Yavin IV
Yavin 4 is one of the many moons of the
gas planet Yavin in the
Star Wars universe. It was home to the
Rebel Alliance's main military base in
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The Rebels established their base in the ancient
Massassi ruins found in its lush jungles following the destruction of their previous base on the planet
Dantooine. The
Galactic Empire sought to use its new space station superweapon, the
Death Star, to destroy the small jungle moon and crush the Rebellion. A force of thirty
X-Wing and
Y-Wing starfighters were sent to destroy the
Death Star, however all but five were killed in the attack. With seconds remaining and the timely assistance of his friend
Han Solo,
Luke Skywalker was able to fire a
proton torpedo into a small thermal exhaust port along the
Death Star's equatorial trench, thus destroying the station and saving Yavin 4. A great ceremony was held following the
Death Star's destruction, where
Princess Leia bestowed medals of honor to
Luke Skywalker and
Han Solo, along with his
Wookiee co-pilot,
Chewbacca.
This battle became known as the
Battle of Yavin, and its date is used as a place-marker for events in the expanded
Star Wars universe. Events before the Battle of Yavin are marked by
BBY, and events that occur after are marked by
ABY.
In
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the scenes featuring the scenery of Yavin 4 were filmed in
Tikal,
Guatemala.
In
Tales of the Jedi, it is stated that Yavin 4 was where
Naga Sadow hid from the
Republic in 5,000
BBY and was discovered several hundred years later by the fallen
Jedi Freedon Nadd. According to the comic series, the Massassi warriors who built the ruins used by the Rebels were brought to the planet by the
Sith Order in its early years.
In
Jedi Academy Trilogy,
Kevin Anderson suggested that
Exar Kun had the temples built. Enveloped in the dark side, Kun elevated himself to the stature of a god. He enslaved the
Massassi and forced them to construct an intricate complex of massive temples that were used in arcane
Sith ceremonies and rites as focuses for the dark side.
In the young reader
novel,
The Lost City of the Jedi, it is discoved, as the title suggests, that the ancient
Jedi built a
lost city on Yavin 4. This city has not been seen in any other
Star Wars work, due to the book's unpopularity.
In the animated micro-series
Star Wars: Clone Wars,
Anakin Skywalker has a fierce battle with
Asajj Ventress, a follower of
Count Dooku. Finally Anakin defeats Asajj, sending her falling down a dark abyss, but not before she gives a permanent scar next to Anakin's right eye.
Luke Skywalker later returns to the moon to find a
Jedi academy there, rather than on
Coruscant. The academy was destroyed by the
Yuuzhan Vong in 26
ABY.
