Mon Calamari Resistance The Mon Calamari Resistance was an anti - Imperial resistance movement , led by Gial Ackbar and key members of the Mon Calamari Council on Mon Calamari during the early years of the New Order . It later became one of the key members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic . History . Foundation . Within months of the establishment of the Galactic Empire and its New Order , Imperial forces began subjugating key nonhuman worlds . First to fall was Kashyyyk , falling almost immediately in the aftermath of the end of the Clone Wars . The Empire viewed the technologically advanced world of Mon Calamari , with its massive shipyards and rich mineral deposits , as an ideal prize . This was further backed by a desire to turn the native Mon Calamari and Quarren into slave labor . The Imperial government hoped that control of the world and its shipyards would aid in maintaining a substantial military force to weaken the power of the Tion Cluster and limit any anti - Imperial worlds along the final stretch of the Perlemian Trade Route . Following the Mon Calamarian ' s failed attempt to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Empire , a group disgruntled Quarren lowered the planet ' s defensive shield network when an Imperial fleet arrived . Caught off guard , the world fell to Imperial forces . Native Mon Cals and Quarren alike were enslaved and put to work , devoting their resources to the growth of the Imperial war machine . Early resistance . The opening stages of Mon Calamari ' s resistance to the Empire were relatively passive . For almost two decades , the Mon Calamarians and Quarren sabotaged equipment , instigated industrial delays , and engaged in protests . Gial Ackbar , a Mon Cal naval officer and member of the Calamarian Council , planted the seeds of what would become the resistance . Unfortunately , Ackbar was captured and became the personal slave of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin . The first response from the Empire included a major propaganda effort , during which sentientologist Obo Rin published works claiming that the world had been discovered by " Imperial " scouts . Such efforts were designed to reduce the worlds several hundred years of history with the Old Republic . When the Mon Calamarians and Quarren still resisted , the Empire chose a more aggressive method of cowing resistance . An Imperial fleet stationed in the Calamari Sector initiated an orbital bombardment , destroying three floating cities . Revolt . Instead of extinguishing the resistance , it pushed the world ' s natives into open rebellion . Following plans first set down by Ackbar and other key resistance leaders , Mon Cals and Quarren put aside their longstanding differences and united to oppose the Empire . At first they had nothing more to fight with than kitchen equipment and tools . Soon after caches of weapons hidden over years of occupation came into use . Imperial warships using the shipyards for repairs were sabotaged . Secret shipbuilding facilities hidden throughout the Calamari system and under the planet ' s oceans began outfitting starships for combat . Mon Calamari privateers harried the sector ' s Imperial fleet . Faced with mounting losses and a major uprising , the Empire withdrew from the sector . Aftermath . The Mon Calamarian and Quarren victory over the Empire was a major boost to the worlds of the galaxy resisting the Empire . A few years before the Battle of Yavin the Alliance to Restore the Republic leader Mon Mothma negotiated a deal with the planet , gaining access to the famed shipyards . Yet , the Mon Calamari did not formally join the new Alliance . Fears over Quarren outrage over an alliance with Human resistance groups led the Calamarian Council to avoid becoming full members . However , many Mon Calamari ships and crews entered Alliance service . Warships from the Rebel Alliance Fleet were dispatched to protect the sector , while the famous Ackbar became an unofficial member of the Alliance High Command . Soul of the Rebellion . Following the major Alliance victory at Yavin , the Calamarian Council decided to become full - fledged members of the Alliance . The world became one of the few openly Alliance worlds in the Galaxy . Ackbar rose to the rank of admiral and became the Supreme Commander of the Alliance Fleet Command . The world ' s massive starliners and exploration craft were converted into warships . These Mon Calamari Star Cruiser s became the backbone of the Rebel fleet . The devotion of the Mon Cals in particular to the cause of the Rebellion earned them the nickname " Soul of the Rebellion " .