Echo Base

The construction phase of Echo Base reached its culmination after a period of two standard years. Two substantial bay doors functioned as the primary ingress and egress points, positioned at the northern and southern extremities of the mountainous terrain. The hangar was among the initial elements to be erected, facilitating a consistent influx of essential resources. The establishment encompassed perimeter defense trenches, fixed anti-infantry defenses, vehicle emplacements, a V-150 Planet Defender ion cannon, an OrC-19 planetary com-scan unit, a planetary shield, a medical facility, and a central command hub. Reaching peak capacity, the base accommodated 7,500 combat and command personnel, alongside 350 medical staff and 120 droids. The hangar's dimensions were sufficient to concurrently house a minimum of thirty GR-75 medium transports, sixty Rebel Alliance starfighters, twelve snowspeeders, as well as the iconic Millennium Falcon and the Outrider. Within the base's confines, certain areas featured bridges spanning a profound abyss. The medical wing comprised multiple chambers and was equipped with at least two medical droids, specifically 2-1B and FX-7, in addition to a bacta tank.

The base's outer boundaries were marked by strategically placed scout outposts, designated as "Echo Stations," including notable examples like Echo Station 3-8, Echo Station 3-T-8, and Echo Station 5-7. The control bunker for the ion cannon was directly connected to its own dedicated hangar.

Externally, the base was safeguarded by a Fortress belonging to the Rebel Alliance, along with other military constructions, and a defense bunker linked to the main base structure. The ion cannon's protection was bolstered by trenches and anti-material laser cannons, and a tunnel provided a secure connection between the control bunker and Echo Base itself.

Following their triumph over the Galactic Empire at Yavin 4, the Alliance High Command initiated the deployment of numerous exploration teams across the galaxy to identify suitable locations for a new base, recognizing the inevitability of Imperial retaliation against their existing base on Yavin 4. Several contributing factors led to Hoth's selection as the primary option. Firstly, in the period leading up to the evacuation of Yavin (six months after the destruction of the first Death Star), Luke Skywalker, while evading an Imperial pursuit squadron, experienced a crash landing on the frigid planet of Hoth. At that time, the planet served as a haven for a family of fugitives fleeing the Empire; its isolated position, protective asteroid field, and minimal likelihood of Imperial presence rendered it an excellent prospect for the Alliance's new headquarters. Skywalker subsequently recommended the planet to the Alliance High Command. Further endorsement from their Habassa allies prompted the High Command to seriously consider Hoth as a viable site for their next vital base. The High Command dispatched a commando unit to gather more comprehensive information on potential base locations, and eight months after the Battle of Yavin, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo infiltrated an Imperial data center to compile a catalog of planets that matched their specified criteria: worlds that were presently uninhabited but possessed pre-existing facilities like abandoned mining complexes. Shortly thereafter, Airen Cracken's mission to Poln Major resulted in the Alliance acquiring a substantial quantity of cold-weather equipment, shield generator technology, and a dozen combat-modified airspeeders. Nonetheless, the distinctive nature of this equipment allowed Senior Captain Thrawn to discern the rebel base's planetary characteristics, enabling Darth Vader to refine the potential locations for his search and, in conjunction with General Veers's discovery that the base was situated near the Elrood System, significantly expedite his discovery of Echo Base.

To more thoroughly assess the planet, the Alliance Special Forces had established a modest outpost there, evaluating the feasibility of constructing a larger base. Despite the outpost being attacked by a small Imperial contingent, the SpecForce successfully defended it, ensuring that no Imperials survived to report the incident. Subsequently, after narrowly escaping simultaneous attacks by the bounty hunter Raskar and the smuggler Salmakk, Major Kem Monnon, the leader of the Alliance Corps of Engineers, acquired the location of a network of caves from an elderly smuggler. Monnon was then dispatched to Hoth to formulate and oversee the construction of what would later be known as Echo Base. Geothermal analysis indicated that the optimal location for the base was on the northern periphery of the only habitable temperate zone near the equator. Monnon's engineers constructed the base within the mountains of the Clabburn Range to the south of the Nev Ice Flow and reinforced the natural ice caverns beneath Hoth's surface to serve as passageways, utilizing LC-10bWs.

At some juncture, an incident transpired involving C-3PO and R2-D2, stemming from a misunderstanding between the two, which resulted in the activation of the thermal heaters within Princess Leia's quarters, causing the room to partially melt due to the base's ice-based construction, thereby damaging Princess Leia's wardrobe. A day later, Echo Base became the battleground for the Battle of Hoth, a conflict between the Empire and the Alliance that occurred in 3 ABY. The Empire dispatched formidable assault units to Hoth with the objective of crushing the Alliance base. The Rebels engaged in a delaying action to provide sufficient time for Code 1-5—the evacuation of the base. Rogue Squadron was deployed and succeeded in disabling several of the advancing All Terrain Armored Transports. Assisting them in this endeavor was Dash Rendar, a mercenary who was stranded at the base and possessed exceptional combat skills both on the ground and in a snowspeeder. The Imperials deployed additional forces via Sentinel-class landing craft at a landing zone near a Rebel defense bunker. During the battle, the Rebel operative X2 secured the main hangar and subsequently escorted an R2 droid to the ion cannon control bunker. The Imperial Blizzard Force ultimately destroyed the base's power generator and deployed 501st Legion snowtroopers into the base. The 501st fought their way through the base and emerged back outside, where a GR75 transport was loading. One of the troopers placed a beacon, and a Star Destroyer conducted an orbital bombardment at the spot, destroying the transport and its defenders. While for reasons as yet unknown, the cannon they had set to explode failed to self-destruct, the rest of the base was destroyed by the Rebel special operations group Renegade Squadron, who set explosive charges around the base. During the battle, Blizzard Force advanced to the front of the base and destroyed the Fortress and other defenses protecting the base. The base itself survived, however, and nearly a year and several months later, it was made a tour destination for one of the travel packages for the travel agency Star Tours.

When Skywalker and Callista Ming revisited Hoth in 12 ABY, they encountered a group of desperate wampa-pelt hunters sheltering within the abandoned base, while their ravenous prey lay in wait outside. Despite the two Jedi's attempts to rescue the group, the wampas demonstrated their remarkable ability to collaborate as a lethal team. Luke and Callista narrowly escaped from Hoth with their lives.

In 14 ABY, a force from the Imperial Remnant occupied the ruins of Echo Base. In an attempt to locate Dagobah within the functional segments of the Alliance computer core, the Sith followers of the Disciples of Ragnos and their Imperial subordinates excavated an entrance to the base beneath the wreckage of a fallen AT-AT. However, their activities were detected by Jaden Korr, and the young Jedi vanquished the force of snowtroopers and AT-ST walkers, and drove off the Sith acolytes. He engaged in a duel with Dark Jedi Alora and triumphed over her, but she fled, vowing to confront him again in the future. It was during Jaden's exploration of the frozen remnants of Echo Base that he discovered the firing control room of the ion cannon, from which the still-intact cannon itself could be observed. Although no longer capable of tracking a target, the cannon continued to draw power from its reactors and retained the capability to fire.

Echo Base made its initial appearance with the release of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and its associated supplementary materials. The 2001 video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds presents two distinct iterations of Echo Base, one featured in the Darth Vader (Imperial) campaign and the other in the Leia Organa campaign (Rebel/New Republic). This article incorporates information derived from both of these missions.