Endor shield generator bunker The Endor shield generator bunker was an Imperial outpost on the forest moon of Endor . It was composed of the deflector shield generator , a large landing pad , and a secret back entrance . The ground portion of the Battle of Endor was fought around the secret entrance . The power generators and machinery for the shield generator spread for at least seventeen square kilometers underneath the forest . Characteristics . When the Galactic Empire needed a construction site for the second Death Star , the Forest Moon of Endor was chosen as the site . The Empire established an outpost on the Sanctuary Moon , and it was from here that preparations were made so that the construction site for the second Death Star could be moved there . The shield generator ' s power room itself was about two stories from the base of the generators to the ceiling . The base was large and had a landing pad capable of holding at least two Lambda - class T - 4a shuttles , such as the one Darth Vader used upon arrival . The landing pad was at least 22 . 5 meters off the ground , as an All Terrain Armored Transport of Tempest Force , the security detail of the bunker , " Tempest 1 " , was smaller when when shown next to it while docking . That being said , the tower contained several cat walks underneath , connected to the top of the pad by elevators . The catwalks acted as docks for the AT - AT , which Commander Igar used to inform Vader of Luke Skywalker ' s capture shortly after his landing . The front entrance was not shown , but a small bunker acted as the back door . It was built into a hill with a small clearing in front of it , and had blast doors which Han Solo tried to hack into but was unable to do so . The bunker had a corridor that led down into the main power control room , which was garrison by several Death Star trooper s under Major Hewex ' s command . The power generator itself was visible in the background from the bunker . History . The bunker began construction sometime between the 0 ABY and 3 ABY . Darth Vader as well as some Emperor ' s Guards personally oversaw the construction of the bunker . When Imperial teams arrived to construct the deflector shield generator complex and other installations , they discovered Alliance Captain Junas Turner , who had come to the moon to locate the new Death Star . He was taken captive and sent to the automated prison station Balis - Baurgh , along with an Ewok named Grael . They would later escape , but it was too late to inform the Rebellion of the threat . Battle of Endor . As the Galactic Civil War drew to a close in the years of 3 - 4 ABY , a Rebel Alliance strike team , led by Dash Rendar and Luke Skywalker , captured information from the cruiser " Suprosa " at Kothlis . It confirmed the existence of a second Death Star , being constructed over the moon of Endor . It was not realized then , but Galactic Emperor Palpatine had purposely allowed the plans to be captured , so that the Rebels could be coaxed into a trap . In order to ensure that the Rebels couldn ' t disable the shield generator before the Rebel fleet arrived , Palpatine made sure that a unit , Tempest Force , was created via the best of the Imperial Army , Navy , and Stormtrooper Corps to guard the generator , with its size also being comparable to that of a Stormtrooper legion , anticipating the possibility of a strike team being sent to infiltrate the moon . The Rebel fleet amassed near Sullust and was addressed by Mon Mothma . She and Admiral Gial Ackbar informed the battle - weary freedom fighters that the Emperor himself would be aboard the station , further emphasizing the need to win the battle , which would either way end the war . The entire operation was orchestrated to coordinate the fleet , commanded by Ackbar , and a substantial starfighter force , led by Lando Calrissian to jump to Endor through hyperspace and arrive to a shieldless , incomplete Death Star . A commando team would be sent on ahead in a " coup - de - main " — a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow — and disable the shield generator and projector housed on the Endor moon . The commando team , led by Han Solo , Princess Leia Organa , Chewbacca , and Luke Skywalker , used the stolen Imperial shuttle " Tydirium " to slip past Imperial defenses and land on the moon . After speederbike chases , Leia going missing , and other confusions , the team fell into a primitive trap set by the main indigenous species , the Ewoks . At first they saw C - 3PO as a deity , and prepared to sacrifice the main team in celebration to the droid . The Rebels were soon freed however after Luke Skywalker , using a few clever Force tricks , and with the help of C - 3PO deceived the Ewoks into believing the droid possessed powerful magic he would use against them if his friends were not freed . Afterward , Threepio captivated the Ewoks with an epic recounting on the events leading up to their arrival on the forest moon . The Ewoks then inducted the Rebels into their tribe with great enthusiasm , cementing their cooperation against the Imperials in the forthcoming battle in which the Ewoks would play a pivotal role . Luke , fearing that his presence will endanger their mission to the Imperials , abandoned the team and allowed himself to be brought to the landing platform and then was brought to the Death Star by Vader . Several hours later , Ewok scouts led the strike team to the heavily guarded main entrance . On the advice of Wicket Wystri Warrick the team attacked the poorly guarded secret entrance . Another Ewok , Paploo , inventively dispersed the guards by stealing a speeder bike . The last guard surrendered , with his uniform being taken by Nik Sant , and the team broke into the bunker . Unfortunately , an entire legion of troops were ready for them and the team was swiftly captured . Above the moon , the fleet arrived but could not attack the Death Star as the shield was still up . A massive Imperial fleet appeared and began to harass the rebel fleet . Things looked grave as the shield remained up , and Ackbar ordered the only thing the fleet could do : attack the Imperial Fleet . But Rebel fortunes changed . The Ewoks , thanks to an impromptu distraction from C - 3PO and R2 - D2 , attacked the groundside stormtrooper legions , and the Rebel commandos took advantage of the confusion . Unfortunately , a group of Imperial officers sealed themselves in the bunker and only R2 could help in getting the doors open again . R2 took a blaster bolt in trying to open the doors and Han ' s attempt to hot - wire the system failed . Meanwhile , Chewbacca and two Ewok ' s captured an AT - ST and managed to destroy another AT - ST and kill most of the Imperial ground force . Han used a stolen Imperial uniform to trick Hewex into opening the doors . The team laid explosive charges in the bunker and managed to destroy the bunker , allowing the Rebel fleet to destroy the Death Star . The Imperial storm commando and former Rebel operative Sarkli attempted to block Han Solo ' s escape from the doomed bunker shortly after the explosive charges were set , but he ended up shot dead near the entrance while in a firefight with Solo with both men simultaneously escaping . Behind the scenes . The set for the Endor shield generator bunker was filmed at an area near the Smith River ' s redwood forests . In 2010 , the staff for " Star Wars Insider " tried to relocate the area they filmed the generator at under the request of the long time " Star Wars " fan Brandon Alinger , but the trek became elusive . They later detailed this trek in the article " The Hunt for Endor ' s Forest Moon " , included in Issue 122 of the magazine . At theme park in , a replica of the shield generator bunker serves as the backdrop for the stage that is home to the " Jedi Training Academy " attraction . The shield bunker appears both in the Leia Organa and Darth Vader campaigns in the 2001 video game " . " The Darth Vader Battle of Endor mission is an alternate history scenario , while the Leia Organa mission contradicts the film . The bunker has also been reimagined in LEGO form in the 2005 video game " . " The bunker also serves as the location for the battle in the alternate history scenario given in the " " Endor downloadable content . Darth Vader ' s Dark Apprentice hunted down and killed Leia Organa , the last of the Jedi .