The engagement on Batuu, which later became known as the Battle of Batuu, was a conflict that transpired during the war between the First Order and the Resistance. The situation began as a Resistance operation to locate allies and a safe haven on Batuu. The First Order then initiated an occupation by deploying the 709th Legion with the objective of seizing Black Spire Outpost and either capturing or killing Resistance members who were on the run, leading to an outright battle between the two factions.
The Resistance High Command was compelled to evacuate their Resistance base on D'Qar due to its destruction. However, General Armitage Hux utilized a hyperspace tracker to track the Resistance fleet through hyperspace and pursued them through space. Ultimately, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo made the ultimate sacrifice, using her cruiser to enable the remaining Resistance fighters to reach the planet Crait located within the Crait system.
In contrast to the Battle of Starkiller Base, the Battle of Crait resulted in a devastating loss for the Resistance forces.
Upon learning of a Resistance presence on Batuu, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren journeyed to the planet aboard the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer known as the Finalizer. While Ren remained in orbit, the First Order dispatched the 709th Legion under the command of Lieutenant Agnon to occupy Black Spire Outpost and eliminate all Resistance elements in the area. In addition, First Order Mountain troopers were assigned to patrol the mountain ranges surrounding the outpost, seeking out any signs of Resistance activity.
The First Order's pursuit of Resistance spies led the 709th to the Den of Antiquities, where they interrogated the proprietor, Dok-Ondar. During the questioning of the Ithorian shopkeeper, the sergeant examined one of the relics—the lightsaber that belonged to Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi, a veteran of the Clone Wars who was later betrayed and executed by his own clone troopers. Dok-Ondar interpreted the sergeant's inquiries as thinly veiled threats, asserting that he was merely a humble merchant. However, the sergeant was aware of Dok-Ondar's reputation for dealing in valuable relics for the right price, leading him to suspect that the Resistance would seek out Dok-Ondar to acquire the Jedi lightsaber. Before the stormtroopers could leave, after warning Dok-Ondar that any contact with the Resistance would result in the confiscation and destruction of his property, the Ithorian was compelled to point out the sergeant's lack of knowledge of galactic history and explain how he had acquired the lightsaber.
Resistance operatives, led by Finn, undertook a covert operation to infiltrate the Finalizer in orbit, with Finn disguised as a stormtrooper. He received support from Resistance members on the planet, with whom he communicated via a datapad. While aboard the ship, he learned that Kylo Ren was closing in on Resistance agents in Black Spire Outpost. Simultaneously, the Halcyon passenger liner arrived at Batuu, having been recently seized by First Order agents under the command of Lieutenant Harman Croy in search of Resistance spies. Despite the First Order's presence, passengers were still permitted to travel to and from Black Spire's Docking Bay 3.
On the planet's surface, Ren personally confronted Resistance spy Vi Moradi. Using the Force, he briefly captured her, but Moradi was freed when the Jedi Rey arrived and engaged Ren in a duel. The fight was interrupted when Ren was alerted to an "incident" on the destroyer and forced to depart.
With the base on Batuu compromised, the Resistance decided to evacuate the planet for a Pacara base. Members of a Resistance unit stationed at a base in the Black Spire Ruins—including numerous new recruits—received a briefing from Rey via a hologram projected by BB-8. The team boarded an Intersystem Transport Ship commanded by Lieutenant Bek and piloted by Nien Nunb. While being escorted by Poe Dameron in his X-wing, along with other X-wings, the transport encountered the Finalizer, was caught in its tractor beam, and was brought aboard. Dameron's fighters were compelled to flee the scene to seek assistance.
The Resistance members were captured and scheduled for interrogation before being freed from their cell by another group of Resistance operatives who had infiltrated the ship. Among them was Finn, who was secretly aboard disguised as a stormtrooper. During their escape in a First Order Fleet Transport vehicle, the Resistance members encountered stormtroopers, All Terrain Armored Transports, and Kylo Ren.
The crew of the Finalizer was surprised when a large group of Resistance starfighters, bombers, frigates, and other vessels, led by Dameron in his fighter, emerged from hyperspace and initiated an attack. The Resistance fleet engaged the Star Destroyers, while starfighters clashed with one another. During the battle, the fleeing recruits were nearly captured by Kylo Ren before a Vakbeor-class cargo frigate broadsided the Star Destroyer, only to be quickly destroyed by the Finalizer's overwhelming firepower. The recruits' transport then boarded an escape pod that traversed the space battle and returned them to the ruins on Batuu, where their pod and Bek's made a rough but relatively safe landing.
Following the battle, Rey and Chewbacca secretly boarded the Halcyon, where Kylo Ren arrived and was confronted by Rey. The two engaged in another brief duel before parting ways. Operatives on board the ship then liberated it from First Order control.
Due to the significant damage sustained by the Finalizer during the battle, Kylo Ren transferred his command to his new flagship, the Steadfast. He brought Hux with him to the destroyer, where he would now serve under General Pryde and have limited independent authority.
The mission to Batuu was first introduced in the first issue of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge comic series, released on April 24, 2019. It later appeared in the novel Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire and formed the basis of the storyline for the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park. A comprehensive timeline of events encompassing the Galaxy's Edge attractions, the comic book, and the events depicted at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel was published in the Star Wars: Timelines book in 2023.
Within the Rise of the Resistance attraction, if the Kylo Ren animatronic malfunctions, an alternative "B-Mode" final encounter takes place, where Ren uses his TIE silencer to locate the guests before being knocked away. Similarly, delays in unloading transports after returning to Batuu will trigger audio dialogue of Finn arguing with the R5 units, who demand greater compensation for their assistance, along with comm chatter regarding the search for Bek's escape pod, the ongoing space battle, and additional pods arriving behind the park guests.