What Is The Bacta War?
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The phrase “Bacta War” conjures many different images: a conflict full of injuries, a bacta shortage, and more. Many people may be unfamiliar with the Bacta War since it comes from the novels considered Legends by Disney. We’re going to delve into the progression of this conflict and what the ultimate outcome was.
The Bacta War occurred during 7.5 ABY, just after the Liberation of Coruscant. This means a major galactic planet was under the control of the New Republic. Since they captured such an important place, the struggling Empire had to move elsewhere.
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The Empire released a species-specific virus on the planet Thyferra. This was a strategic move; Thyferra was the sole producer of Bacta, a vital healing element. The virus weakened the planet’s defenses and allowed for control to be taken. It quickly became problematic, but the New Republic wouldn’t authorize a mission to take out the Empire’s control; they believed other issues required attention. As a result, the Rogue Squadron left the military to form Antille’s Rogues and handle what they thought was necessary.
Without the support of the New Republic, the group had to scrounge for their supplies. However, they did well for themselves, finding all they needed, such as X-Wing parts, receiving under-the-table support, and a squadron of experienced help from the Twi’leks. The Rogues also teamed up with a group of native rebels of Thyferra and the former corporation in charge of the planet.
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The other groups focused on the land while the Rogues took to the stars. Those on the ground attacked major locations and important people. The flying Rogues ran hit-and-run attacks on refineries to whittle down the Empire’s forces and to get material to sell. In retaliation, the Empirical people targeted the buyers of the stolen bacta.
The thinning out of the enemy’s defenses turned out to be highly effective. The Star Destroyers were either destroyed, defected with their captain, or taken by the Rogues. To destroy one of them, it took a single X-Wing to get through with several others and overwhelm the shields system. The Rogues had a bit of extra help from a New Republic A-Wing unit that happened to stumble upon the standoff. In a fate similar to the Death Stars, the Destroyer met its end.
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On the ground, the enemy fared no better. Their forces moved out, managing to capture a crucial figure. Unfortunately, the other figure the Resistance aimed to grab, Ysanne Isard, got intercepted in her escape. Her guard was taken out, and the shuttle was destroyed, though it was later revealed the figure wasn’t on the shuttle and therefore was still alive and lurking.
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After their success, the Rogues found out that paperwork got mixed up, crediting their success to the New Republic. They were offered a place back with the New Republic, which they accepted. The first thing they did when it officially became the New Republic was begin to look for the planet’s prisoners who were unknowingly transferred. The Star Destroyer was repurposed to a trading outpost, stripped of its weapons, and mostly decommissioned.
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Even though the occupation was short, a severe shortage of bacta cropped up. This resulted in the deaths of New Republic soldiers and various species across the galaxy. The impact of the temporary shortage was resounding, and some facilities maintained their conservative actions for many years to come.
While the Bacta War may be a more forgotten endeavor in Legends, its historical impact was astounding. It cemented the place of several Rogue Squadron members in the New Republic and left a resounding historical effect on the use of bacta throughout the galaxy. To get into the gritty details, the novel X-Wing: The Bacta War is the book to read.
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Source(s): Bacta War Wookieepedia