Echo Base
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
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| Echo Base | |
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| General information | |
| Constructed | |
| Destroyed |
3 ABY (ruins were later occupied) |
| Location | |
| Builder | |
| Usage | |
| Era(s) | |
| Affiliation | |
Echo Base was the Rebel Alliance facility established on Hoth after the Battle of Yavin.
Contents |
[edit] History
After their success against the Galactic Empire at Yavin 4, Rebel Alliance High Command sent many expedition teams across the galaxy to scout locations for a new base, realizing that Imperial retribution would come swiftly against their base on Yavin 4. While fleeing from an Imperial pursuit squadron in 0 ABY, Luke Skywalker eventually discovered icy world of Hoth. Its remote location, protective asteroid belt and low likelihood of Imperial presence made it an ideal location for the new Alliance headquarters. Skywalker recommended the world to Alliance High Command, and the leaders agreed to his proposal. Later escaping simultaneous attacks by the bounty hunter Raskar and the smuggler Salmakk,
Major Kem Monnon, head of the Alliance Corps of Engineers, was sold the location of a series of caves by an old smuggler. Monnon was then dispatched to Hoth to plan and oversee the construction of what would become Echo Base.[2] Geothermal analysis indicated that the best location for the base was on the northern edge on the only livable temperate band near the equator. Monnon's engineers built the base under the mountains of the Clabburn Range south of the Nev Ice Flow and reinforced the natural ice caverns beneath the surface of Hoth to serve as pathways.[2]
After two standard years, Echo Base was completed. Two large bay doors provided main entrances at the north and south ends of the mountain range. The hangar was one of the first segments built to allow for the steady inflow of resources. The facility included perimeter defense trenches, static anti-infantry and -vehicle emplacements, v-150 Planet Defender ion cannon, OrC-19 planetary com-scan unit, theater shield, medical facility and command center. At its height, the base housed 7,500 combat and command personnel, 350 medical personnel and 120 droids. The hangar was large enough to simultaneously house at least thirty GR-75 Medium Transports, sixty Rebel starfighters, twelve snowspeeders, the Millennium Falcon and Outrider.
The Alliance patrolled the terrain surrounding Echo Base with mounted tauntaun riders and snowspeeders, and regularly warded off wampa attacks. The perimeter of the base was dotted with scout posts labeled "Echo Stations", such as Echo Station 3-8, Echo Station 3-T-8 and Echo Station 5-7.
Echo Base was the site of the Battle of Hoth fought between the Empire and the Alliance in 3 ABY. The Empire sent powerful assault units to Hoth to crush the Alliance base. The Rebels fought a delaying action to allow time for Code 1-5—the evacuation of the base. Assisting them in this operation was Dash Rendar, a mercenary who was stuck at the base, and was exceptional at fighting on the ground and in a snowspeeder. But the Imperial Blizzard Force eventually destroyed the base's shield generator and deployed 501st snowtroopers into the base. In the brutal room-to-room fighting that ensued, many remaining personnel were killed. As the last Alliance transports lifted off, the ion cannon was set to self-destruct to collapse Echo Base. While for reasons as yet unknown, the cannon failed to self destruct, the rest of the base was destroyed by Rebel SpecForce Renegade Squadron, who set explosive charges around the base. Eleven years later, the ion cannon was found to be still intact and capable of firing by the Jedi Jaden Korr during his encounter with the Disciples of Ragnos and the Imperial Remnant in the frozen ruins of Echo Base.
When Skywalker and Callista Ming returned to Hoth in 12 ABY they encountered a band of desperate wampa-pelt hunters holed up in the deserted base while their hungry quarry waited outside. Though the two Jedi tried to rescue the group, the wampas demonstrated their uncanny ability to work together as a killing team. Luke and Callista barely escaped from Hoth with their lives.
In 14 ABY, an Imperial Remnant force reoccupied the ruins of Echo Base. Hoping to discover the location of Dagobah in the working segments of the Alliance computer core, the Sith devotees of the cult of Ragnos and their Imperial subordinates dug underneath the hulk of a fallen AT-AT. Their activities were discovered by Jaden Korr. The young Jedi destroyed the force of snowtroopers and AT-ST walkers, and chased off the Sith acolytes. He dueled Dark Jedi Alora and defeated her, but she fled, promising to encounter him again in the future. It was during Jaden's exploration of the frozen ruins of Echo base that he discovered the firing control room of the ion cannon from which the still intact cannon itself could be seen. Although no longer capable of tracking a target the cannon itself still drew power from its reactors and was capable of firing.
[edit] Known personnel
- 2-1B (Head of base medical personnel)
- Cal Alder (Scout)
- Jess Allashane
- Wedge Antilles
- Areta Bell
- Bervin
- Bindu
- Blainekie
- Vildar Blin
- C-3PO
- Crix Madine
- Tycho Celchu
- Chewbacca
- Beryl Chiffonage
- Crimmins
- Cubber Daine
- Tarrin Datch
- Delevar
- Bren Derlin (Head of base security)
- Dervis
- EG-4
- F4-7
- Samoc Farr
- Toryn Farr
- Ledick Firest
- Fixit
- Caled Galfridian
- Grond
- Nala Hetsime
- Reyé Hollis
- Dice Ibegon
- Tigran Jamiro (Senior logistics officer)
- Wes Janson
- Jielu
- K-3PO
- Maren Kelsome
- Kensaric
- Derek Klivian
- Kira Lar
- Tenk Lenso
- Losca
- M-3PO
- Maer
- Pharl McQuarrie
- Stevan Makintay
- Lag Mettier
- Tarn Mison
- Jobin
- Voren Na'al
- Sala Natu
- Romas Navander
- Kesin Ommis
- Princess Leia Organa
- Judder Page
- Corman Quien
- R2-D2
- R3-A2
- R-3PO
- R3-Y2
- R5-M2
- Dak Ralter
- Darklighter
- Dash Rendar (Mercenary)
- Tamizander Rey
- Carlist Rieekan (Base commander)
- Meghan Rivers
- Roj
- Vyn Rolado
- Rory
- Seito
- Zev Senesca
- Wyron Serper
- Lak Sivrak
- Luke Skywalker
- Han Solo
- Sora
- Berec Tanaal
- Palo Torshan
- Unidentified Rebel
- Shawn Valdez
- Jeroen Webb
[edit] Appearances
- Star Wars: X-wing
"Double Cross on Ord Mantell" - Star Wars Galaxy 5 (Mentioned only)
- A Valentine Story
- The Paradise Detour
- A New Beginning
- Showdown
- The Final Trap
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novel
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (First appearance)
- Star Wars 39: The Empire Strikes Back: Beginning
- Star Wars 40: The Empire Strikes Back: Battleground: Hoth
- Entrenched
- Perfect Evil
- One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid
- Star Wars 41: The Empire Strikes Back: Imperial Pursuit
- Star Wars: Battlefront
- Star Wars: Battlefront II
- Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
- One Step Ahead
- Star Wars 78: Hoth Stuff
- Shadows of the Empire video game
- X-wing: Wraith Squadron (Mentioned only)
- Darksaber
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
- Star Wars Galaxies
[edit] Non-canon appearances
- Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
- Ghosts of Hoth
- LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
- Free Memory (Ambiguously canonical source) (Appears in flashback(s))
[edit] Sources
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back toy line
- Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, Second Edition
- Star Wars: The Power of the Force (1995)
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire toy line
- Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook
- The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Power of the Jedi
"On Our Planet: Hoth" - Star Wars Kids 4
- Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
- Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy
- The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 13 (HOT5-6, Hoth - Echo Base)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 105 (ECH1-2, Technology of Echo Base)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 108 (ECH3-4, Technology of Echo Base)
"The Empire Strikes Back" - Star Wars Trading Card Game (Card: Tauntaun Mount)
Galactic Gazetteer: Hoth and the Greater Javin on Wizards.com (article)
- The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
Echo Base in the Databank
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes and references
