The Mon Cala planetary defense services, also referred to as Mon Cala's military, was the armed forces of the Mon Calamari monarchy, traditionally led by the King of Mon Cala who acted as the Supreme Commander.
Mon Cala's military was led by the King of Mon Cala who held the position of the military's Supreme Commander. As Regent of Mon Cala, Dors Urtya had access to priority channels to the Fleet Captains of the Mon Cala Imperial Trade Fleet.Mon Cala's military was divided into different units that consisted of Mon Calamari and Quarren. The Mon Calamari Guard was one such unit, which was composed of Mon Calamari troopers. The Mon Calamari Knights were another such unit, and also consisted of Mon Calamari soldiers. Quarren warriors made up part of Mon Cala's military, as they shared the planet and were pledged to the Mon Cala King.
Mon Cala's military also possessed naval forces. The Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet was a merchant fleet that could also act as a defense force. The Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet was a fleet that was formed from the merchant fleet that escaped Mon Cala during the Imperial Era. During the Imperial Era, the Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet was transitioned into the Mon Cala Imperial Trade Fleet, and was supervised by the Imperial Navy.
Mon Calamari units included the Mon Calamari Guard, composed of Mon Calamari troopers, and the Mon Calamari Knights. The Mon Calamari Guard was the personal guard of the King of Mon Cala, distinctive from other Mon Cala infantry by the usage of the Guard's emblem. Quarren warriors were also part of the military, and fought alongside the Mon Calamari troops during conflict. Mon Cala's military also had access to enormous ocean creatures that could be used against enemy forces.
Although the Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet was primarily an unarmed trading fleet, it could be used as a military asset, and was composed of various Mon Calamari Star Cruisers. Following the occupation of Mon Cala, the Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet fragmented into the Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet, and was restored prior to 1 ABY as the Mon Cala Imperial Trade Fleet under the Galactic Empire. The rank of Fleet Captain was given to Mon Calamari officers during the Galactic Civil War, and Imperial officers and stormtroopers were stationed aboard the vessels.
During the Clone Wars, King Yos Kolina was the Supreme Commander until his assassination. After Kolina's death, his son Prince Lee-Char was to be crowned but was not due to political tensions with the Quarren. The Confederacy of Independent Systems, in an attempt to seize the planet from the Galactic Republic, managed to influence the Quarren Isolation League into splitting from the Mon Cala monarchy, effectively removing Quarren warriors from the military. Despite not officially being crowned and thus becoming King, Lee-Char was still entrusted as the Supreme Commander of the remnants of Mon Cala's military as prince.
The Mon Calamari and the Quarren, each backed by the Republic and Separatists, respectively, fought for control of the planet.
Mon Cala's strife soon ignited into the Battle of Mon Cala, which saw the Mon Cala monarchy supported by the Galactic Republic fight against the Separatist-backed Quarren Isolation League. Prince Lee-Char and his Mon Calamari forces were supplemented by Republic Clone SCUBA troopers, Jedi, and later the Gungan Grand Army, while the Quarren were boosted by aqua droids, Hydroid Medusas, and Karkarodon enforcers. After the leader of the Quarren, Chieftain Nossor Ri realized that allying with the Separatists was a crucial mistake, he and the Quarren pledged their loyalty to the Republic and the Mon Cala monarchy and fought the Separatists until they were defeated. With this, Mon Cala's military was recomposed and Prince Lee-Char was crowned as the King of Mon Cala.
In 18 BBY, one year after the transition of the Republic to the Galactic Empire, the relationship between the Mon Cala monarchy and the Empire was under economic pressure. Due to escalating tensions, the Empire dispatched Governor Wilhuff Tarkin and the Sovereign to Mon Cala, while King Lee-Char secretly took on Jedi advisor Ferren Barr. Under the Jedi's counsel and instigation, the political strife exploded into a war on Mon Cala. Mon Cala's military was sprung into action to defend the surface cities from the Imperial invasion, deploying Mon Calamari troopers and Quarren warriors to repel the attacks. After the surface cities were completely evacuated and the Empire had taken control of them, Mon Cala's military deployed large enormous creatures that jumped from the ocean's surface and crashed back down, destroying all surface cities on the planet.
The Mon Calamari warships leaving the planet and Imperial rule.
This assault forced the Empire to rely on aerial landing platforms to continue the invasion underwater. King Lee-Char entrusted the defense of the planet's northern hemisphere to Commander Gial Ackbar, while the southern hemisphere and the Mon Calamari Shipyards fell under the command of Admiral Raddus. Commander Ackbar launched an attack on Imperial Colonel Bergon's platform and killed her, dealing a critical blow to the Empire as she was the commander of Imperial surface forces. Meanwhile, Admiral Raddus used the Star Cruisers of the Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet to centralize his forces and defend against Imperial armed forces. Eventually, the fleet of warships attempted to leave the planet, with some ships making it out and going on to serve in the rebellion against the Empire.
In 34 ABY during the First Order-Resistance War, Mon Cala's military consisted of a fleet of various vessels. Aftab Ackbar led the fleet from his flagship. General Organa led a Resistance mission to Mon Cala in order to acquire the ships for the navy. The fleet helped the Resistance escape when the First Order arrived to make an example of Mon Cala. Nossor Ri sacrificed himself by creating a distraction with his Mon Calamari fighter, giving the fleet a window of escape. After another vessel was destroyed, Aftab ordered the fleet to immediately jump to hyperspace or face a quick destruction. The ships in the fleet would go on to be instrumental in rebuilding the Resistance's navy.
Mon Cala's military possessed a number of submarines in its armed forces. Under the Galactic Republic, the military utilized OMS Devilfish submarines, and later, during the reign of the Galactic Empire, used another type of submarine that could also function above the water's surface. Although illegal during the Clone Wars, the Quarren would later use UTS Pikes during Imperial rule, as well as a larger type of submarine.
Although originally unarmed, Mon Calamari Star Cruisers could be refitted into warships. These cruisers formed the backbone of the Mon Cala's military and eventually the Rebel fleet.
Various models served under the military including the MC75 Star Cruisers like the Aspiration which was part of Admiral Raddus' exodus fleet. The mercantile fleet used a variety of models including the MC80A Home One Type Heavy Star Cruiser like the Aurora Flare and the MC80 Liberty Type Heavy Cruiser. Decades later, the Mon Cala fleet was lead by Aftab's MC95 Star Cruiser.
Mon Cala's military was equipped with blaster spears, with two different variants utilized by the Mon Calamari and Quarren. Mon Calamari troopers were also equipped with jet propulsion equipment to move effectively underwater.
Mon Cala's military debuted in "Water War," the premier of the fourth season of the animated TV-series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
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