Liberation of Kashyyyk The liberation of Kashyyyk was a battle of the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and New Republic . The battle resulted in the liberation of the Wookiee s and their homeworld of Kashyyyk . Prelude . Following the end of the Clone Wars , the new Galactic Empire annexed the planet Kashyyyk and enslaved the Wookiee species . The Empire regarded the Wookiees as beasts and reclassified them as non - sentient . The xenophobic Empire enslaved the Wookiees not because they posed a meaningful threat to the Empire but because their massive , robust physiology allowed them to work long and hard in extreme conditions . The Imperials also renamed the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk " Imperial territory G5 - 623 . " During the Age of the Empire , the Wookiees were used to cut down Kashyyyk ' s wroshyr tree s for lumber and to produce crops to supply the Imperial Military . Besides felling wroshyr trees , Wookiee laborers were also used to harvest the mineral deposits that clung to the fungal nodes on wroshyr trees . These fungal nodes contained wroshite , a hard flinty crystal that was used in the manufacture of Imperial beam weapons . Large numbers of Wookiees were also shipped across the galaxy to work as slave laborers in mine s and to build structures such as the Death Stars . In addition , the Empire used Wookiees as experimental subjects to test medicines and weapons . Wookiees were also forced to breed by their Imperial captors in order to produce a large labor force . To ensure compliance , all Wookiees on Kashyyyk had inhibitor chips bolted to the back of their skulls that would cause excruciating pain or death if they defied their Imperial masters . Some Imperials like Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck also hunted Wookiees for entertainment . Knowing the deep importance that Wookiees attached to their families , Tolruck and his subordinate Commandant Theodane Sardo enforced compliance by threatening to harm their pack members . Many Wookiees were forced to live and work in Imperial work settlements including Camp Sardo . While most Wookiees were enslaved , there were several free Wookiees living offworld including the rebel co - pilot Chewbacca , the freighter captain Lohgarra , and the bounty hunter Black Krrsantan . Following the Battle of Endor , the Empire was forced to redeploy Imperial forces based on Kashyyyk due to the threat posed by the New Republic , the government created by the Rebel Alliance . Imperial territory G5 - 623 became an isolated but self - sufficient Imperial remnant under Grand Moff Tolruck which propagated the belief that Emperor Palpatine had not perished aboard the second Death Star . History . Delays . While the New Republic was too preoccupied to send substantial forces to Kashyyyk , the rebel smuggler Han Solo and Chewbacca decided to embark on a half - baked mission to liberate the planet after receiving information from his smuggling contact Imra . In response , Han and Chewbacca rallied a force of smugglers and Wookiees at Warrin Station . However , this information turned out to be a ploy by the Empire to trap Han and Chewbacca , who were two prominent members of the Rebellion . Han managed to escape but Chewie was captured . Two months after embarking on campaign to liberate Kashyyyk , Han Solo tried searching the Outer Rim for his companion . While corresponding with his wife Leia Organa via hologram , Han came under attack . Worried about her husband ' s safety , Leia solicited the help of the New Republic starfighter pilot Lieutenant Norra Wexley in rescuing Han . For this mission , Norra and her Captain Wedge Antilles traveled to the edge of Wild Space in the MK - 4 freighter " Moth " . Tracing the coordinates of the " Millennium Falcon " , the two pilots found a lot of debris within the vicinity . However , Wedge believed that the " Falcon " had survived destruction due to the ship ' s reputation for reliability . Before they could proceed with their mission , Norra and Wedge ' s ship encountered Commander Valent ' s Imperial Star Destroyer " Scythe " . They managed to evade the ship using an Eimalgan Turn but were pursued by TIE fighters . While their hyperdrive was hit , the rebels were rescued by two New Republic warships commanded by Commodore Kyrsta Agate . Commandant Agate ' s Alderaanian escort frigate " Sunspire " and " Starhawk " - class battleship " Concord " decimated the Imperial forces and rescued Norra and Wedge . Back on Chandrila , Norra decided to resign her commission as a New Republic military officer after Fleet Admiral Ackbar ordered her to cease her mission to find Han . Norra regarded Han and Leia as heroes of the Rebellion who had played an important role in the Battle of Endor and refused to turn her back on Han . Free of her military obligations and duties , Norra assembled a team consisting of her son Temmin Wexley , his B1 battle droid Mister Bones , the former Imperial loyalty officer Sinjir Rath Velus , the Zabrak bounty hunter Jas Emari , and the New Republic soldier Jom Barell to rescue Han and Chewbacca . After Han Solo discovered that Chewbacca was being held in an automated prison on Kashyyyk called Ashmead ' s Lock , he traveled to the planet Irudiru ; which was home to the Imperial Siniteen architect Golas Aram . Norra and her team also traveled to Irudiru after Sinjir received a tip from the imprisoned Imperial Adviser Yupe Tashu . Joining forces , the rebels managed to break into Aram ' s well - defended house and forced the Siniteen to share everything he knew about the jail . Raid on Ashmead ' s Lock . Putting their plan into action , Han and Norra ' s rebel band traveled on the " Millennium Falcon " and Jas Emari ' s SS - 54 assault ship " Halo " to Kashyyyk . They found the planet blockaded by a pair of Star Destroyer s , several battleship s , shuttle s , and TIE fighters . When the crew were contacted by the Imperial Star Destroyer " Dominion " , Norra and Sinjir managed to transmit a special Imperial work code claiming that they had been sent to repair the facilities at Ashmead ' s Lock . Using the coordinates that Aram had supplied them with , the rebels forced their way into the automated prison . They quickly encountered the prison ' s automated computer system SOL - GDA , which demanded the security passcode . Unable to supply the password , the rebels were attacked by several security droids . Following a struggle , Jas and Han , at Temmin ' s urging , managed to disable SOL - GDA by disabling the cable linking the computer to its power source : the prisoners , who were being kept in stasis and used as organic generators . Norra and her rebel companions then proceeded to free the prisoners which included her husband and Temmin ' s father Brentin Lore Wexley and the Wookiee Chewbacca . Unknown to the rebels , Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax was monitoring signals from Ashmead ' s Lock . Anticipating that the New Republic would eventually find the prison , Rax had earlier arranged for the Ashmead ' s Lock prisoners to be fitted with bio - chips . He intended for the liberated prisoners to assassinate the New Republic ' s leadership during the upcoming Imperial - Republic peace talks being held on Chandrila . Unaware of Rax ' s plans , the Galactic Senate on Chandrila accepted Sloane ' s offer for peace talks . To avoid provoking the Empire , Chancellor Mothma ordered that New Republic forces not make any official incursions into Kashyyyk . As a sop to Princess Leia , Mothma agreed to raise the matter of Kashyyyk ' s liberation with Sloane . While Leia regarded the freedom of the Wookiees as non - negotiable , she reluctantly agreed while still waiting for her husband Han and Chewie to return home . Hour of the Wookiees . While Norra , Temmin , and Bones returned to Chandrila with the newly liberated prisoners , Han , Chewie , Sinjir , Jas , and Jom stayed behind to continue on their mission to liberate Kashyyyk . After capturing an Imperial command station on the far side of Kashyyyk , Jom and his Wookiee ground team tried to capture an Imperial shuttle platform that would allow them to travel to Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck ' s island fortress . Jom ' s Wookiee companions managed to flee but he was captured by the Imperials . In an attempt to procure information from him , the Imperials gouged out one of his eyes . Sinjir attempted to free Jom by infiltrating Grand Moff Tolruck ' s palace disguised as the Imperial Navy Lieutenant Jorrin Turnbull , who had purportedly come on behalf of Grand Admiral Rae Sloane . However , Tolruck quickly realized that Jom was an intruder and incapacitated him by plunging a Kishakk blade into the back of calf . While Sinjir distracted Tolruck , Han Solo , Jas Emari , Chewie , and their Wookiee team blew up the Imperial deflector shield generator at Camp Sardo , which was near the Wookiee city of Awrathakka . Unaware of the rebel presence , Grand Moff Tolruck visited Jom and Sinjir in his fortress . There , Sinjir was forced to fight the Imperial aide Odair Bel - Opis for the amusement of the Grand Moff and his men . After Odair had bested Sinjir , Tolruck demanded to know why the former Imperial had come to his " lair " . Sinjir responded that he had come for his control module , which controlled the chips in each of the Wookiees on Kashyyyk . Tolruck kept the control module on his person but Sinjir revealed that he had smuggled a hyperwave transceiver spike inside the heel of his boot . This hacked into the control module and disabled the inhibitor chips on the enslaved Wookiees throughout Kashyyyk . Having been abused , murdered , beaten and enslaved by the Empire for decades , the Wookiees immediately revolted en - mass upon realizing the inhibitor chips were offline and attacked Imperial personnel all over Kashyyyk . Wookiees of all ages and sizes seized weapons , fought against Imperial personnel and either commandeered gun turrets or even tore them clear of their moorings . Back at Camp Sardo , Han and Chewie ' s team were attacked by a Low - altitude Imperial transport , which killed the Wookiee fighter Harrgun . However , Chewbacca managed to shoot one of the forest trooper s aboard with his bowcaster . Jas then shot down the LAIT gunship with her slugthrower . Han ' s team were also joined by the former Wookie slave Greybok , his Weequay companion Hatchet and the Quarren Palabar , who had escaped from an Imperial slave mine on Sevarcos . Before Sinjir and Jom could be killed , the Wookiee slaves present attacked the Imperials and the two freed themselves while a Wookiee ripped Odair apart . Within minutes , the Wookiees had secured Camp Sardo and toppled the AT - ST walkers . Jas piloted her gunship " Halo " over the battle and strafed the Imperial AT - AT walkers and LAIT gunships . Despite the revolt in Camp Sardo , many of the settlements were still contained by suppression fields . However , the newly freed Wookiees were able to take over their prisons . Back at Sardo ' s island frotress , Sinjir and Jom confronted Grand Moff Tolruck in his throne room . However , Tolruck responded that he had ordered the orbiting Imperial fleet to bombard Kashyyyk . Tolruck was subsequently killed by his Wookiee servant Cracktooth as revenge for her maltreatment . Space battle . Unknown to the Imperials and Han ' s team , the freelance New Republic slicer Conder Kyl had a probe droid monitoring Imperial fleet movements and traffic in the Kashyyyk system . This probe droid transmitted footage of three Imperial Star Destroyers moving into position to bombard Kashyyyk from space . The probe droid also intercepted comm traffic of Grand Moff Tolruck ordering Rear Admiral Urian Orlan to bombard the planet in response to the Wookiee slave revolt . Conder informed Leia and Chancellor Mon Mothma , who dispatched a fleet to Kashyyyk . The Imperial orbital bombardment caused earthquakes and extensive damage to Kashyyyk ' s surface . After evacuating the liberated Wookiees into the excavated root systems of the wroyshyr tree above Camp Sardo , Han and his team undertook a mission to infiltrate the Imperial Star Destroyer " Dominion " in order to stop the bombardment . The rebels smuggled large webweaver spider s aboard their transport and these were unleashed when the unsuspecting Imperials boarded the transport . The spiders then proceeded to massacre the personnel in the " Dominion " hangar , including Admiral Orlan . Jas then landed her ship " Halo " inside the Star Destroyer and joined the attack . The rebels managed to fight their way through the Star Destroyer but were captured by stormtroopers . Han and his team were brought before Vice Admiral Domm Korgale , who intended to use his prisoners as a bargaining chip to get a seat on Gallius Rax ' s Shadow Council . Befoer Korgale could proceed with his plans , Leia arrived on the " Millennium Falcon " with Wedge ' s Phantom Squadron following in suit . Korgale ordered the " Dominion " and her sister Star Destroyers " Vitiator " and " Neutralizer " to destroy the " paltry " New Republic attackers . However , Fleet Admiral Ackbar arrived on the MC80a star cruiser " Home One " and ordered their surrender . Chewbacca and his rebel comrades broke free and attacked Korgale and his men . After Korgale fled , Han and his team took control of the " Dominion " bridge and used the Star Destroyer to destroy the " Vitiator " , splitting the ship in half . As a result , the " Neutralizer " crew surrendered to the New Republic . With the Imperial fleet defeated , Han and his wife Leia reunited in the " Dominion " hangar bay . Aftermath . Kashyyyk . Following the New Republic ' s liberation of Kashyyyk , Chewbacca led teams of Wookiees to survey the damage caused by the Imperial orbital bombardment and to deal with Imperial holdouts on the planet . The battle ' s outcome also rendered moot Chancellor Mothma ' s suggestion that the New Republic negotiate with Grand Admiral Sloane on the matter of Kashyyyk ' s liberation . Due to their shared experiences , Han Solo and Chewbacca renewed their friendship . Having served his life debt to Han , Chewie stayed behind on Kashyyyk with his family . Despite the surrender of Tolruck ' s ships , Wookiee and New Republic forces conducted mopping up operations against Imperial holdouts on Kashyyyk . One holdout was a child labor camp on the slopes of Mount Arayakyak , which lay near a defoliated jungle . While Commandant Dessard and his men managed to reassert their authority over the Wookiee children through shock - lance s and blaster s , they were demoralized by the disabling of the inhibitor chips . One Wookiee slave named Lumpawaroo attempted an escape but was cornered by Dessard and his men . However , Dessard ' s forces were wiped out by a joint Wookiee and New Republic soldiers including Chewbacca and Greybok . Waroo experienced an emotional reunion with his father . New Republic . Despite the events on Kashyyyk , the New Republic ' s victory was overshadowed by reports that the Ashmead Lock ' s prisoners had involuntarily attacked New Republic leaders during the Liberation Day celebrations on Chandrila ' s Hanna City . This set the stage for the Battle of Jakku , which ended the Galactic Civil War in favor of the New Republic . Despite her role in liberating Kashyyyk , Princess Leia ' s actions made her unpopular with the Senate for a while . In addition , disciplinary action was taken against elements of the New Republic military which had participated in Kashyyyk outside of the official chain of command . While Phantom Squadron was publicly praised , the unit was disbanded and many of its pilots were relegated to desk jobs . One Phantom pilot even resigned out of frustration . However , the squadron was re - established just shortly before the Battle of Jakku . Jom Barell was also dismissed from the New Republic Special Forces but managed to rejoin the unit and see action on Jakku . Behind the scenes . The liberation of Kashyyyk was first mentioned in the 2015 reference book " " . Its origins were first referenced in Chuck Wendig ' s 2015 novel " Aftermath " . The battle is also explored in detail in Wendig ' s 2016 novel " " , the second installment in " " . The liberation also briefly appears in Wendig ' s 2017 novel " " .