Alliance to Restore the Republic

The Alliance to Restore the Republic (2 BBY–4 ABY), commonly known as the Rebel Alliance, Alliance, and the Rebellion, was a resistance movement to oppose the rule of the Galactic Empire and to restore the Galactic Republic. The Alliance was publicly and formally declared with the Declaration of the Rebel Alliance by Senator Mon Mothma, which brought numerous rebel cells together as a common force opposed to the Empire. Indeed, the concept of a "Rebel Alliance" had its roots in smaller movements that had worked to unite disconnected cells, such as a movement secretly led by fellow Senator Bail Prestor Organa and a rebel network formed by revolutionary Luthen Rael, who received funding and aid from Mothma. Such early groups and the eventual Alliance came together from a number of unrelated rebel cells, including the crew of the Ghost and the Phoenix Cell. The Atrivis Resistance Group was one of the first cells to join what Mothma began calling "the Alliance" before the formal formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

The Alliance and the cells it united were born from the overall discontent within the Empire of those who wished the Galactic Republic restored. Its efforts were by supportive senators in the Imperial Senate such as Mothma, Organa, and later, his daughter Leia Organa. Its members were citizens of the Empire or defectors from the Imperial Military, such as Jan Dodonna, Ryder Azadi, and Wedge Antilles. Founded and united by Organa and Ahsoka Tano, the early rebels were assisted by surviving Jedi, such as Kanan Jarrus, and his Padawan, Ezra Bridger. Clone Wars veterans, such as Captain Rex also assisted in the initial movement.

As opposed to waging all-out war, the Alliance waged an insurgency against the Empire, establishing small bases across the galaxy instead of controlling an entire planet. When the Alliance stole the plans for the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star, and destroyed the space station in the Battle of Yavin with the help of Luke Skywalker, the tide of the war began to turn, and the Rebel threat began to prove a severe thorn in the Empire's side. The Rebellion continued to engage in battles with the Empire in the Galactic Civil War. However, under the command of Darth Vader, the Imperial forces succeeded in defeating the Alliance on Hoth, forcing the Alliance to scatter its forces in order to survive.

Eventually, the Alliance prevailed against the Empire and critically damaged it by launching an attack against the second Death Star during its construction in what would become the Battle of Endor. Not only did the Alliance manage to destroy the battle station, but the Imperial Navy was severely crippled by the loss of one of its Super Star Destroyers, and Luke Skywalker redeemed his father, Darth Vader, who killed Emperor Sheev Palpatine, before dying himself in the battle.

The Alliance was soon reorganized into the fledgling New Republic, restoring the Old Republic and continued the rebellion against the shattered Empire, lasting until the Battle of Jakku one year after Endor, forcing the Galactic Empire to end the war and finally overthrowing it by the signing of the Galactic Concordance.

Text and facts from the “Alliance to Restore the Republic” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.