Battle of Ponolapo

The Battle of Ponolapo was a battle of the Galactic Civil War fought by the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, a small rebel fleet ambushed an Imperial convoy being escorted by the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Steadfast, killing its commanding officer, Commodore Freylon and destroying most of the convoy.
==Prelude==
Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, the criminal organization Crimson Dawn fought a war with the Galactic Empire. Although the Empire defeated Crimson Dawn, it had pulled ships from service to do so, leaving gaps in fleet deployments. At the same time, the Empire was fighting against the Alliance to Restore the Republic in the Galactic Civil War. Although both sides were engaging in a number of small skirmishes, both the Empire and rebels were unable to win a decisive engagement to shift the balance of power in the galaxy. 
==Battle==
One such skirmish was the Battle of Ponolapo, which occurred between 3 ABY and 4 ABY when a small rebel fleet ambushed an Imperial convoy being escorted by the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Steadfast. Due to the conflict with Crimson Dawn, the Steadfast did not have its usual accompaniment of several Gozanti or Arquitens light cruisers, which allowed the rebels to destroy most of the convoy and damage the Steadfast, killing its commanding officer, Commodore Freylon.
==Aftermath==
After the battle, Commodore Scaanos replaced Freylon as the commanding officer of the Steadfast. This infuriated Captain Enric Pryde, the longest serving crewmember of the Steadfast, who believed he should have received the command instead. The day after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY,The events of "The Steadfast Soldier" take place the day after the Battle of Endor, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 4 ABY. As Timelines also dates the events of Shattered Empire 1, which also take place the day after the battle, to the same year, "The Steadfast Soldier" must also take place in 4 ABY. Pryde recalled the battle while thinking about his dislike of Scaanos. Pryde believed that Freylon's carelessness was the reason for his death at the battle.
A file on the Battle of Ponolapo was located in the Rebel Alliance Archives, and information on the battle was also contained in Freylon's obituary, which was stored in the "Imperial Navy" section of the Imperial Archives. The historian Beaumont Kin referenced both files when heStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary mentioned the battle in his book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire in 35 ABY.
==Behind the scenes==
The Battle of Ponolapo was first mentioned in the short story "The Steadfast Soldier", written by Adam Christopher and published in the 2023 anthology From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi. The story, which took place in 4 ABY, established that the battle occurred at least four years before its events. However, the 2024 reference book, Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, by Dr. Chris Kempshall, placed the battle between Crimson Dawn's war against the Empire and the Battle of Endor, meaning it must have occurred in either 3 ABY or 4 ABY. This article assumes Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire placement of the battle is correct.
==Appearances==
* 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of the Galactic Civil War