Operation Fracture, also known as the search for Galen Erso, designated the operation executed by the Alliance to Restore the Republic with the intention of extracting scientist Galen Erso. The purpose was so that he could provide testimony before the Imperial Senate regarding the existence of a planet-destroying superweapon being utilized by the Galactic Empire. Nevertheless, before the operation's commencement, the objectives were revised to assassinate Erso instead.
General Airen Cracken tasked Captain Cassian Andor with an assignment to determine the reason behind the Galactic Empire's clandestine shipments of kyber crystals. Andor's mission directed him to section nine situated on the Ring of Kafrene, where he discovered information regarding an Imperial cargo pilot named Bodhi Rook. Rook had defected to the Partisans located on Jedha, carrying a message from scientist Galen Erso concerning an Imperial supeweapon.
Following Andor's communication with the Rebel Alliance, relaying information about Erso, Davits Draven sanctioned a mission to dispatch Sergeant Ruescott Melshi and his Extraction Team Bravo to Wobani with the intent to retrieve Galen's daughter Jyn from an labor camp. Jyn was successfully liberated and brought back to Base One, where she underwent debriefing. Draven harbored suspicions regarding Jyn, labeling her as a minor criminal and a rebel deserter, expressing his reluctance for her involvement in Operation Fracture. Chancellor Mon Mothma overruled his concerns, asserting that Jyn possessed the unique ability to identify Galen, and emphasized that her offenses were consistently directed against Imperial forces or other criminals, rather than the general populace.
Operation Fracture was initially featured in the 2016 Star Wars anthology film titled Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and its designation was subsequently confirmed in the Star Wars: Rogue One: Rebel Dossier reference book, authored by Jason Fry.