Assault on Doniphon
- "Rebels. They were dug into the Selpathian Hills, low on ammunition. We were on the plain, manning the AV-9. Somehow they got a transmission through the jamming. The rebels at Damatua sent starfighters."
- ―Beilert Valance to 4A8-RA-7
The assault on Doniphon was part of the Kwymar Suppressions in 17 BBY. Rebel forces on Doniphon were defeated by the Galactic Empire.
Background
In 17 BBY,[3] the Rebel bases in the Kwymar sector came under attack by the Imperial forces in a campaign known as the Kwymar Suppressions. Doniphon was one of those planets attacked.[1]
The battle
During the battle, many stormtroopers were strafed by Rebel starfighters. One of the injured officers was Sergeant Major Beilert Valance.[2] His platoon was struck by a proton torpedo.[7] Despite those heavy casualties,[2] The Imperial forces were eventually victorious.[4]
Aftermath
- "But that's the past... I've destroyed that!"
- ―Beilert Valance
After the battle, a badly wounded Beilert Valance was left at Anglebay Station on Telos IV. The medics there saved his life, but only by replacing half of his body with cybernetics.[2]
Years later, Beilert Valance, now turned bounty hunter, attacked and destroyed the Anglebay Station in order to erase all traces of his transformation.[2]
Behind the scenes
The planet where Valance was injured in Star Wars (1977) 16 was retconned as Doniphon by author Jason Fry in the miniature scenarios The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale. Fry named the planet after Tom Doniphon, John Wayne's character in the 1962 western movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
In The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, Valance describes the enemy fighters as "Split-wings. ARC-170s, maybe. Or some kind of Z-95. HUD never painted them with a positive ID." This is likely an attempt to reconcile the depiction of X-Wings in the battle with later media establishing that X-Wings were not produced until circa 1 BBY.
Appearances
- Star Wars (1977) 16 (In flashback(s)) (Retcon)
- Star Wars (1977) 27 (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars (1977) 29 (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars (1977) 108 (In flashback(s))
Sources
"The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Part 1" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)- "The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Part 2" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link) (First identified as Assault on Doniphon)
- "The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Conclusion" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (See "Valance, Beilert")
- The Essential Atlas
Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, Part 11: Serving the Empire on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Part 1" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale: Part 2" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, Part 11: Serving the Empire on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Essential Atlas
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Wars (1977) 16
- ↑ The Essential Atlas, p. 159
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia