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“The Alliance to restore the Republic”, better known as “The Rebel Alliance” or simply “The Alliance” is the name of the group of people who opposed Emperor Palpatine and his “New Order” in the Star Wars universe. They were also referred to as “The Rebellion”, “Rebels”, “Rebel scum” or “Rebs” by the Imperials.

History

A short history of what happened before A New Hope.

The Rebel Alliance was shortly started after Chancellor Palpatine turned the Galactic Republic into a empire with himself as the Emperor.

Some people had been getting more and more worried about the ever increasing and unjustified power Palpatine had been getting during the “Clone Wars” and had kept even though the war had almost ended and they had quietly been discussing it. But not quietly enough since Palpatine had been aware of it. After he declared himself Emperor, he actually thought up a scheme to start up the Rebel Alliance so he could easily get rid of every potential enemy.
The founders of the Rebel Alliance took the bait but managed to escape from the Emperor and started “The Alliance to restore the Republic”.
These people were : Galen Marek “Starkiller”, Senator Mon Mothma, Senator Bail Organa, Senator Garm Bel Iblis, Senator Leia Organa and General Rahm Kota.

The symbol for the Rebel Alliance used to be from the family crest of Galen Marek. Senator Leia Organa suggested to use the Marek family crest because he sacrificed his life to save the other founders from Darth Vader and the Emperor.

In the beginning the Rebel Alliance grew only slowly but when more and more incidents that showed the cruelty of the Empire became known, more people, even entire planets, joined the Rebel Alliance.
One of the incidents that brought a lot of attention happened 18 years before the Battle of Yavin (the end battle in episode 4) on the planet Ghorman.
A group of peaceful anti-Empire protesters were blocking the landing pad that Captain Wilhuff Tarkin wanted to use for his ship. The Emperor then gave him permission to land the ship anyway which killed and injured a lot of people.
This incident became known as the Ghorman Massacre.

Because the Empire was so ruthless, any thought of rebellion had to be kept secret and it was hard to expand it.
The Rebel Alliance did have secret allies who helped them become more powerful.
One of these allies totally deserted the Empire and brought the material needed to produce X-wings (a starship) with them.
Another one was the Mon Calamari who brought their ships and ship construction skills with them.

The Rebel Alliance had actually wanted to stay a peaceful opposition but the ruthlessness of the Empire made them realize that they could only bring back democracy if they opposed them head on with a military of their own.

Note : after the movies, the Rebel Alliance becomes the New Republic. A democratic government.

The Founders of the Rebel Alliance.

Galen Marek “Starkiller” : Darth Vaders secret apprentice who took the side of the Rebel Alliance after he was ordered by Darth Vader to create it. He died by sacrificing himself to rescue the other founders.

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Mon Mothma : she is one of the few Senators who openly spoke against the Emperor until he got tired of her and she had to go undercover to stay alive and to continue her support to the Rebel Alliance. She ended up being the Chief of State of the Rebel Alliance. A position for which she was democratically re-elected every 2 years by the other members. She became head of the New Republic after the movies.

Bail Organa : a Senator who, until his death caused by the destruction of the planet Alderaan, stayed undercover to protect himself and others from the Empire. As a Senator he pretended to be loyal to the Empire and was highly respected but at the same time he was one of the most important people of the Rebel Alliance. During his work as undercover Rebel he saved many lives and aided the Rebel Alliance by “leaking” important information to them.

Garm Bel Iblis : a Senator who, even before the creation of the Rebel Alliance, had already started a secret political resistance group. He was one of the first targets of the Emperor and was saved by Galen Marek. His strategic and tactical advice was of great value to the Rebel Alliance and as General he played a important role. He left the Rebel Alliance after Bail Organa’s death because he mistrusted Mon Mothma. After the movies he rejoins the New Republic to help them fight Admiral Thrawn.

Leia Organa : she was the youngest Senator ever to join the Galactic Empire. She is the biological daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala and was hidden from the Empire shortly after her mothers death. Bail Organa and his wife adopted her and this allowed her to become the strong person we see in the movies and Extended universe books and comics. After the movies she marries Han Solo, with whom she has 3 children, becomes Chief of State for a while and stands as Jedi Knight negotiator between the Jedi and the New Republic.

Rahm Kota : he was one of the few surviving Jedi Knights after Order 66 because he didn’t think that Clones were good soldiers and he used a personal army instead. He helped Galen Marek form the Rebel Alliance by involving Bail Organa, whose wealth would be of great help to the Rebel Alliance. He is later killed by Darth Vader.

Other important people in the Rebel Alliance.

Luke Skywalker : as Leia’s older twin he was also hidden shortly after their mothers death. He was adopted by his father’s stepbrother Owen Lars and his wife Beru and spent his first 19 years as a moister farmer on the planet Tatooine. After their deaths he of course got involved in the Rebel Alliance, destroyed the first Death Star, was crucial in the Emperors defeat and became a Jedi Knight. After the movies he eventually gets married to Mara Jade and they have a son named Ben. He also becomes Jedi Grandmaster.

Han Solo : a smuggler who becomes involved with the Rebel Alliance after he gets hired by Obi-wan “Ben” Kenobi in A New Hope. He ends up becoming a General, Leia’s husband and father of 3 force-sensitive children, and a hero who is always on the move to help the New Republic.

Lando Calrissian : professional gambler, a former smuggler and Cloud City administrator gone General after he gets involved in The Empire Strikes Back. After the movies he helps out the New Republic when needed but mostly focuses on his various business ventures. He eventually gets married and has a son.

Wedge Antilles : Commander of Rogue Squadron and one of the few surviving pilots of the attack against the first Death Star. He eventually becomes a General, gets married and has 2 children. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Admiral Ackbar : a former Imperial slave who is the Supreme Commander of the Rebel Alliance Fleet. After the movies he becomes Supreme Commander of the New Republic Defense Force and eventually dies of old age. ——-ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt————————————————

Carlist Rieekan : General and Commander of the Alliance’s Echo Base on Hoth who became one of the New Republic’s First Ministers of State after the movies. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Jan Dodonna : a former Imperial war hero who retired early because he didn’t like the Imperial ideology. He was a expert in logistics and siege tactics and the Rebel Alliance tried to get him on their side. He eventually joined them when he was considered “less dangerous when death” by the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR) who ordered his assasination. He was a General and the Commander of the Yavin IV base.

Walex Blissex : a starship designer who joined the Rebel Alliance because he was against the Empire. His skills and services earned him the honorary title of General. ————————————————-

Airen Cracken : before he joined he was already a mechanic-gone-resistance-fighter leader on his home world Contruum. Because he realized that his planet wasn’t the only planet being suppressed by the Empire, he and his team continued their work on other planets. Due to this they drew the attention of the Rebel Alliance and it didn’t take long for them to join it. He quickly became a Officer, then General and eventually Supreme Allied Commander for Intelligence. After the movies he became head of the New Republic Intelligence.

Crix Madine : he used to be a Imperial Officer but changed sides when he came to realize how cruel the Empire was. He barely made it and even got captured but was rescued by Kyle Katarn. He quickly proved himself to be trustworthy and useful and became Supreme Commander of Special Forces.

Kyle Katarn : a former Imperial Stormtrooper Officer who changed sides after he found out that his father was killed by the Empire. He was one of the key persons in getting the first Death Star plans. After the movies he finds out that he is Force sensitive and eventually becomes a Jedi Master. —————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Pharl McQuarrie : he was a military advisor on the planet Ralltiir but fled his home world to ask the Rebel Alliance for aid when the Empire took over. They took him in and on his first mission he was extremely important in getting the plans for the first Death Star. After this he was the second-in-command on the planet Hoth.

Ral’Rai Muvunc : he was the Supreme Commander of Ordnance and Supply and one of the few people allowed to hire privateers.

Col Serra : he was a old friend of Han Solo and was asked by him to look for people who didn’t need training from the Rebel Alliance since Han Solo wanted to make a squadron of elite’s. Col Serra became the Commander of Renegade Squadron and he and his squadron saved the Rebel Alliance numerous times although barely anyone knew of their existence.

Tardi : he was the Minister of Finance for the Rebel Alliance in it’s early days.

Vanden Willard : he was a old friend of Bail Organa who worked as a Rebel Alliance spy for him until Alderaan was destroyed. He was the Commander of Delta Base on the moon Kisge and when he retired from the military he trained Officers, Captains and pilots in military strategy, space combat and tactical decision-making.

Running the Rebel Alliance.

The Rebel Alliance has 2 sides to it : the military and the civil government.
The military is focused in defeating the Empire and defending the innocent from the Empire and the civil government focuses in making sure that they have all the resources they need, that they maintain the vital services and foreign relations and that the Rebel Alliance gets more people and planets to join them.

The Alliance Military.

The Alliance High Command.
The Alliance High Command is composed of the Commander-in-Chief, the Chief of Staff, the Minister of War and the Supreme Allied Commanders and it can be seen as the central nervous system of the Alliance Military.

High Command.
The High Command is composed of the Chief of State, who was also Commander in Chief, the Minister of War, the Chief of Staff, and the various Supreme Allied Commanders and can be seen as the mind of the Alliance Military.

Alliance Forces.
The Alliance Forces is composed of the Rebel Alliance Fleet and the ground forces, which is composed of the SpecForces, fleet regiments and small ground units.

The Alliance Fleet.
The Rebel Alliance’s Fleet is the most powerful weapon of the Rebel Alliance. It is a lot smaller then the Empire’s and consist of mostly outdated donated and captured ships but it is still a force to be reckoned with.

Starfighter Corps.
The Starfighter Corps is separate military branch from the regular navy due to the amount of starfighters the Rebel Alliance has.

Ground forces.
Most of the Rebel Alliance ground forces are Rebel cells and Sector Forces but there is also a small but powerful ground force. The Rebel SpecForce has ten divisions and some of their duties are protecting the High Command and using hit and run tactics to get needed supplies.

Sector Forces.
The Sector Forces are semi-autonomous military units that are responsible for maintaining the Rebel Alliance locally. These resistance groups are mostly small local armies that take care of their own region and/or planet.

Supreme Allied Commanders.
The Supreme Allied Commanders are the chiefs of the different branches of the Alliance Military. They all have their own staff and department and efficiently is extremely important because the Rebel Alliance is always short in time and money. There are seven Supreme Allied Commanders : Fleet Command, Ordnance and Supply, Starfighter Command, Support Services, Intelligence, Special Forces and Sector Command.

The Civil Government.

The Chief of State.
The Chief of State is the head of the Rebel Alliance. It can be seen as a elected dictatorship since the Chief of State has a almost unlimited power over the Rebel Alliance. The elections are held every two years and Mon Mothma has always had full support of the Rebel Alliance members. Once the Rebel Alliance wins, the Chief of State will lay down his/her power and the Advisory Council will take control of the Alliance and turn it into a new Galactic Republic.

The Advisory Council.
The Advisory Council is composed of representatives of the seven Alliance governments, who have given the most lives in battle in their attempts to defeat the Empire, and act as advisors for the Chief of State. They are also responsible for approving or disapproving the proposals of the Chief of State and they have the right to dismiss a Chief of State with a two-thirds majority vote.

The Alliance Cabinet.
The Rebel Alliance Cabinet is composed of 6 ministries selected by the Chief of State for their devotion, intelligence, and ability to get things done. These ministries are : the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Education, the Minister of State, the Minister of Industry, the Minister of Supply and the Minister of War.

The Allied Commands.
The Alliance Allied Commands are the individual governments of worlds, organizations and groups that are members of the Rebel Alliance.

Ships

The Rebel Alliance has quite a variety of ships even with their limited resources. The best known one has to be the X-wing, the starfighter that Luke flew in in A New Hope, and you’ll probably recognize the A-wing, B-Wing, Snowspeeder and Y-wing too and maybe even the larger ships like the Corellian Corvette and the Mon Calamari Cruiser. Here I’ll give a short description of the better known ones.

Alliance Escort Carrier : these 500 meter long box-like ships are the smallest ships made for carrying starfighters and could house a total 72. ————————————————

A-Wing aka “Aurek tactical strikefighter” : a 9.2 meter long, 1 person starship that is known for it’s speed and maneuverability and lack of shields. It has heavy laser cannons and can have up to 6 proton torpedoes. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Bulk Cruiser : these ships are mostly used as carrier ships since they’re useless in battle. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

B-wing : a 1 person starship that’s not very fast or maneuverable but makes up for this with it’s firepower that consists of two auto-blasters, a laser cannon, proton torpedoes and ion cannons. ————————————————————————————————————————–

Corellian Corvette : a 150 meter long ship that’s known for it’s versatility. It’s often used as a troop carrier, light escort vessel, cargo transport, or even a passenger liner since it’s simple to reconfigure. ———————————————————————————————————————

Medium Transport : a 90 meter long cargo ship that was primarily used for transporting supplies, equipment and troops but were sometimes also modified in to fuel tankers.

Mon Calamari Cruiser : a ship type that can vary somewhere between 1.200 and 17.000 meters long. They were designed as passenger ships but changed into battleships when the Mon Calamari joined the Rebel Alliance.

Snowspeeder : a 5.3 meter long, 2 person airship that has laser cannons and a harpoon. It’s a modified version of the T-47. The T-47 is a atmospheric vehicle designed for industrial cargo handling and can’t go into space.

X-wing : a 16 meter long starship that was designed to house a pilot and a astromech droid. It features 4 laser cannons and proton torpedoes and is a nice combination of speed, maneuverability, fire power and defensive shielding. ——–

Y-wing : a 16 meter long starship that was designed to house a pilot and a astromech droid. It’s mostly used as a bomber due to it’s lack of speed and maneuverability but makes up for this due to it’s heavy shielding and fire power that consists of : two laser cannons, ion Cannons and proton torpedoes.

A Rebel pilot with his X-wing and R2 droid.

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