Yavin 4
Yavin 4 is one of the many moons of the gas planet Yavin in the
Star Wars universe. It was home to the
Rebel Alliance's main military base in
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The Rebels established their base in the ancient Massassi ruins found in its lush jungles following the destruction of their previous base on the planet Dantooine. The
Galactic Empire sought to use its new space station super-weapon, the
Death Star, to destroy the small jungle moon and crush the Rebellion. A small force of
X-Wing and
Y-Wing starfighters were sent to destroy the
Death Star, but most were killed in the attack. With seconds remaining and the timely assistance of his friend
Han Solo,
Luke Skywalker was able to fire a proton torpedo into a small thermal exhaust port along the
Death Star's equatorial trench, thus destroying the station and saving Yavin 4. A great ceremony was held following the
Death Star's destruction, where
Princess Leia bestowed medals of honor to
Luke Skywalker and
Han Solo, along with his
Wookiee co-pilot,
Chewbacca.
This battle became known as the Battle of Yavin, and its date is used as a place-marker for events in the expanded Star Wars universe. Events before the Battle of Yavin are marked by BBY, and events that occur after are marked by ABY.