The raid on Golrath Station involved conflict between the forces of the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. This clash occurred in 3 ABY and centered around control of Golrath Station, a former base of the Rebellion.
The Galactic Empire assumed control of Golrath Station after the Rebel Alliance abandoned their base, which was situated in a disused magma smelting factory on Golrath. Later, the Alliance discovered unusual properties in the bedrock forming the station's foundation. The mineral compounds within absorbed ambient light when heated, and then released it as a hologram when cooled. Princess Leia Organa, fearing the revelation of Alliance secrets through these images, mandated an immediate assault to destroy the former Rebel base at Golrath.
Lieutenant Mils Giel of the Empire, recently demoted, discovered the rock's properties while commanding a small guard force. He subsequently ordered a TIE fighters contingent to defend Golrath Station in the event of a Rebel return.
Commander Luke Skywalker and Captain Hanc Thorben spearheaded two starfighter squadrons composed of X-wings and Y-wings, launching from Haven Base on Arbra. Princess Leia herself participated, piloting a Y-wing. Upon arrival at Golrath, the Rebel fighters engaged the TIE fighters in aerial combat, aiming to lure them northward, away from the station, to facilitate an infiltrator's entry and destruction of the facility.
With the TIE fighters diverted, Princess Leia used a parabelt to exit her craft in mid-air and reach the surface, infiltrating the base. She proceeded toward the reactor core, bypassing stormtroopers and confronting Lieutenant Giel. Giel, believing the Princess' death held greater value for the Empire than the information potentially stored at Golrath Station, initiated a reactor overload sequence. This scheme failed when Leia escaped, being rescued by Lando Calrissian's Y-wing as it passed the facility.
The reactor overload was irreversible, forcing Giel to retreat. Before leaving, he fired his blaster pistol at a passing X-wing in frustration. Golrath Station was destroyed, and the surviving Rebel fighters escaped.
Giel's errant blaster shot struck the engines of Luke Skywalker's X-wing, causing sufficient damage to prevent Skywalker's escape into hyperspace with the rest of the fleet. He managed to evade the Imperial fighters but was compelled to land on the planet Beheboth before ultimately returning to Arbra. Unbeknownst to the Rebels, Giel's vessel also suffered damage during the battle, forcing him to crash on Beheboth, where he remained stranded for the next five years.