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"Welcome to Yavin 4....There are cells gathered here from every corner of the galaxy."
―Garazeb Orrelios[18]

Yavin 4,[2] also known as Yavin,[19] was the jungle-covered fourth moon in orbit around the red gas giant Yavin Prime. Prior to and during the Galactic Civil War, it hosted the headquarters of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a group of resistance fighters that opposed the dominant Galactic Empire.[2] Following a major battle that took place around Yavin,[9] the Alliance went on the run, and eventually relocated its headquarters to Hoth.[20]

During the New Republic Era, Wetyin's Colony was the main settlement on the moon, and the Dameron family was settled there.[13] Due to New Republic demilitarization, the Civilian Defense Force was founded to defend the moon. The Defense Force, along with the New Republic Security Bureau, was later involved in an altercation with the Spice Runners of Kijimi after they crash-landed on the moon and escaped.[6]

Description[]

The surface of Yavin 4 was divided into several continental masses, two of which were Starloft and Wetyin.[21] Notable natural formations included Massassi Valley, Skygazer Hill, and the Ferra Groves.[7] The verdant world had a comfortable, temperate climate but a challenging ecosystem and dangerous predators.[22]

The moon's landmasses were covered by dense jungles and rain forests whose flora included purple-barked Massassi trees, grenade fungi, bioluminescent orchids, and climbing ferns. Yavin 4 also had swampy areas.[1] The moon, however, was completely lacking in any mineral resources of significance.[23]

History[]

Early history[]

"I know that the Massassi have been extinct for millennia. I knew that before I studied history."
―Chelli Lona Aphra[12]
Temple of Exar Kun

An ancient Massassi temple on Yavin 4.

Five thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, the ancient warriors of the Massassi lived on Yavin 4 and constructed the Great Temple.[15] The Great Temple was alleged to have been built under the leadership of the Sith Lord Naga Sadow around 5000 BBY.[24] The Massassi admired Sadow as a god despite being poorly treated by him, and the Temple was raised in Sadow's honor. Archeologists later proposed that the Great Temple may have functioned as a large-scale communications device to contact other Sith Lords throughout the galaxy.[25] Being enslaved by the Sith, the Massassi species went extinct[14] millennia[12] before 0 ABY,[26] sometime after finishing their temples.[14]

Sometime before the Battle of Coruscant, an archaeological expedition on the moon of Yavin 4 uncovered the Great Sith Wars Bas-Relief[27] in one of the enormous stone temples built by the Massassi.[14]

Galactic Civil War[]

"…the Empire now knows our location. Therefore, our first priority is to find a new base of operations. To that end, all Rebel fleets have arrived to assist us in evacuating Yavin immediately."
―Jan Dodonna[28]
Yavin landing pad

The exterior of the rebel base

The Alliance to Restore the Republic would utilize the temple during the Galactic Civil War as a base of operations against the then-dominant Galactic Empire. It was from this base that Operation Fracture was dispatched to Jedha.[29] Shortly following this, Alliance snub fighter squadrons with orders to destroy the Death Star were also launched from Yavin 4. After the space battle and the related award ceremony, the rebels evacuated the base to escape any retaliatory strike by the Empire.[9][28]

After the temple was abandoned by the rebels, a Special Galaxy Reporter was sent to Yavin 4 to write a travel advertisement about the ruins.[15] The moon was also occupied by the Empire after the rebels fled, with Imperial walkers and stormtroopers stationed around the former base. Amid the Imperial occupation, Doctor Korin Aphra led his daughter, Chelli Lona Aphra, droids 0-0-0 and BT-1, and the Wookiee bounty hunter Krrsantan into a raid at the Great Temple during his search for the Ordu Aspectu.[16]

At another point, a rebel force was sent to the moon in order to seize leftover data centers from the previous rebel occupation. However, the Empire managed to discover the plot and also sent forces to secure them for its own purposes. In the time before the Battle of Hoth, multiple battles between Alliance and Imperial forces would occur on the moon's surface.[7]

New Republic Era[]

"Let's go home, Shara Bey."
―Kes Dameron[13]
Shara and Kes go home

Yavin 4 was home to the Dameron family during the New Republic Era

Around six months after the Battle of Endor and after leaving the rebellion, Shara Bey and Kes Dameron settled down on Yavin 4 and planted the twig of a Force-sensitive tree on the moon.[30] During the New Republic Era, the Civilian Defense Force or CDF was established to protect the moon after the New Republic's Defense Fleet was reduced, and Bey was a pilot in the Defense Force.[6]

Future Resistance pilot Poe Dameron grew up on Yavin 4. While flying his mother's starfighter, Poe was shot down by the CDF, which lead to a conflict with his father and close family-friend L'ulo L'ampar. Shortly after this, Poe ran away to Gully's cantina and joined the Spice Runners of Kijimi, who had crashed on the moon. Flying their freighter, the Ragged Claw, Poe helped the Spice Runners narrowly escape the New Republic Security Bureau, who had taken interest in the Spice Runners.[6]

Behind the scenes[]

Yavin 4 first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the first installment of the Star Wars original trilogy.[9]

The real-world location of Yavin 4 is the ruins of an ancient Mayan city at Tikal, Guatemala. Most of the shots of approaches to Yavin 4 from space are just repeats or copies of the Millennium Falcon approach in A New Hope, the only change being a ship replacement.

Yavin 4 is erroneously listed as a planet in the 2016 reference book Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia.[22]

Appearances[]

Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Ultimate Star Wars
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 StarWars-DatabankII Yavin 4 in the Databank (backup link)
  3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Beginner Game
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Star Wars: Complete Locations
  5. Build the Millennium Falcon Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 97 (Guide to the Galaxy: Moons and Planetoids)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Poe Dameron: Free Fall
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Star Wars: Commander
  8. IDWStarWarsAdventuresLogoSmaller "Tales from Wild Space: The Flat Mountain of Yavin" — Star Wars Adventures (2017) 2
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
  10. Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
  11. Poe Dameron: Flight Log
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Doctor Aphra (2016) 3
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Shattered Empire 4
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Helmet Collection logo small Star Wars Helmet Collection 76 (Databank A-Z: Yavin 4)
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Journey Through Space
  16. 16.0 16.1 Doctor Aphra (2016) 2
  17. EAFavicon-Logo STAR WARS™: Squadrons Maps and Locations on Electronic Arts' official website (June 19, 2020) (backup link)
  18. Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "In the Name of the Rebellion"
  19. ToppsDigitalLogo Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Jan Dodonna - Rebel General - Base Series 1)
  20. Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
  21. Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide
  22. 22.0 22.1 Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
  23. Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
  24. Build the Millennium Falcon Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 23 (Guide to the Galaxy: Yavin 4's Massassi Temple) establishes that the Great Temple on Yavin 4 was built by Massassi warriors, allegedly under the leadership of Naga Sadow, around the year 5000 BBY.
  25. Build the Millennium Falcon Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 23 (Guide to the Galaxy: Yavin 4's Massassi Temple)
  26. The events of issues 1 to 8 of the Star Wars: Doctor Aphra comic-book series take place after the Battle of Yavin, which marks the beginning of 0 ABY, according to Star Wars: Timelines. Additionally, issue 8 is part of the Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel crossover arc, which is placed chronologically before the mutiny on Mon Cala. Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy dates the mutiny on Mon Cala to nineteen years after the formation of the Galactic Empire, which Timelines dates to 19 BBY. Therefore, the events of Doctor Aphra 3 must be set in 0 ABY.
  27. AltayaCite "Coruscant" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
  28. 28.0 28.1 Princess Leia 1
  29. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  30. Before the Awakening
  31. 'Andor' Season 2 Is Headed to Yavin by Lovitt, Maggie on Collider (November 4, 2022) (archived from the original on November 15, 2022)
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