After the destruction the second Death Star the Rebel Alliance assumes a victory over the Empire at Endor; we see a big celebration on Endor (and across the galaxy in the "special" editions). But how is it they weren't crushed, Death Star or no Death Star?
After it is revealed that the Death Star II is operational, or at the very least can fire it's main gun, Lando suggests engaging the Star Destroyers at close range and Admiral Akbar states that they won't last long. This implies that the Rebel Fleet is significantly out matched.
While the loss of the Death Star would probably impose a large morale penalty on the Imperials, they still should have had the upper hand over the Rebel fleet. What then happened after the Death Star blew up that caused the Imperial forces, both at Endor and across the galaxy, to effectively give up all at once and allow the Empire to practically collapse in one big party?
Answer
The loss of the Death Star wasn't what brought the victory. The death of the Emperor was. Palpatine is holding the Empire together by use of his force powers to influence, control and inspire people. After his death, his hold was broken and many of the Imperial forces around Endor and around the galaxy were thrown into chaos for a time. At least until Grand Admiral Thrawn and various warlords were able to take control of bits and pieces and forge them back into cohesive fighting forces. The Rebels did not remain around the forest moon for long. They did celebrate with the Ewoks for a short while, but even as they did so, the fleet was preparing to leave. This is touched on in a number of the books written about the time period after the Battle of Endor.
Comments
Post a Comment