Subjugation of Ralltiir The Subjugation of Ralltiir initially occurred about three weeks prior to the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY , but an insurgency would go on for years afterwards . Prologue . The Ralltiiri High Council began to oppose the Galactic Empire in the early period of the Galactic Civil War , and much of the population were becoming sympathetic to the cause of the Alliance to Restore the Republic . The Empire initially countered this by infiltrating and sabotaging Ralltiiri banking accounts of non - humans and Rebel sympathizers , making the financial center useless to numerous factions throughout the galaxy . Due to the high amount of Rebels and Rebel sympathizers present on the planet and Rebel - supported counteractions against the financial records , the Imperial task force leader , Lord Tion , was ordered to quell Rebel activity in the system . The takeover . The planet was bombarded by an Imperial fleet led by Tion ' s " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer " Devastator " . Despite an attack made on the flagship by the Griffon Flight Wing , the operation continued as planned . Ground troops landed in the capital of Cambriele and began to root out Rebel elements , while also shutting down the city , effectively crippling the Rebel network before it could react . The High Council was eliminated as a demonstration of the futility of rebellion , people suspected of having ties to the Alliance were executed , and the population at large were herded into death camps . Martial law was declared . Tion also sealed off the entire Ralltiir system and would not even permit relief organizations to travel through the blockade . This severely damaged commerce in the Darpa sector . Darth Vader also arrived on the planet to oversee its subjugation , though he held no command of the task force itself . Princess Leia ' s mission . While the " purification " campaign was taking place , Princess Leia Organa ' s ship , the " Tantive IV " , landed in the capital ' s spaceport . She was officially on a diplomatic mission to deliver spare parts and medical supplies to the High Council of Ralltiir ; unbeknownst to the Empire , her cargo was secretly military - grade equipment meant for Alliance operatives . A Ralltiir Rebel named Basso had information about the Death Star project implanted into his memory . Having made his way to the space port along with a small team of Rebel operatives , he attempted to reach the princess and get the information safely delivered to the Alliance . During the diversionary attack , Basso was injured , but he made his way to Organa ' s entourage and was hidden inside her landspeeder . Finding the situation to be deteriorating , and having a wounded Rebel in tow , the princess decided to leave the world immediately . She nearly had her cover blown when she encountered Darth Vader , who demanded to search through her cargo . Tion also activated a surveillance system allowing him to monitor any spoken conversation in the city . Using Lord Tion ' s affections for her and the fact that any search would have to be cleared with him for it to be legal , Organa managed to escape the planet with her cargo and passenger secure . Aftermath . When the blockade was finally lifted , Ralltiir was still occupied by Imperial forces . This led to commercial interests relocating to other worlds as Ralltiir was no longer seen as a free and stable financial center . This led to a decline in the system ' s economy , eventually crippling it . After the initial military operation , Ralltiir saw a long - lasting campaign between Imperial and Rebel forces , with the planet remaining a hotbed of Rebel activity . This was partially due to the corrupt Imperial Governor Dennix Graeber , who had been installed as a puppet leader by Tion , to oversee public Rebel executions and the enforcement of harsh restrictions . Graeber secretly sold arms to Rebel cells on the planet , thus strengthening them and increasing their activity on the planet . This led Emperor Palpatine to increase the military operations on Ralltiir , giving Graeber a reason to continue the brutality that had begun in 1 BBY . Ralltiir ' s landscapes were devastated in the fighting and little order existed . Significant events during this period included the Ettam massacre , four days before the Battle of Yavin , and the Battle of Ralltiir one year later . Due to its recent horrific history and role in securing knowledge about the first Death Star , Ralltiir was one of the first planets to receive aid from the New Republic after the Battle of Endor . It became the first Core World liberated from the Empire by the Republic ' s military forces .