Yavin system / Legends The Yavin system was a three - planet star system in the Outer Rim Territories that contained the gas giant Yavin Prime and its twenty - six moons ; only three of which were habitable : Yavin 4 , Yavin 8 , and Yavin 13 . Discovered by Galactic Republic scouts during the Expansionist Era , this overall inhospitable star system went down in history millennia later during the Galactic Civil War , when it hosted the famous Battle of Yavin . In the decades following the end of the Civil War and the collapse of the Galactic Empire , the Yavin system was passed down from hand to hand , conquered by remnant Imperial warlords , recaptured by the New Republic and colonized by the extra - galactic invaders known as the Yuuzhan Vong . Despite its reputedly inhospitable environment , the Yavin system was home to at least four sapient native species , namely the Melodie s , the Gerb s , the Slith s , and a race of humanoids that was wiped out by the Galactic Empire . Additionally , Yavin 4 became an adopted home for several other species , including the Critokian s , the Massassi Sith , and some Humans . Description . The Yavin system was part of the Gordian Reach , a sector of the Outer Rim Territories . It consisted of a medium - sized orange star with three worlds orbiting it . The closest to the sun , Fiddanl , was a barren planet covered with mercury seas and instable landmasses . The second orbit was occupied by Stroiketcy , a captured comet , and the last planet in the system was Yavin Prime , a red gas giant . While none of the planets were habitable , twenty - six moons orbited Yavin Prime , the largest three of which were hospitable . Yavin 4 hosted a great variety of flora and fauna in tropical jungles , Yavin 8 was covered in tundras and mountains , while Yavin 13 ' s terrain consisted mostly of rocky plains and deserts . Throughout history , a number of space stations were also established within the boundaries of the system , most of them orbiting around the gas giant . Although not a part of it , a dense , purple nebula was also located in the vicinity of the Yavin system . This interstellar cloud was christened " Shadow of the Alliance " during the Galactic Civil War , a major conflict fought between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance . Despite its generally inhospitable conditions , the Yavin system hosted at least four native sentient species . The lagomorph Gerb s and the serpentine Slith hailed from Yavin 13 , while the eighth moon hosted aquatic humanoids known as the Melodie s , and yet another bipedal species . The latter went extinct with the rise of the Galactic Emperor Palpatine , who grew disgusted by the Yavin 8 natives and ordered that they be wiped out . History . Ancient history . The first known colonists in the Yavin system belonged to the Rakata ' s Infinite Empire around 30 , 000 BBY . However , a deadly plague spread among the Rakata in 25 , 200 BBY , and their Empire fractured . The system then fell into oblivion and was only rediscovered during the Expansionist Era , which started after the establishment of the Galactic Republic in 25 , 053 BBY . As was customary at the time , the name Yavin was given to both the star and the major world in the system . The first exploration report deemed the system unfit for Human colonization and probably devoid of any lifeform , let alone intelligent life . Upon entering the system , the early scouts noticed an orange sun nearing the term of its middle - age cycle . The explorers thought they needed look no further , so they left the system after a brief cursory examination of the planets and moons . Because of its alleged inhospitality , the Yavin system remained a brief footnote in the planetary registries of the Republic for centuries , but Yavin 4 became a Sith stronghold around 5000 BBY , when the Sith Lord Naga Sadow went into self - imposed exile following his defeat at the second battle of Korriban . Headquarters of a Rebel Alliance . However , the Yavin system remained largely unknown and uncharted until millennia later , when the Rebel Alliance set up a major base in the fourth moon of Yavin Prime . Even at the height of the Galactic Civil War , the system did not appear on many astrogation charts , since it was far from the Core Worlds and major hyperlane s . With the establishment of the Alliance ' s headquarters on Yavin 4 , the star system became the site of the Battle of Yavin , during which several Rebel pilots destroyed the Empire ' s first Death Star . Following the destruction of their superweapon , the Empire launched a number of small raids at the Rebel base on Yavin 4 , which prompted the Alliance to evacuate the moon to escape retaliation . The Empire officially restricted Yavin 4 space to Imperial traffic , maintaining a heavy military presence that had been maintained within the Yavin system for the remainder of the war . A system changing hands . In the aftermath of the death of Emperor Palpatine in 4 ABY , the Galactic Empire shattered into several competing factions . At the same time , the Rebel Alliance reorganized into the New Republic , a democratic government the function of which was to replace the Empire . Between 4 and 8 ABY , the Yavin system remained under the control of the Zsinj , former Grand Moff of the Quelii Oversector and leader of his own faction . Following Zsinj ' s death , his former rival and fellow Imperial Treuten Teradoc sought to acquire the Grand Moff ' s former worlds . However , Teradoc soon found himself caught in a war with Gial Ackbar of the New Republic , and Teren Rogriss — another Imperial who wanted to conquer Zsinj ' s territory . Teradoc was forced to retreat to the Deep Core . The Yavin system then fell under the rule of Thrawn , one of the twelve original Grand Admirals of the Empire , and was now part of Thrawn ' s confederation . One year later , with Thrawn ' s death , the confederation collapsed , and the system was eventually recovered by the New Republic . Between 26 and 27 ABY , the Yavin system was attacked by the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong , a race of technology - hating non - Humans . The system fell under the control of the invaders and became a part of the Yuuzhan Vong empire . However , two years later , the Empire was destroyed when the Galactic Alliance retook its former capital planet of Coruscant and killed the Vong ' s Supreme Overlord Shimrra Jamaane . By 137 ABY , the system was affiliated with Darth Krayt ' s Sith Empire .