Garel

Garel was a planet located in the Garel system of the Outer Rim Territories' Lothal sector that was controlled by the Galactic Empire. It was the homeworld of Imperial Supply Master Yogar Lyste. Garel was several minutes away from the planet Lothal via hyperspace travel. Several years before the Battle of Yavin, the rebel Phoenix Cell established a temporary hiding place on Garel. The rebels were forced to move after the Empire discovered their presence and assembled a fleet to attack them. Many years later, individuals such as Ushos O. Statura fought to liberate Garel from the yoke of the Galactic Empire.
==Description==
Garel was a rocky world with dry temperate deserts that was located within the Lothal sector of the Outer Rim Territories. It was known for its tall, wind-carved sedimentary rock formations, its purple twilight sky, and its cities built in large craters, such as Garel City. Garel served as a major shipping hub within the Lothal sector, though during the Imperial Era it was also home to several criminal organizations such as the Black Sun and the Broken Horn Syndicate. Due to its proximity to the planet Lothal, there was a large amount of trade and travel between the two worlds.
==History==
During the reign of the Empire, Janyor of Bith erected a statue to commemorate the fifteen year anniversary of the end of the Clone Wars; the statue was considered scandalously critical of the Empire and was torn down some years later. A small group staged an impromptu protest, but was quelled by local authorities. According to the Imperial propaganda announcer Alton Kastle, the official reason behind the statue's destruction was a belief by the Coalition for Progress division of COMPNOR that the statue was a danger to the public. The Imperial reaction spurred many citizens to sympathize with or join dissident movements.
After joining the crew of the Ghost, Ezra Bridger and his new rebel "family" accepted a job from the Devaronian crime lord Cikatro Vizago to steal a shipment of Imperial T-7 ion disruptor rifles from a warehouse in Garel City Spaceport. While picking up the rifles, they were pursued by Imperial forces led by the Imperial Minister Maketh Tua, who wanted to mass produce them on Lothal. During their trip to Garel, the rebels also picked up two hitchhikers, the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, who had been sent by the Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa to prevent the rifles from falling into the hands of the Empire. After escaping Garel, they managed to destroy the rifles during a skirmish with Imperial forces on Lothal.
Following an Imperial crackdown in response to the Lothal insurgency, the slicer Merei Spanjaf, her family, the Leonis family, the nanny droid Auntie Nags, and the poet Holshef fled to Garel with the help of the Ithorian bartender Old Jho and the crew of the Ghost. Later, they were joined by Zare Leonis and his sister Dhara, who had been rescued from the Arkanis Imperial Academy. Merei's father Gandr created false identities for both his family and the Leonises.Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy
After the destruction of Phoenix Cell's flagship, Phoenix Home, the rebels set up a presence on Garel and hid in the planet's sprawling spaceports. By this stage, the crew of the Ghost had joined Phoenix Squadron, which was part of a wider rebel network. During a mission to scavenge fuel cells for the planet Rinn, which was experiencing an energy crisis, Commander Jun Sato sent the crew of the Ghost to search the streets of Garel City for fuel cells. However, Ezra and the astromech droid Chopper managed to obtained five power generators during an unauthorized mission to rescue Vizago.
Later, the new Phoenix Leader, Hera Syndulla, dispatched two Phoenix cell members to pick up starfighter parts from the marketplace in Garel City. She also sent Sabine Wren, along with Ezra and Chopper, on a mission to Garel City Spaceport to pick up a mysterious courier and transport him offworld to Havoc Outpost. This mysterious courier turned out to be the GNK-series power droid EG-86, who was carrying information vital to the rebel network. Before the crew of the Ghost could pick up EG-86, they were cornered by the Black Sun bounty hunter Ketsu Onyo, who was a former acquaintance of Sabine. Following a skirmish with Imperial stormtroopers, Sabine and Chopper managed to flee into space but were pursued by Ketsu. After an Arquitens-class command cruiser arrived, Sabine joined forces with her former adversary to transport EG-86 to Havoc Outpost.
After Ezra and Commander Sato were captured by an Imperial Interdictor in the Del Zennis system, Garazeb Orrelios ambushed two stormtroopers. The rebels stripped off their armor, which was used during a successful mission to rescue their rebel comrades from the Imperial Interdictor. Later, the former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano visited her rebel allies Kanan Jarrus and Ezra on Garel to enlist their support for a mission to investigate the Inquisitors' secondary mission, which they subsequently learned involved kidnapping Force-sensitive children. While on Takobo, Ezra accidentally revealed to one of the Seventh Sister's ID9 seeker droids that the Phoenix rebels were hiding on Garel.
Using this information, Imperial forces based on Lothal launched an assault on Garel in order to crush the Phoenix rebels. Imperial stormtroopers in Garel City also took part in the assault. After fighting Imperial ground forces, the crew of the Ghost and several rebel ships managed to take off but were immediately fired upon by the Imperial fleet, which included several Star Destroyers and TIE fighters. At least one of the Phoenix Cell's ships was shot down and crashed onto the streets of Garel City. Several Imperial laser blasts also hit civilian targets on Garel City.
During the assault, Admiral Kassius Konstantine's Star Destroyer Relentless caught Commander Sato's CR90 corvette in a tractor beam projector. However, Hera used the Ghost to knock out the tractor beam, allowing Sato and the rest of the Phoenix fleet to jump into hyperspace. Meanwhile Ezra, along with Kanan and Chopper, departed on the Ghost auxiliary shuttle the Phantom for Lothal to find his parents Ephraim and Mira Bridger.
Some time before the Cyrkon Extraction, the smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca worked with Akko and his gang in a scam on Garel.Age of Rebellion - Han Solo 1
Garel would maintain an Imperial presence in the form of an Imperial Complex. A munitions factory was opened there between 3 ABY and 4 ABY,The events of Bounty Hunters 24, including the death of Skarhorn on Garel, take place after the Escape from Cloud City and before the Rescue of Han Solo, which are dated to 3 ABY and 4 ABY, respectively, by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas.
Ushos O. Statura was born on Garel and, when he was a teenager, fought to free the planet from the Empire's oppression.
==Behind the scenes==
Garel first appeared as a hologram in "HoloNet News Special Report: Controversial Statue Finally Destroyed", the fourth in a series of exclusive Holonetnews.com videos related to the animated television series Star Wars Rebels, which was first published on September 5, 2014.
==Appearances==
===Non-canon appearances===
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==Sources==
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Category:Desert planets
Category:First Order planets
Category:Galactic Empire planets
Category:Lothal sector planets
Category:Rocky planets