Rebel Alliance


 * "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally, they became heroes."
 * ―Leia Organa Solo[src]|undefined

The Alliance to Restore the Republic (also known as the Alliance to Restore Freedom to the Galaxy,[1] the Rebel Alliance and, informally, as the Rebellion), was a loose alliance of planetary-, system-, and sector-level forces formed in direct military opposition to the Galactic Empire. It was originally formed by a group of Loyalists, united by Galen Marek, determined to preserve the ideals of the Galactic Republic. The Corellian Treaty and the Declaration of Rebellion formally organized the Alliance, and the crest of the Marek family stood as the symbol of the Alliance after his act of redemption on the Death Star.[2] The Alliance and the Galactic Empire engaged in open warfare in a conflict known as the Galactic Civil War. The Rebellion fought to restore liberty to the galaxy in this civil war.

Although it had fewer troops and resources when compared to the Imperial Military, the Alliance possessed a strong will to fight, dedicated and equally trained soldiers, and brilliant commanders, some of which had defected due to the atrocities committed by the Empire. The Alliance found its first major victory at Toprawa, and would later deal a massive blow to the Empire at the Battle of Yavin. Following the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor, the Alliance became the Alliance of Free Planets, and would finally realize its goal of reviving the Old Republic, especially following the capture of Coruscant.

Members of the Rebellion were known as "Rebels", "Rebs", or "Rebel Scum" by stormtroopers and other Imperials.

==HistoryEdit== ===Early foundationsEdit===
 * "Vote for Palpatine. Vote for the Empire. Make Mon Mothma vote for him too. Be good little Senators. Mind your manners and keep your heads down. And keep doing all those things we can't talk about. All those things I can't know. Promise me, Bail."
 * ―Padmé Amidala to Bail Organa, during the Declaration of a New Order[src]|undefined

Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, among others, discuss the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when rebellion against Palpatine began, but its earliest known roots existed shortly before the end of the Clone Wars. By this time, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine had accumulated a massive power base, and had passed the Sector Governance Decree, installing his own officers and troops on Republic worlds. Senators such as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma saw this as a move towards dictatorship, not as a way of reinforcing democracy. Meeting with other trusted Senators, Organa and Mothma formed the Delegation of 2000, arguably the first organization to which the future Rebellion can be connected.

Members of the Delegation drew up a petition, attempting to force the Chancellor to lay down his emergency powers and pursue a more peaceful resolution to the war. Palpatine rejected this, however, and soon after, transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire, installing himself as Emperor with the support of much of the Galactic Senate. Many of those who had signed the Petition of 2,000 were imprisoned, killed, or forced into exile, though Organa and Mothma managed to elude Palpatine's attention—in part thanks to the advice of the late Padmé Amidala, who had pleaded with Bail, during the very session of congress that saw the birth of the Empire, not to attract attention to his secret resistance. Bail had agreed, and, slowly, he and Mon Mothma began to build a de facto resistance to Palpatine's regime.



===Armed resistanceEdit=== Rebel troops and armor patrol in actions against the Imperial Army.
 * "The Empire maintains order, and people like you disrupt that order."
 * ―Sarkli[src]|undefined

In the following years, as Palpatine's Empire grew in size and power, small resistance cells began to spring up on planets across the galaxy. These small and unorganized groups periodically raided Imperial installations, including sabotage that directly affected the Imperial construction of the Death Star. These groups were a mixed bunch, ranging from loyalists still holding on to the ideals of the Republic to former Separatists. As these early resistance cells became known to one another, former enemies became unexpected allies. Some raids were led by Jedi, determined to make a stand in the Dark Times. One former Jedi and Republic officer, Ferus Olin, gathered remaining Jedi and created a slowly growing resistance movement that spanned the galaxy.

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