The Battle of Ponolapo was a battle of the Galactic Civil War fought by the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, a small rebel fleet ambushed an Imperial convoy being escorted by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Steadfast, killing its commanding officer, Commodore Freylon and destroying most of the convoy.
Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, the criminal organization Crimson Dawn began a war with the Galactic Empire. At the same time, the Empire was fighting against the Alliance to Restore the Republic in the Galactic Civil War, with both sides having difficulty with getting closer to winning it. Although the Empire defeated Crimson Dawn, it had pulled ships from service to do so, leaving gaps in fleet deployments.
The Battle of Ponolapo occurred between 3 ABY and 4 ABY when a small rebel fleet ambushed an Imperial convoy being escorted by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Steadfast. Due to the conflict with Crimson Dawn, the Steadfast did not have its usual accompaniment of several Gozanti or Arquitens light cruisers, which allowed the Rebels to destroy most of the convoy and damage the Steadfast, killing its commanding officer, Commodore Freylon.
After the battle, Commodore Scaanos replaced Freylon as the commanding officer of the Steadfast. This infuriated Enric Pryde, the longest serving crewmember of the Steadfast, who believed he should have received the command instead. The day after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, Pryde recalled the battle while thinking about his dislike of Scaanos.
The Rebel Alliance Archives contained a file on the Battle of Ponolapo, which the historian Beaumont Kin referenced when he mentioned the battle in his book, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, in 35 ABY
The Battle of Ponolapo was first mentioned in The Steadfast Soldier, written by Adam Christopher and published in the 2023 anthology From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi.
- Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire