Early rebellion against the Galactic Empire

In 22 BBY, the Galactic Senate responded to the escalating threat posed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems to the stability of the Galactic Republic by granting Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine emergency executive powers. These powers were used to create the Grand Army of the Republic and wage the Clone Wars against the Separatists. Palpatine, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious who manipulated the conflict to achieve galactic dominance, amassed near-absolute power throughout the three-year war. A number of senators, including Bail Organa of Alderaan and Mon Mothma of Chandrila, grew increasingly concerned by the Supreme Chancellor's increasingly autocratic actions and began meeting in secret to discuss methods to counter the centralization of power. As the war drew to a close, Palpatine, citing the need for peace and security, declared himself Emperor and transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire, and the Galactic Senate into the Imperial Senate.

Following the Clone Wars, disparate resistance movements started appearing across the galaxy to oppose the Empire. Berch Teller, a former Republic Intelligence captain and a defector from the Imperial Military, commanded a cell that stole the Carrion Spike, the personal starship of Governor Wilhuff Tarkin. Their targets were operations connected to the clandestine construction of the Death Star, an Imperial superweapon with the capacity to obliterate entire planets. These actions were a response to the Empire's conduct during the Antar Atrocity a few years prior. Another resistance cell, known as the Free Ryloth Movement, was led by General Cham Syndulla on Ryloth. This cell, focused solely on liberating Ryloth, attempted to assassinate Emperor Palpatine and his right-hand, Lord Vader, by attacking the Star Destroyer Perilous. While neither Teller's nor Syndulla's actions accomplished their objectives, they represented some of the earliest attempts to challenge Imperial authority.

In 18 BBY, Emperor Palpatine became aware of suspected interference by a Jedi in matters concerning the Empire and Mon Cala. Seeking to demonstrate the consequences of defiance by making an example of the ocean world, the Dark Lord of the Sith and Commander-in-Chief Darth Vader was tasked with overseeing the hunt for King Lee-Char's Jedi advisor, while Moff Wilhuff Tarkin managed the conventional military aspects. Ultimately, the Dark Lord eliminated the elusive Force-user, former Padawan Ferren Barr, and apprehended the King just as the Governor concluded the assault. Although a small number of Mon Calamari merchant ships escaped and would later play a significant role in the rebellion, Mon Cala was successfully brought under Imperial control, and its monarch was imprisoned on Strokill Prime.

During those initial stages of the rebellion, Senator Organa collaborated with members of the Alderaan Guard to identify resistance movements throughout the galaxy and locate Jedi who might have survived the fall of the Jedi Order at the war's end. Eventually, the Viceroy of Alderaan learned of an uprising on Raada in the Outer Rim Territories that was rumored to be led by a Jedi. Organa discovered that the Force-wielder in question was Commander Ahsoka Tano, a former Padawan who had left the Jedi Order during the war after being wrongly accused of bombing the Jedi Temple.

After locating the former Padawan, Organa invited Tano to join his burgeoning rebel movement. She accepted, but with two conditions: Organa had to assist her in uncovering the identities of the mysterious Imperial agents who were hunting Force-sensitive children, and he had to help rescue her friends involved in the Raada resistance. Organa honored his commitment, dispatching his ship, the Tantive IV, and RZ-1 A-wing interceptors to evacuate her friends from Raada. Tano and the resistance members joined the rebellion, with Tano assuming the role of identifying missions for recruits. She became the leader of Organa's rebel intelligence and began operating under the codename "Fulcrum."

Over the years, various rebel cells joined Organa's rebellion, which Mon Mothma would name the "Alliance" by 4 BBY. Phoenix Cell, led by Commander Jun Sato, possessed its own fleet, along with a number of A-wing starfighters. The Massassi Group, under the command of General Jan Dodonna, also had a sizable fleet and operated from the Great Temple on Yavin 4. Saw Gerrera, a resistance fighter trained by Jedi such as Commander Tano during the Clone Wars, led the Partisans in a series of campaigns. These different cells operated in different ways. Gerrera, for instance, was more militant than other cells and was willing to take any action, however extreme, to liberate the galaxy from the Empire. This put him at odds with leaders like Organa and Mothma, and allowed members of the Empire to view rebel activities in a negative light. Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau recalled that one of his earliest missions was an attempt to pacify Onderon, but he encountered fierce resistance from Gerrera and his Partisans.

Prior to 4 BBY, rebel cells generally operated independently, often unaware of each other's existence. This protocol was in place to ensure that if one cell was compromised by the Empire, the identities and locations of other cells would remain secure. Tano, using her Fulcrum codename, coordinated many of the activities and missions of several rebel cells, providing them with information about Imperial targets and opportunities to acquire supplies. One early example of coordinated activities was a joint operation between the Commenor Underground and the Partisans, around 10 BBY. Nonetheless, Gerrera largely kept the Partisans separate from other rebel factions, believing he alone had a clarity of purpose in the fight against the Empire and not wanting to endanger his fighters for the sake of other groups.

By 5 BBY, at least two resistance movements were active in the Atrivis sector: the Atrivis Resistance Group, led by Travia Chan, and the Liberators, operating on Mantooine. The Liberators managed to seize the Imperial Mantooine garrison, but the Imperial Navy launched a swift counterattack, defeating the Liberators on Mantooine. The Atrivis Resistance Group remained active and subsequently joined Organa's rebellion. In the same year, the recently-promoted ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero began to notice multiple high-level thefts targeting Imperial equipment, which she suspected were part of a coordinated rebel effort.

Similarly, Sergeant Linus Mosk, who served within the Imperial-aligned Preox-Morlana tactical forces and considered his organization to be the Empire's first line of defense, had observed growing pockets of dissent on Corporate-affiliated planets. After the human Cassian Jeron Andor murdered two members of the Pre-Mor Security Inspection team, Verlo Skiff and Kravas Drezzer, while searching for his sister Kerri on Morlana One, Mosk and Deputy Inspector Syril Karn led the search for Andor on Ferrix. There, their target was being recruited to the wider rebel movement by Luthen Rael, who was forming an alliance of rebel cells to initiate a genuine fight against the Empire. Despite Gerrera's preference for operating independently with only his Partisans, he maintained connections with Rael, who supplied equipment to Gerrera's forces.

By 5 BBY, a growing rebellion on the planet Lothal, a crucial production hub for the Empire's expansion in the Outer Rim, was spearheaded by Captain Hera Syndulla of the Ghost and her Jedi companion Kanan Jarrus. Together, they organized a crew that included the Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren, Lasat soldier Garazeb Orrelios, and the astromech droid Chopper. The crew expanded to include Ezra Bridger, a Force-sensitive youth whom Jarrus took on as his apprentice. Their actions drew increased Imperial scrutiny when they rescued Wookiee slaves from the spice mines of Kessel. They were pursued by Agent Kallus, and the Jedi's activities attracted the attention of the Grand Inquisitor as he hunted down surviving Jedi.

Organa's droids, astromech droid R2-D2 and protocol droid C-3PO, encountered the Ghost crew on Garel as the rebels stole illegal weapons from the Empire. Artoo monitored the activities of these rebels and reported back to Organa, who became interested in the growing rebellion on Lothal. Captain Syndulla, having learned about the protocols of the growing rebellion, began receiving missions from Fulcrum. This created some tension within the Ghost crew, as Wren questioned Fulcrum's identity and why they were taking orders from a mysterious stranger. In accordance with rebel protocol, they remained unaware of the existence of a larger rebellion against the Empire.

The rebellion on Lothal became such a significant problem for the Empire that Grand Moff Tarkin, now Governor of the Outer Rim, personally traveled to Lothal to oversee an operation aimed at eliminating the Ghost crew once and for all. Tarkin was particularly concerned that the presence of the Jedi could inspire the people of Lothal to place their faith in something other than the strength of the Empire. The rebels launched an operation to infiltrate the Imperial Communications Center on Lothal and broadcast a message to the planet's citizens, hoping to inspire hope. Tarkin and the Empire anticipated the rebel incursion and captured Jarrus, but the rebels managed to broadcast a message of hope, informing the people of Lothal that the rebels were fighting for the freedom of all.

The Ghost crew sought to rescue Jarrus, but Tano ordered Syndulla to remain hidden. Defying Fulcrum and Syndulla, Bridger led the other rebels in discovering that Jarrus was being taken to Mustafar, a volcanic planet that Jarrus had described to Syndulla as a place where Jedi were sent to die. The rebels launched a rescue mission, during which Jarrus and Bridger confronted the Grand Inquisitor aboard Tarkin's Star Destroyer, the Sovereign. Jarrus defeated the Grand Inquisitor, who fell to his death during their battle, and the rebels fled from the Sovereign. They were nearly killed before Tano and Phoenix Squadron arrived in time, inspired by the rebels' message to Lothal and surrounding star systems and deciding to assist in Jarrus's rescue. The Ghost crew finally met another cell and Tano in person, and Tano informed them that the protocol had changed: the cells were starting to collaborate as a unified rebellion.

The loss at Mustafar, including the destruction of the Sovereign, was a humiliating defeat for the Empire and Grand Moff Tarkin. In response to the setback inflicted by the insurgents, Lord Vader himself, known as the Emperor's Fist, was assigned to oversee the suppression of rebel activities on Lothal in consultation with Governor Tarkin, with Agent Kallus and the planetary government at their disposal. Meanwhile, the Ghost crew joined Phoenix Squadron, and the two cells began operating as a single unit.

The action at Mustafar had occurred as part of the Galactic Civil War, a five-year conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. On Lothal, the rebel victory at Mustafar fueled anti-Imperial sentiment and unrest, spreading rumors among the populace that the Empire was weakened and vulnerable to attack. This public rebel triumph forced the Empire to intensify its efforts against the rebel cells scattered throughout the galaxy. Following the Ghorman Massacre in 2 BBY, Senator Mon Mothma concluded that the Imperial Senate was beyond redemption and resigned, leading to her escape from Imperial forces in Operation Handoff. Over the planet Dantooine, Mothma rallied the scattered cells across the galaxy into the unified Alliance to Restore the Republic.

The Empire's victory in the Battle of Atollon in 2 BBY led Mothma to believe that the Alliance was not yet ready for open warfare, but she also acknowledged that some believed open conflict had already begun. The Battle of Scarif marked the Alliance's first major victory in the Civil War. Seeking to recover the Death Star plans, Lord Vader pursued Princess Leia to the planet Tatooine. Despite her capture, Leia managed to conceal the plans in R2-D2, who was jettisoned to the planet's surface alongside C-3PO with the mission of delivering them to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Revealing the Death Star's full power, Governor Tarkin destroyed the planet Alderaan to punish its leaders for aiding the Rebellion. Preferring to rule through fear and terror, the Emperor dissolved the Imperial Senate and delegated power to regional governors. However, instead of intimidating the galaxy into submission, the destruction of Alderaan only intensified the rebellion.

After the plans were delivered, the droids, Kenobi, and Skywalker joined forces with the smuggler Han Solo and the Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca to rescue Princess Leia from the Death Star. They then delivered the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance base on Yavin 4. Seeking to crush the Rebellion once and for all, Governor Tarkin brought the Death Star to Yavin 4. However, the Alliance discovered that the Death Star's weakness was an exposed thermal exhaust port. Following a fierce space battle, Skywalker fired a missile down the thermal exhaust port, resulting in the Death Star's destruction and marking a significant victory for the Rebel Alliance.

Over the next five years, the Empire and Alliance fought for control of the galaxy. Despite victories such as the Battle of Hoth, the Empire failed to suppress the Rebellion. Undeterred by the loss of the Death Star, Palpatine commissioned the construction of a second Death Star over the Forest Moon of Endor. Seeking to crush the Rebel Alliance once and for all, the Emperor lured the Alliance fleet into a trap at Endor in 4 ABY. However, rebel ground forces and their local Ewok allies destroyed the planetary shield generator, enabling the Alliance to destroy the superweapon. To save his son Luke, Vader killed Palpatine, restoring balance to the Force.

Following the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance reorganized as the New Republic. The deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader triggered the collapse of the Empire, and the new government rapidly consolidated control over large portions of the galaxy. While a powerless Grand Vizier Mas Amedda officially ruled the Empire from Coruscant, much of the Empire was actually controlled by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax. As the Emperor's designated successor, Rax implemented Palpatine's posthumous Contingency plan to dismantle the Empire and bring a worthy elect into the Unknown Regions to start anew. Following feigned peace talks on Chandrila, Rax orchestrated the Battle of Jakku as the final showdown between the Empire and the New Republic.

The self-proclaimed Counselor to the Empire intended to implode the planet Jakku with Sith relics to destroy the assembled Imperial and New Republic fleets. However, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, aided by New Republic operatives, thwarted his plan. With the Empire defeated, Sloane and other Imperial officers fled into the Unknown Regions to regroup. Meanwhile, the New Republic signed the Galactic Concordance with Lord Amedda, formally ending the Galactic Civil War. While the New Republic focused on reshaping the galactic order, the Imperial Remnants consolidated as the First Order, a military junta dedicated to restoring the Galactic Empire. In 34 ABY, Cold War tensions between the New Republic, the allied Resistance paramilitary organization, and the First Order escalated into open warfare between the First Order and the Resistance, paving the way for the reborn Emperor's return on the enclave world of Exegol.

The initial depiction of the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire appeared in the 2014 online browser game Star Wars Rebels: Ghost Raid.