Atrivis Day group
The Atrivis Day group consisted of four BFF-1 bulk freighters utilized by the Alliance to Restore the Republic for transporting essential supplies. These vessels were part of a larger convoy en route to the Organarms Deep Space Manufacturing Facility when they encountered an Imperial Missile Boat. The events of this encounter were subsequently recreated in an Imperial simulator program, serving as a training exercise for Missile Boat pilots.
Description
Atrivis Day served as the designation for a quartet of BFF-1 bulk freighters operating on behalf of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the initial stages of the Galactic Civil War. Each freighter bore an individual designation: Atrivis Day 1, 2, 3, and 4. These freighters were all outfitted with both shields and hyperdrives.
History
Rebel service
At the beginning of the Zaarin insurrection in 4 ABY, the Atrivis Day group was integrated into an Alliance convoy transporting provisions to the Organarms Deep Space Manufacturing Facility. In addition to Atrivis Day, the convoy also included the Container transport group known as Kempman, the Modular conveyor group Altar Moon, the freighter group Rimrunner, and an additional eight container ships. The Nebulon-B escort frigate Dahome provided military escort, alongside fighter support from Red, Gold, and Blue Squadrons.
Atrivis Day was positioned at the head of the convoy, responsible for carrying raw materials. However, upon exiting hyperspace, they discovered the Organarms facility had been destroyed, the victim of a solitary Imperial Missile Boat, which was still present in the system. Shortly thereafter, the Imperial Strike-class medium cruiser Arjun joined the Missile Boat. As the small Imperial vessel moved to engage the four freighters, the rest of the convoy began to arrive in the system, starting with several Y-wing starfighters and Z-95 Headhunters from Red Squadron, which immediately attacked the Imperial forces.
Legacy
The involvement of the Atrivis Day group in this particular engagement was later incorporated into an Imperial simulation used to instruct pilots on piloting the Missile Boat. Prominent pilots such as Maarek Stele, who eventually became an Emperor's Hand, received training through this simulation.
Behind the scenes
The Atrivis Day group was conceived by LucasArts for their Star Wars: TIE Fighter - Defender of the Empire (1994), which served as the expansion pack for their video game Star Wars: TIE Fighter. They made their appearance in the initial simulator mission, designed to familiarize players with the Missile Boat. These simulator missions were based on actual historical events within the Star Wars universe. Consequently, the existence of Atrivis Day within canon is confirmed, but the specific outcome of their original engagement remains uncertain. The simulation allows players to complete the mission with varying degrees of success. As the destruction of the Atrivis Day group is merely a secondary objective, the mission can be completed regardless of their fate, leaving their ultimate in-universe destiny unresolved.
The name given to this freighter group is most likely a reference to the Atrivis sector, a sector located in the Outer Rim Territories that was known as an early center of Rebel activity.