After abandoning their headquarters at the Massassi outpost on Yavin 4, the core group of the Rebel Alliance established Echo Base on the Hoth. Alliance engineers worked non-stop to adapt their technology to withstand the subzero temperature extremes of the frigid ice planet. When the technicians were unable to get the T-47s functioning in time, the Rebels domesticated the indigenous tauntaun for use as a patrol mount.
The nerve center of Echo Base was its darkened command center, where General Rieekan issued orders to the rest of his troops. Here, Alliance scanner operators carefully monitored incoming data from the scattered sensors placed by Rebel scouts in the Hoth wilderness.
Protecting Echo Base was a powerful energy shield strong enough to deflect Imperial bombardment. When the Empire arrived in the Hoth system, the Rebels erected the shield, forcing the Imperials to engage in a ground battle. The Rebels speedily evacuated the personnel and equipment they could aboard Rebel transports with starfighter escorts, offering covering fire for the fleeing ships from a massive ground-based ion cannon.
As the transports retreated, the Rebel ground forces and snowspeeder squadrons covered their escape by delaying the Imperials for as long as they could. Rebel troopers dug into snowy trenches, blasting at the incoming Imperials with turret-mounted laser cannons and blaster rifles. The Imperial walkers were unstoppable. The Rebels were routed and Echo Base was overrun.
The nerve center of Echo Base was its darkened command center, where General Rieekan issued orders to the rest of his troops. Here, Alliance scanner operators carefully monitored incoming data from the scattered sensors placed by Rebel scouts in the Hoth wilderness.
Protecting Echo Base was a powerful energy shield strong enough to deflect Imperial bombardment. When the Empire arrived in the Hoth system, the Rebels erected the shield, forcing the Imperials to engage in a ground battle. The Rebels speedily evacuated the personnel and equipment they could aboard Rebel transports with starfighter escorts, offering covering fire for the fleeing ships from a massive ground-based ion cannon.
As the transports retreated, the Rebel ground forces and snowspeeder squadrons covered their escape by delaying the Imperials for as long as they could. Rebel troopers dug into snowy trenches, blasting at the incoming Imperials with turret-mounted laser cannons and blaster rifles. The Imperial walkers were unstoppable. The Rebels were routed and Echo Base was overrun.
by not a starwars geek November 29, 2004
Get the Echo Base mug.When stationed on Hoth, the Rebel Alliance modified T-47 airspeeders to become snowspeeders, fast flying conveyances for patrol and defense of their hidden base. It took some doing to keep the crippling cold from permanently grounding their airforce, but Rebel ingenuity overcame the relentless Hoth elements.
The T-47 airspeeder is a small, wedge-shaped craft with two forward-facing laser cannons. In its rear arc is a harpoon gun fitted with a heavy-duty tow cable. The snowspeeder is a two-man vessel, with a pilot and rear-facing tailgunner.
The main Alliance snowspeeder unit at Echo Base was Rogue Group, led by Luke Skywalker. This unit was tasked with delaying the thundering Imperial invasion force long enough for Rebel command to evacuate Echo Base.
The Imperial taskforce consisted of AT-AT walkers. The snowspeeder laser cannons were ineffective against such heavy armor, and Luke Skywalker turned to a tactic of desperation. He ordered his pilots to employ their harpoons and tow cables to ensnare the walkers' legs. Wedge Antilles and his gunner, Janson, were the first to successfully entangle a walker. With its legs roped, the walker's raw strength brought it crashing down, where the Rebel snowspeeders were able to get a clear shot at its weaker neck column.
The T-47 airspeeder is a small, wedge-shaped craft with two forward-facing laser cannons. In its rear arc is a harpoon gun fitted with a heavy-duty tow cable. The snowspeeder is a two-man vessel, with a pilot and rear-facing tailgunner.
The main Alliance snowspeeder unit at Echo Base was Rogue Group, led by Luke Skywalker. This unit was tasked with delaying the thundering Imperial invasion force long enough for Rebel command to evacuate Echo Base.
The Imperial taskforce consisted of AT-AT walkers. The snowspeeder laser cannons were ineffective against such heavy armor, and Luke Skywalker turned to a tactic of desperation. He ordered his pilots to employ their harpoons and tow cables to ensnare the walkers' legs. Wedge Antilles and his gunner, Janson, were the first to successfully entangle a walker. With its legs roped, the walker's raw strength brought it crashing down, where the Rebel snowspeeders were able to get a clear shot at its weaker neck column.
by not a starwars geek November 29, 2004
Get the Snowspeeder mug.A loving, soft-spoken woman, Shmi Skywalker was determined to provide a better future for her only son, Anakin, than their lives as slaves could possibly offer. She knew her son was special -- despite their hardship, Anakin was selfless, kind and gifted. His birth was extraordinary -- there was no father. Some have speculated that it was the will of the Force that created Anakin in Shmi's womb. This would suggest that Anakin is the one spoken of in an ancient Jedi prophecy -- the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force.
When Anakin was a toddler, Shmi and her son became the property of Gardulla the Hutt, and were brought to Mos Espa. Gardulla subsequently lost the pair to the Toydarian named Watto. Though none would ever confuse Watto with a humanitarian, he was nonetheless a fair owner who afforded Shmi and Anakin their privacy. Still, Shmi wanted more for her son than the life of a slave.
The opportunity came during Anakin's ninth year. A Naboo delegation led by a Jedi Master was stranded on Tatooine, and the ever-generous Anakin offered them shelter in the small hovel the Skywalkers called home.
The Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, sensed great Force potential in Anakin, and arranged for his freedom. Unfortunately, he could not free Shmi from slavery. Shmi said a tearful farewell to Anakin, knowing that his future lay in the stars beyond Tatooine. Anakin promised to return and free his mother, but he did not know at the time that the life of a Jedi precluded such personal missions. Adherence to the Order meant abandonment of his previous life, and it would be years before Anakin returned to Tatooine.
Watto, rendered nearly destitute by his chronic gambling, was forced to sell Shmi. A moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars had fallen in love with Shmi, and purchased her freedom. The two wed, and Shmi became a loving stepmother to Cliegg's son, Owen. They lived a quiet existence on the Lars homestead as moisture farmers, forming a strong bond of a loving family. Still, Shmi looked to the stars with an empty ache in her heart for her son who had left long ago.
A month prior to Anakin's return to Tatooine, Shmi left the safety of the house in the early hours of the Tatooine morning to gather mushrooms that collected on the moisture vaporators. A raiding party of Sand People suddenly attacked, and Shmi was kidnapped by the bandaged brutes. Outraged and grief-stricken, Cliegg rounded up a posse of moisture farmers to rescue her, but the Tuskens lay in wait. After a bloody ambush, only four of the 30 farmers returned, including a maimed Cliegg.
A month passed, during which Cliegg reluctantly accepted Shmi's death. Anakin, who had been plagued with nightmares about his mother's safety, suddenly arrived at the Lars homestead. Cliegg told him the terrible news, but Anakin refused to accept that his mother was dead. Borrowing Owen Lars' swoop bike, Anakin sped into the twilight desert in search of Shmi.
Shmi was barely alive, relying solely on hope to sustain her beaten form. She was held captive at a Tusken camp, beaten and starved. She knew, somehow, that Anakin would come. She weakly opened her blood-caked eyes to see her handsome, grown son enter the Tusken tent and free her from her bindings. She whispered her love for her son before finally succumbing to her wounds.
Anakin, enraged at his mother's death, lashed out at the Tuskens. He slaughtered the entire village, killing the male warriors as well as the females and children. Shaken and terrified by the power he awakened, Anakin quietly returned to the Lars homestead with his mother's body.
Shmi was buried at the Lars homestead at a quiet funeral. Cliegg spoke of his love for his wife. Anakin felt shame for his failure to protect her, and promised to never fail again. Sadly, this was but one of many promises that Anakin would break.
When Anakin was a toddler, Shmi and her son became the property of Gardulla the Hutt, and were brought to Mos Espa. Gardulla subsequently lost the pair to the Toydarian named Watto. Though none would ever confuse Watto with a humanitarian, he was nonetheless a fair owner who afforded Shmi and Anakin their privacy. Still, Shmi wanted more for her son than the life of a slave.
The opportunity came during Anakin's ninth year. A Naboo delegation led by a Jedi Master was stranded on Tatooine, and the ever-generous Anakin offered them shelter in the small hovel the Skywalkers called home.
The Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, sensed great Force potential in Anakin, and arranged for his freedom. Unfortunately, he could not free Shmi from slavery. Shmi said a tearful farewell to Anakin, knowing that his future lay in the stars beyond Tatooine. Anakin promised to return and free his mother, but he did not know at the time that the life of a Jedi precluded such personal missions. Adherence to the Order meant abandonment of his previous life, and it would be years before Anakin returned to Tatooine.
Watto, rendered nearly destitute by his chronic gambling, was forced to sell Shmi. A moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars had fallen in love with Shmi, and purchased her freedom. The two wed, and Shmi became a loving stepmother to Cliegg's son, Owen. They lived a quiet existence on the Lars homestead as moisture farmers, forming a strong bond of a loving family. Still, Shmi looked to the stars with an empty ache in her heart for her son who had left long ago.
A month prior to Anakin's return to Tatooine, Shmi left the safety of the house in the early hours of the Tatooine morning to gather mushrooms that collected on the moisture vaporators. A raiding party of Sand People suddenly attacked, and Shmi was kidnapped by the bandaged brutes. Outraged and grief-stricken, Cliegg rounded up a posse of moisture farmers to rescue her, but the Tuskens lay in wait. After a bloody ambush, only four of the 30 farmers returned, including a maimed Cliegg.
A month passed, during which Cliegg reluctantly accepted Shmi's death. Anakin, who had been plagued with nightmares about his mother's safety, suddenly arrived at the Lars homestead. Cliegg told him the terrible news, but Anakin refused to accept that his mother was dead. Borrowing Owen Lars' swoop bike, Anakin sped into the twilight desert in search of Shmi.
Shmi was barely alive, relying solely on hope to sustain her beaten form. She was held captive at a Tusken camp, beaten and starved. She knew, somehow, that Anakin would come. She weakly opened her blood-caked eyes to see her handsome, grown son enter the Tusken tent and free her from her bindings. She whispered her love for her son before finally succumbing to her wounds.
Anakin, enraged at his mother's death, lashed out at the Tuskens. He slaughtered the entire village, killing the male warriors as well as the females and children. Shaken and terrified by the power he awakened, Anakin quietly returned to the Lars homestead with his mother's body.
Shmi was buried at the Lars homestead at a quiet funeral. Cliegg spoke of his love for his wife. Anakin felt shame for his failure to protect her, and promised to never fail again. Sadly, this was but one of many promises that Anakin would break.
by not a starwars geek November 30, 2004
Get the Shmi Skywalker mug.While not as imposing as its larger AT-AT walker cousin, the AT-ST nonetheless served as a significant addition to the Imperial side of battlefields in the Galactic Civil War. The two-man craft is lightly armed with chin-mounted laser cannons, and side-mounted weapon pods. The two legged craft, dubbed the scout walker by many, serves as a reconnaisance and patrol vehicle, often flanking approaching AT-ATs and mopping up infantry that sneaks past the larger walkers. The Imperials used AT-STs in both the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor.
by not a starwars geek November 29, 2004
Get the AT-ST mug.At the height of its rule, the Galactic Republic was governed by a body of Senators representing the many worlds of the galaxy. Within the cavernous Senate rotunda, hundreds of politicians would fill the viewing platforms that lined the curved walls. When a Senator wished to speak, the platform would detach and float to the center of the auditorium for all to see.
As the Republic grew, so too did graft and corruption. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand attack from the outside, the Republic began to rot from within. Interest in the common good fell to individual agendas. Senators accumulated wealth and influence by exploiting a bureaucracy too bloated and sluggish to stop them.
This all changed when Palpatine declared himself Emperor and instituted a New Order. He did away with the corruption, and by the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Senate was disbanded.
As the Republic grew, so too did graft and corruption. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand attack from the outside, the Republic began to rot from within. Interest in the common good fell to individual agendas. Senators accumulated wealth and influence by exploiting a bureaucracy too bloated and sluggish to stop them.
This all changed when Palpatine declared himself Emperor and instituted a New Order. He did away with the corruption, and by the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Senate was disbanded.
by not a starwars geek November 29, 2004
Get the Galactic Senate mug.