Battle of Gwar The Battle of Gwar was a battle fought during the Zaarin insurrection at Gwar . Prelude . Following his unsuccessful coup d ' etat against Emperor Palpatine , Grand Admiral Zaarin and his fleet of Imperial traitors retreated into the far reaches of Imperial space , igniting a brutal campaign of destruction to deny the Galactic Empire of the military resources to resist his attempts to usurp power from the Emperor . Having had near unlimited access to the Empire ' s most power weapons and starfighters prior to his treachery , Zaarin held a huge technological edge over his loyalist adversaries in their attempts to put down his insurrection , as well as a formidable star fleet capable of maintaining the offensive against the Empire . Having laid waste to many Imperial industrial centers across the galaxy but at a staggering cost to his own forces , Zaarin eventually retreated into the Unknown Regions where he would continue to wage his campaign against the Emperor ' s forces . Meanwhile , Vice Admiral Thrawn had been promoted to Grand Admiral by Emperor Palpatine and was personally tasked with the destruction of Zaarin and his traitorous forces . Recognizing the urgent need to match Zaarin ' s technological superiority in space combat , Thrawn secretly commissioned the production of a new class of starfighter known as the Missile Boat , specifically designed with the ability to match the performance Zaarin ' s vast fleet of TIE / D Defenders that formed the mainstay of his fleet of starfighters . Tan Maarek Stele , one of the Empire ' s greatest pilots was among those chosen to fly the Missile Boat in combat , and was assigned to Thrawn ' s command in the campaign to defeat Zaarin . During the campaign in the Unknown Regions , Captain Kuuztin of the Imperial - class Star Destroyer " Courageous " became especially eager to be the one to catch Zaarin with his guard down so that he could crush the traitor ' s forces through one swift blow that he hoped would grant him huge favor among the inner ranks of the Imperial Navy . After a raid on one of Zaarin ' s convoys , Kuuztin extracted valuable intelligence from several captured traitors that pointed to a major supply base in the Gwar system that served as a " marshaling area " for a large portion of Zaarin ' s fleet . He also had reason to believe that Zaarin was plotting a major ambush upon Imperial forces loyal to the Emperor , with the forces stationed at this facility . Despite the obvious risks of such an attack , Captain Kuuztin elected to launch an immediate surprise assault upon the base and to wipe out the traitor forces there , without notifying Grand Admiral Thrawn of his intent . Some officers speculated that Kuuztin ' s actions were motivated out of an eagerness for promotion and possibly even hoped to replace Thrawn if such an attack succeeded . Nevertheless , the Imperial forces under Kuuztin ' s command immediately made preparations to engage Zaarin ' s fleet at Gwar , with Maarek Stele leading the assault . The battle . Captain Kuuztin opted for a forward assault upon Zaarin ' s supply base with the " Courageous " spearheading the attack . It was determined that among the vessels present at the base were the Interdictor " Bomb " and its trio of Nebulon - B2 frigate s from " Kuma " group . These , along with the supply platform were to be the main targets of the attack . It was also expected that the base would be defended by a minefield and a huge fighter screen led by Zaarin ' s TIE / D Defenders , which would easily wipe out the " Courageous " ' complement of TIE / LN starfighter s and TIE bomber . Therefore , Stele would fly an advanced Missile Boat with the intent of wiping out any and all TIE Defenders in the area should they be deployed during the battle . Until then , Stele was to clear a path for all fighter wings to attack the station and its flotilla of starships , along with any freighter craft or supply caches present in the area . The " Courageous " launched its assault on the supply base with several wings of TIE Fighters and Bombers , who proceeded to immediately engage the station and its defenders . Stele led the assault in his Missile Boat , designated Mu 1 , and laid waste to the platform ' s minefield before serious losses on the loyalist fighters could be inflicted . The loyalists then proceeded with their assault on the " Bomb " , with Stele knocking out its warhead launcher ahead of his allies . Frigates " Kuma 1 " and " Kuma 3 " were already maintaining patrol around the base ' s perimeter , and fired upon the loyalist forces that approached them . The loyalist Imperial forces pressed their attack and laid waste to the various freighter and container craft present in the area , depriving Zaarin of many critical war supplies . Also caught in the crossfire was a shuttle ferrying officers loyal to Zaarin , which was quickly dispatched while attempting to flee the platform . The Fighters and Bombers held off Zaarin ' s waves of shielded TIE Interceptors while Stele pressed his attack on the " Bomb " and its accompanying frigates , eventually destroying all starships present with a barrage of heavy rockets . With the station ' s defenses faltering and the loyalists pressing their attack on the platform itself , Zaarin sent his wings of TIE Defenders to ambush the " Courageous " . At this time , enemy frigate " Kuma 2 " also appeared in close proximity to the " Courageous " in a daring counterattack , forcing Stele to break off his assault to defend his command vessel . In the dogfight that followed , Stele was able to eliminate many of Zaarin ' s prized TIE Defenders , and eventually destroyed " Kuma 2 " as it pressed its futile attack , allowing the surviving loyalists to eventually destroy the supply platform and mop up the remaining enemy fighters and freighters in the immediate vicinity . As the battle raged , the civilian bulk freighter " Tallinn " jumped into the region ferrying a full load of spare parts for Zaarin ' s forces at the base . It and its cargo also fell victim to the attacking loyalists , having gotten itself caught in the crossfire . However , just as the Imperial forces under Kuuztin ' s command declared victory the Star Destroyers " Imperator " and " Thunderer " , which were loyal to Admiral Zaarin hypered into the region flanking both sides of the " Courageous " , with several fresh wings of TIE Defenders providing support as they assaulted the loyalist command vessel . The resulting melee resulting in heavy casualties to the assaulting loyalist forces , and the " Courageous " itself eventually succumbed to a heavy bomb attack that claimed all hands aboard , including Captain Kuuztin . Stele however routed Zaarin ' s TIE Defenders and escaped the battle with his life , keeping his valuable starfighter out of enemy hands . Aftermath . The Battle of Gwar was considered a major , if costly Imperial victory that resulted in the destruction of many of Zaarin ' s prized warships and advanced starfighter craft . The further loss of a massive amount of war materials and weaponry , as well as of one of Zaarin ' s primary staging grounds would come to considerably wear upon his offensive capabilities against the Empire . However , the loss of the " Courageous " and its decorated captain proved demoralizing to the loyalists who had been unprepared for such a trap by Zaarin ' s superior force of Star Destroyers , and great strides would be taken to ensure that such a costly " victory " would not be repeated .