Taking of Kuat The Taking of Kuat was a battle fought between Imperial and New Republic forces during the Galactic Civil War for control of the planet Kuat and its vital shipyards , owned by the Imperial - aligned company Kuat Drive Yards , in 8 . 5 ABY . The Imperial forces at Kuat — led by Admiral Teren Rogriss and consisting of the Star Dreadnought " Aurora " , three battlecruisers , and over a dozen Star Destroyers — faced only the Republic RZ - 1 A - wing interceptors of Surprise Squadron . However , the ion weaponry of the A - wings disabled the systems of four cruisers , while a virus caused five Imperial warships to turn their Turbolasers on allies . That turn of events , plus the fact that the New Republic owned a significant portion of the KDY shares and had Mon Calamari Star Cruiser s stationed near the Kuat system , prompted the leading members of KDY to surrender to the New Republic forces , under the command of military figures Admiral Gial Ackbar , Wedge Antilles , Tycho Celchu , and Airen Cracken , as well as Minister of Commerce Ral ' Rai Muvunc . Prelude . During the Galactic Civil War , a conflict between the Galactic Empire and New Republic , the forces of the New Republic were victorious in the campaign against Warlord Zsinj , who ruled a significant expanse of territory . Following this success , in 8 . 5 ABY New Republic forces prepared to seize the vital shipbuilding facilities of Kuat Drive Yards located at the Imperial world Kuat after the Alliance to Restore the Republic , the New Republic ' s predecessor , failed at a previous attempt four years previously . The Kuati Sector Forces protecting Kuat contained the Star Dreadnought " Aurora " , three battlecruisers — the " Stellar Halo " , " Luminous " , and " Event Horizon " — along with more than a dozen Star Destroyers , and was under the command of Admiral Teren Rogriss , sent from the Imperial world of Orinda to helm the " Aurora " . Prominent New Republic military figures Commander Wedge Antilles and Captain Tycho Celchu , along with Minister of Commerce Ral ' Rai Muvunc and General Airen Cracken , created the plan to take Kuat by exploiting certain holes in the KDY security , while Admiral Gial Ackbar commanded the fleet that contained the units that the New Republic would use to capture Kuat . In the eight months preceding the battle , a holding company of which Muvunc was the chief executive acquired thirty - four percent of KDY shares from various investment companies and private trusts who had purchased the shares , almost valueless since the Empire had gained complete control of KDY ' s affairs , from various KDY investors . The New Republic assembled a large fleet of Mon Calamari Star Cruiser capital ships at the Horthav system , very close to Kuat . Cracken , who was also the Director of the New Republic Intelligence Service , had slicers under his guidance work for months to insert astromech droids into the KDY droid pool and onto five key Kuati warships , including the " Event Horizon " . The droids loaded a coded virus that erased all instances of its malignant programming onto the systems of all five warships . After the virus was finished uploading , a transmission was sent from the " Event Horizon " to the Venir system , where Surprise Squadron , a group of RZ - 1 A - wing interceptors equipped with experimental ion torpedoes and commanded by Celchu , waited . The battle . Led by Celchu , Surprise Squadron jumped to the Kuat system , engaging the Kuati Sector Forces in the first action of the Taking of Kuat . Moments later , the crews of the " Luminous " and three other Star Destroyers struggled to get the warships ' systems back after they were knocked out by the ion torpedoes of the A - wings . Due to the virus installed in their systems , the " Event Horizon " and the other four Star Destroyers locked down their hangars and turned their Turbolasers on the other Kuati warships . In the midst of the battle , Muvunc held an emergency shareholder meeting with the directors of KDY , where Muvunc brought to light the fact that he owned the company that controlled thirty - four percent of the Kuati shares , therefore also controlling thirty - four percent of the company . After some members pointed out that control of KDY was a military affair , Muvunc managed to convince three members of the board to vote their shares , which aggregated eighteen percent , in favor of surrendering to the New Republic after he informed the directors that his allies had taken out nine warships in a matter of minutes , and that the Mon Calamari cruisers could be in the Kuati system in moments . With the majority of KDY wanting to surrender , excluding KDY Chairman Kateel of Kuhlvult , the New Republic gained a victory without losing a single pilot ' s life . Admiral Rogriss and his command crew were permitted to safely withdraw back to Orinda after Rogriss ordered a retreat . Aftermath . With Kuat and its subsidiary systems in their hands , the New Republic controlled a third of the settled galaxy and had at its disposal the unparalleled shipbuilding docks of KDY , which were vital to any war effort . However , Imperial forces would not give up so easily . Only hours after Kuat ' s surrender , Imperial undercover agents attacked Kuat , activating the hyperdrives of the " Aurora " and " Stellar Halo " and sending them into Kuat ' s sun , as well as abducting KDY ' s key designers and fleeing to the Deep Core of the galaxy aboard the half - complete " Eclipse " - class dreadnought " Eclipse " . The Imperial agents also triggered explosives that heavily damaged Kuat ' s shipyards , so much so that construction on new ships was delayed indefinitely . However , despite the damage and the loss of senior KDY designers , the New Republic was soon pumping out warships to add to Ackbar ' s fleet via the Kuat shipyards . As a result of the victory , Ackbar worked on fortifying the New Republic ' s recent gain , while Warlord Treuten Teradoc , a former Imperial , fell back to his own territory of the Greater Maldrood instead of continuing his hit - and - run attacks on the New Republic . Behind the scenes . The Taking of Kuat was first mentioned in 2000 ' s " The Essential Chronology " , written by Daniel Wallace and Kevin J . Anderson , which outlined the basics of the battle only . It also received a mention in 2005 ' s " The New Essential Chronology " , written by the same authors who wrote the original chronology , and 2009 ' s " The Essential Atlas " , written by Wallace and Jason Fry . Specifics of the Taking of Kuat were not released until 2012 , when Fry ' s and Paul R . Urquhart ' s book " The Essential Guide to Warfare " was released with a detailed description of the battle . Fry later wrote in his endnotes to " Warfare " that he had always wanted to tell the story of the Taking of Kuat , getting his chance to do so finally in " Warfare " . He wanted something that nobody would see coming as a major part of the battle , instead of a skirmish between rival fleets ; Fry wrote Muvunc ' s part in the battle ' s result as an homage to , a book written by . A few inconsistencies exist between the information portrayed in " The Essential Chronology " , " The Essential Atlas " , and " The Essential Guide to Warfare " . The " Chronology " infers that a fleet battle took place , damaging the stardocks , and Rogriss retreated after being bloodied in the battle . This is not supported in " Warfare " , which states that no fleet battle took place and that Rogriss left for Orinda before the Imperial undercover counterattack damaged the shipyards . The " Chronology " and the " Atlas " state that the lead KDY designers escaped Kuat of their own will , with the " Atlas " also adding that the staff fled during the battle , while " Warfare " has them abducted by the Imperial agents during the attack afterward . On all of these points , this article assumes that " Warfare " is correct , as it is the most recent source published .