The conflict known as the Battle of Theed, alternatively referred to as the defense of Naboo, unfolded both in the airspace and on the surface of the planet Naboo. This engagement pitted the forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic against those of the Galactic Empire during the era of the Galactic Civil War. The year was 4 ABY, specifically twenty days following the pivotal Battle of Endor. This battle was a component of Operation: Cinder, a posthumous directive, termed a Contingency order, issued by the late Emperor Palpatine. Its purpose was to render his own homeworld, along with numerous other planets, uninhabitable in the event of his death.
After the Empire deployed satellites designed to manipulate the weather into orbit, Lieutenant Shara Bey took the lead, guiding Princess Leia Organa and Sosha Soruna, the queen of Naboo, in N-1 starfighters with the objective of destroying these satellites. Their undertaking proved successful, aided significantly by the timely arrival of General Lando Calrissian and the Alliance Fleet.
Following the intervention of the Alliance Fleet, the remaining Imperial forces retreated to Naboo's surface. There, Organa, alongside defectors from Inferno Squad and elements of the Alliance forces, achieved victory over the Imperial troops. This was accomplished through the activation of Theed's ion pulse weapon. Subsequently, the remaining Imperial troops surrendered and were taken as prisoner.
In the wake of a series of successful operations by the Rebel forces after the Battle of Endor, Princess Leia Organa made her way to Naboo. Accompanied by Lieutenant Shara Bey, her skilled pilot, Organa's goal was to secure the support of Queen Sosha Soruna in the establishment of a new galactic government.
Conversely, the Empire had their own agenda for the system, integrated within Operation: Cinder. This initiative aimed to sow discord by obliterating strategically important planets throughout the galaxy. Building upon the successful destruction of Vardos, Captain Lerr Duvat's contribution to the plan involved deploying weather-disrupting satellites to induce catastrophic weather phenomena, ultimately intended to devastate Naboo's surface.
With the apparent absence of any hostile presence within the system, Duvat's Star Destroyer, the Torment, began to interfere with sensors and communications on Naboo. Simultaneously, it deployed climate disruption arrays to initiate the destruction of the planet's surface.
These actions were immediately detected on the ground. However, Naboo lacked the military resources to mount a defense against the attack. In a desperate attempt to provide some defense for their world, Soruna, Bey, and Organa commandeered three N-1 starfighters that had been preserved within the sealed hangar of the Theed Royal Palace. These three individuals then piloted the starfighters themselves, engaging the Imperial forces in orbit. Meanwhile, Soruna's head of security, Captain Korro, began organizing the evacuation of Theed.
Despite the bravery and skill displayed by the three pilots, they were soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of Imperial fighters. Fortunately for the rebels, the Alliance had learned that Naboo was the next target of Operation: Cinder. Consequently, they dispatched forces to intercept the assault. Two substantial rebel ships, the cruiser Restoration and the Mellcrawler II, entered the system via hyperspace. They were supported by a small fleet of starfighters, including Danger Squadron and defectors from Inferno Squad.
The reinforced rebel forces re-engaged the Imperials, destroying the remaining satellites. The starfighters then turned their attention to the Torment, weakening its defenses before the Restoration landed a decisive blow. However, as it fell, the ship deployed its ground invasion force in an attempt to seize Theed and salvage the battle.
Responding to this new threat, Organa, now joined by numerous Rebel troopers and Danger Squadron, returned to Theed to defend the city. However, being heavily outnumbered and outgunned on the ground, the rebels had little prospect of defeating the invasion force through conventional means. Nevertheless, prior to the Clone Wars, the Naboo queen had installed a powerful ion pulse weapon. When activated, this weapon could disable all electronics, including blasters and vehicles, outside the palace walls. It was quickly determined that this device represented the rebels' best hope of repelling the invasion.
Unfortunately, the storms generated by the climate disruption arrays had damaged Theed's power grid, preventing the weapon from charging. Rebel troops fought their way to the city's power stations, engaging in intense urban combat against Imperial forces, which included AT-ST and AT-AT walkers. Despite this formidable opposition, rebel forces succeeded in restoring Theed's electrical power.
At this juncture, the main body of the Imperial forces, supported by an AT-AT walker, were overwhelming the rebels, pushing them back along Theed's main boulevard. However, Organa and a group of rebel troopers managed to defend the entrance to the palace until Del Meeko successfully activated the ion pulse, disabling all Imperial weapons. Now defenseless, the surviving Imperial soldiers surrendered and were taken prisoner.
The Alliance's victory in this battle secured the support of the Royal House of Naboo. The defecting Inferno Squad members, Iden Versio and Meeko, along with their ID10 seeker droid, Dio, who were initially hesitant to aid the rebels, decided to formally join the Alliance to prevent other worlds from suffering the same fate as Vardos. The victory at Naboo convinced them of the positive impact they could have as members of the Alliance, with Organa emphasizing that they possessed hope, which would be the key to their eventual victory. Shortly after the battle, Inferno Squad was reformed as a unit within the New Republic Defense Force. Under the command of Commander Versio, the unit would become a vital asset for the New Republic.
Following the battle, Soruna donated a quantity of chromium to the New Republic. In the subsequent months after the Battle of Theed, the Empire launched three more invasions against Naboo, with the Imperial Navy deploying three attack forces to eliminate the New Republic presence in the system. However, these attempts were thwarted by Corona Squadron, an X-wing squadron belonging to the New Republic Defense Fleet.
The Battle of Theed was depicted in Shattered Empire 3, a 2015 Marvel comic book written by Greg Rucka. It was released on October 14, 2015. The battle's narrative centered around an Imperial remnant executing Emperor Sheev Palpatine's final orders, which involved destroying various Imperial worlds using weather-altering satellites. The battle was also referenced in Shattered Empire 4, the fourth and final issue of the series. Furthermore, the battle is featured in Star Wars Battlefront II as a playable level within the campaign, which was released on November 17, 2017.