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Battle of Taanab

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Third Battle of Yavin 4

Battle of Taanab
Conflict

Pirate raids on Taanab, Galactic Civil War

Date

0 ABY (35:8)[1]

Place

Taanab[2]

Outcome

Taanab victory[2]

Combatants

Taanab local defense forces[2]

Norulac Pirates[2]

Commanders


Strength
  • Taanab local defense fleet
  • Civilian freighter (Lando Calrissian)[2]
Casualties

None or very light[2]

Nearly all Norulac pirate forces[2]

"Someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the Battle of Taanab."
―Lando Calrissian[src]

The Battle of Taanab, while a minor engagement by galactic standards, had a great effect on the career of Lando Calrissian. His utter defeat of the Norulac Pirates helped give him a heroic reputation.[4]

Contents

[edit] Background

The Inner Rim Territories world of Taanab was a backwater agricultural planet, too insignificant for the Imperial Navy to put much effort into protecting from regular pirate raids. Five months after the Battle of Yavin, an armada of Norulac pirate ships arrived in the fringes of the system.[2]

[edit] The battle

Taanab's small defense fleet moved out to intercept them at the Banthal Company's orbiting docks, but with little hope of stopping the raiders.[2]

Lando Calrissian happened to be in a cantina in Taanab's spaceport city of Pandath, observing the situation on a holovid. Suddenly, he declared to the other patrons that he could defeat the pirates single-handedly. One of the skeptical patrons, Gathal Anager,[5] made a bet with Calrissian. Anager announced that the deed to a Clendoran brewery would be Calrissian's if he made good on his boast.[2]

[edit] Calrissian's "little maneuver"

Calrissian began the battle by hiding his vessel in the ice ring of Taanab's moon, and lying in wait for the pirates. When the pirates were close enough, he intercepted them, ejecting his ship's cargo–a full load of electrified Conner nets–in the midst of the pirate fleet. While most of the pirate vessels were entangled and disabled by the drifting nets, Calrissian used his tractor beams to bash their ships with heavy chunks of ice from the moon's ring. Finally, Calrissian rallied the Taanab fleet, leading them to a decisive and swift victory. Calrissian himself was credited with nineteen kills.[2]

[edit] Aftermath

"And if you're going to bring up Taanab again, don't. You've been squeezing that bit of history for favors for, oh, must be fifteen years now. Not going to do you any good this time."
Reggi[src]

Though the Taanab government offered Calrissian a permanent commission in their military, Calrissian politely refused. His new brewery sounded like a more lucrative business.[2] However, he would later accept the general's commission that the Rebel Alliance offered him before the Battle of Endor based on these actions.[4]

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Sources

[edit] Notes and references