Every war has its reasons and its beginnings, and if you’re curious about how things escalated between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
For a while, the Empire ruled with an iron grip, controlling the galaxy and imposing its will on everyone.
But then people started to push back—that’s when the Alliance was born, taking those first, daring steps to challenge the Empire’s power.
So, when did the Empire finally see the Rebellion as more than just a minor inconvenience? When did they realize the Rebels were a real threat?
Let’s dig into the pivotal moment that forced the Empire to confront a new reality.
Table of Contents
Early Acts of Defiance Spark Growing Suspicion in the Empire
The Empire didn’t initially view acts of disobedience as anything more than minor irritations. They were the ultimate authority in the galaxy, and they fully expected that anyone who tried to stand in their way would be silenced.
At first, small uprisings on scattered planets seemed more like isolated annoyances rather than the beginnings of a movement.
For them, it was like swatting at flies. We see hints of this attitude in early Star Wars content—an empire so confident, that they don’t even consider that their enemies could be coordinating.
But, as we learn through stories like Andor, cracks started forming in the Empire’s understanding. They began to see that these so-called minor events were, in fact, connected.
The Empire’s First Glimpse of an Organized Rebellion Through Andor and the ISB’s Investigation
If you’ve watched Andor, you might remember Dedra Meero from the ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) uncovering patterns in seemingly unconnected attacks.
This was the Empire’s first whiff of an organized threat. As she digs deeper into these incidents, Dedra realizes that these “minor” uprisings are actually coordinated.
She starts to connect dots back to a mysterious figure known as “Axis” (Luthen Rael).
This realization marks a big shift. We, as the audience, see the Empire’s facade start to crack, and suddenly, this massive force realizes that it might not be as unassailable as it thought.
Through Dedra’s investigation, the Empire gets its first real taste of organized resistance.
This was their first inkling that they were facing more than just local troublemakers—they were facing a budding alliance.
The Battle of Scarif Shifts the Balance
When we look back at Rogue One, the Battle of Scarif shines as a game-changer for both the Rebellion and the Empire.
This battle marked the Rebellion’s first major victory, fought in 1 BBY between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire.
It followed years of scattered attacks by smaller rebel cells and kicked off the five-year stretch where the Alliance worked to topple the Empire and restore peace.
Before Scarif, the Rebel Alliance Intelligence Service uncovered information that Galen Erso—a renowned scientist—was working on a superweapon for the Empire capable of destroying entire planets.
To confirm and investigate this, Alliance leadership sent Galen’s daughter, Jyn Erso, and Captain Cassian Andor.
Their mission revealed not only the existence of the Death Star but also a critical weakness embedded in its design by Galen Erso himself. When the Alliance High Command hesitated to openly confront the Empire, Jyn and Andor, along with a small team, took matters into their own hands.
Under the call sign “Rogue One,” Jyn, Cassian, and a handful of allies launched a daring mission to retrieve the Death Star plans from Scarif’s heavily fortified Citadel Tower.
Using a stolen Zeta-class Heavy Cargo Shuttle, Rogue One infiltrated Scarif’s planetary shield and executed a guerrilla assault on the Citadel’s outskirts.
Their assault pulled Imperial forces away, giving Jyn, Cassian, and the droid K-2SO the chance to slip inside.
Even as Director Orson Krennic fought to stop them, the Rebels pressed on, backed by the Alliance Fleet led by Admiral Raddus. The Alliance fleet battled Imperial Star Destroyers above Scarif, working to bring down the planet’s Shield Gate.
Once the Shield Gate was down, Rogue One transmitted the Death Star plans to the fleet above, ensuring the Alliance had the data needed to strike back.
Although the ground team was ultimately wiped out by a blast from the newly arrived Death Star, they succeeded in their mission.
Darth Vader’s forces intercepted and destroyed most of the rebel ships that hadn’t escaped, but Princess Leia Organa managed to flee in the Tantive IV.
Though Vader pursued Leia to Tatooine, the plans slipped through his grasp, eventually reaching the Alliance.
This set the stage for the Battle of Yavin, where the Rebels used the Death Star’s weakness to destroy the Empire’s superweapon and take a major step forward in the fight for freedom.