Battle of Hoth ( 2 ABY ) This Battle of Hoth occurred around 2 ABY , when Imperial forces visited Hoth in search of the Nightsister Kyrisa and discovered a small Rebel outpost there . Prelude . After losing an intense struggle for leadership with Clan mother Gethzerion , the Nightsister Kyrisa was exiled from Dathomir and eventually crash - landed on Hoth . Taking refuge deep within the icy caverns , she used her mastery of the Force ability animal bond to take control of wampas and other local creatures , creating a new pack of minions that obeyed all of her commands , both mental and spoken . Her manipulation of the beast was so complete , that it attracted many forces of the galactic scale . A Dark Jedi Namman Cha intended to recruit the Nightsister into the service of the Emperor . He learned that her starship had crashed on Hoth and set out on the mission to find her . The Imperial Security Bureau leader Blackhole also was interested in the Nightsister , having several ideas for the use of beast mastery in the espionage , he set a small detachment of ISB agents led by captain Jeffren Brek to aid Cha in his search . Cha ' s involvement had also became known to his old enemy Rachi Sitra , a Jedi Knight aiding the Rebel Alliance . Sitra learned from the Dathomiri Witches from the Singing Mountain Clan of the danger Kyrisa represented and , determined not to let her be found by the Empire , traveled to Hoth with a mission to find her first . During that time , the Alliance to Restore the Republic had discovered the distant planet Hoth and established a small outpost there , evaluating the potential of building a larger base . The Alliance High Command began to think that Hoth could be the location of the next important base for the Alliance . Eventually the multiple parties looking for the Nightsister on the surface of the planet began encountering resistance from Kyrisa ' s beasts , as well as each other . While on Tauntaun patrol , Han Solo and Col Serra encountered an Imperial looking for the Nightsister , but were unable to apprehend him due to a snowstorm . At the same time , a squad of snowtroopers led by Jeffren Brek stumbled across a group of Alliance Special Forces members and battled them until the storm made it impossible to continue . Brek did not expect any Rebel to be present on the planet and sent a scout to investigate their outpost - which at that time consisted of nothing but a handful of temporary structures and multiple stacks of boxes . Before he could get any holovids , the scout was spotted by a Rebel patrol led by Leia Organa and was forced to flee . The battle . When the presence of the outpost was confirmed , the Imperial forces requested reinforcements to deal with it . By the demand of Maximilian Veers , they were provided with heavy weaponry and even several light walkers . Colonel Adrick was in charge of the operation and soon he led one AT - ST , two AT - PTs and a squad of snowtroopers to the small outpost . However , the detachment was spotted by Han Solo during his patrol , prompting him to return to the outpost and inform the chief of security Bren Derlin . Derlin quickly put a well - rehearsed defensive plan into motion , and the troopers have taken their positions along the perimeter of the outpost . The initial assault by squad of snowtroopers escorting the AT - PTs on foot was met with heavy blaster fire , forcing them to temporary fall back . However , soon the AT - ST arrived for support and began blazing away at Rebel positions . Eventually , the SpecForce heavy weapons managed to cripple the walkers . Regardless , the snowtroopers were still putting up a good fight , and the Alliance had lost many good men . The battle ended when another blizzard began , engulfing both armies and making it impossible for them to continue . The Rebel forces have retreated back to the temporary shelters in the outpost . Aftermath . About an hour later , when the storm was over , the Alliance forces returned outside the outpost perimeter and began to examine the battlefield . They found a few of the Imperial bodies and discovered that one of the light AT - PTs was carried away by the wintry blast . Several patrols were formed to reconnoiter the immediate area , but no signs of the Imperials were found : with nowhere to hide , they were swept away by the full force of the storm . The Rebel outpost on Hoth remained concealed from the Galactic Empire and eventually evolved into the well - equipped Echo Base . The Nightsister Kyrisa had also eventually left the planet after Dark Jedi Namman Cha eventually to track her by following her beasts and , after a fierce lightsaber clash , persuaded her to join him . Unbeknown to Rebels , a few Imperials , including Brek , survived the mission to Hoth due to not having participated in the final battle . Several days later , they made their way aboard the " Devastator " and presented their report to their superior , General Nevar . However , the incompetent General refused to believe in the Rebel presence on a planet as worthless as Hoth without solid evidence . Stating that the mission was nothing but a ridiculous adventure from the beginning , he deleted the reports , leaving the Empire oblivious about the base that the Alliance was building on Hoth until it was rediscovered by a Viper probe droid over a year later . Behind the scenes . This battle first appeared in " The Nightsister ' s Revenge " , an expansion of the " Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game " and takes place more than a year before the well - known Battle of Hoth first shown in . Though at first glance the existence of this battle may be viewed as a continuity error , this battle does not contradict the canon , because at the end the Rebellion believes their outpost to remain unknown to the Empire due to all Imperial forces being wiped out , and the few survivors are disbelieved at their return .