View source for Operation Skyhook

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{{Citation}}
{{Campaign
|width=
|previous=[[Destruction of the Invincible|Destruction of the ''Invincible'']]<ref name="X-wing">''[[Star Wars: X-Wing]]''</ref>
|conc=
|next=[[Royal Award Ceremony/Legends|Royal Award Ceremony]]<ref name="ANH">{{Film|IV}}</ref>
|name=Operation Skyhook
|image=[[File:Yavin-flyby.png]]
|conflict=[[Galactic Civil War/Legends|Galactic Civil War]]
|begin=[[2 BBY/Legends|2 BBY]]<ref name="TEA">''[[The Essential Atlas]]''</ref>
|end=[[0 BBY/Legends|0 BBY]]<ref name="TEA" />
|place=[[The galaxy/Legends|Galaxy]]-wide<ref name="TEA" />
|result=*[[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]] victory
**Destruction of the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station/Legends|''Death Star I'']]
|battles=*[[Rescue from Stars' End]]<ref name="X-wing" />
*[[Battle of Orron III]]<ref name="X-wing" />
*[[Ambush of the Phoenix]]<ref name="X-wing" />
*[[Ambush in the Cron Drift]]<ref name="X-wing" />
*[[Battle of the Circarpous system (Galactic Civil War)|Battle of the Circarpous system]]<ref name="X-wing" />
*[[Battle at Atzerri]]
*[[Raid above Corellia]]
*[[Battle of Toprawa]]
*[[Destruction of Alderaan]]
*[[Battle of Yavin/Legends|Battle of Yavin]]
|side1=[[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]]
|side2=Alliance to Restore the Republic
|side3=
|side4=
|commanders1=*[[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Emperor]] [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]]
*[[Executor (Imperial rank)|Executor]] [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]]
*[[Grand Moff/Legends|Grand Moff]] [[Wilhuff Tarkin/Legends|Tarkin]]&dagger;
|commanders2=*[[Ylenic It'kla]]&dagger;
*[[Obi-Wan Kenobi/Legends|Obi-Wan Kenobi]]&dagger;
*[[Mon Mothma/Legends|Mon Mothma]]
*[[Bail Prestor Organa/Legends|Bail Prestor Organa]]&dagger;
*[[Jan Dodonna/Legends|Jan Dodonna]]
*[[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]]
*[[Leia Organa Solo|Leia Organa]]
*[[Kyle Katarn]]
*[[Raymus Antilles/Legends|Raymus Antilles]]&dagger;
|commanders3=
|commanders4=
|forces1=
|forces2=
|forces3=
|forces4=
|casual1=
|casual2=
|casual3=
|casual4=
|civilian=}}
{{Quote|No offense, but how could you possibly know these things?"''<br />''"We know because beings sacrificed their lives to find out.|[[Kyle Katarn]] and [[Mon Mothma/Legends|Mon Mothma]] while learning about the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station/Legends|Death Star]]|<ref name="Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire">''[[Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire]]''</ref>}}
'''Operation Skyhook''' was the codename given to the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance's]] operation to obtain the [[Death Star plans/Legends|Death Star plans]] and ultimately destroy the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Imperial]] battlestation, the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station/Legends|Death Star]].

Operation Skyhook would become one of the most devastating series of battles of the war. The entire population of the Alliance-allied planet [[Alderaan/Legends|Alderaan]] would be wiped out by the [[Superlaser/Legends|superlaser]] of the Death Star. During the [[Battle of Yavin/Legends|Battle of Yavin]], the Death Star was destroyed by a "[[Force-sensitive/Legends|lucky]] shot" by [[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]], wiping out hundreds of thousands of Imperial personnel, including [[Grand Moff/Legends|Grand Moff]] [[Wilhuff Tarkin/Legends|Wilhuff Tarkin]].<ref name="ANH" />

==History==
===Learning about the superweapon===
In [[2 BBY/Legends|2 BBY]], the Rebel leaders [[Mon Mothma/Legends|Mon Mothma]], [[Bail Prestor Organa/Legends|Bail Organa]] and [[Garm Bel Iblis/Legends|Garm Bel Iblis]] were [[Corellian Treaty|captured]] by [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]] and conducted to the [[battlestation]].<ref name="TFU">''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]]''</ref> They became aware of the Death Star's existence but were not fully aware of its true nature. Operation Skyhook was launched shortly after their [[Battle on Death Star I|escape]] and the death of [[Galen Marek]].<ref name="TEA" />

Rumors about the existence of a massive Imperial construction began with the rescue of the ''[[Genue]]''; Rebel escapees from the [[Stars' End/Legends|Stars' End]] secret prison facility informed the Alliance about [[Wookiee/Legends|Wookiee]] slaves working for a secret project.<ref name="X-wing" /> Meanwhile, [[R2-D2/Legends|R2-D2's]] investigations of the Imperial computer networks led him to uncover evidence of an "Imperial superweapon", rumors confirmed through further inquiries among the galaxy's underworld.

The Alliance [[Rescue of Wookiee slaves|rescued]] Wookiee [[Slavery/Legends|slaves]] on their transfer on [[Toral (BFF-1 bulk freighter)|''Toral'']]. Examining the ship's documents, the Alliance learned of the existence of a convoy of weapons near [[Orron III]]. An [[Battle of Orron III|assault]] against that convoy resulted in the obtaining of Imperial [[communications satellite]]s, which later transmitted the superweapon's schematics to the Rebel outpost [[AX-235]]; the Rebel spies who manned it learned about the definite existence of the Death Star.<ref name="X-wing" />

About the same time, [[Prince/Legends|Princess]] [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia Organa]] went on a mercy mission to deliver medical supplies and equipment to the [[Ralltiiri High Council]]. However, her real objective was supporting the Ralltiiri resistance movement with heavy weaponry and military-grade equipment to fight the Imperial occupation troops. She was permitted to land by [[Commodore/Legends|Commodore]] [[Lord/Legends|Lord]] [[Tion (Human)|Tion]], head of the Imperial task force. There, Leia rescued a wounded Rebel soldier, [[Basso]], who later revealed the existence of the [[Death Star/Legends|first Death Star]]. On Alderaan, Bail Organa told his foster daughter that Basso's story of a top secret Imperial weapons project supervised by Grand Moff Tarkin was confirmed to be truthful. Later, Lord Tion visited [[Alderaan/Legends|Alderaan]] and met the Organas. Leia tricked him into revealing that the Death Star was a moon-sized battlestation equipped with a superlaser capable of destroying entire planets. Tion gossiped that an Imperial convoy was transporting the Death Star plans from Grand Moff Tarkin's headquarters to the Imperial vaults. After Leia accidentally revealed her knowledge about the Death Star battlestation, Tion realized that the Organas had connections to the Rebel Alliance, but he died before he was able to inform the Imperial authorities.<ref name="SW Radio Drama">[[Star Wars (radio)|''Star Wars'' radio dramatization]]</ref>

Acting on the advice of Princess Leia&mdash;identified to operatives merely as an anonymous "friend in the Senate"&mdash;[[Mon Mothma/Legends|Mon Mothma]] ordered a further investigation into the nature of this weapon. Using data already collected, the Rebels discovered that cargo shipments to a research station doing work on the Death Star were being sent from the [[Vergesso Asteroids/Legends|Vergesso Asteroids]]. [[Raymus Antilles/Legends|Raymus Antilles]] personally [[Scanning in the Vergesso Asteroids|recruited]] [[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]], despite Solo's reluctance, to plant a tracking device and [[Electromagnetic pulse/Legends|EMP]] in one of the cargo containers bound for the research station.<ref name="EAW">''[[Star Wars: Empire at War]]''</ref>

The tracking device revealed the station's location over [[Corulag/Legends|Corulag]], and then triggered the EMP and paralyzed Imperial security forces while Antilles led a team to [[Raid over Corulag|attack]] the station, recovering valuable data. From this data haul, the team was able to confirm the name of the project&mdash;Death Star&mdash;and gain an idea of its destructive capabilities, but they were without technical schematics detailed enough to reveal a weakness. Mon Mothma then instructed Leia Organa to begin intensified operations to gather relevant intelligence, and assigned Captain Antilles to her service aboard [[Tantive IV/Legends|''Tantive IV'']].<ref name="EAW" />

===The operation===
When the Death Star whereabouts became more well known, the Rebels proceeded with the [[Mission to Danuta]], during which Rebel operative [[Kyle Katarn]] (who had recently defected from the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Empire]]) was sent to retrieve the plans from a secret Imperial base in the city of [[Trid]].<ref>''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]''</ref> Due to their importance, these plans were [[Death Star plans delivery|transported]] physically to [[Prince/Legends|Princess]] [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia]] aboard the diplomatic vessel [[Tantive IV/Legends|''Tantive IV'']] by the shuttle [[Maria (Lambda-class)|''Maria'']].<ref name="X-wing" /> In addition to the fragments gathered from AX-234 and Danuta, it seems another piece of the plans were delivered from a rebel base on [[Polis Massa/Legends|Polis Massa]]. These plans were stolen during a [[Death Star Uprising|prisonbreak on the Death Star]]. The [[501st Legion/Legends|501st Legion]] of [[Stormtrooper/Legends|stormtroopers]] attempted to recover this information on Polis Massa, but it was smuggled out. This led to the 501st Legion being saved from the [[Battle of Yavin/Legends|destruction of the Death Star]].<ref>''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II]]''</ref> Further information was [[Mission to Darkknell (Galactic Civil War)|retrieved]] on [[Darkknell/Legends|Darkknell]] by Senator [[Garm Bel Iblis/Legends|Garm Bel Iblis]], then presumed dead, shortly after the death of his family at the hands of Imperial agents.

The last part of the plans were retrieved by Rebels operating out of [[Toprawa/Legends|Toprawa]], but Imperial reinforcements led by Darth Vader [[Battle of Toprawa|blockaded the system]]. The information was to be delivered to the [[Mon Calamari Star Cruiser|Star Cruiser]] [[Liberty/Legends|''Liberty'']], but the sudden [[Assault on the Tantive IV|appearance]] of the [[Star Destroyer/Legends|Star Destroyer]] ''[[Immortal/Legends|Immortal]]'' forced the transfer to stop.<ref name="X-wing" /> Under the guise of a mercy mission, Princess Leia Organa arrived in the system aboard the ''Tantive IV'', hoping her diplomatic immunity as a member of the [[Imperial Senate/Legends|Imperial Senate]] would protect her. However, Vader's flagship, the [[Devastator/Legends|''Devastator'']], detected the transfer, and Princess Leia was forced to flee the system with Vader in pursuit.<ref name="TEA" /> There was a spy onboard which helped the Imperials track the vessel.<ref name="SW Radio Drama" />

[[File:VaderTantive4.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Darth Vader and the 501st Legion board [[Tantive IV/Legends|''Tantive IV'']]]]
''Tantive IV'' fled to [[Tatooine/Legends|Tatooine]] in an attempt to fulfill its secondary objective: Former [[Jedi General/Legends|Jedi General]] [[Obi-Wan Kenobi/Legends|Obi-Wan Kenobi]] had survived the [[Great Jedi Purge/Legends|Great Jedi Purge]] and was now hiding on Tatooine. Princess Leia had been instructed by her [[Bail Prestor Organa/Legends|father]] to seek him out if she had no other option. Leia would now attempt to bring Kenobi to [[Alderaan/Legends|Alderaan]], along with the stolen plans. Unfortunately, before the ship ever reached Tatooine, it was intercepted by the Imperial Star Destroyer [[Devastator/Legends|''Devastator'']], the flagship of [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]].

The ''Tantive IV'' was quickly disabled and captured, and though a small [[Battle of Tatooine (Galactic Civil War)|struggle]] was made by Rebels on board, the [[Stormtrooper/Legends|stormtroopers]] of the [[501st Legion/Legends|501st Legion]] quickly eliminated the Rebel troops and captured Princess Leia. However, the boarding party was unable to find the plans, which had been secretly uploaded to the [[Astromech droid/Legends|astromech droid]] [[R2-D2/Legends|R2-D2]], who then made his getaway in an escape pod.<ref name="ANH" />

While the Alliance was looking for the location of the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station/Legends|Death Star]], [[Jan Dodonna/Legends|Jan Dodonna]] proposed that if the base of [[Kalla VII]] was destroyed, any passing ships heading for the Death Star would be stranded there. According to this, Red Squadron assisted to its destruction while [[Priam (starship)|''Priam'']] arrived and as predicted, it was stranded. After the capture of ''Priam'', its computer revealed to the Alliance that the location of the Death Star was [[Despayre]].<ref name="X-wing" /> The rebel carrier ''[[Fortressa]]'' then made an ill-fated [[Attack on the first Death Star|solo attack on the Death Star]] at Despayre and was completely destroyed along with her starfighter compliment.<ref>[[Death Star (novel)]]</ref> Afterward, when Rebel scouts ''[[Ethar]]'' went to investigate, the Death Star had already left the system and they were captured by lingering Imperial forces.<ref name="X-wing" />

With the Death Star complete and on the move, Imperial forces started to attack the Rebels in several sectors, forcing the Alliance to go to Condition Yellow and increase protection of storage areas.{{Fact}}

===Conclusion===
[[File:Exds.png|thumb|250px|The Death Star explodes]]
Following the [[Destruction of Alderaan]], a tracking bug was placed on the [[Millennium Falcon/Legends|''Millennium Falcon'']], which led the Imperials to the moon [[Yavin 4/Legends|Yavin 4]].<ref name="ANH" /> To [[Raid on Yavin 4|confirm]] Rebel presence on the moon, [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]] ordered an expeditionary force to go to the moon and gain a stronghold on the planet. Following a rough skirmish in the vicinity of the [[Massassi Arena]], Rebels were confirmed to have been on the planet.<ref name="SW Battlefront">''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]</ref>

With the ''Death Star'' en route to Yavin 4, Jan Dodonna devised a complicated plan to destroy the ''Death Star'' with only one pair of [[Proton torpedo/Legends|proton torpedoes]]. [[Red Squadron (Rebel Alliance)/Legends|Red Squadron]] and [[Gold Squadron (Rebel Alliance)/Legends|Gold Squadron]] would fly into the Death Star's [[Meridian trench/Legends|trench]] and fire into a secondary [[Thermal exhaust port/Legends|thermal exhaust port]] leading from the main exhaust port of the battlestation, which would cause it to explode from within.<ref name="ANH" /><ref name="X-wing" /><ref>''[[Star Wars: Rebel Assault]]''</ref>

The [[Battle of Yavin/Legends|Battle of Yavin]] started soon after. The Alliance would emerge victorious as [[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]], Red Five, fired successfully into the Death Star through use of [[The Force/Legends|the Force]].<ref name="ANH" />

==Aftermath==
The threat of the Death Star was vanquished thereafter. But the Empire would later respond with other special projects, including the [[dark trooper]] production line, the development of [[TIE/ph phantom|TIE Phantoms]] and the [[Tarkin (superweapon)|''Tarkin'']] battlestation. Their efforts would conclude with the [[TIE Experimental Project]] and finally the construction of the [[Death Star II/Legends|''Death Star II'']].

==Behind the scenes==
The briefing in ''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]'' states that the [[Mission to Danuta]] belongs to the "second phase" of Operation Skyhook. It tells us nothing about which was the first phase, although it would supposedly refer to the missions of ''[[Star Wars: X-Wing]]'' and what missions comprised the phases of the whole operation.

==Appearances==
*''[[Star Wars: X-Wing]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces]]''
*''[[Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Lethal Alliance]]''
*''[[Rebel Dawn]]''
*''[[Jedi Dawn]]''
*''[[Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice]]''
*{{Film|IV}} {{1st}}
*''[[Star Wars (radio)]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II]]''
*[[Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (video game)|''Star Wars: Rogue Squadron'']]
*''[[Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Rebel Assault]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Empire at War]]''
*''[[An Imperial Advertorial]]'' {{Nc}} {{Imo}}

===Non-canon appearances===
*''[[Tantive IV (comic)]]''
*''[[Tag & Bink Are Dead]]''

==Sources==
*''[[A Guide to the Star Wars Universe]]''
*''[[Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*''[[Kyle Katarn's Tale]]''
*''[[The Dark Forces Saga]]''
*[[Star Wars Insider 74|''Star Wars Insider'' 74]]
*[[The Essential Chronology (real-world book)|''The Essential Chronology'']]
*''[[The New Essential Chronology]]'' {{Imo}}
*''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*''[[Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 29]]''
*''[[The Essential Atlas]]''

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{GCW Skyhook}}

{{GalacCivilWarcampaigns}}

{{Interlang
|da=Operation Skyhook
|es=Operación Skyhook
|pt=Operação Skyhook
|ru=Операция «Небесный крюк»
}}

[[Category:Battles of Operation Skyhook| ]]
[[Category:Galactic Civil War campaigns|Skyhook]]