Star Wars: 13 best moments of rebels fighting for their independence

Photo credit: Lucasfilm

Destroying the original Death Star

The biggest act of rebellion came in Star Wars: A New Hope.

The Rebellion took on a couple of new people — Han and Luke — that helped them destroy the first Death Star, the biggest and baddest weapon they had ever seen up to that point. There was a flaw in the design that allowed for a particle shot to enter an exhaust that would lead right to the core reactor.

A perfectly placed shot would destroy the entire battle station. Amazingly, Luke Skywalker was the man to do it by using the power of the Force.

But this scene told you a lot about the rebels. They weren’t just a ragtag group of people intent on guerrilla warfare. They had plans and structure to their organization. They had the firepower and people to take on the Empire.

And make no mistake about it, the Empire was bad.

It drained planets of its resources. Killed and maimed when it benefitted them. It allowed slavery to prosper all the while using fear and intimidation to rule.

In order to live in a peaceful galaxy, the Empire had to be taken down first. In order to live a life without fear, the Empire needed to be dismantled.

The first and most vital step in that was destroying the Death Star.

Firstly, it brought hope to those who may have thought the Rebellion was fighting a lost cause. If they could destroy the biggest superweapon in history, then they just might have a chance.

Secondly, it provided a huge blow to the Empire because it didn’t have the weapon to manipulate others. They definitely were finding other ways to do that, but at least whole planets were now safe unlike what happened to Alderaan.

The destruction of the Death Star was the biggest act that would eventually lead to the galaxy gaining its independence from the Empire.

Happy Independence Day!