Ambush at Mos Eisley The Ambush at Mos Eisley was conducted by the Galactic Empire against the Rebel Alliance over the Tatooine spaceport Mos Eisley . Six months after the destruction of the Death Star — an Imperial battle station — members of the elite Rebel starfighter group Rogue Squadron were taking an off - duty morning run through the infamous Beggar ' s Canyon outside of Mos Eisley . The Empire deployed detachments of Viper probe droids and TIE Bombers to Tatooine to bomb the spaceport and the surrounding areas to root out Luke Skywalker , a member of Rogue Squadron and the Rebel pilot responsible for the Death Star ' s destruction . The X - wings of the fighter squad provided support for the homesteads and native Jawas under Imperial fire . The team then made a run through Mos Eisley , shooting down the six TIE bombers before the city could be destroyed . Prelude . Ever since Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker became a thorn in its side by destroying the Death Star , the Galactic Empire kept an eye on his homeworld of Tatooine . Acting on a tip from an unsavory bounty hunter , the Empire dispatched probe droids and bombers to root out Skywalker ' s squadron by terrorizing civilians and searching for clues to Skywalker ' s whereabouts . The battle . Cleanup of Imperial patrols . Six months after the Battle of Yavin , the newly formed Alliance to Restore the Republic starfighter unit Rogue Squadron visited Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine . Commander Luke Skywalker , the Rogue Leader , initially planned to simply patrol the outskirts of the spaceport . As three squadron members flew in an early morning run through the area , Wedge Antilles , one of the Rebel pilots , spotted several Viper probe droids opening fire on a number of homesteads . The pilots were caught off guard , and one member of the squadron was shot down near Jabba ' s Palace , headquarters of the gangster Jabba the Hutt , but the pilot survived the crash - landing . Rogue Squadron fanned out and destroyed most of the eighteen probe droids in the area . The squadron flew by two civilian T - 16 skyhoppers in Beggar ' s Canyon . As Skywalker neared the last of the homesteads , he veered off to the area around the Great Pit of Carkoon , site of the sarlacc — a giant , flesh - eating beast — and knocked out the 4 - member stormtrooper and dewback - riding stormtrooper patrol there . The Rebel pilot then destroyed the last three probe droids , saving a nearby Jawa sandcrawler transport . Bombing of Mos Eisley . After the probe droids were taken out , a six - fighter squadron of TIE Bombers began an attack on Mos Eisley , flying in a circular pattern to drop proton bombs on vital parts of the city . Skywalker ordered Rogue Squadron to assist , and they quickly flew overhead ; the bombers were no match for Rogue Squadron ' s T - 65 X - wing starfighter s , and all the bombers were shot from the sky . Aftermath . After the ambush force was destroyed , Skywalker thought that the newly formed Rogue Squadron would go on to make a name for itself . With the success of their mission , the Rogues were assigned to escort supplies on the planet Barkhesh shortly afterward . Behind the scenes . The Ambush at Mos Eisley appears in the first mission in the 1998 video game " " . Due to the gamemechanics , it is possible to destroy Jabba ' s Palace and other civilian targets , although this is non - canon ; if enough civilian targets are destroyed by the player ' s actions or lack thereof , the mission will end in failure . To achieve the gold medal on this mission , it is necessary to veer over to the side by the Great Pit of Carkoon and take out extra stormtroopers , although such an action is optional . The X - wing is the default craft for the mission . The game ' s suggests the players prioritize attacking the probe droids which target the civilian structures to keep a high " friendlies saved " score . After the droids are destroyed , the guide tells the player to activate the speed boost by closing the S - foils on the X - wing . Once the player reaches Mos Eisley , the guide suggests targeting the second group of bombers first , as it is closer and the first group targets the player ' s wingmen .