Battle of Exegol

The Battle of Exegol, also known as the raid on Exegol or the Sith Eternal uprising, was the decisive final battle in the war between the First Order and the Resistance which resulted in the Resistance and the Citizens' Fleet defeating the Final Order, the Xyston-class Star Destroyer fleet built by the Sith Eternal. The Resistance's victory prevented the Star Destroyers from deploying from Exegol to reinforce First Order forces and began an uprising against it across the galaxy. The battle also marked the conclusion of the ancient, millennia-long war between the Jedi and the Sith, ending in a decisive victory for the Jedi with the destruction of Darth Sidious and prevention of the Sith's return once and for all.

The origins of the battle emerged from the revelation that Darth Sidious had returned after his death at the Battle of Endor and was hiding on Exegol in the Unknown Regions, where Sith cultists had constructed a massive fleet to establish a new Sith Empire. The Jedi Padawan Rey, having just learned her true identity as the Emperor's granddaughter, utilized a Sith wayfinder to locate Sidious' stronghold, simultaneously showing the Resistance the path to Exegol.

The battle began when the Resistance navy attacked Exegol to prevent the launching of the Sith fleet. A ground team led by General Finn was tasked with taking out a navigation tower while an air team commanded by General Poe Dameron was to defend them. However, when a First Order officer realized the Resistance was targeting the navigation tower, Allegiant General Enric Pryde had the source of the navigation signal switched to his command ship, forcing the Resistance's ground team to land on the hull of his Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Steadfast. The Resistance was nearly destroyed by the Sith Eternal forces until General Landonis Balthazar Calrissian and Chewbacca arrived in the Millennium Falcon with a massive makeshift citizens' fleet composed of over fourteen thousand starships piloted by volunteer civilians from all across the galaxy.

Meanwhile, Darth Sidious attempted to turn Rey to the dark side of the Force, exhorting her to strike him and rule the galaxy as a Sith. In truth, Sidious planned to have his spirit transferred into Rey, which would allow him to possess her body, with the help of a ritual that he learned from his master Darth Plagueis. However, Ben Solo arrived to help her; they defeated the Knights of Ren and Sidious' Sovereign Protectors, but Sidious used their connection to heal himself. The Dark Lord disposed of Solo, using the Force to cast him into a nearby abyss, and ascended the Throne of the Sith himself, from where he unleashed torrents of Force lightning into the sky, electrifying the Resistance's fleet and the citizens' fleet. However, Rey was restrengthened by the spirits of past Jedi, allowing her to stand and face her grandfather, who refocused his lightning towards her, giving the Resistance an opportunity to finish their mission. Finn and Jannah destroyed the command ship, disabling the signal and preventing the Sith fleet from leaving Exegol, while the citizens' fleet and starfighters destroyed a large number of Sith Star Destroyers.

Rey defended herself from her grandfather's Force lightning with the lightsabers of her masters, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, causing the lightning to deflect back at the Sith Lord and disintegrate him, killing the Emperor and his disciples and permanently preventing the return of the Sith. Rey died, but Solo reappeared and sacrificed himself to resurrect her, giving his life force to her. With the Sith fleet destroyed, Rey and the rest of the Resistance and citizens' fleet departed from Exegol. During their return to their base, they learned that people all across the galaxy were rising up against the weakened First Order.

Text and facts from the “Battle of Exegol” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.