The Battle of Elliirad was a space battle between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire. It took place in the Elliirad system and was initiated by Rebel forces, who were attempting to sabotage the Empire's Elliirad Platform, capture Imperial supplies, and destroy Imperial cargo containers in the system.
The Battle
A Rebel force preceded a Delta-class JV-7 escort shuttle into the Elliirad system. The Y-wing attack starfighters targeted Imperial cargo containers and arriving transports, including the cargo ferries Slainte and Lesyta and the modular conveyors Posi and Mhath. Meanwhile, A-wing interceptors from Blue Squadron engaged the platform's defensive fighter screen of TIE/LN starfighters and deep patrol Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wing fighters.
The escort shuttle, flagged as an Imperial ship, entered the system and proceeded to dock with Elliirad Platform amidst the fighting. However, the shuttle had been recently stolen by Rebel forces and commandeered by the elite Katarn Commandos. The unit stormed Elliirad Platform, stealing supplies and setting explosive charges. As the shuttle departed Elliirad Platform, the Imperial station exploded, allowing the remaining Y-wings to close to laser range of the cargo containers and transports without coming under fire from Elliirad Platform's turbolaser batteries.
Despite this apparent turning point, the Empire struck back with the entry of the Striker, an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, to the battle zone. While the Striker was far out of range, it deployed several flight groups of fast-moving TIE/IN interceptors, which quickly moved to engage the Rebel craft.
Although Elliirad Platform was lost and the Katarn Commandos' mission was successful, the outcome of the battle is unknown. It was apparently the last battle of Operation: Quick Strike.
Behind the scenes
As players can participate in the mission "Hit and Fade on Elliirad Platform" in the computer game Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter on either the Rebel or the Imperial side—both sides have conflicting mission objectives—the battle itself is considered canon but the canon outcome is unknown.
The ships listed in this article are those found in the battle Operation: Quick Strike, using the default craft assigned to the player.
The involvement of the Katarn Commandos was confirmed in Galaxy at War, as was a list of supplies they captured from Elliirad Platform. In X-wing vs. TIE Fighter, the commando unit carried aboard the escort shuttle is called only "Storm Unit"; the Imperial player cannot destroy it without losing points, as it carries a transponder code identifying it as an Imperial ship. As such, the destruction of Elliirad Platform and the theft of supplies by the Rebel commandos is considered to be canon, though the overall outcome of the engagement is unknown.
Appearances
- Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (First appearance)
Sources
Notes and references
- ↑ Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
- ↑ The game Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and its expansion Balance of Power Campaigns do not provide any information about their timeline other than it takes place during the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance (2 BBY ― 4 ABY). Nevertheless, some clues permit to place the game and its expansion around 3 ABY. X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter shows the Empire making extensive use of TIE/ad starfighters. The previous game of the series, Star Wars: TIE Fighter, established that the TIE/ad starfighter was introduced during the Sepan campaign (which is set in 3 ABY per the reasoning here). We can conclude that the game is set between 3 ABY and 4 ABY. Moreover, the most advanced Imperial starfighters from Star Wars: TIE Fighter (the TIE/d "Defender" starfighter and the Missile Boat) were not present in X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, suggesting that the game takes place before their introduction, also dated to 3 ABY as the entire TIE Fighter game is set in 3 ABY (per the reasoning here).