Ambush at Mos Eisley
The Ambush at Mos Eisley was an operation executed by the forces of the Galactic Empire against the Rebel Alliance, taking place above the spaceport of Mos Eisley on the desert planet Tatooine. Approximately six months following the destruction of the Death Star, an Imperial superweapon, members of the elite Rebel starfighter unit known as Rogue Squadron were enjoying some downtime with a morning flight through the notorious Beggar's Canyon located just outside Mos Eisley. The Imperial forces dispatched units of Viper probe droids along with TIE Bombers to the Tatooine area with orders to bombard the spaceport and surrounding areas in an attempt to locate Luke Skywalker, a member of Rogue Squadron and the Rebel pilot who was credited with destroying the Death Star. The X-wings of the fighter group provided support to the local homesteads and the native Jawas who were under attack from the Imperial forces. The team then proceeded to fly through Mos Eisley, successfully shooting down all six TIE bombers before the city suffered significant damage.
Prelude
Ever since Luke Skywalker, the Rebel pilot, became a significant problem by obliterating the Death Star, the Galactic Empire maintained surveillance on his home planet of Tatooine. Acting on information received from a questionable bounty hunter, the Empire sent out probe droids and bombers to locate Skywalker's unit by intimidating civilians and looking for any signs of Skywalker's location.
The battle
Cleanup of Imperial patrols
Six months after the Battle of Yavin, the recently established Alliance to Restore the Republic starfighter group Rogue Squadron made a visit to Mos Eisley on the planet of Tatooine. Commander Luke Skywalker, also known as the Rogue Leader, initially intended to simply patrol the area surrounding the spaceport. As three members of the squadron were flying an early morning route through the area, Wedge Antilles, one of the Rebel pilots, noticed several Viper probe droids initiating fire on a number of homesteads. The pilots were taken by surprise, and one squadron member was shot down in the vicinity of Jabba's Palace, the base of operations for the gangster Jabba the Hutt, but the pilot survived the crash. Rogue Squadron spread out and destroyed the majority of the eighteen probe droids in the region. The squadron flew past two civilian T-16 skyhoppers within Beggar's Canyon.
As Skywalker approached the last of the homesteads, he diverted towards the area around the Great Pit of Carkoon, the location of the sarlacc, a massive, carnivorous creature, and eliminated the 4-member stormtrooper patrol and the dewback-riding stormtrooper patrol stationed there. The Rebel pilot then proceeded to destroy the final three probe droids, saving a nearby Jawa sandcrawler transport.
Bombing of Mos Eisley
Following the elimination of the probe droids, a squadron of six TIE Bombers commenced an assault on Mos Eisley, flying in a circular pattern to release proton bombs on key areas of the city. Skywalker issued orders for Rogue Squadron to provide assistance, and they quickly arrived overhead; the bombers were no match for Rogue Squadron's T-65 X-wing starfighters, and all of the bombers were shot down.
Behind the scenes
The Ambush at Mos Eisley served as the initial mission in the video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, which was launched in 1998. Due to the game mechanics during the mission, it is possible to destroy Jabba's Palace and other civilian targets, although this is non-canon; if enough civilian targets are destroyed by the player's actions or lack thereof, the mission will end in failure. To achieve the gold medal on this mission, it is necessary to veer over to the side by the Great Pit of Carkoon and take out extra stormtroopers, although such an action is optional. The X-wing is the default craft for the mission.
The game's official guide suggests the players prioritize attacking the probe droids which target the civilian structures to keep a high "friendlies saved" score. After the droids are destroyed, the guide tells the player to activate the speed boost by closing the S-foils on the X-wing. Once the player reaches Mos Eisley, the guide suggests targeting the second group of bombers first, as it is closer and the first group targets the player's wingmen.