A space engagement transpired over the planet of Kessel, pitting the forces of the Rebel Alliance against those of the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. In the vicinity of 0.5 ABY, not long after the Battle of Yavin, Admiral Gial Ackbar of the Alliance, along with several other Rebels, was captured by the bounty hunter known as Boba Fett during a mission within the Saleucami system. Ackbar was subsequently sold to the Empire, and he was later transported under a strong Imperial guard to the prison colony located on Kessel for the purpose of interrogation. Upon discovering that the Mon Calamari Admiral had been taken as a prisoner, Alliance High Command deployed a Rebel fleet and Renegade Squadron—the newly formed elite fighting unit of the Alliance—to stage an ambush against the Imperial fleet that was holding Ackbar in space above Kessel.
Renegade Squadron, under the joint command of Han Solo and Col Serra, former smugglers who had become Rebel Commanders, successfully obliterated the communications array situated on the Imperial-class Star Destroyer where Ackbar was being detained. Furthermore, they rendered two Victory II-class frigates inoperable. After engaging in dogfighting with Imperial starfighters and bombers, they boarded the Star Destroyer, liberated the captive Ackbar from his prison, and escorted him to a secure location. Following the fleet's jump into hyperspace, Renegade Squadron resolved to initiate a mission aimed at freeing the remaining Rebels who had been captured in the Saleucami system.
In the time frame around 0.5 ABY, during the Galactic Civil War and shortly after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance recovered a data holocron which contained potential locations for a new Rebel stronghold, intended to replace the Alliance's recently lost main base situated on the moon known as Yavin 4. Alliance High Command tasked Admiral Gial Ackbar of the Mon Calamari with leading a small scout team to investigate Saleucami, one of the planets listed in the data. However, upon the arrival of Ackbar and his small team in the Saleucami system, they were ambushed by Boba Fett, the Mandalorian bounty hunter, and his ship, the Slave I. Ackbar's transport was swiftly disabled, leading to the capture of him and his crew by Fett. The bounty hunter then proceeded to sell Ackbar to the Galactic Empire, while the remaining members of his crew were handed over to the Hutt Cartel on the planet Tatooine to be used as slaves.
Ackbar, who was regarded as a significant leader and a military mastermind within the Alliance, was placed on board an Imperial-class Star Destroyer under heavy guard, with the intention of transporting him to the Empire's prison colony on the planet Kessel for interrogation purposes. Upon learning of Ackbar's capture, the Alliance rapidly deployed a fleet, accompanied by its new elite fighting force, Renegade Squadron, to intercept the Imperial fleet that was holding Ackbar above Kessel. Renegade Squadron, a group comprised of former pirates and criminals under the command of Han Solo and Col Serra, smugglers turned Rebel Commanders, received orders to board the Star Destroyer that was holding Ackbar and liberate the Admiral. The Rebels held the belief that if they failed to rescue Ackbar in time, he would succumb to Imperial torture, thereby placing all of the Alliance's confidential information at risk.
The Alliance fleet, consisting of a Mon Calamari Cruiser along with a pair of Nebulon-B frigates, emerged from hyperspace above Kessel at the precise moment when the Imperial fleet was entering the system. Renegade Squadron launched its starfighters from the hangar bay of the Mon Calamari Cruiser, which included X-wing, Y-wing, and A-wing fighters, as well as the Millennium Falcon, Solo's personal freighter. The Renegades initiated an attack on the approaching Imperials, with Serra issuing orders to destroy the communications array located on the Star Destroyer that was holding Ackbar, thereby preventing any Imperial reinforcements from being summoned. During the initial assault by the Renegades, they managed to eliminate the Star Destroyer's comm array and also incapacitate both of the Victory II-class frigates that were escorting the larger Star Destroyer by disabling their laser cannons. With the frigates rendered unable to defend the fleet, the Star Destroyer proceeded to launch its full complement of TIE Fighters, Bombers, and Interceptors in order to repel the attacking Rebel forces. Renegade Squadron engaged the Imperial fighters, swiftly taking down six of the TIE Fighters.
With the Imperial starfighters neutralized and the Imperial frigates no longer posing a threat, Solo instructed a member of Renegade Squadron to acquire a Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship from their hangar and utilize it to deploy a boarding party—consisting of Rebel troopers, vanguards, and Wookiee warriors—onto the Star Destroyer with the objective of freeing Ackbar. The Rebels successfully landed the gunship within the Star Destroyer's hangar, and the boarding team engaged the ship's stormtrooper crew, battling their way further into the Imperial vessel until they located Ackbar, who was being held in a small room situated near the hangar.
While escorting the Mon Calamari back to their gunship, the Renegades discovered that they were unable to depart, as the Imperials had activated a force field around the magnetic containment field of the hangar, effectively sealing the Rebels inside. From his command post, Serra managed to identify a shield generator positioned at the side of the Imperial launch bay, which was powering the shield, and radioed its location to the boarding party. One of the Renegades destroyed the generator, allowing the Rebels and Ackbar to board their transport and escape the Star Destroyer. Once Ackbar was safely on board the Mon Calamari Cruiser, Solo ordered his forces to withdraw from Kessel and jump to the safety of hyperspace.
Upon Solo and his fleet's return to Alliance High Command, Ackbar provided a report to those present, detailing the events that had led to his capture and the circumstances surrounding his imprisonment. The Mon Calamari Admiral informed the Rebel leaders that Fett had not handed over the remaining members of the captured scouting party to the Empire, but had instead taken them elsewhere. Utilizing his knowledge gained from his time as a smuggler, Serra deduced that the bounty hunter had sold the captured Rebels to the Hutt slave market located on Tatooine. Consequently, Renegade Squadron soon launched an attack on the Hutts' slave pens in the Tatooine city of Mos Eisley with the intention of freeing the captured soldiers.
Years later, following the establishment of the New Republic, Jedi Knight Tionne Solusar tracked down Col Serra in order to gather information about Renegade Squadron for her Jedi Archives. Serra recounted to the Jedi many of the group's battles and exploits, which included the rescue of Ackbar at Kessel.
The battle of Kessel has only been depicted in the video game titled Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, which was released on October 9, 2008, and it narrates the history and accomplishments of Renegade Squadron during the Galactic Civil War. The battle itself constitutes the fourth level in the game's campaign mode, where the player, assuming the role of a member of Renegade Squadron, is tasked with assisting in the rescue of Ackbar from Imperial custody. The player's primary objectives in the level encompass disabling the Star Destroyer's communications, shooting down six TIE Fighters, disabling the turrets of the Victory-class frigates, and boarding the Star Destroyer to free Ackbar.