Following the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance were on the run from the Galactic Empire and searched for new location for their base. Princess Leia Organa made it her personal mission to find a location for the Alliance with help from Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.
Leia Organa and Mon Mothma discuss Crait's attributes.
After the Empire's attack on the Alliance Fleet, they retreated to Baraan-Fa. There, Organa spoke with Chancellor Mon Mothma about using Crait as a location for their new base. It had been abandoned by the Nupayuni Mining Consortium decades ago.
However, Mothma did not like the idea of using a "dead" planet. Despite that fact, Organa told her that Trusk Berinato assured her father that Crait could be a potential location for a base. Despite her concerns, Mothma decided to let Organa take a survey team to Crait.
Organa, with Captains Skywalker, Solo, Chewbacca and Wedge Antilles traveled to Crait with the Millennium Falcon and a GR-75 medium transport loaded with equipment. Upon their landing, they were then met by Berinato and his mining droids. Organa and the survey team went with Berinato to look at the mines using their V-4X-D ski speeders. During this time, Solo became suspicious of Berinato. Skywalker, along with Antilles then started to dig trenches outside the mine despite difficulty with several worms.
But during a trip with their speeders, Antilles and Skywalker spotted a group of flash-dried corpses. Familiar with dead in similar conditions, Skywalker realized quickly that it was due to a salt storm, one so big and strong that would strand them on Crait for years.
Luke Skywalker battles Sergeant Kreel.
However, Organa told Berinato that they would not be staying Crait for long. Organa knew that he had signaled the Empire, which sent SCAR Squadron to their location. Despite this betrayal, Organa was willing to let Berinato help them escape, but he refused. Thus Organa, Skywalker, Solo, and Chewbacca boarded their ski speeders to attack SCAR Squadron head on while the first waves of the storm arrived. The two forces fought each other. SCAR Squadron's commander, Sergeant Kreel then drew his lightsaber and fought Skywalker. After the fight with the other SCAR troopers, Solo, Chewbacca and Organa returned to the Falcon. However, they were then confronted by Berinato and his droids who refused to let them leave.
Skywalker continued to fight Kreel until Skywalker destroyed his lightsaber. With help from Antilles, SCAR squadron was forced to limp away and retreat. Berinato then shot Solo to force her to come with him. However, Organa was able to use Solo's blaster to shoot Berinato's blaster out of his hand. Skywalker, and the rest of the survey team arrived and left Crait aboard the Falcon.
The Millennium Falcon departs Crait.
Aboard the Falcon, Organa told Mothma that Crait was not ideal for base. Organa's survey team was also forced to leave several Spiezoc v-120, v-232 artillery emplacements, the ski speeders and an armory filled with blaster rifles and pistols. The Rebel Alliance did eventually build a Base on Hoth. Years after the Galactic Civil War, Crait had fallen off modern starcharts.
In 34 ABY, Organa, now a General of the Resistance, led the surviving members to Crait's outpost when they were pursued by the First Order's forces. There, the Resistance used the abandoned Alliance gear against the First Order until the Falcon rescued the survivors and escaped.
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
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