Hoth - Planet Overview

Planet Overview

The Rebel Alliance moved to Hoth after their victory in the Battle of Yavin. However, an Imperial probe droid discovered their base, then self-destructed upon being spotted (and shot at) by Han Solo and Chewbacca. The Rebels immediately began preparations to leave, but Darth Vader's Death Squadron, the 501st legion of the Imperial Army, Blizzard Force, arrived in time to intercept them, forcing the Rebels into a skirmish to cover their escape. Although the Empire won the Battle of Hoth by destroying the Rebel base and capturing many Rebel personnel and equipment, the Rebels didn't attempt a full-scale defense, but rather worked to stall the Empire's forces long enough to stage an effective evacuation, and to allow the deletion of compromising information about the whereabouts of the Rebel Fleet. Since the Rebels did evacuate vital leadership, personnel, and equipment, the Empire failed to do more than stall the Rebels' plans, and the Rebel Fleet remained elusive.

The action on Hoth features prominently in the opening of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and is one of the Star Wars series' most memorable sequences.

Hoth is an example of the science fiction stereotype of a planet that has only one climatic zone. However, some Expanded Universe sources show that under-ice caves containing large lichen fields exist on the planet, on which Tauntauns feed.