Battle of Hoth / Legends The Battle of Hoth was a major victory for the Galactic Empire and the single worst battlefield defeat suffered by the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . The battle was an Imperial invasion aimed at destroying the Rebel Alliance ' s Echo Base hidden on the remote ice world Hoth . The base ' s location was compromised when a viper probe droid deployed by Darth Vader landed on Hoth . When the Death Squadron fleet commanded by Admiral Kendal Ozzel left lightspeed too close to the Hoth system , the Admiral inadvertently alerted the Alliance of the Imperial ' s presence , giving the Rebels time to prepare for the necessary evacuation and raise the planetary shield . Thus , Vader executed him for that fatal mistake and immediately promoted Captain Firmus Piett to replace him . The Imperial attack force consisted of primarily AT - AT walkers , commanded by Major General Maximilian Veers . His army was tasked with destroying Echo Base ' s main power generator to allow orbital bombardment of the planet . Spearheading the defense of the generator was the elite Rogue Squadron , manning snowspeeders , commanded by Luke Skywalker , renowned for being the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star . The snowspeeders did not have the necessary firepower to bring down the walkers , so Skywalker suggested an alternative tactic to trip up the walkers with the tow cables issued to every snowspeeder . Despite the efforts by Rogue Squadron , the power generator was eventually destroyed by Veers . The remaining base personnel proceeded to evacuate , as the 501st Legion , led by Darth Vader , entered the base . It would prove a major victory for the Galactic Empire , and would heavily stymie the Rebels . The Alliance ' s loss was so great at the time , at least one member of the 501st Legion considered the Battle of Hoth to be the end of the rebel movement . Prelude . Following the Rebel Alliance ' s major victory at Yavin , Imperial forces eventually forced the Rebellion to abandon their base on Yavin 4 . A holocron created by Bail Organa , one of the founders of the Rebel Alliance , contained a list of possible hideouts in the event that the Yavin 4 base was lost . This list led the Rebellion to the " graveyard world " Boz Pity , but the Empire quickly discovered this base and forced the Rebellion to abandon Boz Pity as well . Despite the loss of both the Yavin 4 and Boz Pity bases , around 1 ABY , Hoth was chosen by Luke Skywalker as the Rebellion ' s new main base after being stranded on the planet for a period of time . During an assault on Zaloriis City to punish the Zaloran separatists between 2 . 5 ABY and 3 ABY , Lord Darth Vader and General Maximilian Veers discovered archives of the library which showed the new location to be somewhere near the Elrood system . Ironically , an Imperial unit managed to uncover Echo Base during a mission on Hoth and attacked it , only for the Rebels to wipe out all but a handful of survivors . The survivors attempted to report their discovery , but their superior , General Nevar , deleted their report due of incompetence . The battle . Preparations . Vader ' s personal Death Squadron fleet reached the Hoth system , following a chance discovery made by a Viper probe droid that was sent to the planet . The landing of the Viper droid was briefly witnessed by Luke Skywalker during one of his patrols , believing it to be a meteorite , although he was unable to investigate the issue further before he and his Tauntaun were ambushed by a wampa . Luke ' s disappearance did not go unnoticed , with Han Solo ( who had originally planned to depart from Hoth due to his status as a wanted criminal by Jabba the Hutt , with the main motivating factor behind the decision being an encounter with a bounty hunter at Ord Mantell ) eventually deciding to go into the snowstorm to find Skywalker when he failed to report back before the personnel were forced to close the base due to the blizzard . Skywalker managed to escape the wampa cave , also amputating one of the occupants in the process , although he was left barely alive from the encounter due to both the attack as well as from being caught in the blizzard . He eventually saw the ghost of his deceased Jedi mentor , Obi - Wan Kenobi , who told Skywalker to head to the Dagobah system to seek training from the Jedi Grandmaster Yoda just as Solo arrived and found Skywalker . Because Solo ' s own Tauntaun perished from the blizzard , Solo and Skywalker were forced to camp out for the night , with the former using the latter ' s lightsaber to split open his deceased steed to offer them some warmth , choking back the stench . The next morning , Zev Senesca , using the moniker Rogue Two , was dispatched to scout out for them and bring them back to base , with Solo responding to his attempted hailing of them . Upon being recovered and brought back to Echo Base , Skywalker being subject to a bacta tank for his earlier injuries . The Viper was later discovered and encountered by Solo after investigating suspicious radio transmissions picked up near the shield generator , who alongside Chewbacca fought it . The probe droid ended up self - destructing shortly after Solo attempted to disable it with a blaster , although not before it transmitted evidence of their shield generator . Their discovery turned out to be the main base of the Rebel Alliance , located on the sixth planet of the system . Although Death Squadron ' s commander , Admiral Kendal Ozzel , felt the evidence only suggested that it was a base for pirates rather than the Rebel Base , Vader confirmed otherwise . To oversee the vital assault on the heart of the Rebellion , Grand General Malcor Brashin and his talented second - in - command General Brenn Tantor were summoned to the Hoth system . Vader and many of his top officers had planned a sneak attack , jumping out of hyperspace at some distance from the planet and taking advantage of the fact that the meteor activity made it difficult for the Rebels to spot approaching ships . They would then initiate limited long - range orbital bombardment to destroy the base , along with any spacecraft and defenses . Major General Maximilian Veers would then mount a sweeping ground assault to capture any survivors . The plan would have likely allowed the Imperials to easily take the planet with few casualties . However , Ozzel made his own assault plan . He exited hyperspace in close proximity to the star system , hoping to surprise the Rebels before they could prepare their defenses . However , this backfired when the Rebels ' early - warning sensors detected the fleet . The theater shield protecting Echo Base was activated , which precluded any aerial bombardment . Veers notified Vader , who immediately realized that Death Squadron would have to mount a full - fledged ground assault to take the base rather than simply destroy it from the air . An incensed Vader Force choked Ozzel to death for his incompetence and promoted Firmus Piett , then chief fleet captain of the Star Dreadnought " Executor " , to Admiral . Having assessed the situation , Vader ordered General Veers to land beyond the range of the energy shield and begin a surface assault aimed at knocking out the Rebels ' power generator and thus bringing down the shield , while Death Squadron took up a blockade formation in an effort to prevent any fleeing Rebel starships from escaping . Veers would command the situation on the ground while Tantor oversaw the entire engagement and issued Veers ' s orders from orbit via the Battlefield Holographic Control Interface . Various landing craft deposited the Imperial landing force at the Moorsh Moraine . The Imperial landing force , dubbed Blizzard Force , consisted of several battalions of cold - weather equipped 501st Legion Stormtroopers ( known as Snowtroopers ) , some squads equipped with heavy repeating blasters . This infantry force was carried aboard AT - AT and A5 Juggernaut transports , which in turn were supported by AT - PT , AT - ST and AT - AR walkers , and with Viper probe droids providing extra sensory - support . In addition , the Blizzard Force also had five heavy anti - air troopers to take down any aerial threats , themselves also being heavily guarded due to their relative vulnerability . This mechanized force was deployed by several Y - 85 Titan dropships , and larger landing assault craft . An individual served in the defense of Echo Base . Using a lightsaber or blaster , the individual defeated attacking troopers , creatures , and droids . The Rebels also defended against AT - ATs and raids into Echo Base . The Alliance employed T - 47 snowspeeders , light aircraft modified for arctic combat conditions led by the elite Rogue Squadron . Ground troops were armed with A280 blaster rifles and several types of artillery emplacements , including DF . 9 anti - infantry laser batteries and the Clone Wars - era P - Tower anti - vehicle laser cannons . A large ion cannon , the v - 150 Planet Defender , provided fire support for the leaving transports , successfully disabling the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Tyrant " long enough for the first evacuating Rebel Transport , " Quantum Storm " , to successfully escape . Like all their defenses , the Rebels ' ion cannon was remotely hooked up to the stolen reactor equipment of a " Praetor " - class battlecruiser , feeding more power to Echo Base ' s defenses than the previous stolen Star Destroyer reactor had done to their Massassi Base . This enabled the Rebel forces to withstand bombardment from even a top - of - the - line Star Dreadnought like the " Executor " . To protect the interior of the base , Rebel troops employed small repulsorsleds , each armed with a blaster cannon , to form the last line of defense against the Empire ' s troops . The ion cannon also disabled the a Star Destroyer , allowing the civilian freighter " Otana " and its escorts to escape , although Otana sustained damage . Imperial offensive . The Imperial assault was primarily aimed at destroying the Rebel ' s main power generators . This would shut down the theater shield protecting the base from orbital bombardment . General Veers led the assault personally , commanding his AT - AT walker " Blizzard 1 " , and crushed the Rebel defenses . The Imperials suffered casualties before the battle even begun . " Blizzard 4 " had attempted to make its way through the Kerane Valley in an attempt to impress Vader . Veers lost three walkers to crevasses of ice flow . This prompted the force to retreat to the safer western route . Rogue Squadron had destroyed a group of probe droids that blocked the transporter ' s escape route , then Rogue 10 was shot down . Skywalker and his wingmen destroyed three AT - STs threatening the pilot before rescuing him . Then Rieekan ordered them to defend the shield generator and Outpost Beta . The squadron proceeded to destroy three AT - ATs and five more AT - STs on their way . Prior to Blizzard Force ' s arrival , a task force encompassing three medics ; four AT - ARs ; two heavy energy pummels ; four heavy artillery platforms ; eight heavy mounted troopers ; six AT - PTs ; five thermal detonator troopers ; 10 repeater troopers ; 3 74 - Z speeder bike - mounted troopers ; and one Viper droid attacked Echo Station 3 - T - 8 and then Echo Station 5 - 7 , that contained some of the evacuation transports . Both bases along with the six ships were soon destroyed by the overwhelming Imperial forces . Eventually , several " Acclamator " - class transport drop ships unload several AT - ATs and Juggernauts . The 4th Squad of the Alliance Special Forces ' Wilderness Fighters , led by Jobin , the son of Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma , attempted to attack the forces . The Wilderness Fighters were later forced to split in half upon learning from Ion Control that a squad of snowtroopers and an AT - ST had arrived at the Ion Cannon to attack it , with Jobin personally leading the attempt to defend the Ion Cannon with his half , composed of Roj , Grond , Sora , and an anonymous rebel . He and his squad then attacked the stormtroopers , with Jobin , Roj , and another member of the squad directly attacking the AT - ST while Grond and Sora flanked it . The AT - ST eventually was destroyed by a satchel explosive , before moving on to the Ion Cannon . The Imperial force then moved against the Rebel base . A task force composed of three squads of AT - ST walkers , AT - ARs , and a few AT - ATs moved toward the Outpost Beta ion cannon to prevent any Star Destroyer casualties in the space battle . Snowspeeders from Rogue Squadron flew in and destroyed the attackers before they reached the cannon . The Rogues also eliminated AT - ST reinforcements brought in by Imperial loader shuttle s . In addition , to back up Rogue Squadron , various Rebel Thermal Detonator troopers and repeating blaster troopers destroyed various All Terrain Anti - Air walkers , although with a significant cost on the troopers end . Blizzard Force came under harassing fire from the Alliance emplacements , but the walkers ' armor plating was too strong for Rebel lasers . Only Rogue Squadron succeeded in toppling one assault transport , using an unorthodox tactic imagined by Luke Skywalker and Alliance tactician Beryl Chiffonage , which relied on magnetic harpoons and tow cables to entangle the walker ' s feet . Unfortunately , the tactic ' s success was minimal , and the AT - ATs downed many snowspeeders with deadly volleys from their blaster cannons . The rebels dove into the trenches , seeking cover . Luke ' s craft was hit by walker fire , killing his gunner Dak Ralter instantly , and is then shot down shortly after . Skywalker barely managed to escape the speeder wreckage before it was crushed by a walker , with Ralter ' s body still inside . Because of this , Wedge Antilles was granted command of Rogue Squadron for the duration of the mission . In an act that seemed to give Palpatine ' s concern about Skywalker ' s burgeoning power of a potential Jedi credibility , the young pilot decided to attempt to bring down two AT - ATs ( one of which being the " Blizzard 4 " ) on his own . Using only a grappling hook , his father ' s lightsaber , and a concussion grenade , Luke managed to do precisely that , before heading off to rejoin the rebels . Afterwards , he managed to mount a Tauntaun upon being pointed to one by Wedge Antilles , and , along with Derlin , rode them towards the south part of the base , cutting a swath through the Snowtroopers along the way . Likewise , Rogue Squadron , under the command of Wedge Antilles , managed to down three more AT - ATs . Most of the rebels in the trenches were wounded , dying or dead , or scared , captured , or demoralized by the unstoppable Imperial attack . The rebel gun emplacements fired on the walkers , to little avail . Many rebels met their deaths to the walkers ' ripping rays . AT - STs and snowtroopers body - mopped up what they could . As the armored assault force reached the trenches , the Alliance soldiers , with most of their laser cannon emplacements destroyed , came under heavy fire , and the order to retreat was issued . With the other AT - ATs providing cover fire , Veers in Blizzard 1 broke through the defensive lines and proceeded to annihilate the shield power generators . Blizzard 1 provided the coup de grace on the shield generator shortly after eliminating its core and a turret guarding the generator , while the repeating troopers and AT - ARs provided backup by wiping out any remaining resistance . After the decisive victory move , the blockade in orbit began a piecemeal bombardment of the battlefield , taking out defensive emplacements and fleeing ships . Imperial forces then used airmobile tactics to deploy snowtroopers onto the surface . Rogue Squadron was also redirected to aid the remaining grounded transports and stop the bombing runs from various TIE Bombers until they were ready for liftoff . Just before departing to aid the grounded transports , Antilles inspected the remains of the shield power generators , and managed to recover a tech upgrade for advanced lasers / blasters . Arriving too late , Skywalker and Derlin arrived at what was originally the power generator . Derlin , feeling that was as far as he could go , had Skywalker go aid a remaining rebel squad that was currently fighting against some snowtroopers , and advised him to take out the snowtrooper manning the tripod gun , use it against the Imperials . Shortly afterwards , Imperial reinforcements in the form of two snowtrooper companies and three AT - STs arrived via loader shuttles , but Skywalker managed to eliminate the AT - STs . During this time , the Rebel pilot also destroyed one of the AT - ST containers with the E - Web heavy repeating blaster and recovered some advanced cluster missile s . Having earlier anticipated that the Ion Cannon is giving the Imperial fleet trouble , Blizzard Force was redirected to target the Ion Cannon again , with the AT - ARs and repeater troopers escorting the surviving AT - ATs , also wiping out dozens of surviving Rebel troopers and airspeeders who intended to halt the advance . The Imperials were ultimately successful in destroying the Ion Cannon , although not before most of the Rebel Transports escaped the planet . Around the time of the successful destruction of the Ion Cannon , Darth Vader arrived onto the battlefield in person with reinforcements . Blizzard Force , intending to rendezvous with Vader and his reinforcements , managed to take down any remaining minor Rebel bases in their way , including turrets , troop centers , mech factories , power cores , and a fortress . Afterwards , they arrived at Echo Base proper . Some of Blizzard Force decided to attack Echo Base directly . Avoiding the two advanced turrets that guarded the main wall of the complex , the soldier succeeded in blowing up a vulnerable corner in the wall , and proceeded to attack the soldiers inside , also destroying fortresses within the compound . Several Blizzard Force units then proceeded towards the southern canyon with the intention of causing as much destruction as possible to draw out all remaining personnel at Echo Base , including at least two medium turrets and a troop center . The surviving troops who hadn ' t escaped yet then charged at the Blizzard Force , being wiped out in the process . Afterwards , the AT - ATs then destroyed the fortress and surrounding troop centers as the snowtroopers held back the soldiers . Infiltration of Echo Base . Jobin ' s squad then reached the Ion Cannon , and fought with the snowtroopers there , resulting in the deaths of Grond and the anonymous soldier . Jobin stabbed one of the snowtroopers with an icicle , and successfully managed to launch the Ion Cannon before setting it to self - destruct . He then attempted to radio to Echo Base ' s command room that Imperials had infiltrated the base , although his communication channel eventually got cut off by static . The staff then evacuated to the remaining transports , specifically the " Bright Hope " . Lord Vader personally led troopers of the 501st Legion into Echo Base , cutting down any who stood in his way , and , in one case , choking a soldier to death . Alliance troops attempted to delay Imperial progress , but were swiftly overwhelmed by the mechanized assault . As the snowtroopers breached the icy bunker walls of Echo Base and entered close range combat with the defenders , Rebel personnel were forced to flee . However , members of Renegade Squadron , who were defending the ion cannon team , put up a determined defense . They inflicted moderate casualties on the 501st Legion and engaged Darth Vader , managing to force him back , at least temporarily . After the route to the rebel transports was blocked by a collapsing ceiling brought about by Imperial bombardment , Han Solo was forced to escape in the " Millennium Falcon " with Princess Leia Organa . The Medical Bay suffered relatively little damage , to which Solo and Organa retrieved some medical supplies . Another cave - in resulted in dislodged stalactites destroying most of the walkways , resulting in the two hopping across the remains of the walkways , while the 501st , under the direction of Vader , attempted to gun them down . Some Rebel soldiers arrived to back Solo and Organa up while the latter two escaped . They then had a brief run - in with Vader , but a cave - in prevented Vader from intercepting them , buying them enough time to arrive in the " Falcon " . Because C - 3PO had trouble keeping up upon arriving at the hangar , Solo yelled at 3PO to pick up the pace unless wanted to have a permanent residence at the doomed base . However , the " Millennium Falcon " still was in a significant state of disrepair ( with Solo ultimately managing to jumpstart the cockpit fully by punching a wall after it prematurely blacked out ) , thus forcing Solo to hold off an advance group snowtroopers via an automated Ax - 108 " Ground Buzzer " surface - defense blaster cannon , also telling Organa that the ship still had its surprises when she expressed doubt about them being able to leave beforehand . Besides fending off Snowtroopers before they could set up an E - Web emplacement , he also used the " Ground Buzzer " to prevent any Snowtroopers from entering the ship . Solo , Chewbacca , Organa , and C - 3PO then managed to escape after a close encounter with an advance group of snowtroopers , with the " Falcon " managing to depart from the hangar , just seconds after Vader arrived . Luke also briefly witnessed their departure . The 501st moved through the base and into the back hangar and landing area . There , the last of the Rebel troops were loading onto a last transport . The elite shock troops led by Vader pushed them back , but took several casualties at the hands of DF . 9 anti - infantry laser batteries and E - Web heavy repeating blaster encampments . As the Rebel and Imperial forces were engaged in a firefight , an orbital strike beacon that had been placed in the hangar was positioned under the transport ship by the Imperials . The 501st managed to protect the beacon from the Rebels long enough for an orbiting Star Destroyer to lock in the co - ordinates of the beacon . The 501st and Vader then vacated the area as the Star Destroyer descended into the atmosphere and bombarded the ship from above . Most of the Rebel infantry were killed , though stragglers remained . Vader and the 501st later tracked down the 4th Squad of the Wilderness Fighters , led by Corporal Jobin , at Hangar 10 . The Imperials managed to fatally wound Jobin , although not before he ensured the rest of his squad ' s escape as well as the delivery of a letter to his mother . Vader them attempted to interrogate Jobin , but refused to answer . His defiance led to Vader snapping his neck . One other Rebel , Dash Rendar , was trapped inside Echo Base in the hangar bays . His YT - 2400 light freighter , the " Outrider " , was on the other side of the base , where the power was out . He used the station ' s supply of captive wampas as an advantage , setting them free to help his slaughter of the Imperial infantry . After restoring the power allowing the rest of the Rebels to escape , his troubles got worse ; a lone AT - ST walker managed to slip behind the base ' s defenses and penetrated the base . Rendar nevertheless managed to destroy it and he escaped in the " Outrider " . Rogue Squadron and Luke Skywalker pushed into the atmosphere and defended the three remaining fleeing transports . As TIE / sa bombers moved in , the X - wings swooped and pushed back the attackers . The remaining transports fled , but the battle was not yet over . Clone X2 was about to confront his brother , X1 . Rebel retreat . X2 landed on the " Avarice " , and killed all of the stormtroopers in his path . X1 was waiting for him , and he had Falon Grey ' s lightsaber , as well as some skill with the dark side . They shortly fought , but as the ship exploded , both of them withdrew in their starfighters . Approximately thirty Rebel GR - 75 medium transports managed to take off along with six " Kleeque " - class transports and a number of other lighter craft . Despite the cover provided by the v - 150 Planet Defender and starfighter escorts , the Imperial naval squadron blockading the planet managed to disable or destroy seventeen Rebel GR - 75 Transports and all six " Kleeque " - class transports . The ion cannon crew , made up of Alliance troops from Alderaan , were among the last to leave , blowing up the cannon to mask the sensor reading of their escape . In addition , Renegade Squadron was the last squadron off Hoth . Despite the escape of most senior personnel , the loss in material and men proved a disaster for the Rebel Alliance , and was a terrible blow to its war effort . Renegade Squadron was called into orbit to help escort the last of the transports out of the system , and were forced to engage with Darth Vader , piloting his TIE Advanced x1 starfighter , and forced him to retreat . The resistance of Renegade Squadron forced the Empire to test its new line of TIE fighters , the highly advanced TIE Defender . After fighting off some of these TIE Defenders , commandos part of Renegade Squadron managed to infiltrate the hangar bay of the TIE Defender ' s Star Destroyer and hijack one of them , returning it to their Mon Calamari Star Cruiser to await further analysis by Alliance technicians . Likewise , the " Millennium Falcon " managed to escape orbit , as well as causing a near - collision between three Star Destroyers . Their escape route was cut off , however , so they ended up having to disable a Star Destroyer that was already damaged from the battle — having its left shield generator destroyed — before they had enough of an opening to escape . However , due to a hyperdrive malfunction , they weren ' t able to escape through hyperspace and were instead forced to enter the asteroid field to elude the Imperial forces . At least four TIE fighters pursuing them and an " Imperial II " - class Star Destroyer ended up destroyed from the asteroids . Death Squadron continued to pursue them into the asteroid field , as well as sending the TIE / sa bomber squadron Scimitar Squadron to force them out of hiding , only briefly disengaging when Palpatine wanted to contact Vader regarding Luke Skywalker ' s growing threat to him . Afterwards , Vader proceeded to hire bounty hunters to commence the search for the " Millennium Falcon " , even deliberately holding the meeting with the bounty hunters out in the open on the " Executor " command bridge as a subtle means of expressing his displeasure at the failure of the Imperial personnel . However , during the meeting , he learned from Piett that the " Avenger " had spotted the " Millennium Falcon " and was currently in pursuit . After the " Millennium Falcon " escaped from a space slug ' s jaws that they unknowingly hid inside , the " Millennium Falcon " managed to shoot down several squadron of pursuing TIE fighters before hiding behind the " Avenger " by exploiting a blind spot in its sensors and then powering down and landing behind the conning tower . This feint ultimately resulted in Captain Lorth Needa , the commanding officer of the ship , to personally report the failure to Darth Vader on the " Executor " , knowing full well this would most likely result in his execution by the Dark Lord , in the hopes that the " Avenger " crew would be spared . Afterwards , Piett reported to Vader that , if the " Millennium Falcon " entered hyperspace , they were likely to be on the other side of the Galaxy . Undaunted , Vader ordered Piett to put a notice out to all Imperial outposts to be on the look out for the ship , and then warned him not to fail again before taking his leave . The battle was not without loss for the Empire : at least one Star Destroyer was temporarily placed out of commission by the orbital - range ion cannon and several AT - ATs were destroyed by Rebel defenders , with more lost when the treacherous ice floes gave way . Despite forcing the Rebels to flee , the Imperial forces were unable to destroy all of the transports , while Lord Vader failed in what he considered a primary objective , namely capturing Luke Skywalker . Aftermath . The Battle of Hoth was a major disaster for the Rebel Alliance . The Rebels lost thousands of soldiers and pilots who either died during the defense or were killed when the ships transporting them off Hoth were destroyed . The loss of the base itself put the Rebels on the run once again , struggling to reorganize its battered forces . Of the thirty medium transports that fled the planet , seventeen were destroyed , resulting in massive material and personnel losses . The sheer loss of men and materials severely weakened the Alliance ' s combat capabilities in the war , giving the Empire an edge over the Rebels for some time as they pursued their fleet . Likewise , those personnel that did survive the battle but weren ' t able to evacuate the planet , such as Karie Neth , were found by the Imperials , placed under arrest for their loyalty to the Rebel Alliance , and sent to various Imperial prisons around the Galaxy , including facilities at the Maw and Bakura . Some Imperials went as far to call the war over . The Empire ' s victory at Hoth was significant enough that Emperor Palpatine , a short while after the event , had supplied a speech promising that the Galactic Civil War would soon end with the Empire ' s victory at hand , even redirecting all but the most essential elements of the Imperial Naval forces back to Coruscant due to the necessity of the speech . Despite the failure of the battle , the Rebels were not defeated . Most of their leadership was able to escape the planet , which ultimately secured the Alliance ' s survival for some time more . Also , Darth Vader failed in his ultimate goal to capture Luke Skywalker , forcing him to pursue his allies on the " Millennium Falcon " in order to lure Luke out into the open . Some time after the battle , a painting , " Battle of Echo Base " , was made in honor of the battle . Similarly , a holographic simulation of the battle was also presented to various Spacers across the galaxy . Jobin ' s mother , Mon Mothma , would eventually receive his message a few months later via General Crix Madine , as well as confirmation of his death during the battle of Hoth . She then gave her speech to the Rebel Alliance regarding the development of the second Death Star and the Emperor ' s inspection . After the Alliance was reorganized into the New Republic , the Battle of Hoth served as the basis for a historical training simulation designed to test New Republic officer cadets . Rogue Squadron . During the Battle of Hoth , Rogue Squadron ' s membership was augmented with additional personnel to crew their twelve cold - modified T - 47 airspeeders with pilots and gunners . Some of these temporary Rogues were added at the last moment , like smuggler Dash Rendar . Behind the scenes . The Battle of Hoth and the events leading up to and following it formed the first half of " " . Since then , the battle has been expanded in many Expanded Universe works . It has appeared as a campaign mission in the " " series and was also featured in the non - canon games " " and " " . In the 2004 entry into the series , " Battlefront " , the Battle of Hoth has its own mission , although the Rebels win the battle , although Leland Chee , the keeper of Lucasfilm Ltd . Holocron continuity database , refers to the the game ' s events as being s - canon . In 1998 , " " included the battle as the third bonus mission . The 2001 video game " " features two separate versions of the Battle of Hoth , one during the Darth Vader ( Imperial ) campaign and the other during the Leia Organa ( Rebel / New Republic ) campaign . The first was a main mission , and the second was a bonus mission . This article incorporates the mission from the Imperial campaign , with some elements from the Rebel / New Republic campaign . In the Imperial campaign , there were two methods nearing the end of winning the mission : One involved breaking into Echo Base via breaching a wall guarded with a pair of advanced turrets , as well as destroying both the fortresses inside and the troops , while the other merely requires going southbound to destroy enough targets to draw out the Rebel forces within Echo Base , and then using the AT - ATs to destroy the Fortresses and Troop Centers . Between the two , the first option has a significant casualty rate for the Imperial forces , while the second option is easier to accomplish . During the escape from Echo Base , when arriving at the " Millennium Falcon " , Han Solo yells to C - 3PO , " Hurry up , goldenrod ! Or you ' re gonna be a permanent resident ! " This was similar to a line made by Belloq in " Raiders of the Lost Ark " when he tells Indiana Jones that the latter will be a permanent addition to the Well of Souls after stealing the Ark of the Covenant from him . Due to Harrison Ford playing both Han Solo as well as Indiana Jones as well as both films being made by LucasFilm , the reference was most likely deliberate . The Battle of Hoth also appeared in all three installments of the " Rogue Squadron " series of flight simulator video games . In the case of the first game , it appeared exclusively as an unlockable bonus mission . In the latter two installments , " Rogue Leader " and " Rebel Strike " , it had both a main mission and a bonus mission dedicated to it . In both of the second and third games , the main missions dealt with the Battle of Hoth proper , while the bonus missions focused on Han and Leia ' s escape from Hoth . In " Rebel Strike " , although the player has to board a T - 47 Airspeeder in the hangar area to proceed with the mission , the player doesn ' t actually use it in the mission itself , as the mission takes place after Skywalker was shot down . Factor Five admitted in their commentary for " Rebel Strike " that they made the level a ground level for the most part to do something different , and to recreate the situation Luke was in when he was shot down . They also did it to focus on the Imperial aspect of the battle . They cited the programming of the cable hook aspect as being the most difficult part of testing . The cross - section of Echo Base seen in " Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy " shows 15 T - 47 airspeeders , 9 in Hangar 7 and the rest in the transports hangar . Whether or not all of these participated in the battle is not known . The Battle of Hoth was the focus of " " December 2013 event " Operation Hoth Defensive " . Players could join in the event and face troops and probe droids , and battle AT - AT " raid bosses " , including Blizzard 1 . The optional Event places the player as part of the Rebel Alliance , using their character . Alternate timeline I . " " features two non - canon events that followed the dark side ending of the game . The second of the two events takes place on the planet Hoth . In an effort to eradicate the Rebel Alliance , the Galactic Empire searched much of the galaxy for the Rebels ' hidden base . After discovering said base to be located on Hoth , the Imperial Navy was dispatched in full force to annihilate the Rebel forces and bring an end to the Rebellion once and for all . But unlike the Battle of Hoth in the original timeline , the Sith Lord Darth Vader was not involved in the alternate battle . In his place , leading Imperial troops on Hoth , was his successor Lord Starkiller . Rather than spare Vader ' s life as he had done in the canon timeline , Galen Marek submitted once more to the power of the dark side by slaying his former master in cold blood . In doing so , Marek replaced Vader at Emperor Palpatine ' s side and became known as " Lord Starkiller " . Unlike his predecessor , Lord Starkiller chose to partake in the Battle of Hoth , rather than watch from the orbiting " Executor " as the fighting unfolded . The Sith Lord personally aided his soldiers by infiltrating the Rebel Base as the Imperials ' pushed towards the shield generator , eventually destroying it by the time Starkiller entered deep inside the base . After killing many Rebel soldiers and wampas that stood in his way , Lord Starkiller finally met Luke Skywalker , the son of his former master , for the first time . Skywalker refused to believe that he was Darth Vader ' s son and asserted the lie that was told to him , leading him to think that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were " literally " two separate individuals . But as the Sith Lord and the pseudo - Jedi fought , Skywalker quickly discovered that he was utterly outmatched by the more powerful and experienced Starkiller , and thus chose to break off from the duel and retreat to the Rebel hangar . Lord Starkiller pursued his target objective all the way to the Rebel hangar where he fought against Skywalker for a second time while the " Millennium Falcon " prepared to evacuate Princess Leia Organa before the battle was lost . Once again , Starkiller effortlessly dodged and countered against Skywalker ' s sloppy and unrefined attacks . When Starkiller threatened to kill Skywalker just as he had killed his father , Skywalker finally lost control of his anger and succumbed to the Dark side of the Force . With the dark side enhancing his strength and abilities , Skywalker launched a frenzied assault on the Sith Lord , driving Starkiller back with a combination of powerful lightsaber strikes and Force lightning . But even under the influence of the dark side , Skywalker still failed to kill his enemy and lost his right hand as a result . It was at that moment when Starkiller forced Skywalker to choose between the lives of his friends or staying true to the Jedi way . Desperate and angry , Skywalker gave in to his hatred once more , creating a window of opportunity for the " Millennium Falcon " to escape from the hangar . But in doing so , he had fulfilled his journey down the path of the dark side , just as Starkiller intended . Standing above the fallen Jedi , Lord Starkiller congratulated Luke Skywalker on his descent into darkness and chose to take Vader ' s son as his own Sith apprentice . Thus , the alternate Battle of Hoth resulted in a far worse outcome for the Rebel Alliance than its canon counterpart . The Rebels still lost and suffered severe casualties and loss of vital supplies , such as weapons and ships . Even though Leia Organa , Han Solo , Chewbacca , C - 3PO and R2 - D2 were able to escape from Hoth on the " Millennium Falcon " as they had done so in the original timeline , it was a calculated risk that Starkiller was willing to make . Ultimately , the greatest difference between the original and the alternate Battle of Hoth was the fall of Luke Skywalker , an accomplishment that both Palpatine and Vader failed at achieving in the other timeline . Alternate timeline II . " " featured its own alternate timeline that was based on the game ' s dark side ending , just as the first game had done so . Although only mentioned , another alternate Battle of Hoth took place . But unlike the battle in the canon timeline , in which Luke Skywalker escaped from Hoth , and the battle in the first alternate timeline , in which Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Lord Starkiller ' s apprentice , Skywalker never lived to realize his destiny as a Jedi . His untimely death saw his destiny placed on the galaxy ' s last hope , his twin sister Leia Organa . When the Battle of Endor took place in the second alternate timeline , Organa was already well trained in the Jedi arts . During the construction of the second Death Star , Darth Vader dispatched his Dark Apprentice , the " only perfect " clone of the original Starkiller , to Endor in order to prevent the Rebels from destroying the Endor shield generator bunker . After killing hordes of Rebels and Imperials alike , including Han Solo and Chewbacca , the dark clone finally encountered his master ' s daughter , Princess Leia Organa . Before the two fought , Organa told the clone about how Luke Skywalker died during the Battle of Hoth and how that unexpected setback forced her to become a trained Jedi in order to fight against the Sith . Despite her exceptional skills , which even impressed the Dark Apprentice , Leia Organa was ultimately outmatched and overpowered by the clone ' s superior power and fighting prowess . Just as her twin brother had died on Hoth , Organa fell on Endor , effectively ending any hope of restoring the Old Republic . Alternate timeline III . In , when Solo finds Skywalker in a Hoth snowstorm , Skywalker dies in his arms , having been attacked by an additional wampa in the cave . Skywalker ' s dying words tell Solo to go to Dagobah to train as a Jedi . The Empire catches the Rebels unaware during Skywalker ' s funeral . Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson died in the battle . Solo and Chewbacca take Princess Leia and the droids on the Falcon during the melee . Non - canonical history . The Battle of Hoth was referenced a few times in skits from the " Star Wars " specials of " " . In one skit , Luke manages to use a cable , a lightsaber , and a concussion grenade to down an AT - AT similar to the movie , only unlike the movie , he threw the grenade inside an occupied lavatory , in which a snowtrooper is reading a magazine . Later , it was referenced as " Empire on Ice . " Another skit showed the Imperial attack on Hoth fail before it could even begin due to the drivers of two AT - ATs deciding to race like two street racing teenagers , complete with expected recklessness an AT - AT crashing and burning to avoid a crossing wampa family , causing the other AT - AT to win and celebrate . This left a dumbfounded Major General Veers to express inaudible , gaping shock at what happened , and place a plastic cup over Vader ' s holoprojection when he wanted to know how the invasion was progressing .