viewed from the stern
The vessel performed numerous missions, both individually and as part of a battle line. The Defiance was commanded by Admiral Nammo throughout the Galactic Civil War. Its Tactical Officer was Commander Devers, who assumed his position following the capture and brainwashing of his predecessor, Commander Kupalo.[2]
The concourse of the Defiance
In 3 ABY,[9] the Defiance was the command ship of a Rebel task force stationed far from Echo Base,[2] the Alliance headquarters on the planet Hoth,[10] during its evacuation. With the aim of rejoining the primary Alliance Fleet under Admiral Gial Ackbar, the group fled from Hoth with survivors and personnel[2] to a secure Rebel sector.[11] The Defiance, along with the Neutron Star-class bulk cruiser Diligent and the Assault Frigate Mark I Haven, was then based at a space station known as Lost Station for some time. There, Admiral Nammo granted refuge aboard the Defiance to the Azzameen family, fugitives from the Empire who had followed Lieutenant Olin Garn, a Rebel pilot and friend of Aeron Azzameen. With Garn's encouragement, Ace Azzameen trained as a combat pilot and enlisted in the Calamari Cruiser's starfighter complement, which included Red, Blue, and Green Groups.[2]
The Defiance, trapped with its task force in the Anoat sector[source?] and hunted by Imperial Admiral Garreth Holtz's Corrupter task force, served as a base for a series of operations conducted to distract and hinder the Imperial force and allow the Rebels to escape. The Calamari Cruiser's starfighters were dispatched on a diversionary convoy raid to draw the Empire's resources towards defense and away from their search, and a reconnaissance operation that uncovered severe damage sustained by the Corrupter at Hoth. Subsequently, the force followed an informant's lead to liberate other survivors of Echo Base taken prisoner by the Empire, and destroyed a repair team bound for the crippled Corrupter. Finally, the Defiance group targeted the Imperial sensor array IOS 24,[2] creating a gap in the Empire's surveillance network through which Calamari Cruiser and its support ships were able to escape into the Outer Rim Territories.[11]
The vessel later participated in the Battle of Endor as rear guard to the Alliance Fleet, and pursued Imperial ships after the Rebel victory.[12]
Following the transformation of the Rebel Alliance into the New Republic, Nammo and the Defiance were part of the new government's Third Fleet. In 6 ABY, Nammo and the Defiance were sent by Admiral Ackbar, now of the New Republic Defense Fleet, to capture the key Imperial shipyards of Bilbringi, but were defeated by the defending Admiral Teren Rogriss and the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing led by Turr Phennir.[6]
Behind the scenes[]
A hologram of the insignia of the Defiance
The Defiance first appeared in the 1993 LucasArts video game Star Wars: X-Wing.[1] Issue 99 of Computer Gaming World, released in October 1992, featured a preview of X-Wing which described transitions between missions taking place on the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Dreadnought and at a Calamari space port. The Independence and the Defiance appear to take the place of these in the finished game, with the Defiance replacing the Dreadnought.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: X-Wing (First appearance)
- Star Wars: X-Wing Tour of Duty: Imperial Pursuit
- Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
- Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
Sources[]
- X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide
- X-Wing Collector's CD-ROM: The Official Strategy Guide
- Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
Star Wars Customizable Card Game — Death Star II Limited (Card: Defiance) (backup link)- Jedi Knights Trading Card Game — Masters of the Force (Card: Defiance) (backup link)
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- Strongholds of Resistance
- Star Wars: Armada — Home One Expansion Pack (Card: Defiance)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Star Wars: X-Wing
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Strongholds of Resistance
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars: X-Wing Tour of Duty: Imperial Pursuit
- ↑ Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 The Essential Guide to Warfare
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 X-Wing Collector's CD-ROM: The Official Strategy Guide
- ↑ The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
- ↑ The New Essential Chronology dates the Battle of Hoth to 3 ABY.
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
- ↑
Jedi Knights Trading Card Game — Masters of the Force (Card: Defiance) (backup link)