The attack on Omar was a battle fought during the Zaarin insurrection. Former Grand Admiral Zaarin's forces attacked the TIE Avenger plants in the Omar system.
Prior to the attacks on Omar, Imperial Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin, former head of research and development for the Galactic Empire, sought to seize power from Emperor Palpatine in an attempt to install himself as the Galactic Emperor. Zaarin launched a coup d'etat against the Emperor that saw the capture of Palpatine and his near execution at the hands of Zaarin. However, the kidnapping attempt failed after a decisive intervention by Darth Vader and Vice Admiral Thrawn. The initial failure of the coup forced Zaarin's loyal forces to flee to the Outer Rim Territories in order to evade their destruction at the hands of the Empire. However, Zaarin still desired to take control of the galaxy, so he launched a campaign of terror against the Empire's various starfighter and warship production centers, hoping to wear down the Emperor's forces to the point where the Emperor would no longer be able to resist. Zaarin decided to begin by stripping the Empire of its ability to manufacture the TIE/ad starfighters, a fighter he himself designed. This attack would start with the destruction of the TIE Advanced facilities at Omar, where the vast majority of the Empire's TIE Advanced starfighters were produced.
Zaarin launched the frigate Raptor to attack the lightly-defended TIE Advanced plants at Omar, with a full load of TIE Bombers and Delta-class DX-9 stormtrooper transports to aid in the assault. The bombers were launched in groups of five and targeted the facilities Omar 1, Omar 2, and Omar 3, launching a vicious barrage of heavy rockets. The Imperial personnel onboard the three stations had no means to defend themselves, and immediately called for reinforcement. The Imperial fleet sent in a force of TIE Defenders, led by Emperor's Hand Maarek Stele, to defend the facilities while various transports proceeded to evacuate the personnel. These ships came in the form of bulk freighters, Container Transports, and YT-1300 light freighters.
By the time Stele and his squadron arrived at Omar, Omar 3 was totally evacuated, but Omars 1 and 2 had yet to be vacated. Stele and his wingmen proceeded to destroy the various TIE Bomber squadrons destroying the facilities. Zaarin's forces destroyed Omar 3 before it could be saved, so Stele's squadron focused on defending Omars 1 and 2. While they did this, several Imperial freighters and transports arrived sequentially to evacuate the station personnel. After the bombers were eliminated, Stele's squadron attacked the Raptor, eventually destroying the frigate under concentrated heavy fire. Despite this, several waves of Delta-class DX-9 stormtrooper transports arrived to launch their own attack on the Omar facilities, forcing Stele's squadron to break up and attack different squadrons. After Omar 2 was abandoned, evacuations were solely focused on Omar 1. However, an Imperial officer soon radioed an SOS, stating that he and some of his comrades had been left behind on Omar 2. But the station was soon destroyed despite Stele's best efforts to defend it.
Stele finished off the remaining transports and assisted the evac ships at Omar 1. His squadron held off several counterattacks while Omar 1 was finally evacuated. With the success of the operation, the Imperials abandoned the area, and Omar 1 would later be destroyed by Zaarin.
Although the Imperials were successful in saving countless lives during the battle, the loss of all three Omar facilities severely impaired the Empire's ability to produce the TIE Advanced. Zaarin then focused his efforts on the remaining stations spread across Omar. Eventually, only one plant, ZA-13, was left in operation, forcing the Empire to defend this station in an effort to continue the production of the TIE Advanced.
The battle was first featured in the 1994 LucasArts video game Star Wars: TIE Fighter, in which players fly as Maarek Stele. The battle is depicted in the mission "Evacuate TIE Avenger Plants", the first mission of the game's eighth tour of campaign, "Strategic Warfare."
- TIE Fighter: Defender of the Empire: Official Secrets & Solutions
- TIE Fighter Collector's CD-ROM: The Official Strategy Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. II