Battle of Yavin / Legends The Battle of Yavin was a major battle of the Galactic Civil War that led to the destruction of the first Death Star and Luke Skywalker ' s first step to becoming a fully - fledged Jedi . It was one of the Rebellion ' s first major victories . Prelude . With the imminent completion of the Empire ' s Death Star , the Rebel Alliance anticipated a major Imperial offensive . To unify command and coordinate a defense , the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser " Independence " carried members of the Alliance High Command to their secret base on Yavin 4 . Upon arrival , the " Independence " sent Red , Gold and Blue Squadron to the Yavin Base . Their numbers were augmented by veteran pilots as the Alliance gathered its resources in preparation for the coming battle . The Rebels ' Operation Skyhook had resulted in the resistance movement obtaining a complete technical readout of the battle station . The plans were placed into the hands of Rebel leader Princess Leia Organa , but she was captured by Imperial forces over the planet Tatooine . The plans were brought to Yavin 4 after the crew and passengers of the " Millennium Falcon " successfully rescued Organa from the Death Star . To facilitate their escape , Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi had confronted his former Padawan and Organa ' s father , Darth Vader , and sacrificed himself in the process . Around the time of the rescue , several pilots of Red Squadron were on a mission to Commenor to pick up astromech droids . They were successful , although the raid resulted in the death of Cesi Eirriss . < ref name = " RS 1 / 2 " > " " < / ref > However , as Organa suspected , the Empire " allowed " them to escape after planting a homing beacon aboard the " Millennium Falcon " , thus leading Imperial forces to the previously hidden main Rebel base on Yavin 4 . As the Rebel Alliance stationed at Yavin 4 lacked the amount of capital ships required to attack the battle station , the Alliance could not attempt to exploit the tactic of firing on the focusing crystals enough to misalign it , and the Death Star ' s defenses were also designed to repel that kind of assault anyway . In addition , as the Rebels had learned of the Death Star ' s arrival on short notice after recovering the full plans , they also were left with little time to plan an infiltration operation into the station to destroy it from within . Having received intelligence that the Rebels were on Yavin , an Imperial strike force arrived to verify the presence of the Rebel base ; they successfully fought the defenders at the Massassi Arena . Studying the plans provided by Organa ' s astromech droid R2 - D2 , the Alliance learned that the station had a small exhaust port not protected by a particle shield through which a well - placed proton torpedo could reach the main reactor and destroy the station . The port was only two meters wide , however , and was situated in a narrow trench protected by turbolaser batteries . The trench would have to be navigated to allow the Rebel targeting system to lock on to the port , and perfect accuracy was required for the torpedo to enter the exhaust port . Under such conditions , there was little confidence that the weakness could be exploited . Despite this uncertainty , Red and Gold Squadrons commenced the main trench run to target the exhaust port , while Blue and Green Squadrons attacked the superlaser in order to buy time for Red and Gold Squadrons . If Red and Gold Squadrons failed , at least Blue and Green squadrons might deal sufficient damage to the superlaser dish to keep the Empire from keeping the Death Star fully operational . General Jan Dodonna briefed the strike pilots himself . That same day , Imperial commander Brenn Tantor saved the planet Sarapin from destabilization at the hands of the Rebel Alliance . Also , Soontir Fel led a squadron of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing in routing a squadron of Rebel Y - wings at Ord Biniir . Battle . The Death Star arrived in system escorted by a small support fleet consisting of the Nebulon - B frigate " Divad " and two CR90 corvettes BB 45 and SB 35 . While the Death Star prepared to fire its main weapon , a communications satellite was deployed to coordinate defenses . The Rebels , still planning their attack , knew that any delay to the Death Star ' s approach could spell the difference between victory and defeat . Therefore they planned a small attack to destroy the communications satellite and disrupt operations . A trio of X - wings , including Keyan Farlander , and a pair of R - 22 Spearheads were dispatched to destroy the comsat . While Farlander ' s wingmen held off Imperial fighters , Farlander ignored the threat and headed straight for the satellite , destroying it with a proton torpedo . The mission was a success , preventing the Empire from calling for reinforcements and disrupting their defenses , although two of the Rebel X - wings were shot down and the pilots had to be rescued later . Other portions of the offensive fleet included two " Victory II " - class Star Destroyers and two " Tartan " - class patrol cruisers . A large part of the Alliance Fleet , including MC80 Star Cruisers , Nebulon - B escort frigates , and other Rebel starfighters destroyed those four Imperial starships , however , to allow the Rebel Alliance attack on the Death Star to proceed . Farlander was quickly dispatched again in one of two X - wings charged with clearing some of the defenses around the trench . They succeeded in destroying several laser batteries as well as some small surface hangars , limiting the Death Star ' s ability to launch fighters . While Red and Gold Squadrons were focused on attacking the exhaust port , Blue and Green Squadrons were ordered to attack the superlaser itself , hoping that they could have some chance of damaging the weapon and if not , they could at least distract some Imperial forces from the exhaust port attack . Meanwhile , down on the ground X2 , Shara , and other Rebel soldiers fought off Imperials attacking from space : Various TIE / sa bombers were deployed and doing bombing strafes around the base , and likewise a contingent of Stormtroopers also entered the Yavin 4 Base . X2 , Shara , and various Rebel soldiers proceeded to enter the temple as well as avoid the various strafing runs of the TIE bombers . Thanks to the Stormtroopers , the base ' s anti - aircraft turret was also deactivated , forcing X2 to reactivate the turret ' s power station . After doing so and then preventing them from taking the Great Temple , Dodonna called X2 and Shara and informed them that Imperials had set up jamming systems that were interfering with the X - wing ' s engines . X2 and Shara located and destroyed the jamming devices . After fully clearing out the Imperials from the base , X2 then went into space to participate in the battle against the Death Star . The Trench Run . Following the preliminary attacks , a fleet of 22 X - wing , 8 Y - wing , and 2 R - 22 Spearhead starfighters scrambled to assault the station . The Death Star attempted to use its batteries to defend itself , but the defenses were designed primarily to fight off capital ships , not the small and agile Rebel ships . The fighters destroyed several turrets and a rookie pilot known as Rookie One destroyed a giant ion cannon mounted on the Station , in order to set the stage for the main phase of the assault . Although they managed to infiltrate the Death Star ' s outer defenses , the Rebel Alliance pilots still needed to destroy the Death Star ' s ten deflector shield towers that protected the trench . The station commander , Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , dismissed the attack as futile and refused to deploy the station ' s vast TIE squadrons . Tarkin also refused to evacuate when his chief , Moradmin Bast , attempted to warn him that the Rebels may have found a weak spot in the station . But Darth Vader , realizing the material threat , ordered his personal fighter squadron to scramble on his own authority . The TIE fighter squadron attacked the Rebel forces soon after they realized that their laser batteries were failing . An order was passed on , to stop all turbolasers from firing , letting the TIEs do the job , and to avoid the risk of Imperial fighters being shot down by friendly fire . The Rebels engaged in duels with the starfighters , destroying several to clear the way to the trench . As the rest of the Rebel fighters engaged Vader ' s forces , three Y - wings from Gold Squadron began their attack run on the trench . They were followed by Vader in his TIE / Advanced , flanked by Backstabber and " Mauler " Mithel in TIE / LNs . Vader shot down Tiree ( Gold Two ) and Jon Vander ( Gold Leader ) in the trench , then shot down Davish Krail ( Gold Five ) as he attempted to escape . Following the failure of Gold Squadron , the Rebel tacticians on Yavin 4 directed Red Leader to keep half of the group out of range , and Red Leader instructed Reds Two , Three and Five ( Wedge Antilles , Biggs Darklighter , and Luke Skywalker , respectively ) to hold back while he led the second trench run , flanked by Reds Ten and Twelve . Red Squadron made a second bombing run , with Garven Dreis ( Red Leader ) making the attack itself , while Red Ten and Red Twelve attempted to hold off Vader and his fighters . While both his companions were shot down , Red Leader succeeded in making the run , but his proton torpedoes exploded on the exhaust port ' s surface , leaving a near miss and also killing some stormtroopers inside from the force of the explosion . The remaining X - Wings attempted to cover Red Leader on his exit from the trench , but Dreis , who had been hit and damaged while exiting the trench , ordered them to maintain their position and prepare for their run , just before being shot down by Vader . During the battle , Vader pursued the E - 2T medical shuttle " 5537 " , full of Imperial defectors led by TIE pilot Villian Dance , but the ongoing battle forced Vader to turn back . On the Death Star , an officer analyzed the Rebels ' attack plan and realized there was actually a good chance they could destroy the reactor — and with it , the entire station . He alerted Tarkin and suggested they consider retreating or evacuation . Tarkin , however , believed the final victory for the Empire was in sight , and would not even consider pulling back . Skywalker was in the lead , while Darklighter and Antilles maintained a greater distance behind him in order to shield him from the Imperial fighters . The three pilots traversed the trench at full throttle in order to keep the TIEs away . Vader and his wingmen gave chase , and opened up on the X - Wings at long range . One of the wingmen ' s shots scored a minor hit on Wedge ' s X - Wing , damaging the engine array , and he was forced to abandon the trench run , unable to keep up with his wingmates . Vader instructed his wingmen to let him go and maintain their pursuit of Biggs and Luke . As they closed the distance , Biggs threw his X - Wing into a weave maneuver , erratically moving around both laterally and vertically , to deny his pursuers a clean shot at either his leader or himself . While this was successful against Vader ' s wingmen , the Dark Lord of the Sith anticipated his opponent ' s move through the Force and eventually got a clear shot at Biggs , killing Luke ' s childhood friend from Tatooine and leaving Luke without any assistance in the trench . X2 also arrived at the Death Star at that point to aid Skywalker , and got himself within range of Darth Vader ' s TIE / Advanced to supply Skywalker with backup . Unfortunately , Vader anticipated X2 ' s arrival and ordered all turbolaser turrets to fire on X2 , forcing him to withdraw . Vader and his wingmen then sped down the trench after Luke , as Luke neared the exhaust port . At this critical moment , Luke heard the voice of Obi - Wan Kenobi prompting him to deactivate his targeting computer . The Rebel technicians on Yavin 4 questioned this decision , but Luke reassured them that everything was all right . Vader gained a partial weapon lock on Skywalker ' s X - Wing , and took a potentially fatal shot . However , the blast only grazed R2 , rendering him inoperative for the remainder of the mission but causing no apparent direct damage to Luke ' s fighter . In the Death Star ' s control room , master chief gunnery officer Tenn Graneet prepared to fire the Death Star ' s superlaser . With the Death Star primed to fire , he hesitated , feeling the guilt of the destruction of Alderaan . He called to standby as the others in the control room urged him to shoot . Vader , sensing that the last pilot , Skywalker , was strong in the Force , prepared to kill him ( unaware at the time that Skywalker was his own son ) . However , at the last moment , Han Solo and Chewbacca in the " Millennium Falcon " surprised Darth Vader and , with a laser blast , destroyed one of his wingmen , Backstabber . In the confusion , the other wingman , Mithel , panicked and collided with Vader ' s fighter , sending himself crashing into the trench and Vader careening out of control into space . With the Force aiding him , Luke fired his torpedoes , both of which entered the port perfectly . On the Death Star ' s bridge , Admiral Motti called out that torpedoes were in the main shaft and would hit the reactor . The Death Star exploded just seconds before its main gun would have destroyed Yavin 4 . Grand Moff Tarkin and almost the battle station ' s entire crew were killed . Vader himself managed to regain control of his fighter and fled the Yavin system with his life . The Rebel Alliance had won a spectacular victory . Because of these actions , Skywalker , Solo , and Chewbacca were awarded medals after the battle . Aftermath . Vader managed to make it to the nearby listening post on Vaal . As a result of this battle , the Rebel Alliance gained instant credibility as a legitimate military opponent to the Empire . Between the effects of the battle and the dissolution of the Imperial Senate , thousands of star systems openly joined the Alliance in the months following the Death Star ' s destruction . As a result , the Empire began occupying worlds it had allowed to remain untouched earlier , both actions resulting in an escalation of the war . The next day , Skywalker took his X - wing for a flight , and fought a TIE fighter survivor . Soon after the destruction , Imperial commander Brenn Tantor arrived with a strike force to rescue Colonel Maximilian Veers , whose shuttle had gotten caught in the crossfire . Tantor rescued Veers and destroyed a Rebel command center . Several garrisons escaped the Death Star , and their escape pods crashed near the Rebel base . They were fought off before the Evacuation of Yavin . Survivors from the 501st Legion also joined up with a Star Destroyer to launch a raid , which resulted in the death of three Bothan High Command leaders and the destruction of hundreds of Rebel ships . Darth Vader became obsessed with finding the pilot with the Force presence who had fired the conclusive shot and led Death Squadron in his search . A few months after the Battle of Yavin , the Empire launched a number of raids at the Yavin moon . These raids were carried out by small TIE squadrons launched from a small base near the Yavin system . They often maintained reconnaissance patrols rather than retaliatory attacks . The Rebel Alliance eventually evacuated Yavin 4 to escape retaliation from the Imperial Navy and settled on Hoth . The last raid carried out by the Empire was a crushing assault consisting of a planetary blockade along with the remnants of the 501st Legion , TIE Fighters and AT - STs . General Jan Dodonna , mastermind of Yavin ' s defense , was not able to escape and was captured by Imperial forces and later imprisoned . The newly launched Imperial flagship , " Executor , " was dispatched to destroy the Rebel fleet . But Admiral Griff ' s squadron of Star Destroyers came out of lightspeed and collided with the " Executor " . By the time the crew regained control , the last Rebel ship jumped into hyperspace . Few Rebel pilots escaped with their lives from the battle , including Luke Skywalker , Wedge Antilles , Rookie One , Ru Murleen , Merrick Simms , Jake Farrell , Keyan Farlander , X2 , and Shara . The Red Squadron survivors continued to fight for the Rebellion and eventually grew into two groups , Renegade Flight and Rogue Flight . In honor of the battle , an Imperial vessel was eventually renamed upon its capture by the Rebel Alliance . Some time after the battle , the run was ported into a simulation . One version allowed the pilot to fly with a new B - wing in order to compare its efficiency against the classic X - wing . As a direct result of the conflict and the Rebel Alliance ' s victory , the Empire quickly increased mass production of the TIE / IN interceptor line , which had already been created as a direct result of the Lightspeed Panthers ' destruction of 286 TIE / LN starfighters during the Fei Hu campaign a year earlier , eventually resulting in it becoming the Empire ' s primary starfighters by the time of 2 ABY , as well as quickly increasing the development and mass production of the " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought line . In addition , thousands of cadets at the Imperial Academy ended up rapidly advancing into service as a direct result of the events at Yavin . Although the Death Star II was not planned as a direct result of the Death Star ' s destruction ( as Emperor Palpatine had earlier ordered for the construction of it and reserved the Sanctuary pipeline hyperspace route to Endor for transporting construction materials , an order he ironically gave minutes before Luke delivered the deciding shot that resulted in the first Death Star ' s destruction ) , its completion was nonetheless made more urgent as a direct result of the Rebel victory . Calendrical impact . 25 years later , the New Republic Historical Council decided to set a new calendar . Some already used a calendar that set year 0 as the fall of Palpatine . However , due to the significance of the destruction of the Death Star , and its significance in the eventual overthrow of the Empire , the Council set year 0 as the year when the Battle of Yavin happened ; therefore they established the BBY / ABY calendar . The Galactic Alliance , as the legal successor to the defunct New Republic , continued to use this calendar , but it is unknown what calendar was used by the Fel Empire or the new Sith Empire . Squadrons . Rebel squadrons . 32 Rebel starfighters launched from Yavin 4 . The whole fleet was composed of Red , Gold , Blue , and Green Squadrons . The known pilots assigned to them are : Imperial squadron . Only a single elite squadron of TIE fighters was deployed . The members of the squadron were formed by , and under the direct command of , Darth Vader . Casualties and survivors . Rebel Alliance . The Alliance ' s desperate assault on the Death Star was successful , but costly . Of the twelve members of Red Squadron , only two — Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles — survived the assault . All members of Gold Squadron except Keyan Farlander reportedly died as well . A Rebel Sullustan named Dr ' uun Unnh was killed on the ground by a TIE Fighter that crashed into the jungle during the battle ; the TIE fighter pilot died . Commander Hamo Blastwell was presumed dead by other pilots following the battle , but was officially listed as missing in action . Blastwell had in fact survived , as later reports placed him working as an undercover agent for the Alliance , posing as an Imperial officer . A number of other Rebels stationed at Yavin 4 were either unable or unwilling to participate in the battle . Both Jal Te Gniev and Derek Klivian were grounded due to illness . Wes Janson would have joined the pilots at Yavin 4 some time before the battle , but stayed behind at his previous assignment due to illness . His replacement , Jek Porkins , was killed in the battle . Tyler Lucian fled Yavin 4 prior to the Death Star ' s impending arrival , fearing for his life . The Empire . All personnel on - board the Death Star were killed when the station exploded , including Tarkin , General Cassio Tagge , Admiral Conan Antonio Motti and other high ranking officers on Tarkin ' s staff . Over one million other officers , troops and staff were killed as well . Nearly all Imperial fighter pilots involved in the battle itself were killed . Exceptions included Darth Vader , whose fighter was sent hurtling off into space and eventually crashed into the planet Vaal , and a TIE Fighter pilot named Qorl , who crashed on the surface of Yavin 4 . Qorl would survive alone in the jungles for decades before being discovered by students from Luke Skywalker ' s Jedi Praxeum . About half of the 501st Legion were still on - board the Death Star when it was destroyed . Another third were killed when their ships were destroyed by the explosion . Maximilian Veers was on his way to report to the Death Star for his new assignment when the battle began . His command shuttle was attacked and crash landed on Yavin 4 . He was rescued by Imperial forces some time after the battle . A small band of deserters escaped the Death Star shortly before it was destroyed . They included Villian Dance , Teela Kaarz , Celot Ratua Dil , Kornell Divini and Memah Roothes . Behind the scenes . The battle is based heavily on the battle scenes in the British war film " " . The timeline of " Star Wars " fiction is most often based upon this event , where events are dated as happening so many years " before the Battle of Yavin " ( BBY ) or " after the Battle of Yavin " ( ABY ) . In the of the film , Luke Skywalker ' s X - wing squadron is called " Blue Squadron , " while the Y - wing squadron is called " Red Squadron . " In the film , these colors are changed to Red and Gold , respectively . This change was necessitated because the blue paint on the X - wings had to be removed for blue - screen purposes . " The Farlander Papers " reveals that Keyan Farlander is the pilot of the Y - wing fighter seen leaving the Death Star alongside Luke , Wedge and the " Millennium Falcon " . The 1998 " Star Wars Encyclopedia " places Commander Arhul Narra and his Renegade Flight at the Battle of Yavin . Lucasfilm ' s Leland Chee has since confirmed this as an error on the StarWars . com forums . The battle ( and alternative versions of it ) has appeared so many times in Expanded Universe sources that have contributed many retcons and new elements , it seems that the events shown in the film are a very limited portion of the " full " battle . The movie describes the battle only from the point of view of some members of Red Squadron and Gold Squadron , only a fraction of the thirty ships mentioned and seen in the film . The novelization of " A New Hope " also mentions two additional squadrons — Yellow and Green — providing cover to those we see in the film . Though these other squadrons are not seen in the film , the number of fighters shown does suggest more than two squadrons . In addition , " A New Hope " showed eight Y - wings participated in the battle , although a fact file released later claimed that it was actually seven . The fourth squadron was referenced only in the novelization until 2008 . Every squadron color in the novelization besides Green had been used in prior incarnations ( assuming " Yellow " is a substitute for " Gold " ) , and in 2008 , Green Squadron at Yavin was cited in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " . In " " , Luke Skywalker ' s proton torpedoes detonate prematurely and fail to destroy the Death Star . The Imperials send out a wing of TIE Fighters to pick off the remaining members of Red Squadron . Unable to fire a fully charged shot from the Death Star ' s superlaser , Grand Moff Tarkin orders the technicians to fire at reduced power , nearly leveling the Massassi Temple on the moon ’ s surface . The Rebel forces attempt to flee the Yavin system . Once the power levels are stabilized Tarkin orders to fire again to destroy the planet . After that , the Rebel forces are captured by the Imperials . Luke , driven to near - insanity by the failure of the mission and the apparent destruction of Rebel base , turns his fighter to face the TIEs alone . Eventually , Han Solo convinces Luke to flee and the Millennium Falcon jumps into hyperspace with Luke ’ s X - wing on its tail . These sources also suggest that the Rebels had to pass through Imperial forces before reaching the Death Star . " " showed the Death Star was orbited by a Star Destroyer from which a TIE Fighter wave was launched and a surface cannon had to be neutralized before the trench run . " " showed other Imperial vessels as well like the " Divad " . A Blue Squadron at Yavin 4 is mentioned in " " . Blue Squadron actually appears in the game " Rebel Assault " , though the specific details from that game ( such as the player ' s character from Blue destroying the Death Star ) are not canonical . A character killed in that non - canon trench run , Thurlow Harris , was revealed to have survived the battle in the Star Wars Blog article " The Not - So Magnificent Seven . " The main characters from " Rebel Assault " do appear in " " , the storyline of which has been referred to in canon sources . Though the film shows just three surviving fighters , " X - wing " and " Star Wars : Rebel Assault " both show others flying away from the exploding Death Star , while the novelization mentions that " several " X - wings and Y - wings escaped . On StarWars . com ' s Q & A pages , Stephen J . Sansweet says it ' s " pretty definite " that more ships survived and just aren ' t visible on screen . A - wings are shown taking part in the Battle of Yavin in " X - wing " and " Rebel Assault " , though other sources indicate the fighters were introduced some time after the battle . The A - wings in these games have been retconned into R - 22 Spearheads , a forerunner of the later vessel , only nicknamed " A - wing . " Writers created the Spearhead to specifically resolve this discrepancy , and that of the A - wing ' s appearance in " " . " Inside the Worlds of Star Wars " shows an R - 22 in the Rebel base shortly before the battle . In the " " and " " video game s , many more TIE Fighters beyond Black Squadron are depicted , probably for a bigger challenge . In addition , with the latter game , the player also has the option of picking up the Advanced Shields tech upgrade during the portion where the player ( or players , as was the case of " Star Wars : Rogue Squadron III : Rebel Strike " ) has to fight various TIE squadrons . In " Star Wars : Rogue Squadron " , the battle serves as the game ' s second bonus mission , unlocked by earning all silver medals in the campaign or by using cheat codes . The player is tasked with chasing the Imperials down the trench and then destroying the power plant . In the mission , the trench is larger than depicted in the film and has four corners , and the exhaust port is guarded by large turbolaser towers . In " " , in addition to the standard Battle of Yavin , the game included a bonus mission called " Triumph of the Empire , " which was the Battle of Yavin told from the view of the Galactic Empire . The player plays as Darth Vader in his TIE Advanced x1 . At the end of the mission , the player is treated to a short video of the last three X - wings getting shot down , with Vader proclaiming it is a great day for the Empire . As the point of the mission is to stop the Rebel forces from destroying the Death Star , the trench portion of the mission ' s conclusion is non - canon . The bonus mission is likewise omitted from " Rebel Strike " co - op mode ( which was a modified version of " Rogue Leader " ) . In the 1983 Atari arcade game " " , an arcade flight - simulator adaptation for " A New Hope " that focused on the Battle of Yavin , the player in some modes has to destroy several towers that litter the area . In addition , to make the run more challenging , there were also several turrets and obstacles in the trench that the player has to avoid . This was retained in the " Rogue Squadron " games , which cited the arcade game to be the inspiration for the game series . In addition , they were also to some extent based on Joe Johnston ' s original vision of the meridian trench run . In the 2006 video game " " , the endgame of the Rebellion campaign is the fight against the Death Star . The station may be destroyed over any planet , but only after its defensive fleet is destroyed and Red Squadron is present in the battle . The size of the Rebel fleet is the player ' s choice and can include several types of starships . This article assumes several starships were present but does not include a specific number . After the Death Star is destroyed , the player is treated to a cutscene with Skywalker launching his torpedoes , and it is followed by the Royal Award Ceremony . If the player chooses to win by domination , a separate cutscene is played , with the Rebel fleet destroying Vader ' s Star Destroyer over Coruscant . The 2012 mobile game " Angry Birds Star Wars " recreates the Battle of Yavin in the final mission of the Death Star area . The launching platform is a " slingshot X - wing " and the player is provided with Luke Skywalker , Obi - Wan Kenobi , Chewbacca , Han Solo , and Rebel pilot - themed birds to face " Darth Piggy " and other Imperial forces . When the player wins , they are treated to a short slideshow of the destruction of the Death Star . Inaccuracies with the Trench Run . In many video games , particularly the " " trilogy , the player has to avoid many obstacles and make several turns when flying in the Death Star ' s trench . The schematics / layout of the Death Star show no objects or turns in the trench , and the appearance of the trench in video games is deemed non - canon game mechanics . In " " , one of the bonus missions is an alternate - history scenario where the player flies as Darth Vader and defends the trench from the Rebel squadrons . In " " , Blue Squadron takes part in the trench run and their process parallels the action of Red Squadron as shown in the movie : Merrick Simms hits the torpedoes but misses , just like Garven Dreis ; Ru Murleen is hit and pulls out like Wedge Antilles , and Jake Farrell , just like Han Solo , shows up saving Rookie One ' s life , allowing him to destroy the Death Star instead of Luke Skywalker . In December 2006 , Leland Chee commented on the StarWars . com Message Boards that Rookie One ' s trench run was non - continuity . However , it is unclear whether Chee is referring to merely the outcome or the entire trench run ; it remains possible that he did make a failed trench run .