Yavin blockade

This article details a subject that falls under the Legends brand.The subject of this article appeared in the Rebellion era.
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### Previous

* Battle of Yavin
* Royal Award Ceremony
* Battle of Sarapin
* Second Battle of Ord Biniir
* Battle of Aargonar

### Concurrent

* Raid on Fara's Belt
* Battle of The Keeper's World
* Skirmish on Aduba-3
* Battle against *Liquidator*
* Battle of Aduba-3
* Battle of Maridun
* Battle of Drexel
* Battle of Solem
* Attack on a Dubravan bar
* Mission to Jazbina
* Assault on Ultaar
* Duel on Centares
* Mission to Metalorn
* Ambush on Tirahnn
* Battle of Skye
* Space Battle at Yavin 4
* Battle of Ithor
* Mission to Tatooine
* Duel aboard the Tagge Mining Explorer
* Battle of the Corridor
* Rescue of Domina Tagge
* Mission to Monastery
* Mission to Jarnollen
* Mission to Ord Mantell
* Mission to Fondor
* Raid on Kabal
* Battle of Taanab
* Destruction of Laakteen Depot
* Battle of Daluuj
* Skirmish in the Feswe Corridor
* Evacuation of Yavin
* Battle of the Vallusk Cluster
* Battle of Kli'aar
* Battle of Pinoora

### Next

* Battle of the *Hungry Ghost*
* Defense of the *Anvil*

## Yavin blockade

### Outcome

* Imperial containment of the Rebels for six months
* Rebels forced to flee during the Evacuation of Yavin

Commanders| * Luke Skywalker
* General Jan Dodonna
* Admiral Gial Ackbar
* Admiral Amise Griff †
* General Ulric Tagge
* Colonel Brenn Tantor

Strength| Naval forces* Mon Calamari Star Cruisers
* EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates
* DP20 frigates
* CR90 corvettes
* GR-75 medium transports
* 1 modified YT-2000 light freighter
	+ *Millennium Falcon*
* RZ-1 A-wing interceptors
* T-65 X-wing starfighters
* BTL Y-wing starfighters

Ground forces* Rebel Armored Freerunners
* AAC-1 speeder tanks
* AAC-2 hovertanks
* Rebel combat speeders
* 74-Z speeder bikes
* Rebel troopers
* 1.4 FD P-Towers
* DF.9 anti-infantry batteries
	+ *Executor*
* Battlecruisers
	+ Tagge battlecruisers
		- General Tagge's battlecruiser
	+ Captain Wermis's battlecruiser
* *Imperial*-class Star Destroyers
* *Victory I*-class Star Destroyers
* Immobilizer 418 cruisers
* Victory II-class frigates
* Y-85 Titan dropships
* TIE/sa bombers
* TIE/IN interceptors
* TIE/LN starfighters
* Two weapons
	+ Achtnak Turbine Station
	+ Omega Frost

Ground forces* AT-AT walkers
* HAVw A5 Juggernauts
* PX-4 Mobile Command Bases
* AT-ST walkers
* LAVr QH-7 Chariots
* 74-Z speeder bikes
* 501st Legion
	+ Stormtroopers
	+ Shock troopers
* Scout troopers
	+ Imperial officers
	+ Imperial engineers
	+ Imperial Marines
	+ Imperial pilots
	+ Phase Zero dark troopers

Casualties| * Vrad Dodonna
* Three high-ranking Bothan officers
* Much of Rebel ships and their crews
* Heavy infantry losses
* Three Star Destroyers in accidental collision and their crews
* Minimal casualties otherwise

The **Yavin blockade**, also known as the **blockade of Yavin** or the **Blockade of Yavin 4**, was a military action conducted by the Galactic Empire after the destruction of the Death Star in 0 ABY.

## History

### The siege

 File:Imp troops Yavin.jpg
After the destruction of the first Death Star, the Rebel Alliance prepared to evacuate the jungle moon, fearing Imperial reprisals. Fortunately, most of the Rebel fleet, including the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers under Gial Ackbar and the refugee ships containing the Alliance government, had not been present during the battle and were scattered throughout the galaxy.

General Dodonna began organizing the evacuation of the Yavin base almost immediately after the Death Star's destruction. However, before the base staff could be evacuated, an armada of Imperial ships including Immobilizer 418 cruisers appeared in the Yavin system. Instead of attacking, the Imperial ships formed a blockade that prevented the Rebels from escaping into hyperspace.

In fact, this blockade had been ordered by Darth Vader himself, who wanted to capture leading Rebels. The blockade was so extensive, it surrounded the entire Gordian Reach Sector. Though it was a large blockade, smaller ships could escape, while the large transports and capital ships were prevented from leaving. The blockade was more political than military, because the Empire didn't want the galaxy to know that an enemy was threatening it. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and Han Solo managed to escape the blockade multiple times. Once to the Wheel, to Hoth, Drexel, Aduba-3, Akuria II, Keeper's World and other planets. The blockade itself lasted six months, with many other events happening across the galaxy during the siege. Sometime during that time, Tyber Zann searched the debris of the first Death Star, locating several jettisoned pods that contained secret plans to the *Eclipse* and other plans. His forces were able to escape successfully before the Imperials arrived in force to eliminate them.

Meanwhile, the Super Star Destroyer *Executor* was nearing completion at the shipyards of Fondor. This mighty ship could take on an entire armada of smaller vessels and would serve as Vader's flagship. In retaliation for the destruction of the first Death Star, Vader wanted to use the *Executor* against the Rebels.

### House of Tagge intrigues

The original commander for the blockade was General Ulric Tagge and was assisted by his family's company, led by Baron Orman Tagge. Several Tagge battlecruisers helped take part in the blockade. It was Orman Tagge's goal to gain favor with the Emperor, by creating a rivalry with Darth Vader, and humiliating him. Orman Tagge used his vast resources of TaggeCo to develop weapons to defeat the Alliance at Yavin.

The first was a station in the planet of Yavin that carried a turbine to allow fighters through the turbulent atmosphere, called the Achtnak Turbine Station. TIE/LN starfighters used this station as a depot to allow them to maintain a continuous siege of Yavin 4. This station was eventually destroyed by Luke Skywalker, who along with Princess Leia was ambushed by the TIE fighters while returning from another assignment.

The second attempt used a new freezing bomb weapon, the Omega Frost. Han Solo led a Rebel fleet through an unknown gap of the Imperial fleet. Luke Skywalker managed to destroy the firing mechanism, and the Alliance fleet attacked Orman Tagge's fleet and led to his defeat. After this failure, Vader held Orman and Silas Tagge prisoner, and thus had leverage over Ulric Tagge, who believed his brothers dead, assumed the title Baron Tagge and retired from the military.

### Admiral Griff's involvement

 File:AttackonYavin.jpg
At the same time, Darth Vader was being pressured by Imperial commanders to strike, having lost patience in the blockade and its failure to contain Luke Skywalker and other Rebels. A group of Admirals secretly revealed the existence of the Super Star Destroyer being built at Fondor to the Rebels. Skywalker led a team to sabotage the completion of the *Executor*, though they were betrayed and most of the task force was killed. Admiral Amise Griff, one of the treasonous admirals, was actually a spy for the Sith Lord. Vader killed the admirals for their betrayal. Vader rewarded Griff by placing him in command of the blockade. Griff launched stunning raids on the Massassi base on Yavin IV. His TIE fighters were slowly winning the battle of attrition. During another mission, Luke discovered the arctic planet of Hoth. After returning, he suggested to the Alliance that they evacuate to Hoth and set up another base there. A third mission was the Mission to Dantooine, where Tycho Celchu defected to the Alliance.

Around the same time, Princess Leia had attended a conference of uncommitted systems on Kabal, where she met with Silver Fyre, leader of the Aquaris Freeholders and convinced her to bring their considerable fleet of small ships over to the side of the Rebels. Leia also sent Han Solo on a quest for a near-fabled power gem, in an attempt to use it against the *Executor*. Fortunately for the Rebellion, the Princess and Fyre's fleet ran the blockade and defeated the TIE fighters. The Empire continued to besiege the base, launching several raids to destroy transports and kill leaders.

### Evacuation

Main article: Evacuation of Yavin
When the Super Star Destroyer *Executor* was finished, Vader led a final strike on the base with his new flagship. At the advice of Luke Skywalker to relocate to Hoth, the Alliance evacuated the last of the base, and attempted to delay the arrival of the Super Star Destroyer. The first attempt failed, and its commander, Vrad Dodonna, fled the battle, damaging his own ship to appear he barely escaped. Luke Skywalker caught Vrad from escaping, but did not want to hurt General Dodonna's feelings for his son. Vrad and Luke then volunteered on a mission to use a power gem to weaken the Executor's shields. Vrad, however, left Luke behind to escape on his own and sell the power gem. Attacked by the *Executor*, Vrad was forced to change course and rammed the ship. As the *Executor* redirected all power to its forward shields, the *Millennium Falcon* damaged the ship's rear. Unable to strike the Rebel Base, Darth Vader called upon Admiral Griff at Jovan Station to use the blockade force. Admiral Griff responded by sending a TIE/sa bomber fleet to destroy the base. However, General Dodonna detonated the temple—the blast destroyed the bomber fleet. This allowed the last Alliance transport to escape.

In preparations for the evacuation, X2 and Shara were assigned to locate a transponder containing recognition codes to bypass the blockade located within the wreckage of the Death Star. Amidst the debris field, the two Rebel pilots fought a number of TIE Fighters over the transponder. The Rebels emerged victorious and managed to reclaim the device.

### Final actions

Despite successfully evacuating the base, the Rebels were still faced with escaping from the Imperial blockade. Rebel-aligned Admiral Gial Ackbar and his Mon Calamari forces attacked the Vallusk Cluster and two other locations along the blockade as a diversion. This allowed a gap in the blockade for the Alliance to escape. Admiral Griff was not fooled, and sent his three Star Destroyers to a nearby star to hide and wait to ambush the Rebel fleet. Luckily, Luke Skywalker discovered the Star Destroyers and warned them.

 File:Rebels leave Yavin.jpg
Instead, Princess Leia led the fleet through a stellar flare around the star, with Skywalker guiding them through the Force. Meanwhile, with the repairs complete, Darth Vader and the *Executor* awaited on the other side of the star to ambush the fleet. Darth Vader had used Griff to draw the Alliance near him, and exhaust them. But the ambitious Griff, foolishly miscalculated a hyperspace leap to catch the Alliance, and his three Star Destroyers collided into the *Executor*. Admiral Griff was killed, but fortunately for Vader, the *Executor's* shields protected him from the collision. This event allowed the Alliance to escape. The Alliance finally escaped the Imperial blockade and spent a year relocating to Hoth and building Echo Base.

## Appearances

* *Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption*
* *Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike* (Mentioned only)
* *Star Wars 3-D 2: Havoc on Hoth*
* *Star Wars 25: Siege at Yavin* (First appearance)
* *Star Wars 26: Doom Mission*
* *Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter*
* *Star Wars 29: Dark Encounter*
* *Star Wars 30: A Princess Alone* (Indirect mention only)
* *Star Wars 31: Return to Tatooine* (Mentioned only)
* *Star Wars 33: Saber Clash* (Mentioned only)
* *Star Wars 34: Thunder in the Stars* (Mentioned only)
* *Star Wars 35: Dark Lord's Gambit*
* *Traitor's Gambit*
* *The Night Beast*
* *The Return of Ben Kenobi*
* *The Power Gem*
* *Iceworld*
* *Revenge of the Jedi*
* *Doom Mission*
* *Race for Survival*
* *Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds*
* *Star Wars: Battlefront*
* *Star Wars: Battlefront II*
* *Star Wars: Force Commander*
* *Star Wars: Dark Forces*
* *Empire 19: Target: Vader* (Mentioned only)
* Template:Journal (Mentioned only)
* *Star Wars 50: The Crimson Forever* (Appears in flashback(s))
* *The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader* (Mentioned only)

## Sources

* *Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded*
* *Star Wars Encyclopedia* Template:1stID
* *Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide*
* *Anakin Skywalker: The Story of Darth Vader*
* *C-3PO: Tales of the Golden Droid*
* Template:FFCite
* *The Essential Chronology*
* *Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds* Template:1stID
* *Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 8*
* *Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 10*
* *Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 14*
* *The New Essential Chronology*
* *The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia*
* *The Essential Atlas* Template:1stID
* *The Essential Guide to Warfare*
* *Strongholds of Resistance*

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Star Wars*: Episode IV *A New Hope*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Star Wars: Force Commander*
3. ↑ *X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel*
4. ↑ *Rebellion Era Sourcebook*
5. ↑ Template:Hyperspace
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *The Keeper's World*
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Star Wars 7: New Planets, New Perils!*
8. ↑ *Star Wars Missions 3: Attack on Delrakkin*
9. ↑ *Star Wars Missions 4: Destroy the Liquidator*
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 *Star Wars 9: Showdown on a Wasteland World!*
11. ↑ *Star Wars 10: Behemoth from the World Below*
12. ↑ *Star Wars: Empire: To the Last Man*
13. ↑ *Star Wars 12: Doomworld!*
14. ↑ *Star Wars 13: Day of the Dragon Lords!*
15. ↑ *Star Wars 14: The Sound of Armageddon*
16. ↑ *Star Wars 15: Star Duel*
17. ↑ *Empire 7: Sacrifice*
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 *Vader's Quest*
19. ↑ *Star Wars 21: Shadow of a Dark Lord*
20. ↑ *Star Wars 29: Dark Encounter*
21. ↑ *Star Wars 30: A Princess Alone*
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 *Star Wars Annual 1: The Long Hunt*
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 *Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption*
24. ↑ *Star Wars Missions 7: Ithorian Invasion*
25. ↑ *Star Wars 31: Return to Tatooine*
26. ↑ *Star Wars 33: Saber Clash*
27. ↑ *Star Wars 34: Thunder in the Stars*
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 *Star Wars 35: Dark Lord's Gambit*
29. ↑ *Star Wars 36: Red Queen Rising*
30. ↑ *Star Wars 37: In Mortal Combat*
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 *The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell*
32. ↑ *Darth Vader Strikes*
33. ↑ *Deadly Reunion*
34. ↑ *The Essential Guide to Warfare*
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 *Revenge of the Jedi*
36. ↑ *Entrenched*
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 *Doom Mission*
38. ↑ *Race for Survival*
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 *The Essential Atlas*
40. ↑ Template:Tales
41. ↑ *Star Wars: X-Wing Tour of Duty: Imperial Pursuit*
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 *The Essential Chronology*
43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 43.3 *Star Wars 25: Siege at Yavin*
44. ↑ *Star Wars: Battlefront*
45. ↑ *Star Wars 18: The Empire Strikes*
46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 *Iceworld*
47. ↑ *The Kingdom of Ice*
48. ↑ *Darth Vader Strikes*
49. ↑ *Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike*
50. ↑ *Traitor's Gambit*

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