Spellhaus

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"Think of Spellhaus in flames. Neither of you could do it on your own, but together…"
―Luthen Rael, to Saw Gerrera[5]

Spellhaus was an astronomical object that hosted a power station for the Galactic Empire. By 5 BBY, the rebel cell led by Anto Kreegyr was probing the power station and planning an attack. As the rebel agent Luthen Rael unsuccessfully attempted to recruit forces of the Partisans rebel cell to join the mission, the Empire's Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) learned of Kreegyr's plans and began preparing to take him by surprise. Despite being informed of the ISB's knowledge, Rael allowed Kreegyr and his cell to fall into the trap and be wiped out in order to preserve his mole in the ISB.

Description

Spellhaus was a terrestrial astronomical object[4] located in the Meerian sector's Spellhaus system within an intersecting portion of the Outer Rim Territories[1] and the New Territories.[2] Situated at the coordinates O-6 on the Standard Galactic Grid, it lay between[3] the planets[6][7] Bandomeer and Botajef along the Hydian Way[3] super-hyperroute.[8]

History

Compromised plans

"Anto Kreegyr. I want you to meet him."
"[Chuckles] Anto Kreegyr?"
"He's been probing the Imperial power station at Spellhaus. He's found a weakness in the defenses. It may take some time to work up, but he's got an angle."
―Luthen Rael and Saw Gerrera[5]
Luthen Rael attempted to recruit Saw Gerrera for the Spellhaus attack

Luthen Rael attempted to recruit Saw Gerrera for the Spellhaus attack

During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Spellhaus hosted an Imperial power station[4] with at least one garrison.[9] By 5 BBY,[10] the rebel cell led by the Neo-Separatist Anto Kreegyr began probing the power station, with Kreegyr coming to believe he had found a way to successfully attack and destroy it. Luthen Rael, a rebel agent that coordinated a shadowy network linking Kreegyr's cell and other groups, learned of the plans and attempted to recruit the rebel Saw Gerrera and[5] his[4] cell, the Partisans, to support Kreegyr's forces. Gerrera rejected the offer over his disagreements with Kreegyr's ideals.[5]

Meanwhile, the Empire's Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) learned of Kreegyr's plans to attack Spellhaus after a rebel pilot from his cell was captured by the Empire and interrogated. The ISB planned to take Kreegyr's group by surprise and faked an accident to cover up the loss of the pilot.[11] Rael soon learned of the matter from a mole[12] he[4] had in the ISB, Lonni Jung, but chose to let Kreegyr proceed as normal as to preserve Jung.[12]

Imperial hubris

"It is difficult now to look back on hundreds of incidents including those on worlds like Kashyyyk, Mimban, and Ryloth as well as the raids on Spellhaus and Aldhani and easily distinguish the coordinated from the spontaneous."
―Beaumont Kin, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[13]
The Imperial Security Bureau monitored the Spellhaus attack from afar.

The Imperial Security Bureau monitored the Spellhaus attack from afar.

Gerrera soon agreed to join Kreegyr's attack and contacted Rael to make arrangements, wishing to loot the power station's eastern garrison. However, the agent stopped the Partisan leader, convincing his associate to instead play the long game with the ISB. Kreegyr led his group in an attack on Spellhaus the next day,[9] falling straight into the Empire's trap. All rebels there were killed as a result, with the ISB Board celebrating from their headquarters[14] on the Imperial capital planet of Coruscant.[15] ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero, who was trying to track down Rael and his network, was displeased that no prisoners were taken, but she was talked down by Major Lio Partagaz, who claimed the victory was about satisfying[14] Galactic Emperor Palpatine[4] after the embarrassment of another rebel raid[14] that year.[16]

A file on the "Spellhaus Operation" covering Kreegyr's defeat was kept in the "Imperial Security Bureau" section of the Imperial Archives. Additionally, the Rebel Alliance Archives and Gerrera's datafiles covered the attack. The historian Beaumont Kin researched these files, noticing discrepancies about the number of rebels that had died at Spellhaus.[13] He[15] subsequently wrote about Spellhaus in his[13] 35 ABY[17] book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, where he discussed the uncertainty of the casualty number, as well as noting how the lack of prisoners was a missed opportunity for intelligence gathering.[13]

Behind the scenes

Spellhaus was first mentioned in "Narkina 5,"[5] the eighth episode in the first season of the live-action Disney+ series Andor. The episode was released on October 26, 2022.[18]

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 StarWars.com Star Systems of the Galaxy on StarWars.com (current version) (backup link) (previous version) — Based on corresponding data for the Spellhaus system
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 StarWars.com Star Wars Galaxy Map on StarWars.com (article) (backup link) places the Spellhaus system, and therefore Spellhaus itself, in the area of space Star Wars: The Galactic Explorer's Guide identifies as the New Territories.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 StarWars.com Star Wars Galaxy Map on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Andor logo new Star Wars: Andor — "Narkina 5"
  6. ↑ Star Wars Helmet Collection: Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) Databank A-Z: B1 Battle Droid–Bantha
  7. ↑ Thrawn
  8. ↑ Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 48 Guide to the Galaxy: Visiting Ord Mantell
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Andor logo new Star Wars: Andor — "Daughter of Ferrix"
  10. ↑ StarWars.com Andor | Season 1, Episode 8 - Trivia Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link) (Slide 11) dates "Narkina 5" to 5 BBY.
  11. ↑ Andor logo new Star Wars: Andor — "Nobody's Listening!"
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Andor logo new Star Wars: Andor — "One Way Out"
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Andor logo new Star Wars: Andor — "Rix Road"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
  16. ↑ Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide dates the events of "The Eye" to 5 BBY.
  17. ↑ Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire states that thirty years have passed since the end of the Galactic Civil War and months have passed since the Battle of Exegol. As Star Wars: Timelines dates the end of the war to 5 ABY and the Battle of Exegol to 35 ABY, the in-universe The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire must have been published in 35 ABY.
  18. ↑ SWInsider "Star Wars: Andor Season One Companion" — Star Wars Insider 217