Hangar 718

Hangar 718 was a hangar at Starkiller Base, the First Order's superweapon^[2] built into the planet Ilum.^[3] In 34 ABY,^[1] sensors at the hangar were triggered during the scavenger Rey's attempted escape from the base. A First Order stormtrooper notified^[2] First Order leader^[3] Kylo Ren of the alert and that the area was being searched.^[2]

Later, an officer informed Ren that Rey was not found in the hangar but that all stormtroopers were on alert. Ren then ordered the officer to place all hangars on lockdown to prevent the fugitive from escaping aboard a starship. Soon after, the hangar was destroyed when Starkiller Base exploded during an attack by the Resistance.^[2] The hangar was included as a location on Starkiller Base in the book Galactic Explorer's Guide, authored by the pirate Hondo Ohnaka and his protocol droid DK-RA-43 at some point after the Battle of Crait^[4] in 34 ABY.^[5]

Behind the scenes

The hangar was first mentioned in the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens,^[2] the first installment in the sequel trilogy.^[7] In the 2017 non-canon book William Shakespeare's The Force Doth Awaken: Star Wars Part the Seventh by Ian Doescher, which retells the events of the film, Kylo Ren is informed of Rey not being found in Hangar 718 by a trooper^[6] instead of a First Order officer.^[2]

The De Agostini Star Wars Encyclopedia issue "Battle Stations of the Empire and the First Order,"^[8] which was released on June 1, 2021,^[9] states that^[8] the smuggler^[2] Han Solo,^[8] accompanied by his co-pilot Chewbacca and stormtrooper defector Finn,^[2] triggered the alarm in Hangar 718 during his infiltration of the base^[8] with the aim of shutting down the facility's shields. However, as depicted in The Force Awakens, Ren was alerted to the alarm before Solo had entered Starkiller Base.^[2] This article assumes the encyclopedia is in error.

Appearances

• Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens (First mentioned)

Non-canon appearances

• William Shakespeare's The Force Doth Awaken: Star Wars Part the Seventh (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)

Sources

• From "Blast That X-wing!" to "Traitor!": The Voices of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Star Wars: The Galactic Explorer's Guide
• "Battle Stations of the Empire and the First Order" — Star Wars Encyclopedia

Notes and references