Yavin 4
| Yavin 4 | |
 |
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| Details | |
| Region | Outer Rim |
|---|---|
| System | Yavin system |
| Places of interest | Massassi Temple Rebel Base |
| Affiliation | Rebel Alliance Jedi Order |
| Game(s) | Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy |
Yavin 4 is a remote jungle moon of the gas giant planet Yavin. It was first seen in the film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, where a Rebel base was located and where a large space battle between the Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance took place, which resulted in the destruction of the Death Star.
Overview
Yavin 4 is the fourth moon of the planet Yavin. Most of the surface is covered with jungles, which hide the very many ruins of the now extinct Massassi species. These were built to worship their gods and during certain periods - the Sith lords, believed to be the deities in the flesh. Almost 4 thousand years before the rise of the Empire, the planet was visited by a fallen Jedi Exar Kun, who turned against the Jedi and the Republic. As he became a Sith, the Jedi decided to destroy his armies and launched an attack on Yavin 4, eventually destroying all the Massassi and most of the structures and forests. Exar Kun however survived the attack, placing himself into deep stasis. It is believed his spirit to have lived up to the days of the New Republic.
During the reign of the Emperor, the Rebel Alliance used the old ruins for their secret base. The location was found however by the Imperials after Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and their friends escaped from the Death Star on a Millennium Falcon. A tracking device showed the coordinates and the Empire sent the Death Star to the system to destroy the Rebels. However in the upcoming battle the Rebel fleet succeeded in destroying the Death Star and later leaving Yavin 4 due to the soon arrival of the new Imperial forces.
After the Battle of Endor, Luke selects the old rebel base as a training academy for the next generation of Jedi.
Jedi Knight series
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Kyle Katarn arrives on Yavin 4 to meet with Luke Skywalker after his fiasco in duel with Dark Jedi Desann. During those events his co-pilot was also killed and Kyle wanted to regain his Jedi powers in order to find the Chistori. His lightsaber however was hidden in the temples on Yavin, which Luke promised to give back if Kyle passed all the trials. After passing the tests Kyle would leave his Raven's Claw in the Academy and continue investigation on Nar Shaddaa.
Yavin 4 is later attacked by the Remnant forces, as well as Empire Reborn. This was an operation, planned by Desann and his ally Galak Fyyar, who used stormtroopers, swamp troopers, AT-STs and Reborn and shadowtroopers to destroy the Jedi Academy. This attack was stopped by the Jedi, when Kyle defeated Desann in the nexus of the old temple.
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
A few years later a civil transport arrives on Yavin 4, which brings a group of young people to begin their training in the ways of the Jedi. The ship doesn't arrive on destination however, as a blast from the jungle causes it to crash land not far from one of the temples. Jaden Korr and Rosh Penin leave the transport and move through the jungle. On their way they would encounter many howlers, and later stormtroopers and a Cultist. Jaden defeats all of them and sees three people with a scepter. Jaden loses consciousness soon after the blast is pointed in Jedi's direction.
While the team led by Kyle and Luke takes the newcomers to the Academy, someone gets into Jedi Master's diim and steals data on planets, strong in the Force. A few hours later Luke welcomes the new students into the Academy, explains the learning process and assigns each student to a master. Both Jaden and Rosh then pass their initial trials in the ruins nearby, during which Rosh activates a saber training droid, which was however easily destroyed by Korr.
Later, Jaden Korr would often arrive on Yavin 4 after completing the missions. Usually Luke and Kyle would inform young Jedi of their progress here, as well as comment upon investigation into Disciples of Ragnos. Once Jaden would enter the students dormitories, where Rosh and other students discuss their training. After losing his arm, Rosh would receive prosthetics in the medical bay of the Academy.
In mods
Yavin 4 is the most popular planet, often recreated by fans in their maps. Escape Yavin 4 is one such mod, following the Dark Side ending of JA, shows many locations on the planet. The planet is featured in Lady Jedi and Wild Force as the training ground both for the Jedi of the new and old Orders.
