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The Resolute executes a Marg Sabl maneuver at the Battle of Ryloth.
- "You're going to pull a Marg Sabl closure maneuver? Why not? It was a good idea… a decade ago."
- ―Unidentified Alliance observer
The Marg Sabl was a maneuver used in space battles, first developed by Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano during the Clone Wars and then employed in the Galactic Civil War, most notably the Thrawn Crisis.
Characteristics[]
Clone Captain Rex views a hologram of the Marg Sabl at the Battle of Ryloth
The ship(s) executing the Marg Sabl would close at high speed against an enemy force. At the last moment, the ship(s) would angle their hulls against the enemy's attack vector, protecting its fighter groups as they sortie. These fighters would then form up and, concealed by the hull of the ship, conduct a flanking maneuver to attack the enemy ships; if the enemy commander is unaware of the maneuver, his fighters and point defenses would be unable to respond in time.
It was a simple maneuver that was obvious to spot, but when properly executed, it had a highly unstructured attack profile. As a result, most experienced opponents would not fall for it, though species with a psychological blind spot for unorthodox tactics, such as the Elomin or simple-minded OOM command battle droids, would. In the case of the former, the Elomin forces retreated, exposing themselves to complete destruction. In the case of the latter, the droids pressed their ineffectual assault, pinning themselves between the hull of the ship and the flanking fighters, which attacked from all sides.
History[]
- "You see, Captain, there's an Elom [sic] commanding that force…and Elomin simply cannot handle the unstructured attack profile of a properly executed Marg Sabl."
- ―Thrawn, to Gilad Pellaeon
During the Battle of Ryloth, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano suggested the use of the maneuver against Separatist battle droids that had been abandoned by their Neimoidian commanding officer.[3] Decades later, it was used successfully by Grand Admiral Thrawn, who demonstrated the particular Elomin gullibility at the Destruction of the Elomin task force.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The Marg Sabl first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire. The novel later inspired Star Wars: The Clone Wars director Dave Filoni to include the maneuver in the episode "Storm Over Ryloth."[4]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Storm Over Ryloth"- Heir to the Empire (and unabridged audiobook) (First appearance, in book)
- ° Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition
- Vision of the Future (and unabridged audiobook)
Sources[]
- Pirates & Privateers
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One
