Attack on Yavin 4

During the year 0 ABY, the Alliance to Restore the Republic achieved a significant victory against the Galactic Empire. Rebel pilots successfully attacked and annihilated the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin. Subsequently, the Empire retaliated for the Death Star's destruction by dispatching a substantial Imperial force to invade the Rebel base located on Yavin 4.

The Empire launched a larger assault than initially anticipated against the base, showing determination to finally suppress the Rebels. Red Squadron, commanded by Commander Luke Skywalker, received orders to eliminate the Imperial transports that were making planetfall.

While Red Squadron was attacking the Imperial transports, Skywalker, before destroying the fourth transport, briefly piloted his X-wing into the massive ship after noticing advanced shield technology, intending to retrieve it for later use.

With the destruction of the remaining four transports, the invasion was temporarily halted. A TIE fighter then laid in wait for Luke, only to be shot down by Red Three, Sarkli. Following this, the second wave of Imperial transports, which included loader shuttles, arrived to reinforce the ground forces. The Rebel General Jan Dodonna then directed Red Squadron to take down the loader shuttles and defend the final Rebel transport, the Luminous, which was docked on one of the islands close to the temple until it was ready to depart. Eventually, the Luminous successfully escaped. Following the destruction of most of the loader shuttles and dropships, one transport managed to slip through the defenses and deployed a stormtrooper contingent into the Great Temple, trapping General Dodonna inside the Ceremonial Chamber. Skywalker instructed Sarkli to safeguard the transports, while he and Wedge Antilles landed in the temple and fought their way through the invaders.

The pair successfully rescued Captain Bren Derlin and Dodonna, along with a squad of Rebel troopers, and proceeded toward the base's entrance. There, they found themselves pinned down by two AT-STs. Sarkli then descended and eliminated the walkers, enabling the group to escape aboard a GR-75 medium transport. General Dodonna then expressed his gratitude to Skywalker, believing that Skywalker's decision to send Sarkli was the reason anyone survived.

However, an Imperial blockade was still in place, awaiting them in space. Furthermore, Emperor Palpatine voiced his dissatisfaction with how things had transpired, though Darth Vader clarified that it was merely a temporary setback. Red Squadron was subsequently dispatched to Dantooine to assist in the defection of Tycho Celchu. Despite being an Imperial victory, the battle was also viewed as a Rebel success, as the Rebel command was successfully evacuated. However, not all Rebel commanders were evacuated during this battle, two examples being Bothan High Command and General Jan Dodonna, who were still on Yavin IV after the battle. Bothan High Command was destroyed during another battle whilst Jan Dodonna was captured during the final battle of Yavin.

The 2001 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader features a level set on Yavin's fourth moon called "Revenge on Yavin." In this level, the player assumes the role of Darth Vader and tries to destroy several Rebel GR-75 medium transports before they can escape the moon's surface. They are defended by BTL Y-wing starfighters and T-65 X-wing starfighters, and occasionally, T-47 airspeeders can be seen speeding across the moon's surface. Moreover, in this level, the planet Yavin is depicted in the background with a purple hue, instead of its usual orange. This level, as well as a similar level which had the player take control of Vader during the Battle of Yavin to prevent the Death Star's destruction, were apparently intended to tease the planned spinoff game Star Wars: Dark Squadron before the latter game was ultimately passed over in favor for another game starring Chewbacca. The canonical battle, called "Revenge of the Empire", appears in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, with the player flying as Luke Skywalker. In addition, the bonus mission was likewise omitted from the co-op mode for Rebel Strike (which was itself a port of Rogue Leader), presumably to avoid confusion.

Jamie Urmacher designed the level, aiming to create an introductory level for players new to the Rogue Squadron series before playing Rebel Strike. Consequently, the TIEs were included to allow players to accumulate points for medals and provide a challenge. As there was no reference from the movie, Steve Huelsback composed original music for the level. The Making of Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike showcases various gaffes and hiccups encountered during development due to "reinventing the wheel" regarding the engine for Rogue Leader. One of the gaffes shown was Luke in the Yavin Temple running around erratically while his head was slightly floating unattached to his main body.