The Battle of Yavin came about after Rebel spies stole the plans of the Empire's weapon of mass destruction, the Death Star. The plans made it to Rebel headquarters on Yavin IV despite the capture and then rescue of Princess Leia, but the Empire had tracked Leia's rescuers to the Rebel's secret base. With only thirty minutes before the Death Star would be close enough to obliterate Yavin IV, the Rebels mustered every ship they had. The stakes were high, with only two possible outcomes; the survival of the Rebel Alliance or its total destruction. The Rebel plan depended on a single starfighter being able to navigate the Death Star trench, and score a direct hit with a proton torpedo on a small unshielded thermal exhaust port to start a chain reaction that would blow up the battle station's power core.

The battle seemed to be going badly for the Rebels. Although they held their own for a while, the number of Imperial TIE fighters began to take its toll. As the Death Star began to clear the edge of Yavin and get a clear shot at the Rebel base, all appeared lost. But Luke Skywalker fired the shot that caused the destruction of the Death Star and the Rebellion's first major victory.