The mission to Batuu, later known as the Battle of Batuu, was a battle that took place during the war between the First Order and the Resistance. Initially a mission by the Resistance to find allies and sanctuary on Batuu and an occupation by the First Order when it deployed the 709th Legion to occupy Black Spire Outpost and capture or kill Resistance fugitives, it erupted into a battle between the two factions.
The loss of the Resistance base on D'Qar forced the Resistance High Command to evacuate their base. However, General Armitage Hux tracked the Resistance fleet through hyperspace and gave chase through space. Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo eventually sacrificed herself and her cruiser to allow the remaining Resistance fighters to escape to the planet Crait in the Crait system.
Unlike the Battle of Starkiller Base, the Battle of Crait resulted in a disastrous defeat for the Resistance.
When the First Order received word that there was a Resistance presence on Batuu, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren traveled to the planet on board the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer. While Ren remained in orbit, the First Order's 709th Legion was deployed to occupy the Black Spire Outpost and eliminate all Resistance forces in the area, under the command of Lieutenant Agnon. First Order Mountain troopers also patrolled the mountain ranges surrounding the outpost for Resistance activity.
The First Order's search for Resistance spies led the 709th to the Den of Antiquities, where they interrogated the shop's owner, Dok-Ondar. While questioning the Ithorian shopkeeper, the sergeant inspected one of the relics—the lightsaber of Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi, who fought in the Clone Wars until he was betrayed and executed by his clone troopers. Dok-Ondar interpreted the sergeant's questions as veiled threats and claimed he was nothing more than a humble proprietor, but the sergeant had heard of his reputation for selling valuable relics for the right price, which led him to believe that the Resistance would seek out Dok-Ondar in order to acquire the Jedi lightsaber. Before the stormtroopers could leave, having warned Dok-Ondar to report any contact with the Resistance or suffer the confiscation and destruction of property, the Ithorian took note of the sergeant's ignorance of galactic history and felt the need to explain how he procured the lightsaber.
Resistance operatives led by Finn led a cover mission to infiltrate the orbiting Finalizer, with Finn disguising himself as a stormtrooper. He is given support by Resistance members on the planet who he communicates with via a datapad. While on board he learns that Kylo Ren is closing in on Resistance agents in Black Spire Outpost. While that mission continues, the Halcyon passenger liner arrives at Batuu, having been recently commandeered by First Order agents led by Lieutenant Harman Croy in search of Resistance spies. Despite the First Order's presence, passengers were still allowed to travel to and from Black Spire's Docking Bay 3.
On the surface, Ren confronted Resistance spy Vi Moradi personally. He used the Force to briefly capture her, but Moradi was freed when the Jedi Rey arrived and dueled Ren. The fight was cut short when Ren was forced to leave upon being alerted to an "incident" on the destroyer.
Members of a Resistance group stationed at a base in the Black Spire Ruins—including many new recruits—were briefed on a mission by Rey via a hologram projected by BB-8. The team boarded an Intersystem Transport Ship commanded by Lieutenant Bek and piloted by Nien Nunb. While being escorted by Poe Dameron in his X-wing, along with other X-wings, the transport crossed paths with the Finalizer, got caught in its tractor beam, and was brought on board. Dameron's fighters were forced to flee the scene in order to go for help.
The Resistance engages the First Order above Batuu.
The Resistance members were taken captive and scheduled to be interrogated before they were broken out of their cell by another group of Resistance operatives who had infiltrated the ship. They included Finn, who was secretly on board disguised as a stormtrooper. During their escape in a First Order Fleet Transport vehicle, the Resistance members crossed paths with stormtroopers, All Terrain Armored Transports, and Kylo Ren.
The crew of the Finalizer was taken by surprise when a large group of Resistance starfighters, bombers, frigates, and other vessels jumped out of hyperspace led by Dameron in his fighter, starting the attack. The Resistance fleet engaged the Star Destroyers, while starfighters attacked one another. During the engagement the fleeing recruits were nearly captured by Kylo Ren before a Vakbeor-class cargo frigate broadsided the Star Destroyer, but was soon destroyed by overwhelming attacks from the Finalizers weapons emplacements. The recruits' transport then boarded an escape pod that traveled through the space battle and returned them back to the ruins on Batuu, where their pod and Bek's came in for a rough, but relatively safe landing.
Following the battle, Rey and Chewbacca sneaked aboard the Halcyon, where Kylo Ren arrrived and was confronted by Rey. The two engaged in another brief duel before parting ways. Operatives onboard the ship then freed it from First Order control.
Due to the heavy damage sustained by the Finalizer during the battle, Kylo Ren transferred his command to his new flagship, the Steadfast. He brought Hux with him to the destroyer, where he would now serve below General Pryde and have little independent authority.
The mission to Batuu first appeared in the first issue of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge comic series that was released on April 24, 2019. It later made an appearance in the novel Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire and made up the storyline for the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park. A full timeline of events encompassing the Galaxy's Edge attractions, the comic book, and the events portrayed at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel was published in the Star Wars: Timelines book released in 2023.
Within the Rise of the Resistance attraction, in the event of the Kylo Ren animatronic not functioning properly, an alternative "B-Mode" final encounter between Ren and the guests takes place where he brings his TIE silencer to the window outside to locate the guests before a shot knocks him away. Similarly, delays in unloading transports after the return to Batuu will result in audio dialog of Finn arguing with the R5 units, which want greater compensation for their assistance, as well as comm chatter regarding the search for Bek's escape pod, the continued progress of the space battle, and additional pods coming in behind the park guests.
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge trading cards
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
- The Star Wars Book
- Skywalker: A Family at War
- Star Wars: Timelines