Unidentified dead red moon This dead red moon lay in the Sixela system , in the Outer Rim Territories . Orbiting the third planet in the system , the moon ' s terrain consisted entirely of barren red rock , without any flora or fauna to break up the terrain , although the atmosphere could support life . By 1 ABY , the moon ' s indigenous species had been extinct for millennia , although their underground tunnels remained . During the Galactic Civil War , the moon was taken over by Galactic Empire Commander Rezi Soresh . Soresh was fleeing the Sith Lord Darth Vader and landed on the moon to regain his power . After capturing the Arkanian colony vessel " Endeavor " , Soresh contacted the Rebel Alliance pilot Luke Skywalker and threatened to kill his hostages if Skywalker didn ' t travel to Soresh ' s outpost . Once Skywalker arrived with his companions , the Heroes of Yavin , Soresh captured them and attempted to brainwash Skywalker . As part of his plan for revenge , Soresh drew both the Imperial fleet and the Rebel Alliance Fleet to the system and planned on destroying the two opposing fleets by creating a supernova using resonance torpedo es . Skywalker managed to escape during the battle , and Soresh was killed as he attempted to board the the Rebel ' s starship , the " Millennium Falcon . " Soresh ultimately succeeded in blowing the system ' s sun but the fleets escaped to hyperspace before the moon was vaporized . Description . This barren red rock moon orbited the third planet in the Sixela system , located in the Outer Rim Territories . Its terrain consisted of craters , with a layer of thin dust . A thin atmosphere made the moon viable for Human life , but nothing disturbed the acrid air , and there was no flora or fauna on the moon . History . This moon supported a civilization , but any life was extinct for millennia before the moon was visited again in 1 ABY . Twenty - seven days Commander Rezi Soresh found this moon after his exile from the Galactic Empire . As the atmosphere could support life , he spent time converting it to his personal use to gain revenge for his exile , establishing an outpost on the equator . He eventually captured a colony vessel full of 100 civilians to use as hostages to draw Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker to the system . After he was contacted , Skywalker wanted to go to save the hostages , but his companions would not let him go alone . The " Millennium Falcon " arrived on the moon . The Rebel operative Han Solo disembarked and met a hooded man . Two T - 65 X - wing starfighter s then strafed the compound , angering the hooded man . The impostor was subsequently gunned down by Solo . Skywalker and Leia Organa disembarked from the X - wings to analyze the situation , but a series of mines started exploding amongst the hostages . They rushed to assist , and Skywalker was hit with a Force pike by a disguised Soresh . Skywalker ' s companions were captured by Soresh ' s drugged bodyguards . Soresh began brainwashing Skywalker , attempting to turn him into an assassin . Using a brainwashed Rebel scout , Soresh passed on information to the Alliance Fleet regarding a secret meeting of the Imperial High Command . In his control center , Soresh also contacted Darth Vader . The Rebels were imprisoned on the moon for two weeks in total . During that time , Soresh presented Skywalker to his friends and ordered him to kill them ; a timely distraction by the Rebel ' s droids , who had remained hidden , allowed them to escape . Skywalker saved Solo and revealed his ruse , but asked Solo to shoot him in the shoulder to stay with Soresh and investigate further . Soresh later found a semi - conscious Skywalker and commented on his loyalty . Back on Yavin 4 , the Alliance Fleet was preparing for an attack . The former Jedi Ferus Olin was suspicious of the intercepted information , and a visit by a spectral Obi - Wan Kenobi convinced him to trust his instincts . With his mercenary friend Div , Ferus Olin launched an unsanctioned reconnaissance mission to the moon . Picking up a distress signal on a Rebel frequency , Olin landed and met with Solo and Organa . When the opposing fleets arrived , Skywalker betrayed Soresh . Instead of launching the resonance torpedoes , Skywalker turned on Soresh ' s bodyguards . Angered , Soresh ran off and launched his resonance torpedo es to destroy everything in the system . Skywalker and Solo then joined the battle waging in orbit between the two fleets . When the torpedoes hit the system ' s sun , they started a chain reaction which would force the sun to detonate in 40 minutes . Both fleets withdrew , allowing Skywalker to return to the surface and rescue the remaining hostages . Darth Vader had also landed to confront Soresh , but found and dueled Olin instead . With minutes to spare , the Rebels were boarding the " Millennium Falcon " when Soresh appeared . He attempted to shoot Skywalker , but was blasted instead by Solo . After the " Falcon " escaped to hyperspace , the moon and everything else in the system were turned into radiation and dust when the sun went supernova . Unbeknownst to the Rebels , Vader also escaped . Inhabitants . The moon was inhabited once , but the civilization was long dead by the time of the Galactic Civil War . When Rezi Soresh landed here in his ancient CloakShape fighter , he took over the moon for his purposes . He captured the Arkanian vessel " Endeavor " , and held the 100 passengers hostage on the moon . Soresh was killed and the hostages evacuated before the system exploded . Locations . The ancient inhabitants established an elaborate system of underground tunnels . Soresh used the tunnels under his outpost on the moon ' s equator . Soresh used the data he acquired in his duty as an Imperial bureaucrat to blackmail others for the resources to establish his outpost , which consisted of a cluster of small fortified buildings , electrified pens , and laser cannons . Behind the scenes . The moon ' s location and features were established in its sole appearance , Alex Wheeler ' s " . " Early in the book it is said it orbits the third planet in the system , but later it is mentioned as orbiting the sixth planet . A number of other discrepancies also exist throughout the book . The moon was later mentioned in the 2012 reference book " The Essential Reader ' s Companion . "