Battle of Oetchi

Following the destruction of Starkiller Base, the forces of the First Order mounted an attack on the Resistance base located on D'Qar. Having failed to obliterate the planet before the [superweapon](/article/superweapon]'s demise, the First Order Navy dispatched a fleet composed of Resurgent-class Star Destroyers along with the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought Fulminatrix. As the Resistance conducted an evacuation of their headquarters, Commander Poe Dameron engaged the dreadnought single-handedly, utilizing his T-70 X-wing starfighter to clear the surface turrets before initiating a bombing run, defying orders from General Leia Organa, who prioritized retreating from the battle. Although his plan succeeded in destroying the warship, the Resistance fleet suffered significant losses before successfully escaping into hyperspace. Consequently, Dameron was demoted to the rank of Captain by Organa, who reprimanded the pilot for his insubordination and actions.

General Armitage Hux also faced admonishment from his superior, Supreme Leader Snoke, who employed telekinesis through the Force to assault the First Order officer. In an attempt to placate the Supreme Leader's anger, Hux revealed the development of the hyperspace tracker, a groundbreaking technology that would enable their forces to track the Resistance's movements through hyperspace and anticipate their most likely destination. Snoke expressed satisfaction with his general's plan, though his assessment of his apprentice, the dark warrior Kylo Ren, was less favorable, particularly after Ren's return following the loss of Starkiller Base. Despite previously considering Ren the rightful heir of his legendary grandfather, the Sith Lord Darth Vader, Snoke criticized Ren for his failure to defeat Rey, a girl lacking prior experience in lightsaber combat. Overcome with rage at losing his master's favor, Ren destroyed his combat helmet and instructed his subordinates to prepare his personal starfighter.

Upon arrival in the Oetchi system via hyperspace, the Resistance immediately began searching for a suitable new base, but they were ambushed by a fleet of First Order Star Destroyers, initiating the Battle of Oetchi. Consisting of thirty Resurgent-class vessels and the Supreme Leader's flagship, the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy, the First Order fleet destroyed the Vakbeor-class cargo frigate Vigil before it could activate its deflector shields. Although the method remained unknown at the time, the Resistance realized that the First Order had discovered a way to track ships through hyperspace, rendering another jump to lightspeed both futile and a waste of precious fuel. Despite his demotion from Wing Commander, Dameron volunteered to lead a counterattack to defend the Resistance command ship, the MC85 Star Cruiser Raddus. Simultaneously, Organa instructed the remaining ships in her fleet to reinforce their rear shields and move beyond the range of the Star Destroyers.

Before the Resistance pilots could launch their starfighters, a torpedo fired from Kylo Ren's TIE/vn space superiority fighter obliterated the Raddus's hangar. Numerous pilots perished in the assault, including Tallissan Lintra, though Dameron narrowly escaped. Following his successful attack on the hangar, Ren had the opportunity to destroy the bridge of the command ship, but he was unable to bring himself to fire upon his mother, General Organa. However, Lieutenant Poldin LeHuse, a member of Kylo Ren's personal squadron, showed no hesitation and scored a direct hit on the bridge, seeking to avenge the destruction of Starkiller Base by making the Resistance suffer. The attack annihilated the Resistance High Command, claiming the lives of Admiral Gial Ackbar and other Resistance officers, with the exception of Organa, who harnessed the Force to survive the vacuum of space and return to the Raddus. General Hux insisted that Ren return to the Supremacy, which could no longer provide protection for his squadron due to the distance between the First Order and Resistance ships. Although Ren complied, his squadmates were shot down by the Free Virgillia-class Bunkerbuster Ninka.

With Organa incapacitated and the other high-ranking officers killed in the attack, command of the Resistance fell to Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, whose abrupt demeanor and emphasis on secrecy led to friction with Dameron. Excluded from the Admiral's plans, Dameron conceived his own strategy to save the fleet, enlisting the assistance of Resistance technician Rose Tico and the renegade stormtrooper Finn. Utilizing information acquired by Finn during his past service aboard the Supremacy, the trio intended to disable the hyperspace tracker, enabling the Resistance to jump to lightspeed without fear of being followed. Their plan required the services of a Master Codebreaker, leading them to contact Maz Kanata, who directed them to the casino city of Canto Bight on Cantonica. However, time was critical, as the Resistance fleet's fuel reserves dwindled dangerously.

The three surviving Resistance ships continued to outpace the larger First Order vessels, their speed and robust shields allowing them to remain just beyond the effective range of the Supremacy's turbolasers. However, their fuel reserves were critically low, and one by one, the ships exhausted their fuel and were promptly destroyed as they drifted within range of the enemy. The Nebulon-C escort frigate, Anodyne, which also served as their medical frigate, was the first to run dry, followed shortly by Holdo's former ship, the Ninka.

Despite this, both crews successfully evacuated their doomed vessels before their destruction. This left the Raddus as the fleet's sole remaining cruiser, carrying what now constituted the entire Resistance. Vice Admiral Holdo unveiled her plan to evacuate the Resistance onto small transports. Deeming this action too risky and reckless, Dameron instigated a mutiny, holding the leadership at gunpoint with the aid of at least three Resistance members as he, Kaydel Ko Connix, and two other resistance members sought to contact Finn and Tico. The two had located a codebreaker named DJ who successfully facilitated their entry onto the Supremacy.

Meanwhile, Finn, Tico, DJ, and BB-8 infiltrated the Supremacy and reached the room where they could disable the tracker. However, a First Order astromech droid, BB-9E, had discovered their presence earlier and summoned reinforcements, leading to a confrontation with Captain Phasma and her troops. After being captured by Phasma's troops, DJ divulged the Resistance's plan to the First Order in exchange for monetary compensation, having overheard Finn and Tico discussing it.

Finn and Tico were on the verge of execution by the First Order when the sudden destruction of the Supremacy plunged everyone into chaos. The duo freed themselves and attempted to reach a nearby shuttle, only to encounter Phasma and her stormtroopers emerging from the flames and opening fire upon them. Suddenly, an AT-ST began firing on Phasma and her troops, revealing BB-8 as its pilot. Amidst the chaos, Finn engaged Phasma with a Z6 riot control baton, initially being overpowered, but eventually managing to strike Phasma in a surprise attack before she fell into a fiery pit, meeting her demise. Finn, Tico, and BB-8 then hijacked a shuttle and escaped the wreckage of the Supremacy, heading towards the Resistance base on Crait.

Aboard the Raddus, Holdo retaliated against Dameron's mutiny, stunning his allies. As Dameron learned of their capture, General Organa breached the room he had locked himself in and stunned him, returning him to Holdo as the Resistance fighters prepared to evacuate the Raddus. Holdo resolved to remain onboard to confront the First Order in an act of self-sacrifice, and when Dameron regained consciousness, Organa revealed that they were approaching an old rebel base on the planet Crait and that Holdo had devised the plan knowing that the First Order would be less likely to detect their smaller escape ships.

Having learned of the Resistance's plan from DJ, the First Order unleashed the Supremacy's turbolasers batteries upon the unprotected escape vessels, destroying all but six of them. They observed the Raddus preparing to jump to hyperspace, assuming that the cruiser was abandoning the Resistance. Upon realizing that the ship was turning towards the Supremacy, a frantic General Hux ordered all cannons to fire upon the Raddus, but it was too late. Holdo jumped into hyperspace, bisecting the massive ship and completely destroying twenty other Star Destroyers that were either on escort duty or undergoing repairs in one of the lower hangars.

As the First Order pursued the Resistance fleet, Rey and Kylo Ren discovered the existence of a potent Force-bond between them. Their connection was unprecedented and raw, not only facilitating the sensing of each other's thoughts and emotions but also enabling them to see and hear each other across distances spanning light-years. The bond, which both Ren and Rey became partially aware of during their first encounter, was manipulated by Snoke, who bridged the minds of his apprentice and the scavenger from Jakku, knowing that Rey would be drawn to the conflict within Ren. At the time, neither Ren nor Rey were aware of Snoke's machinations, and the animosity Rey felt towards the dark apprentice gradually transformed into a new understanding as their bond granted her insights into Ren that even her reluctant mentor, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, could not perceive. Sensing that their destinies were intertwined, Rey confided her fears and sadness to Ren, having sensed his own feelings of solitude and abandonment. They reassured each other that they were not alone, and through their bond, discovered that they could physically touch hands across the stars. In that moment, Rey became convinced that good still resided within the former Ben Solo, viewing him as the galaxy's last hope.

When Skywalker refused to end his exile on Ahch-To, Rey sought out Ren independently, hoping that he would renounce the dark side and embrace the light with her assistance. Although Ren rejoiced at Rey's departure from Skywalker to join him aboard the Supremacy, he brought her before the Supreme Leader, who desired to interrogate the prisoner himself. As they proceeded to Snoke's throne room, Rey implored Ren to abandon his descent down the dark path, having sensed his internal conflict and the pain it caused him. Her confidence was further strengthened by the Force vision she experienced during their last connection, revealing that when they touched hands, she saw a future where Ren no longer knelt before Snoke. However, Ren also had a vision of his own, one where he saw Rey standing by his side.

Rey's confrontation with Snoke resulted in her brutal interrogation through the Supreme Leader's Force powers, successfully probing her mind for the location of Luke Skywalker's hermitage. Snoke, intending to eliminate the last Jedi after dealing with the more immediate threat of the Resistance, held Rey in stasis and commanded Ren to kill her, proclaiming that this act would fulfill his dark destiny. Ren's emotions were further stirred by the bond between himself and Rey, but his newfound resolve and clarity reassured Snoke that his often-conflicted apprentice would not succumb to sentiment again. In the end, Snoke's visions and Force senses failed him, as he did not foresee his demise at the hands of his own disciple. Through cunning and deception, Ren cleaved Snoke in half with Rey's lightsaber, ending his master's life in an act befitting the Sith Rule of Two.

With their leader fallen, the Elite Praetorian Guard surrounded and battled the two individuals strong in the Force, seeking vengeance for their master's demise. Kylo Ren and Rey ignited their lightsabers and stood together as allies against the red plated protectors. Despite the Guard's best efforts, all eight combatants perished in the conflict. While Ren had indeed betrayed Snoke, eliminating the Supreme Leader to protect Rey, the now-former apprentice had no intention of abandoning the dark side. As Rey pleaded with him to halt the First Order's assault on the remaining Resistance ships, Ren recognized an opportunity to seize what he considered his birthright: dominion over the weaker inhabitants of the galaxy.

Again, Rey beseeched him to resist the allure of the dark side, hoping to reach the Ben Solo that still existed within Kylo Ren. Believing that Rey remained fixated on the past, Ren revealed the complete truth of the vision he witnessed during their touch, that Rey was in reality the offspring of insignificant scavengers who sold her into forced labor before their deaths in the sands of Jakku. He suspected that Rey already knew this truth in her soul but had repressed the memory of her abandonment. Rey desperately attempted to block out Ren's words, but she could sense the sincerity in his intentions, and that he was indeed telling her the truth, leading to tears streaming from her eyes as she gradually accepted her origins. Yet, despite Rey's humble beginnings, she was not insignificant to the descendant of Han Solo and Royalty Leia Organa, for Ren now envisioned them ruling together over a new galactic order. However, Rey chose to reject Ren, disheartened by his decision to remain in darkness. Consequently, they fought for control of the legendary Skywalker lightsaber that Rey had claimed, causing it to shatter and rendering Ren unconscious.

Rey initially considered ending Ren's life while he was vulnerable and defenseless, just as Skywalker had been on the evening his sanctuary erupted in flames. She ultimately dismissed the notion, having rediscovered her faith in the Force and now believing herself and Ren to be instruments of its will. Although still disappointed that her vision had not transpired as she imagined, Rey did not believe it was her place to determine Ren's fate. For better or worse, it was the Force's will that he continue to live, and therefore Rey spared him and escaped from the Supremacy using Snoke's personal transport.

Following Holdo's attack on the Supremacy, General Hux rushed to Snoke's command center, only to discover the Supreme Leader's severed remains along with the bodies of his Praetorian Guards. He also found Kylo Ren alive but unconscious and contemplated eliminating his rival once and for all. However, Ren awoke before the general could act, forcing Hux to conceal his weapon. When questioned about the events in the throne room, Ren deceived Hux by claiming that Rey was responsible for Snoke's death. Hux, in turn, informed Ren that the girl had already departed the Supremacy, yet Ren was unconcerned with her location, knowing she would travel to the Crait base in an attempt to rescue the Resistance. He ordered Hux to deploy their military forces to the planet, determined to bring a definitive end to the war, to which Hux scoffed at Ren, unwilling to acknowledge Ren's authority or relinquish command of the military to him.

Hux's resentment towards Ren transformed into fear when he suddenly struggled to breathe. The dark warrior had begun suffocating the general using the Force, threatening to asphyxiate Hux unless he accepted his place in the new order. Consequently, Ren successfully claimed the title of Supreme Leader, having compelled Hux to recognize his claim as Snoke's successor. With that, the general obeyed the new Supreme Leader's orders, although Ren decided to keep Hux by his side to prevent any treacherous actions during their attack on Crait.

The First Order abandoned the Supremacy due to the damage it sustained, with the Finalizer assuming the role of First Order flagship. Members of the First Order not present at the battle were initially unaware of the events, believing that the Resistance had been completely annihilated during the evacuation of D'Qar and that Snoke remained the Supreme Leader. This was the case for Officer Barrut, who was informed by Dameron of the Resistance's survival and the change in Supreme Leader during the Battle of Grail City, yet Barrut insisted to her men that Dameron was lying.

Rumors of Organa's actions during the attack reached the planet Batuu through an outsider known to Savi.

The initial footage of the attack on the Resistance fleet was showcased in the Star Wars: The Last Jedi teaser trailer on April 4, 2017.