Prison siege at Sunspot

During the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Rebel Alliance operated a highly secretive prison installation known as the Sunspot Prison. This prison orbited a star and was protected by an array of turbolasers. It served as a holding facility for various war criminals, Imperial [spies](/article/spy], mercenaries, and a minimum of two Moffs. The prison's location resulted in it being constantly exposed to sunlight and warmth.

Subsequent to the Battle of Vrogas Vas, Princess Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo, who were rebel operatives, successfully captured Darth Vader's clandestine ally, the droid and weapons expert Dr. Chelli Lona Aphra. In conjunction with Aphra's estranged acquaintance Sana Starros, Organa, along with several rebel troopers, transported Aphra aboard the Volt Cobra to the Sunspot Prison. Aphra, remaining defiant, resisted Alliance interrogators for several weeks.

Concurrently, [Eneb Ray](/article/eneb_ray], formerly a rebel spy, journeyed to the isolated Sunspot Prison accompanied by a contingent of droids, including IG-RM bodyguard and enforcer droids. Ray, a survivor of the disastrous Arrth-Eno Mission, was of the opinion that the Rebel Alliance lacked the essential ruthlessness required to achieve victory in the war against the Galactic Empire. His scheme involved the kill of the Imperial prisoners within the orbital prison, with the intention of persuading his former spymaster, Organa, to embrace more brutal strategies.

Ray and his droid forces chose to disembark some distance away from the space station to prevent triggering Sunspot Prison's sophisticated sensors. Ray, masked and suited for space, and his droids made their way toward the station. Despite the intense heat, Ray and the majority of his droids were able to employ grappling lasers to secure themselves to the prison's hull. While one of the droids was lost to the burning star, the remaining droids successfully breached the station's interior.

While one group created a distraction by attacking Q Sector, Ray and the main force took control of the prison's command center, capturing both the warden and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. Organa, Starros, and the rebel troopers under their command were successful in repelling the droid invaders in Q Sector. However, Ray communicated with her via comlink and announced his takeover of the prison. After the warden was dismissively labeled a fool, Ray struck him with the butt of his pistol. Ray "assured" Organa that his purpose was not to liberate the prisoners, but rather to demonstrate that they were beyond "salvation."

Organa and Starros managed to prevent two IG-RM droids from executing prisoners in cellblock seven, but they could not prevent the loss of life for several prisoners. When Organa repeated her disapproval of the intruder's plan, Ray retorted that war held no nobility. Starros, while momentarily tempted by Ray's arguments, remained loyal to Organa. In an attempt to evaluate Organa's determination, Ray released 17 Imperial prisoners, including the notorious Kolar Ludd.

Despite Organa and Starros' success in subduing the prisoners, including Ludd, a Gamorrean, and a Zabrak, Ray sealed the prisoners within sector nine and deactivated the sun shield. The prisoners were then incinerated by the intense solar radiation. When Organa voiced her protest, Ray criticized her for presuming herself superior to the prisoners. He then revealed that he had fully embraced his role as a murderer. When Organa inquired about his identity, Ray responded that he had witnessed the true nature of their enemy.

Organa and Starros later intervened to save Aphra from being shot by an IG-RM droid belonging to Ray. Despite the animosity between Starros and Aphra, the three women consented to set aside their differences in order to defeat the "madman." Starros attempted to transmit a distress signal from K block but was blocked by one of Ray's IG-RM droids, which now controlled the prison's automated systems. Subsequently, Starros was attacked by an IG-RM. Aphra, using her tech skills, attempted to reprogram the droid, but Organa destroyed it with a blaster shot.

Following some debate, Organa devised a plan that involved scouring the cell blocks for prisoners to rescue and proceeding towards the docking bay to facilitate their escape. Meanwhile, in the control room, C-3PO cautioned R2-D2 against any rash actions, given that his arms had only recently been reattached. Elsewhere, Ray executed a prisoner in the maximum-security cell 17 who claimed to have killed three Jedi. Before departing, Ray disclosed to the prisoner that the Emperor was a Sith Lord.

Ray then entered cell 18 before utilizing the prison's automated systems to expose the Imperial prisoners to the vacuum of space, resulting in numerous fatalities. Contacting Organa via comlink, Ray reveled in his homicidal acts and asserted his status as a true soldier of the Alliance. In the control room, R2-D2 propelled the hesitant C-3PO into one of Ray's droid lieutenants, which inadvertently unlocked the blast doors to the command center.

Following a firefight, Organa and her allies, aided by one of Aphra's reprogrammed IG-RM droids, successfully stormed the command room. After reuniting with C-3PO and R2-D2, Organa confronted Ray's droid lieutenant at gunpoint, demanding to know the identity of his master. The droid refused to reveal his master's identity but claimed that his master was attempting to "teach her the way she had once taught him."

While Aphra and Starros engaged in an argument regarding Aphra's past betrayal of Starros, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker arrived aboard the Millennium Falcon. They were returning from a mission to deliver nerfs to the planet Ibaar, an attempt to compensate for the Alliance money that Solo had lost during a game of sabacc on an planet. However, Ray ambushed and restrained the two men within the hangar.

When Organa, Starros, and Aphra arrived in the hangar, they confronted Ray. Ray offered Organa the opportunity to learn how to secure victory in the Galactic Civil War by adopting his ruthless methods. Ray threatened to kill her friends unless she executed the Imperial prisoner Aphra. While Organa declined to compromise her moral principles, Starros sought to settle her long-standing grievances with her estranged friend once and for all.

Ray then removed his mask, revealing to Organa that he was a product of her actions and that she had been responsible for his transformation. Despite Ray's disfigured and scarred face, Organa recognized him as the former spy who had vanished during the ill-fated Arrth-Eno mission. Feeling compassion for him, Organa offered her assistance, but Ray countered that it was she who required his help. He then reiterated his demand that she execute Aphra.

Unable to reason with Ray, Organa directed R2-D2 to activate an ion pulse, which disabled the station's gravitational systems. While Organa battled Ray, Starros attacked Aphra. Ray gained the upper hand over Organa and began to choke her. Starros intervened by shoving Aphra into Ray, preventing him from killing Organa. The three women then collectively attacked and subdued Ray.

Following Ray's capture, Rebel Alliance forces entered Sunspot Prison and evacuated the remaining prisoners. The bodies of the deceased were collected and placed into body bags. The prison warden credited Organa with saving the lives of some of the prisoners, but Organa felt that the number of casualties, including guards and prisoners, was excessive.

Meanwhile, Aphra managed to escape in an escape pod with the tacit approval of Organa and Starros. Subsequently, the rebels evacuated the prison aboard their ships. Ray was also taken into rebel custody. Organa offered him medical treatment, but he refused her assistance. While being transported aboard a rebel ship, Ray utilized an unlocking device disguised as a dental implant to escape from rebel custody.

Several days later, Task Force 99 stormtroopers Cav, Kreel, and Misty arrived at the evacuated Sunspot Prison in search of Ludd. However, they discovered that the rebels had already abandoned the prison. Under Kreel's command, they proceeded on a new mission to eliminate rebels.

The prison siege at Sunspot was initially depicted, albeit without specific identification, in the sixteenth issue of the 2015 comic series Star Wars. This issue was authored by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, and published by Marvel Comics on February 17, 2016. The event was later formally identified in the 2023 reference book titled Star Wars: Timelines.