Everything You Need to Know about Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku

Summary:

• The Battle of Jakku marked the end of the Imperial Rule as the New Republic defeated Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.
• Emperor Palpatine orchestrated Operation Cinder and Jakku was the final phase of the operation.
• The War was finally won by the New Republic and marked the official end of the Galactic Civil War and started the New Republic Era.

In the Star Wars saga, the Battle of Jakku reigns supreme among the iconic events that changed the galaxy’s history. The Battle of Jakku was the ultimate showdown between the Empire and the New Republic and ended the tyrannical regime of the former for good.

The Empire was brought to its knees following the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader during the battle of Endor. However, the fractured Empire was still wagging its tail thanks to a few key leaders and a barrage of posthumous orders left by Palpatine himself. All these finally culminated in the infamous Battle of Jakku.

Although the wreckage and debris from the Battle of Jakku have been featured in several Star Wars creatives, we have never actually seen the battle being fought on screen. 

 So, here’s the entire Battle of Jakku summed up in nine massive events that changed the history of the galaxy far, far away. 

1. Operation: Cinder

After Palpatine’s death, messenger droids relayed his posthumous commands to several imperial officers across the entire galaxy.

He commanded them to unleash Operation: Cinder, a devastating assault on the enemies and potential usurpers within his ranks. Even loyal planets like Naboo were not spared from his wrath. Therefore, the Republic was kept busy by the commands that Palpatine sent from beyond the grave.

Operation Cinder ultimately culminated in Jakku, which housed Palpatine’s hidden observatory containing rare Sith artifacts and secrets.

In the aftermath of Endor, Gallius Rax (alias The Operator), a covert agent of Palpatine, rose to prominence and triggered the final confrontation between the New Republic and the Empire on Jakku. He fulfilled Palpatine’s master plan to annihilate both his enemies and his unworthy successors.

2. Hera Syndulla Sent Troops to Jakku’s Surface

As a top general of the New Republic, Hera Syndulla played a pivotal role in the Battle of Jakku. She led the fighter squadrons from the New Republic Star Destroyer, ensuring the safety of several corvettes with ground forces on Jakku’s surface. 

Moreover, Syndulla confronted the formidable Imperial blockade in Jakku’s orbit, and even after The Deliverance was severely damaged, she continued the fight from her ship, the Ghost. 

3. The New Republic Destroyed the Imperial Blockade

The Empire’s last stand against the Republic was a colossal blockade of Star Destroyers, hoping to overwhelm the New Republic with sheer firepower. 

However, their plan failed miserably because Krysta Agate refused to abandon the ship even after the Concord was critically damaged. 

Instead, she used her dying ship’s tractor beam to drag The Ravager down to the surface of Jakku. Agate’s sacrifice turned the tables in favor of the New Republic, who seized the upper hand in the battle.

4. Brendol and Armitage Run for the Unknown Regions

During the Battle of Jakku, Brendal, and Armitage were commanded by Rax to run to the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. They were also followed by young, brainwashed child soldiers who would later become the very first stormtroopers of the First Order.

This was all a part of Palpatine’s master plan to oppress the galaxy before his resurrection in The Rise of Skywalker.

5. Grand Admiral Rae Sloane Saves Jakku From Rax

Rax’s betrayal was not enough to deter Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, who arrived at Jakku in the nick of time to stop him from fulfilling Palpatine’s final plan.

Sloane joined the New Republic agents and killed Rax before he could unleash the devastating device hidden in Palpatine’s observatory. 

The device would have ignited and destroyed the planet and the fleets above it. This was because the observatory was situated inside a deep chasm that reached the planet’s core.

After the ordeal, Sloane met Brendol and traveled into the Unknown Regions with him.

6. The Signing of the Galactic Concordance Treaty

Eventually, the broken Empire surrendered to the New Republic, and the Galactic Concordance Treaty was signed. 

With this, the Battle of Jakku and the Galactic Civil War ended. The Galactic Concordance was signed by Empire’s Grand Vizier Mas Ameedda and the New Republic’s Chancellor Mon Mothma and imposed a set of terms that required the Imperial remnants to lay down their arms and pay for their crimes. 

Yet, some of the Imperials refused to accept this new dawn.

7. The Imperial Remnant Remained

The shattered Empire scattered across the galaxy and continued surviving as holdouts and troops referred to as the Imperial Remnant.

The Remnant would meet as a group of Imperial warlords, including leaders like The Mandalorian’s Moff Gideon and Captain Pellaeon. Moreover, Grand Admiral Thrawn went into exile after the battle but recently returned in ‘Ahsoka’ almost half a decade later.

8. About Star Wars

Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon.

It has three trilogies at its core – Original, Prequel, and Sequel, spread across five decades and interspersed with at least a dozen spin-off series and films.

Created by George Lucas and his Lucasfilm, the franchise is currently under the Disney umbrella. All the Star Wars films and shows are now available to binge on Disney+ streaming service.