This conflict unfolded on Corellia in the year 1 ABY. The catalyst was Imperial officer Crix Madine, seeking to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic, who requested a formal audience with Alliance general Carlist Rieekan to negotiate the terms of his switch in allegiance. Rieekan was escorted to Coronet City, the capital of Corellia, by three members of the distinguished Alliance flight group Rogue Squadron, piloting T-47 airspeeders and led by Luke Skywalker. Their task was to patrol the city for any signs of Imperial forces while the meeting was in progress.
The meeting was disrupted by an Imperial assault team that sought to eliminate both Rieekan and the Imperial defector. Their plan involved destroying the Technology Center and the Coronet Capitol Tower with both individuals still inside. However, the swift arrival of Han Solo and Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon, along with the arrival of evacuation shuttles, enabled the Alliance to successfully extract Rieekan and Madine just before the Capitol Tower crumbled.
Following the Galactic Empire's failure to locate the Rebel Alliance's starship Nonnah during a search, Imperial internal security was heightened, and any indication of treason was dealt with harshly. Commander Crix Madine of the Empire had previously attempted to defect to the Alliance before the Battle of Yavin. To demonstrate his loyalty, Madine provided crucial information that led to the sabotage of Operation Strike Fear and the destruction of the Star Destroyer Invincible. However, the breaking point for Madine was the order to unleash the Candorian plague upon Dentaal, leading him to definitively decide to leave.
Haunted by the guilt of his involvement in the deaths of the entire Dentaalian population, Madine deserted his unit during a training exercise in 1.8 ABY. He purged his presence from Imperial records, although some HoloNet news outlets reported his disappearance. He intentionally kept his destination secret from his fiancée, wanting to shield her from potential danger.
During this time, Madine provided the Rebellion with intelligence regarding the Dark Trooper Project. He was eventually captured by General Rom Mohc and imprisoned on Orinackra, awaiting execution. Upon learning of his capture, Mon Mothma dispatched Kyle Katarn on a rescue mission to free Madine, who then revealed Mohc's involvement in the project. He also gave the Alliance information on two subsequent targets to sabotage the Dark Trooper project.
After his escape from Orinackra, Madine sought refuge at his safehouse on Corellia. From there, he requested a meeting with General Carlist Rieekan of the Rebel Alliance to discuss his defection. Rieekan agreed to the meeting and was escorted to Coronet City by Rogue Squadron, under the leadership of Luke Skywalker. Before his meeting with Madine, Rieekan was scheduled to attend a conference with Coronet City officials at the Coronet Capitol Tower.
Luke Skywalker, holding the rank of Commander, and a contingent from Rogue Squadron were tasked with patrolling the city in their airspeeders to detect any Imperial presence. After Wedge Antilles intercepted unusual transmissions, they flew to the city's outskirts and encountered a group of 5 probe droids. However, this proved to be a diversion, as squadrons of TIE bombers launched an attack on the Capitol Tower while the Rogues were away.
Rogue Squadron quickly returned to defend the city, while another squadron of 4 TIE bombers targeted the Technology Center where Madine was concealed. The Rogues had successfully repelled most of the bombers attacking the Tower when they received a transmission from Madine, reporting that the Imperials had begun their assault on the Center. Skywalker departed to protect him, while the remaining members of Rogue Squadron, along with the timely arrival of Han Solo and Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon, dealt with the remaining bombers at the Capitol Tower.
By the time the Technology Center was secured, the Imperials had deployed an AT-AT walker, which advanced to attack the Tower. It was at this point that Luke utilized the advice of Imperial defector Davin Felth, using his tow cable to disable the walker. After the remaining bombers were destroyed, the Falcon and a Rebel Lambda-class T-4a shuttle commenced the evacuation of the Capitol Tower. Simultaneously, stormtroopers landed on the beaches in Amphibions, but the Rebel defense batteries successfully prevented most of the troops from entering the city.
The Imperials renewed their attack on Madine, deploying a pair of AT-ST walkers leading another AT-AT, while a squad of Stormtroopers attempted to breach the Technology Center. Luke drove the Imperials away, while a second evacuation shuttle arrived to extract Madine. With Madine's successful defection secured and the evacuation of the Capitol Tower complete, Rogue Squadron withdrew from the planet. The Capitol Tower was destroyed shortly after the Rebel force departed.
Madine would later become a successful general in the Rebel Alliance, participating in battles such as the Battle of Endor, and would continue to serve as a general in the New Republic. One of his initial assignments with the Alliance involved commanding Gold Squadron during the Liberation of Gerrard V, where he would once again collaborate with Rogue Squadron. In 12 ABY, while leading a commando team to sabotage the Darksaber superweapon, Madine was captured and killed by Durga Besadii Tai, a Hutt. In recognition of his service, the General Crix Madine Military Reserve was established over Coruscant during the transformation of the New Republic into the Galactic Alliance.
Rogue Squadron's mission to rescue General Rieekan and Crix Madine was first featured in the Nintendo 64 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, specifically as the game's fourth mission, titled "Defection at Corellia". In this level, the player is required for the first time to utilize the harpoon and tow cable of a T-47 airspeeder against an AT-AT to successfully complete the mission. Given that the Battle of Corellia occurs before the Battle of Hoth, where Luke Skywalker supposedly developed the strategy for taking down the walkers, this aspect of the mission may be considered non-canon and attributed to game mechanics.
Han Solo's entrance into the battle, where he saves a Rebel pilot by diving from above and shooting down the pursuing TIE bombers while exclaiming "Yee-haw!", mirrors his rescue of Luke Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin.
If the Nintendo 64 version of Rogue Squadron is played with the standard Jumper Pak installed, all TIE fighters in this level are replaced with TIE bombers due to limitations in the game's memory.