Before the Battle of Yavin Four years before the Battle of Yavin, Rebel pilot
Cassian Andor lands on the planet in a stolen Imperial prototype, the TIE Avenger. He expects to deliver the ship to another Rebel pilot but is ambushed by a rogue band of squabbling guerillas, the Maya Pei Brigade. Over the course of two days, the brigade constantly bicker amongst themselves, leading to Cassian being able to break himself free in the squabble and escape in the TIE Avenger. Years later, military leader
Jan Dodonna founded a rebel cell on Yavin 4. He called it the Massassi Group, in reference to the intelligent species that inhabited the planet. This rebel group became one of the largest in the Galaxy, taking part in the
battles of Scarif and
Yavin. As a result, Yavin 4 is the main base of the
Rebel Alliance. Cassian would later live here with his partner
Bix Caleen. He is sent to Ghorman to kill ISB agent
Dedra Meero and ends up being a survivor of the Ghorman massacre. Once Cassian returns to the planet, Bix has left in an effort to make Cassian prioritize the Rebellion. Shortly afterwards,
Phoenix Squadron arrive on the planet, joining the larger Rebellion which is now under the leadership of former-Imperial senators such as
Mon Mothma and
Bail Organa. One year later, Cassian, and his new partner
K-2SO, leave the planet to rescue
Luthen Rael but end up returning with his accomplice Kleya Marki after learning of Luthen's death. Kleya tells Cassian about the Empire's construction of the superweapon known as the
Death Star. Cassian is sent to find
Galen Erso, the engineer behind the Death Star, but ends up finding his daughter
Jyn Erso and bringing her back to the planet. Mon explains to Jyn that her father developed a planet-destroying battle station, the Death Star, and that she is best placed to find her father, Galen, and the plans for this Imperial superweapon that the Rebels want to destroy. Cassian, who is accompanying Jyn Erso, has been given a secret mission: to kill Galen. They end up returning to the planet after Galen's death where the Rebel senators vote against stealing the Death Star plans from Scarif. Jyn and Cassian form a rogue group to go anyway. As the
Battle of Scarif commenced, several Rebel leaders, including General
Hera Syndulla, were called away from Yavin 4. The
Tantive IV, with Princess
Leia Organa, Bail's daughter, aboard, leaves Yavin 4 to witness the battle. Captured by the
Empire, Leia Organa refused to divulge the location of the Rebel base. To gain time, she gave the location of an abandoned site on the planet
Dantooine. She then managed to escape aboard the
Millennium Falcon with the smuggler
Han Solo. The Death Star pursues the ship to the Yavin system. While the Imperial ships are on their way,
General Dodonna prepares the defence of the
Rebel Alliance.
Battle of Yavin The Rebels launch several squadrons of fighters in the hope of taking advantage of a weakness in the Death Star's design to destroy it. The torpedo sent by a new recruit to the "Red" squadron,
Luke Skywalker, destroyed the battle station, giving the Alliance a major victory over the Empire. Shortly after celebrating this victory with a ceremony, the Rebels abandoned Yavin 4, fearing a counter-attack.
After the Battle of Yavin Once the Death Star is destroyed, two Rebels in particular are rewarded for their significant part in the battle. They were Luke Skywalker, who shot the rift that allowed the battle station to explode, and Han Solo, who saved it from the
Sith Lord
Darth Vader during the battle. Leia Organa presented them with a medal at Yavin 4, during a ceremony to celebrate this military victory. After retiring, pilot Shara Bey and sergeant Kes Dameron, two former rebels, settled on Yavin 4 to live. There they planted a fragment of a Force-sensitive tree given to them by Luke Skywalker. ==Legends Universe==