The Liberation of Erso, also known as the rescue of Jyn Erso or the Wobani extraction, was a mission mounted by the Alliance to Restore the Republic in 1 BBY to rescue Jyn Erso, daughter of renowned Imperial scientist Galen Erso, from Imperial custody so she could assist them in their search for the Death Star. The mission followed reports from Rebel Alliance Intelligence Service that Galen Erso was building a superweapon for the Galactic Empire and that an Imperial cargo pilot, Bodhi Rook, defected on Jedha and had information about Erso's weapon and whereabouts. The Alliance hoped to use Jyn to gain access to her old friend Saw Gerrera, an extremist leader, after Rook had been captured by his Partisans on Jedha.
Sergeant Ruescott Melshi led Extraction Team Bravo to Imperial Detention Center & Labor Camp LEG-817 on Wobani, where Jyn was held in Imperial custody. They overpowered the stormtrooper guards and rescued Jyn, who initially tried to escape from the Alliance as well before being subdued by K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial security droid. The Alliance forces left Wobani but were forced to take refuge in an asteroid field after being pursued by Imperial forces, though Alliance reinforcements soon arrived to assist them. Jyn was taken to the Alliance headquarters on Yavin 4 and conscripted into service, ultimately giving up her life to steal the Death Star plans during the Battle of Scarif so the Alliance could destroy the battle station.
In 1 BBY, Rebel Alliance Intelligence Service received information from Tivik, a Rebel Alliance operative who had infiltrated the extremist group known as the Partisans on the holy moon of Jedha, saying that an Imperial cargo pilot, Bodhi Rook, defected from the Galactic Empire. According to Tivik, who passed this information onto Captain Cassian Andor on the Ring of Kafrene, the pilot carried information from renowned Imperial scientist Galen Erso about an Imperial superweapon—the Death Star—that Galen had built to be capable of destroying entire planets. Rook, sent to Jedha by Galen himself, was in the custody of Partisan leader Saw Gerrera, whom Galen wanted the information given to.
The Alliance targeted Jyn Erso for extraction so she could help them learn more about the Death Star.
The Alliance determined that the best course of action was to locate Galen's estranged daughter, Jyn Erso, so she could get them access to Gerrera and his base and find the information needed to stop the alleged superweapon. Gerrera, who had broken ties with the Rebel Alliance, was an old friend of the Erso family, and Jyn herself was once a member of his militia. Alliance Intelligence confirmed that Jyn was a prisoner at Imperial Detention Center & Labor Camp LEG-817 on Wobani, where she—under the alias of Liana Hallik—was serving her sixth month of a twenty-year sentence for various crimes against the Empire. Despite significant disagreement amongst Alliance commanders, a rescue mission was approved by Senator Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel Alliance. General Davits Draven approved the formation of a rapid response team, Extraction Team Bravo, to be led by Sergeant Ruescott Melshi of Rebel Alliance Special Forces. Draven, Mothma, and Bail Organa ordered Andor to join the mission as well.
Extraction Team Bravo timed its arrival at the prison camp so they could extract Jyn when she was being transported on a HCVw A9 turbo tank. Upon their arrival, they attacked the transport that Jyn was being held on and a pair of Bravo Team soldiers neutralized the two stormtroopers who were guarding the prisoners inside. This allowed Sergeant Melshi the opportunity to safely enter the transport, where he verified Jyn's identity. With his exfiltration target in site, Melshi released her from her restraints and told her that they were there on a rescue mission.
Jyn Erso during her rescue
Melshi became distracted by one of the other prisoners, giving Jyn an opportunity to try to escape on her own. She attacked Melshi and headed for the entryway, where she punched a second soldier. She grabbed a shovel from the side wall of the transport and used it to strike Melshi and the third Team Bravo trooper. She ran outside the transport but she was knocked to the ground by K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial security droid, who told her not to resist their rescue operation.
The extraction team left the planet with Jyn in tow. As they were leaving, however, their starfighter, Bravo One, encountered an issue with its navigational system and was unable to make the jump into hyperspace. The team proceeded to take refuge in a nearby asteroid field, from where they sent out a priority transmission to all available Rebel vessels to request assistance. An X-wing squadron, Red Flight, answered the call and arrived to save them from incoming Imperial forces, including the Star Destroyer Tenacious under the command of Captain Adre L'Mendi and several TIE fighters.
Jyn was taken to the Alliance headquarters on Yavin 4, where she was taken before Senator Mothma, General Draven, and Captain Andor. She was informed of her father's involvement in constructing a superweapon and given the option to either help the Alliance find Gerrera on Jedha or be thrown back into prison. In exchange for helping, she would receive a clean slate from the Alliance. Jyn agreed and met with Gerrera on Jedha, where she found a recording from her father that revealed he had built a fatal flaw into the Death Star, the Empire's planet-killing battle station. The only way to discover the flaw would be to steal the Death Star plans from the Citadel Tower on Scarif.
Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor launched the Battle of Scarif to steal the Death Star plans.
Believing itself outmatched against the Empire and its battle station, the Alliance initially refused to send its forces to Scarif. In defiance of orders, Jyn and Andor led a team called Rogue One to steal the plans from Scarif. Upon learning of their actions, the Alliance High Command sent its forces to join the Battle of Scarif. Rogue One successfully stole the plans and transmitted them to the Alliance Fleet, but at the cost of their entire team once the Death Star fired on the planet. The Alliance analyzed the plans and used them to destroy the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin, just as they had hoped to do when they freed Jyn from custody.
The first footage of the Liberation of Erso was shown in the second trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, released on October 13, 2016. The space portion of the rescue first appeared in the Star Wars Battlefront: Rogue One: X-wing VR Mission downloadable content that was released on December 6, 2016 for PlayStation 4 VR.
- Star Wars: Rogue One: Rebel Dossier
- Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide
- Star Wars: The Rebel Files
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 56
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 62
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 62
- Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
- Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
- "From the Shadows: The Dangerous Life of a Rebel Agent" — Star Wars Insider 212
- Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
- "A Certain Point of View" — Star Wars Insider 223