Battle of Kessel ( 0 ABY ) A space battle was fought over the planet Kessel between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War . Around 0 . 5 ABY , shortly after the Battle of Yavin , Alliance Admiral Gial Ackbar , along with a number of other Rebels , was captured by the bounty hunter Boba Fett during a mission to the Saleucami system . Ackbar was sold to the Empire and was later transported under heavy Imperial guard to the prison colony on Kessel for interrogation . When Alliance High Command discovered that the Mon Calamari Admiral had been taken captive , they dispatched a Rebel fleet and Renegade Squadron — the Alliance ' s new elite fighting force — to ambush the Imperial fleet holding Ackbar in space over Kessel . Under the command of former smugglers – turned – Rebel Commanders Han Solo and Col Serra , Renegade Squadron destroyed the communications array on the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer where Ackbar was being held and additionally incapacitated two " Victory II " - class frigates . After dogfighting Imperial starfighters and bombers , they boarded the Star Destroyer , broke the captive Ackbar out of prison , and transported him to safety . After the fleet jumped into hyperspace , Renegade Squadron decided to launch a mission to liberate the rest of the Rebels that had been captured in the Saleucami system . Prelude . Around 0 . 5 ABY , during the Galactic Civil War and shortly after the Battle of Yavin , the Rebel Alliance recovered a data holocron that contained prospective locations for a new Rebel stronghold to replace the Alliance ' s recently lost main base on the moon Yavin 4 . Alliance High Command assigned Mon Calamari Admiral Gial Ackbar to take a small scout party to research Saleucami , one of the planets on the data list . However , when Ackbar and his small team arrived in the Saleucami system , they were ambushed by the Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett and his ship , " Slave I " . Ackbar ' s transport was quickly disabled , and he and his crew were captured by Fett . The bounty hunter soon sold Ackbar to the Galactic Empire , while the rest of his crew were given over to the Hutt Cartel on the planet Tatooine as slaves . Ackbar — considered a valuable leader and a military genius amongst the Alliance — was placed aboard an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer under heavy guard and set to be transported to the Empire ' s prison colony on the planet Kessel for interrogation . When the Alliance learned that Ackbar had been captured , it quickly dispatched a fleet , along with its new elite fighting force , Renegade Squadron , to intercept the Imperial fleet holding Ackbar over Kessel . A group composed of former pirates and criminals under the command of smugglers – turned – Rebel Commanders Han Solo and Col Serra , Renegade Squadron was ordered to board the Star Destroyer containing Ackbar and free the Admiral . The Rebels believed that if they did not rescue Ackbar in time , he would break under Imperial torture , and all of the Alliance ' s secrets would be in jeopardy . The battle . The Alliance fleet , composed of a Mon Calamari Cruiser and a pair of Nebulon - B frigates , jumped out of hyperspace over Kessel just as the Imperial fleet entered the system . Renegade Squadron launched its starfighters from the Mon Calamari Cruiser ' s hangar bay , including X - wing , Y - wing , and A - wing fighters , as well as Solo ' s personal freighter , the " Millennium Falcon " . The Renegades began to attack the incoming Imperials , with Serra ordering them to destroy the communications array on the Star Destroyer holding Ackbar , thus preventing any Imperial reinforcements from being called . During the Renegades ' initial sweep , they were able to wipe out the Star Destroyer ' s comm array , as well as incapacitate both of the " Victory II " - class frigates escorting the larger Star Destroyer by disabling their laser cannons . With the frigates unable to defend the fleet , the Star Destroyer proceeded to launch its complement of TIE Fighters , Bombers , and Interceptors to fight off the assaulting Rebel forces . Renegade Squadron engaged the Imperial fighters , quickly dispatching six of the TIE Fighters . With the Imperial starfighters neutralized and the Imperial frigates no longer a threat , Solo ordered a member of Renegade Squadron to gather a Low Altitude Assault Transport / infantry gunship from their hangar and use it to send a boarding party — made up of Rebel troopers , vanguards , and Wookiee warriors — onto the Star Destroyer and free Ackbar . The Rebels were able to land the gunship inside the Star Destroyer ' s hangar , and the boarding team engaged the ship ' s stormtrooper crew , forcing its way deeper into the Imperial vessel until it found Ackbar , who was held in a small room near the hangar . Escorting the Mon Calamari back to their gunship , the Renegades found that they were unable to leave , as the Imperials had deployed a force field around the magnetic containment field of the hangar , sealing the Rebels inside . From his command post , Serra managed to locate a shield generator at the side of the Imperial launch bay powering the shield and radioed its location to the boarding party . One of the Renegades destroyed the generator , allowing the Rebels and Ackbar to get into their transport and flee the Star Destroyer . Once Ackbar was safely aboard the Mon Calamari Cruiser , Solo ordered his forces away from Kessel and to jump into the safety of hyperspace . Aftermath . When Solo and his fleet returned to Alliance High Command , Ackbar reported to those present what had led to his capture and the events surrounding his imprisonment . The Mon Calamari Admiral informed the Rebel leaders that Fett had not given the rest of the captured scouting party to the Empire , but had brought them elsewhere . Using his knowledge from his days as a smuggler , Serra concluded that the bounty hunter had sold the captured Rebels to the Hutt slave market on Tatooine . As a result , Renegade Squadron soon launched an attack on the Hutts ' slave pens in the Tatooine city of Mos Eisley to free the captured soldiers . Years later , after the formation of the New Republic , Jedi Knight Tionne Solusar tracked down Col Serra to gather information about Renegade Squadron for her Jedi Archives . Serra told the Jedi about many of the group ' s battles and exploits , including the rescue of Ackbar at Kessel . Behind the scenes . The battle of Kessel has only appeared in the video game " " , released on October 9 , 2008 , which tells the history and feats of Renegade Squadron during the Galactic Civil War . The battle itself makes up the fourth level in the game ' s campaign mode , in which the player , as a member of Renegade Squadron , must assist in rescuing Ackbar from Imperial custody . The player ' s main objectives in the level include taking out the Star Destroyer ' s communications , shooting down six TIE Fighters , disabling the " Victory " - class frigates ' turrets , and boarding the Star Destroyer and freeing Ackbar .