Operation: Cinder

Operation: Cinder was the codename for the orbital bombardment campaign devised by Galactic Emperor Darth Sidious, who sought to punish the Galactic Empire for failing to prevent his death. Following the Emperor's demise during the Galactic Civil War in the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, his posthumous instructions were relayed to loyal Imperial officers by sentinel messenger droids. They targeted various planets across the galaxy, no matter if they were loyal Imperial planets or in open revolution: targets included Burnin Konn, Candovant, Abednedo, Commenor, and Nacronis, as well as Vardos, a world known for its loyalty to the Empire, and the Emperor's homeworld of Naboo. Although Naboo was saved during the Battle of Theed, Vardos was devastated by satellites that ravaged its ecological balance. Operation: Cinder was the first part in the Emperor's Contingency; the Empire was to be rebuilt in the Unknown Regions while Sidious was secretly revived on Exegol.

The plan was undermined by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, who killed the Emperor's protégé, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax during the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. The widespread destruction caused by Operation: Cinder also resulted in Iden Versio and Del Meeko—Imperial Special Forces commandos of Inferno Squad—defecting to the New Republic Defense Force. Despite these setbacks, the Contingency succeeded in ensuring the Empire's revival as the First Order, a military junta determined to recapture the Imperial legacy by ending the New Republic Era.

Text and facts from the “Operation: Cinder” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.