Thon's Orchard

Thon's Orchard was a GR-75 medium transport of the Rebel Alliance Fleet. Originally a product of ill-fated starship manufacturer Gallofree Yards, which went bankrupt several years before the height of the Galactic Civil War, Thon's Orchard and other outdated Gallofree transports like it were sold to the Rebel Alliance at bargain prices. As one of thirty GR-75 medium transports stationed at Echo Base, the Alliance High Command headquarters on the Outer Rim Territories ice planet Hoth, Thon's Orchard later helped facilitate the Rebellion's successful evacuation of its compromised outpost during the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY.

The Rebels' defensive strategy against the Imperial invasion force during the battle relied heavily on the Echo Base transport fleet to evacuate command personnel and supplies from the besieged planet. While the Rebel pilots of Rogue Group fought to buy time for the evacuation, the transports faced a dangerous run through the Imperial Star Destroyer blockade in Hoth's orbit, with only minimal starfighter escort and covering fire from Echo Base's planetary ion cannon to protect them. Thon's Orchard, piloted by Rogue Group member Tarrin Datch, departed Echo Base with the final evacuation group late in the battle. Despite the loss of the ion cannon, Thon's Orchard safely passed through the Imperial blockade with assistance from escort pilots Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles, and Derek "Hobbie" Klivian and regrouped with the Alliance at its rendezvous point.

Text and facts from the “Thon's Orchard/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.