Battle of Galitan

Following an Imperial attack directed at the Nadiri Dockyards, the New Republic's prototype Starhawk sustained damage. Consequently, General Hera Syndulla's fleet evacuated the dockyards, charting a course for the Chandrila system. En route, Titan Squadron mounted an attack against the Republic fleet amidst a nearby debris field. This assault forced them into the Ringali Nebula, severing long-range communications and isolating them. Syndulla's fleet was weakened, the Starhawk was crippled, and the forces under her command desperately required New Republic reinforcements.

While Syndulla's fleet was embroiled in combat, Chief Mechanic Zerelda Sage spearheaded a repair effort using a CR90 corvette to restore an old Rebel broadcast hub situated above a nearby moon of Galitan, supported by Vanguard Squadron. The Empire responded by deploying waves of TIE bombers, TIE fighters, and TIE interceptors, compelling Vanguard Squadron to engage in battle as Sage's team hurried to finalize the repairs. Sage successfully reactivated the broadcast hub but needed more time to bring three nearby communication satellites online to amplify the signal. Upon completing the repairs, an Imperial IGV-55 surveillance vessel appeared to jam the distress signal, but Vanguard swiftly destroyed it, enabling the fleet to transmit a message requesting New Republic reinforcements.

In response to their distress call to gather New Republic support, Anvil Squadron arrived, dispatching reinforcements to strengthen Syndulla's fleet and aid in the ensuing battle. To further assist, Commander Lindon Javes put on his flight suit and helmet, entered a T-65B X-wing starfighter, and personally led Anvil Squadron.

An EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate and half of Anvil Squadron prevented the Overseer and Titan Squadron from reaching the Starhawk. Lindon Javes led the other half of Anvil in an attack on another Star Destroyer. Titan Squadron began their assault on Anvil Squadron, seeking another opportunity to inflict chaos on Anvil since Mon Cala. The Nebulon-B frigate was quickly destroyed, but the Star Destroyer under attack by the rest of Anvil was also destroyed, releasing reinforcements to confront Titan Squadron with another Nebulon-B frigate and a pair of CR90 corvettes, which were soon destroyed, allowing Titan to reach the crippled Starhawk. One of the baradium missiles from the assault on the Nadiri Dockyards, was lodged unexploded, in the side of the hull. Titan Three fired upon the missile, creating an opening in the hull and a pathway into the ship's tractor beam core. Titan Three entered the interior of the ship and destroyed the gravity emitters, leaving the Starhawk in catastrophic overload and ready to destroy itself.

Javes and a flight of Anvil starfighters responded, with Titan Three and Javes engaging in a duel around the Starhawk. After Javes' X-wing crashed into the crippled Starhawk, Captain Terisa Kerrill ordered the Imperial ships to withdraw, however the rest of the fleet refused and planned to eliminate the rebel fleet. Kerrill called them fools as their mission was complete, and with Titan Squadron safely onboard the Overseer jumped to Lightspeed, leaving the Starhawk to burn. Broadcasts of the Starhawk's destruction cowed a dozen rebelling systems.

While Vanguard Squadron mourned the loss of Javes back on the Temperance, General Syndulla devised a new strategy: sacrificing the crippled Starhawk to safeguard the lives of its crew and engineers, and thus Project Starhawk. The plan entailed utilizing the Starhawk's still-functional tractor beam to tow it with a pair of corvettes and crash it into the moon. The resulting explosion would obliterate all enemy ships within range. One Imperial II-class Star Destroyer stood directly in the Starhawk's path, prompting Vanguard to launch an attack to eliminate it. Once clear, Vanguard defended the corvettes from waves of TIEs and two Arquitens-class command cruisers.

As soon as the Starhawk reached sufficient velocity and proximity to the moon, the corvettes disengaged. An unexpected transmission from the Starhawk revealed to Vanguard that Javes had survived the crash, but his X-wing's weapons were non-operational. Vanguard continued to defend the crippled vessel as it hurtled toward the moon, ultimately colliding with its exposed core. The resulting massive explosion generated a shockwave that annihilated all nearby ships, leaving behind a turbulent debris field of molten rocks. Javes guided Vanguard through the debris field to the safety of the Temperance, enabling them to depart Galitan and proceed to Chandrila.

Despite the Starhawk's destruction, Project Starhawk persisted due to the survival of its engineers, allowing the New Republic to construct more Starhawk-class battleships. This event dealt a significant blow to the Imperial fleet, and with Terisa Kerrill unaware of Lindon Javes' survival, Commander Javes would lead the Republic's best and brightest from Nadiri.

The Battle of Galitan was first depicted in the video game Star Wars: Squadrons. In the background of the final mission you can see other Capital ships and cruisers fighting each other and destroying one another.