Arbra Arbra was a densely forested planet that became the headquarters of the Rebel Alliance after the evacuation of Golrath Station , around 3 ABY . Home to the lagomorphic Hoojib s , Arbra was once inhabited by an ancient race who had resided in subterranean cities . As a safe haven in a desperate hour for the Rebellion , Arbra earned the nickname " Salvation . " They launched many missions against the Empire from the world during their stay . The location of Arbra was kept top - secret , and the Rebel base on its surface was heavily secured . Though the planet was never attacked by Imperial forces during the Rebels ' stay , there were close calls , and Arbra offered its own share of dangers . After the Battle of Endor , Arbra remained a member of the Alliance of Free Planets , and later the New Republic . The system was overlooked by the Yuuzhan Vong during their invasion , and served as a location to slowly build up military forces . Description . Occupying the second orbit in its system , Arbra had one moon . Unlike most planets , it was not a spherical world . The world was located in the Outer Rim Territories , approximately midway between Omwat and Naboo . From the air , Arbra looked like any other undeveloped forest world , covered mostly with trees — some up to a mile in height — with the occasional mountain jutting up and lakes and small seas filling what space was left . There was no trace of technology on the world ' s surface , causing many observers to assume it lacked intelligent life . Despite the tranquil appearance of the surface , hidden deep within a huge cavern was a vast array of geothermal power rod s that drew energy from the planet ' s core . The geothermal energy was then transformed into electricity and released into the atmosphere as high - altitude lightning , thus regulating the planet ' s stability . It was also the primary food source for the native Hoojibs , a species that consumed energy directly . Luke Skywalker believed the energy stemmed from the the Force , somehow balancing out the dark side energy well in the ancient Arbran city lying underneath the cavern . Despite being rich in resources , Arbra remained a relatively unknown world until the Rebels arrived . The Rebels found this mysterious , and had no satisfactory explanation for it . History . Early history . In the pre - Republic era , Arbra was colonized by the Sith ; located in the southern quadrant far from the Sith Worlds , it was the most distant from the other Sith colonies . By the time of Xim the Despot , the Arbrans had settled themselves in a large city deep within the lowest levels of the crystalline cavern that would house the future Rebel base . The Arbrans discovered a way to remove their base emotions — anger , fear , hatred — from themselves , in the process creating a corporeal being that embodied all the negative emotions , known as the Darker . It would have been possible to destroy the creature , but as it was in some ways a part of themselves , they decided to let it live , locking it behind a force screen that prevented the passage of anything exhibiting negative feelings . At some point the Arbrans then migrated offworld , leaving their city and the Darker locked behind the screen . The Hoojibs knew that there was a darkness in those caverns , but did not know its nature and learned to avoid it . During the Clone Wars , Arbra was located within Separatist space . In 1 BBY , the smuggler Han Solo abandoned his partner Billal Batross on the world . Around 3 ABY , a Yuuzhan Vong creation known as the slivilith , which had been drifting through space for millennia , was caught by Arbra ' s gravity . It detected the warmth the planet ' s unique crystals generated and took up residence in the crystal cave . Unfortunately for the Hoojibs , this was their main food source , as they consumed the crystals ' energy directly . Driven out of the cave , they were forced to forage for other power sources . Rebel discovery . Following their loss at the Battle of Hoth , the Rebel Alliance was in desperate need of a new permanent base of operations , hidden from the Empire . It was during this time that a force under the command of Leia Organa and General Carlist Rieekan discovered Arbra . Preliminary reports on the world were promising — there was no dangerous wildlife , and the planet ' s only native species , the Hoojibs , were non - threatening and assumed to not be very intelligent — and so the Rebel fleet set course for the planet . While the fleet waited in orbit , a survey mission led by Leia Organa traveled to the surface to gather more information and determine any possible dangers . At first , the planet seemed paradisaical , and the Rebel scouting team nicknamed it " Salvation . " Initial contact with the Hoojibs seemed to support the reports on them . In order to keep the bulk of the Rebel forces from being caught unawares , the fleet moved away from the planet while the ground team carried out their mission , setting a course along the ecliptic and looking to return in three days . On the first night , however , the survey team awoke to find that Hoojibs were swarming over their machinery and droid C - 3PO . When the Rebels awoke , the Hoojibs scattered , but Chewbacca apprehended one . He was surprised to find it speaking telepathically to him , and it identified itself as Plif , the Hoojib spokesmind . Plif explained to the Rebels their nature as energy - consumers and the crisis with the slivilith , which had forced them to feed on the Rebels ' power supplies . All but two of the Rebels ' blasters were now non - functional , and with their radio drained of power they could not contact the fleet to be rescued , and so they joined forces with the Hoojibs to defeat the slivilith . After a heated battle , the creature was killed by Chewbacca . When they saw the slivilith ' s cave and its power rods , the Rebels realized how advantageous relocating to Arbra could be . However , the Hoojibs were not willing to give up their home , and fighting threatened to break out between the two groups . Leia broke the standoff , promising that , as it was the Hoojibs ' world , the Alliance would leave them be . However , Plif relented , offering to share their territory with the Rebels . When the fleet returned to orbit , they began the process of moving into their new base on Arbra . Rebel base . Arbra was well suited to its role as a hidden base . Its location was considered to be prime , and the lack of any civilization but the Hoojibs made it ideally secluded . The closely intertwining branches of the expansive forests shielded ground movement from observers in the air , and the cave system provided a convenient shelter . The pleasant climate and abundance of natural resources , including the practically unlimited power obtainable from the geothermal crystals , only made it more ideal . The cavern itself was deep enough to resist Imperial probes and large enough to house the Rebels ' entire operation . The Alliance engaged in regular scouting patrols , using T - 47 airspeeders painted in green camouflage . The approach to the main base was along a narrow path carved through the forest growth , with sentries in the branches along its edge monitoring the way , and guns poised to shoot down any intruders . Arriving vessels were required to transmit a code phrase to identify themselves . The base itself , located in the mountain that held the crystal caves , was lined with gun emplacements . Its hangar and launch bay , located in the mouth of the cave , was also the only entrance to the base , and was concealed by a blast - shielded false rock wall that covered its entrance when it was not in use . As this entrance was a vulnerable point , Chief Logistics Officer Captain Kavel Mesa arranged for other tunnels out of the base and emergency exits for ships to be dug . As the main base of operations , Arbra was the launching point for many Rebel missions in this period . The rescue of Lando Calrissian from the Imperial - controlled Cloud City , the strike against Spindrift Station , the destruction of Golrath Station , and the mission against the the fleet of Mils Giel , which resulted in the apparent death of pilot and Imperial spy Shira Brie , were all carried out from the Arbra base . Arbra was also where Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa planned and launched the rescue of Han Solo . Imperial threats . The Alliance was very careful to keep Arbra ' s location secret , only giving its coordinates to the most trusted Rebel operatives . Shira Brie tried to obtain them by claiming to have a personal matter to attend to on her supposed homeworld of Shalyvane , but was unable to convince Princess Leia to give her the information . To protect the location of Arbra , the Alliance was forced to destroy their former base at Golrath Station when they discovered the unique image - recording capabilities of the rocks on that world . In orbit around the planet , the Rebel fleet could be easily spotted , risking the exposure of the Arbran base . In response , Leia Organa proposed a risky plan ; using five Kerts - Bhrg generators , capable of holding back the heat of a star ' s chromosphere , a pyramidal net could be created around the fleet , allowing it to enter the outer layers of the Arbran sun and so evade detection . Moments after the fleet was in place , Rebel scanners detected Imperial vessels in the quadrant . Leia promptly left the fleet in a shuttle , accidentally leaving behind C - 3PO and R2 - D2 . The latter had detected a failure in the generator ' s equipment , which soon knocked the crew unconscious and began to weaken the protective field . Meanwhile , the Imperial vessels , four TIE fighters , arrived in the system , forcing Leia ' s shuttle to hide . Back in the Arbran chromosphere , the two droids were the only beings capable of fixing the generator and saving the fleet . The TIE fighters soon left , not having detected the Rebels . Meanwhile , C - 3PO and R2 - D2 made a daring spacewalk from the generator to a Nebulon - B frigate in the fleet , where they connected a power cable from the former to the ship ' s reactor . This was sufficient to boost the generator ' s ability enough to keep the fleet safe . Repairs were presumably made , as the fleet remained hidden in the sun from then on . A quarter of the fleet ' s starfighters were kept with the fleet . The Darker . The cave in which the Darker resided had lain undisturbed until the arrival of the Rebels , which the being sensed . It detected that their technology was capable of destroying the force screen keeping it trapped , and began broadcasting a mental cry for help . R2 - D2 , traveling through the cave system , heard this and accidentally found his way into its domain . There the creature took him apart , determined to use the droid ' s parts to escape and avenge itself upon the long - gone Arbrans . The Hoojibs , seeing this , warned C - 3PO and Chewbacca , and the entire group went down into the Darker ' s cave . After making the Hoojibs flee by instilling fear in them , the creature used its powers to turn Chewbacca ' s loyalty into hatred against C - 3PO . After a short chase , C - 3PO discovered the secret to destroying the creature in the Arbrans ' library . By making Chewbacca remember Han Solo , C - 3PO broke the Darker ' s spell over him , and the Wookiee turned on the being , flinging him into the force screen . The screen absorbed the Darker ' s energies , killing it and emitting a surge of energy that collapsed the underground city , with the droids , Chewbacca , and the Hoojibs barely escaping in time . C - 3PO later recommended that guards be posted at the entrance . Shortly after the Darker incident , Luke Skywalker , Leia Organa , and others left Arbra in search of Han Solo , though they would return after being sidetracked from their search by other Rebel business . Around this time , the Rebels may have brought supplies from their former base on Hoth to Arbra . New Republic member . With the death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the second Death Star , the Rebel Alliance and soon after the newly - formed Alliance of Free Planets relocated its core group to Endor , the site of its victory , and the base on Arbra was abandoned . However , the Hoojibs remained part of the Alliance . Shortly after Endor , Leia spoke in front of the Alliance ' s Provisional Council to support Plif ' s nomination as the representative of Arbra in the new government . The Alliance made use of Arbra once more in the Nagai - Tof War , when General Carlist Rieekan pulled a large deployment of soldiers to Haven Base following the Nagai ' s attack on Endor and the subsequent Alliance evacuation of that world . Plif would later go on to become the Senator of his world in the New Republic , where he was noted for his wisdom and compassion . Arbra would remain a steady member of the Republic . Despite Arbra ' s suitability for colonization , Senator Plif convinced the Republic leadership to make no major settlements on the world itself . Mining facilities , a refueling station , and a small shipyard were constructed on other planets in the system and in orbit around Arbra . During the Yuuzhan Vong War , Arbra was overlooked by the invaders . Military forces began to quietly build up in the system , and Plif encouraged his people to join the war alongside the Republic . Inhabitants . An ancient pre - Republic civilization , the Arbrans , had once lived on the world , but they had left long before the Rebellion arrived . By the time of the Empire , the sole native species were the Hoojibs , a diminutive furry race that communicated through telepathy . They lacked any technology , and survived by feeding off power . The government of the Hoojibs was clan - based , each clan arranged in a communal structure and having its own clan speaker , and the entire Hoojib race was represented by one spokesmind ; Plif during the time of the Rebellion . Approximately 8 , 000 Rebels were also located on Arbra during its years as a base . As the New Republic , they would occupy a few small facilities in orbit above the world . The only other known sentient inhabitant of Arbra was the Darker . With the power to instill negative feelings in beings , it also had telepathic abilities , and seems to have been a manifestation of the dark side of the Force . The Darker was killed by Chewbacca in 3 ABY , leaving its city uninhabited . Locations . Haven Base . Haven Base , also known as the " Hole in the Ground , " was the cavern base established by Alliance High Command that housed the Rebels in their time on Arbra . The cavern was deep enough to resist Imperial scans and large enough to house the Rebels ' entire operation , as well as having its own built - in power source in the power rods . The Arbran base was divided into numbered modules and corridors ; the mess , for example , was located at Corridor 14 , Module 3 . Other facilities included a briefing room , a laboratory , a courtroom where Luke Skywalker once stood trial for the apparent killing of Shira Brie , private quarters for higher - ranking Rebels , and the Great Hall , where ceremonies were held . Hoojibs were a common sight throughout the base , and often communed with the Rebels in the mess . After their first contact with the Rebels , the Hoojibs avoided feeding on the energy of Rebel droids . Arbran city . Located in a grotto directly underneath Haven Base , the ancient city of the Arbrans once housed their race , but in later years would be the home of the Darker . Amongst its building , it held a library , a dining hall , and a central plaza with a fountain . The entire city was surrounded by a force shield sensitive to negative emotions , designed to keep the Darker trapped within . When the Darker was thrown into the force shield , killing it , the subsequent release of energy sealed the entrance to the city , and may have completely destroyed it . Behind the scenes . The board game " Risk : Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition " includes Arbra as one of the planets players can control , though it erroneously places it in Wild Space .