Star Wars: The Battle Of Yavin, Explained
The Battle of Yavin is an event that looms large over every historical event in the Star Wars universe, but even fans who have seen every movie might not realize exactly which of the many wars among the stars it refers to. That's because the words "the Battle of Yavin" are never actually said out loud by any character in a Star Wars film or TV series. So, don't beat yourself up if you didn't realize that the Battle of Yavin is the official title for the thrilling climax to "Episode 4: A New Hope," in which Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) joins the Rebel Alliance to destroy the Death Star as it looms over the planet Yavin, hence the name.
There is so much more to the Battle of Yavin than meets the eye, and in this article, we'll dive deep into the circumstances that led to this climactic battle, what made it so significant for the history of the galaxy, and why it has become the central moment of the entire Star Wars timeline.
What caused the Battle of Yavin?
The Battle of Yavin may be one of our first memories of Star Wars, especially if you're a fan of the original trilogy, but thanks to the wide world of prequels and spin-offs, we now have a crystal clear picture of the circumstances that led to this decisive battle.
This story begins with the Disney+ series "Andor," which picks up Cassian Andor's (Diego Luna) story 5 years before the events of "A New Hope" as he is recruited into the nascent Rebel Alliance by spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), and together they work to undermine the evils of the Galactic Empire. The Empire's not yet realized superweapon, the Death Star, ominously looms over the series' first season, but in season two, this ominous threat becomes frighteningly real when Luthen's mole inside the Empire, Lonni Jung (Robert Emms), gains access to confidential files revealing the Empire's plans to build a superweapon capable of destroying entire planets with a single blast.
The Death Star was an existential threat to the Rebellion, and the entire galaxy
In the final episodes of "Andor," Cassian Andor rushes to Coruscant to rescue Luthen, only to find he's died after being captured by the Empire. Instead, he returns to the rebel base on Yavin with fellow rebel Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau), bearing a message about this superweapon that is so preposterously evil that no one in the Rebel Alliance believes it could possibly exist.
Andor sets out on a mission to confirm Luthen's inside information, which leads him into the events of "Rogue One," the prequel film that follows the harrowing journey that Andor and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) go on, to discover the truth about the Death Star, and the secret flaw hidden within it. The stakes are even higher, as Jyn's father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), represents the galaxy's only chance at destroying the superweapon.
That film ends with Jyn and Cassian sacrificing their own lives to get this information about the Death Star into the hands of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) so that she can rally the troops to destroy the Death Star before it can allow the villainous Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) to seize dictatorial control over the entire galaxy.
Why is the Battle of Yavin so important?
With the stakes raised to their absolute peak, the Battle of Yavin kicks off as the Rebel fleet jets out to battle the Empire in what will become the single most impactful moment in the history of the galaxy. On one side is the Galactic Empire, led by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) aboard the Death Star, and Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) shooting down Rebel X-Wings in his tie fighter.
On the ground, Princess Leia rallies the troops to mount their last stand to protect the base, with Luke Skywalker formally joining the Rebel Alliance, embarking on a run through the trenches of the Death Star to launch a bomb into the small thermal exhaust port that represents the space station's only weakness.
What makes the Battle of Yavin so important to the history of the Star Wars galaxy isn't just that this climactic battle represents the Rebellion's first major victory over the Empire, but that it also serves to allow Luke to fully unveil his Jedi powers thanks to the guidance of his departed Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). The Rebellion's triumph in the Battle of Yavin, and Luke's new mastery of the Force, tees up the rest of the Skywalker Saga, which depicts Luke and Leia's journey to bring peace and hope to the galaxy, freeing their father from the grip of the dark side of the Force, and ultimately helping the next generation of Force users to destroy the Empire once and for all.
The Battle of Yavin has now become the center of the entire Star Wars timeline
For all these reasons, the Battle of Yavin has become the central point of the Star Wars canon against which all other events are measured. They are placed in the timeline whether they happened before the Battle of Yavin (BBY), or after the Battle of Yavin (ABY). Working backwards, BBY helps us to know that the events of "Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" take place 32 years before "Episode 4," or 32 BBY, while moving forward shows that the events of "Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker" occurred 34 years after the Battle of Yavin, or 34 ABY. It can also help determine the right order to watch every Star Wars movie in.
This measurement is certainly not one of the questionable things ignored in the Star Wars franchise. Outside of the in-universe reasons for establishing BBY and ABY, this measurement of time also helps fans and writers keep track of whether the events of the Expanded Universe, or EU, occurred a long time ago or a long, LONG time ago, and exactly how far removed they are from the original "Star Wars" that kicked off this whole saga. Who knew one battle could become the defining moment of an entire universe?