The Second Engagement on Ord Biniir, often shortened to the Battle of Ord Biniir, unfolded in 0 ABY, amidst the broader Galactic Civil War. Just days before, a contingent of Rebel Alliance Y-wing fighters had successfully seized the world of Ord Biniir from Imperial forces during the First Engagement on Ord Biniir. The Empire, determined to reclaim the planet, initiated a counter-offensive that included the deployment of the second squadron from the renowned 181st Imperial Fighter Wing, led by Captain Soontir Fel. Thanks to the efforts of the 2/181st, the Imperial counterattack proved successful, resulting in the complete elimination of the Rebel forces stationed on Ord Biniir. Despite its relatively minor scale, the battle coincided with the momentous Battle of Yavin and the annihilation of the original Death Star orbital station. This timing led Imperial communications to exaggerate the significance of the Second Battle of Ord Biniir, portraying it as a pivotal triumph and elevating Fel to the status of an Imperial hero.
In the year 0 ABY, during the Galactic Civil War fought between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance, the Alliance managed to wrest control of the planet Ord Biniir, situated in the Outer Rim Territories, from the Empire during the First Engagement on Ord Biniir. This initial conflict, which saw the Empire's 233rd Imperial Fighter Group clash with a substantial number of Alliance BTL Y-wing craft, resulted in a decisive victory for the Rebellion, prompting the Empire to formulate a plan to recapture Ord Biniir.
The plan included aerial support from the TIE/LN fighters belonging to the second squadron of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing, under the command of the somewhat discredited Captain Soontir Fel. Fel had previously served as an instructor at the Empire's Prefsbelt Fleet Camp, but after several of his former students defected to the Alliance, he was reassigned to the less prestigious 181st. However, upon assuming leadership of the 2/181st, Fel transformed his new unit into a formidable fighting force ready for combat.
Shortly before the battle, the captured Rebel royal Leia Organa falsely claimed that the Alliance's primary headquarters was located on the planet Dantooine, which was near Ord Biniir. With the Imperial fleet already en route to Ord Biniir, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin ordered a portion of the fleet to investigate Dantooine to verify Organa's statement. The fleet complied, and the investigating force quickly discovered that the Dantooine base was indeed abandoned.
The Empire swiftly initiated its invasion of Ord Biniir, with the 2/181st engaging the Rebel Y-wing ships defending the planet. Despite the Rebel fighters' earlier success against an entire wing, the 2/181st, bolstered by Fel's command, were able to repel the enemy Y-wings, destroying a significant number of them. Simultaneously, Fel's squadron bombarded a Rebel-held building protected by several flak cannons, suppressing resistance enough for the Empire to deploy its Lambda-class T-4a transports, which released ground troops to secure the rest of Ord Biniir. Following intense combat, the Empire had either eliminated or captured the majority of the Alliance fighters on Ord Biniir.
By the conclusion of the engagement, Ord Biniir was once again under Imperial dominion, largely due to the efforts of Fel and the 2/181st. Although the skirmish was a relatively small victory in the broader galactic conflict, it occurred on the same day as the Battle of Yavin, during which the Rebellion achieved its greatest triumph yet against the Empire by destroying the original Death Star, an Imperial war station capable of destroying entire planets.
Due to the devastating defeat at Yavin 4, Imperial news amplified Fel's role in the Second Battle of Ord Biniir, hoping to divert public attention from the Yavin disaster. Fel was promoted to the position of major, and a lavish celebration was held for him on the galactic homeworld planet Coruscant, portraying him as an Imperial hero.
In 4 ABY, Fel, by then an Imperial commander, was captured by the New Republic during the Battle of Brentaal IV. During his interrogation by New Republic officers, Fel recounted the events surrounding the Second Battle of Ord Biniir, as well as other aspects of his life.
The Second Battle of Ord Biniir was first referenced in the twenty-second installment of the Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron comic book series, In the Empire's Service, Part 2. The battle was later elaborated upon in the twenty-fifth issue of the same series, The Making of Baron Fel, in a flashback sequence.
The Ord Biniir entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia claims that the Second Battle of Ord Biniir was not widely celebrated by the Empire, as it occurred on the same day as the Battle of Yavin. However, this contradicts The Making of Baron Fel, which states that because the battle took place on the same day as the Battle of Yavin, the Empire venerated its victory at Ord Biniir, even holding an award ceremony on Coruscant for Captain Fel. For the sake of consistency, this article assumes that the battle was widely celebrated.