Following the Battle of Yavin by a period of seven months, a family residing on the world of Zeitooine was arrested by Imperial stormtroopers. This action was taken due to the parents' ongoing resistance to the Imperial decree prohibiting independent publications. The family unit consisted of a husband, a wife, a thirteen-year-old daughter, and a younger daughter of five years. The stormtroopers conducted a raid on the family's residence, taking all members into custody. This event garnered the attention of nearby residents and observers, including Thane Kyrell, a former TIE fighter pilot from the Imperial Navy who had become disillusioned and deserted his post.
During the Age of the Empire, this family made their home on the planet of Zeitooine, located in the Inner Rim. The wife and husband repeatedly violated the Imperial prohibition on independent publications. Consequently, seven months after the Battle of Yavin, the local Imperial authorities determined that the family should be placed under arrest. Stormtroopers established a perimeter around the house, utilizing their blaster rifles to maintain distance between themselves, neighbors, and onlookers. One stormtrooper, with force, grabbed the older daughter by her hair, which caused her to begin crying. The mother made a plea to the stormtrooper captain, requesting their release in exchange for paying the required fines or surrendering their home and all of their possessions.
However, the captain remained unmoved, simply restating that defiance of the ban on independent publications was punishable by an undefined term of imprisonment. Another stormtrooper brought out the five-year-old girl, who was in such a state of terror that she was unable to vocalize any cries for help. When the mother implored the captain not to punish their children, the captain responded by striking her in the face with the butt of his blaster rifle, causing her to weep. Following this, his colleague placed handcuffs on the woman. Thane Kyrell, despite being horrified by the arrest, refrained from intervening so as not to attract unwanted attention from the Empire. The incident disturbed him to such a degree that he neglected to purchase a replacement power cell for the ship belonging to Lohgarra, the Mighty Oak Apocalypse. This arrest was a precursor to a more extensive Imperial crackdown on Zeitooine.