A veteran commander, Ackbar led the defense of his homeworld, Mon Cala, during the Clone Wars and then masterminded the rebel attack on the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. Ackbar realized the rebels had been drawn into a trap at Endor, but adjusted, with his fleet buying valuable time for the attack to succeed. After the Battle of Endor, Ackbar became a Grand Admiral in the New Republic, winning many victories including the pivotal Battle of Jakku. He retired to Mon Cala, but was coaxed back into service with the Resistance by Leia Organa.

The gentle Mon Calamari people brought more than their determination to restore freedom to the galaxy when they joined the Rebel Alliance. They also brought a fleet of powerful capital ships. These immense vehicles were a startling contrast to the straight-lined shapes favored by the Imperial fleet. Whereas the Imperial Star Destroyer resembles a pointed dagger in shape, a Mon Calamari cruiser lacks hard angles, and is covered with ovoid forms suggesting an organic sculpture. Despite their smooth lines, these vessels pack an enormous punch. Turbolasers, ion cannons, tractor beam projectors and shield generators dot the flowing surface of the ships.

The Mon Calamari people are a humanoid, aquatic species with high-domed heads, webbed hands and large, goggle-like eyes. They hail from the oceans of Mon Cala, a planet they share with the Quarren. During the Clone Wars, differences between the two cultures were fanned by Separatist troublemakers to erupt in civil war. During the Galactic Civil War, the Mon Calamari were said to be the soul of the Rebel Alliance. The Empire pressed these gentle, amphibious people into war by subjugating their watery world. In retaliation, the Mon Calamari became one of the key species of the Rebellion, supplying badly needed warships to the outnumbered Alliance fleet.

The Rebel Alliance stood bravely against the evil of the Galactic Empire, never backing down despite overwhelming odds. Formed from resistance movements that arose during the Clone Wars, the Rebellion worked in secret for decades to overthrow the Emperor and restore democracy to the galaxy. Eventually, armed with the firepower of ships like the X-wing and A-wing, and the leadership of figures including Princess Leia and Admiral Ackbar, the Rebel Alliance triumphed over the Empire at the Battle of Endor.

Hoping to crush the Rebellion once and for all, the Empire began construction of a second dreaded Death Star near Endor. But the project ran behind schedule; Death Star II was only half-finished, and the Emperor himself visited to oversee its completion.

Secluded in a remote corner of the galaxy, the forest moon of Endor would easily have been overlooked by history were it not for the decisive battle that occurred there. The lush, forest home of the Ewok species is the gravesite of Darth Vader and the Empire itself. It was here that the Rebel Alliance won its most crucial victory over the Galactic Empire.