Dantooine decoy base

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Although this article is based on official information from the Star Wars Legends continuity, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.

"Our scout ships have reached Dantooine. They found the remains of a Rebel base, but they estimate that it has been deserted for some time."
―Siward Cass — 20?cb=20250116042720 ▶️ (file info)[2]

A decoy base was established on the planet Dantooine by the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War in order to lure the Galactic Empire away from its main base on the planet.

History

"We have re-established this emergency base after the Empire located our decoy base on the other side of Dantooine."
―Ackbar, about the Dantooine base[1]

The decoy base was one of the two bases built by the Alliance to Restore the Republic on Dantooine[1] in the early Galactic Civil War.[2] Its role was to lure the Empire away from the main Rebel base on the other side of the planet.[1]

The on Dantooine that the decoy base protected.

The real Rebel base on Dantooine that the decoy base protected.

At the time of the Destruction of Alderaan in 0 BBY, Princess Leia Organa revealed the presence of the Rebels on Dantooine. The Empire immediately dispatched scout ships to investigate the Rebel presence on Dantooine.[2] The Imperial survey team discovered the decoy base[1] and estimated that the base had been deserted for a long time, possibly years.[2] The discovery of the decoy base allowed the real Rebel base to remain undetected, although it was soon evacuated by the Rebels as a safety precaution.[1] In the following months, the news of the discovery of a Rebel base on Dantooine widely spread in the galaxy. Darth Vader himself briefly visited the decoy base during his search for Luke Skywalker but found nothing of interest.[3] As the Empire considered the Rebellion had abandoned Dantooine, the Rebels could return safely to Dantooine after the Battle of Yavin and reuse their main base on the planet.[1]

During the months following the Battle of Yavin, a mysterious and ancient dark side-corrupted cloning facility located in the nearby ruins[3] of the Jedi Enclave[4] began the creation of clones. As the machine replicated the appearance and partial memories of original individuals, the clones assumed the identity of Rebel personnel previously stationed on Dantooine and occupied the compound. They appeared to maintain operations in the base, even constructing a new starship within the hangar.[3]

Months after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel sympathizers Tash Arranda, Zak Arranda and Mammon Hoole visited the abandoned base on Dantooine during one of their adventures. They initially believed the inhabitants to be allies as the latter claimed to be Rebel survivors. However, suspicion grew as Hoole uncovered mismatched records, duplicates of individuals, and behavior inconsistent with true Rebels. In addition, they realized that their vessel was little more than a crude and dysfunctional structure, incapable of spaceflight. The three adventurers finally discovered that the inhabitants of the base were clones fabricated by a dark side machinery in the nearby ruins. Their purpose was not aligned with the Rebellion's ideals but with the will of the ruins' corrupt energy, which sought to lure and entrap outsiders. Hoole and the Arranda siblings eventually escaped the planet Dantooine after destroying the cloning chamber and many of the clones.[3]

Behind the scenes

The Dantooine decoy base was mentioned in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts,[1] prior to its closure on December 15, 2011.[5] The game established that the Rebel base discovered by the Empire on Dantooine in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope was in fact not the real base but a decoy intended to lure the Empire away.[1]

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 SWG logo sm Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided — Conversation with "Captain Ackbar" on Dantooine
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Star Wars: A New Hope novelization
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Galaxy of Fear: Clones
  4. ↑ The Essential Reader's Companion
  5. ↑ Gal-icon IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT STAR WARS GALAXIES™ on the official Star Wars Galaxies website (original site is defunct)