Blockade of Kashyyyk (1 ABY)


The Blockade of Kashyyyk was an event in 1 ABY, in which the Galactic Empire established a blockade over the planet Kashyyyk.

Background


Following the destruction of the First Death Star, Palpatine ordered Darth Vader to hunt down those Rebels responsible for the space station's destruction. As Han Solo and Chewbacca were leaving Tatooine on one of their typical flights, they were intercepted by two Star Destroyers of the Empire, who had recognized the Falcon from a previous encounter during the escape from the first Death Star. After an attack by the two Star Destroyers, Solo sent the Millennium Falcon into lightspeed. However, the Empire traced the course that the ship had set, and tracked their route to Kashyyyk.

The blockade


On the Star Destroyer Devastator, an Imperial officer resembling the deceased Chief Moradmin Bast announced to Vader that he had ordered a blockade and curfew of the planet, and had started a search operation. Upon arriving near the atmosphere of Kashyyyk, the Falcon found itself under fire from TIE fighters, who were guarding the planet. Down on Kashyyyk, Imperial Agents entered the home of Chewbacca, where the family was preparing for Life Day.

After doing an extensive search of the home, the Imperial Agents couldn't find a trace of the Rebels. Lumpwarrump Chewbacca's son, had gotten ahead of the Imperials, he created a device that tricked the officers into leaving. Leading them to believe that the Rebels had already left the planet, thus sending the Imperials on a wild goose chase to a decoy location. Han and Chewbacca arrived at the home, and later, they all celebrated the holiday.

By the time the Imperials had returned to Kashyyyk, after realizing they had been deceived, the Rebels had long gone. In response to the defeat, Palpatine decided to start over, by ordering the immediate resuming of the construction of the Second Death Star over an unknown world.

Behind the scenes


Lucasfilm employee Leland Chee has indicated that the instance of Life Day, an event occurring every three years, depicted in The Star Wars Holiday Special as concurrent to the blockade, takes place in approximately 1.5 ABY. However, other sources suggest a different placement. The novel Rebel Dawn establishes that a Life Day occurred approximately one standard year prior to events dated by The New Essential Chronology and The Essential Reader's Companion to 2 BBY, equating to 3 BBY, with subsequent Life Days in 0 and 3 ABY. Similarly, Chewbacca's entry in The Essential Guide to Characters describes The Star Wars Holiday Specials Life Day as the first of two Life Days between the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, spanning 0 to 3 ABY, suggesting that Life Day and the blockade took place in 0 ABY.

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