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Jungle world · Outer Rim · P-6
Yavin 4
A jungle moon of ancient stone temples that became the Rebel Alliance's main base.
- Region
- Outer Rim
- Grid
- P-6
- Sector
- Gordian Reach
- System
- Yavin
- Suns
- 1
- Orbits
- Yavin Prime
- Climate
- Temperate and steamy
- Terrain
- Dense jungle, forest, marshes, stone pyramids
- Inhabitants
- Massassi, Yavinian doodars, Giant jungle beasts
Overview
Yavin 4 is a jungle moon of the red gas giant Yavin Prime, far out in the Outer Rim. Its climate is temperate and steamy, and its land is a mix of dense jungle, forest and marsh[1][6]. Hardly anyone lives there, which is exactly why the moon is so easy to hide on, far from Imperial eyes[1].
Above the canopy rise the stone pyramids that the Massassi built thousands of years ago[6]. The Rebel Alliance made the Great Temple its headquarters, and the red bulk of Yavin Prime fills the sky above the jungle[1][6].
The moon matters far more than its size suggests. It shelters scattered rebel cells, serves as the Alliance's main base, and gives Star Wars its calendar, since years are counted from the battle that was launched from here[1][2].
Who lives here
Massassi
An ancient warrior people said to have raised the pyramid temples thousands of years ago. Little else is known about them[6].
Yavinian doodars
A native creature of the moon, which is otherwise left to wild plants and animals[1].
Giant jungle beasts
Large predators prowl the jungle, and they menace Cassian Andor and a group of stranded rebels in the second season of Andor[4].
Role in the galaxy
Yavin 4 is where the Rebellion stops hiding and starts to look like an army. Because the moon is almost empty, scattered rebel cells could stop over there safely, and the Alliance later made the ancient Great Temple its main base[1]. Rogue One's team set out from this base for Scarif, and the Rebel attack on the Death Star was launched from here as well[2].
The Battle of Yavin gives the moon a second claim to fame. Star Wars dates are counted from it: BBY means before the Battle of Yavin and ABY means after it[1][2]. Every date in the saga is, in a sense, measured from this jungle.
Chronicle
Events are in story order. Spoilers stay hidden until you open them — or mark the title as watched on the timeline, and they open by themselves.
-
≈ 5000 BBY
Many thousands of years before the Rebels arrive, the Massassi raise the Great Temple and the other stone pyramids on the moon[6].
- 4 BBY
-
≈ 2 BBY
The Alliance now runs from the Great Temple, and Phoenix Squadron and the Spectres gather at the Yavin 4 base[7].
-
0 BBY
Jyn Erso is brought to the Yavin 4 base, the Rebel leaders argue over what to do about the Death Star lead, and Rogue One's team sets out for Scarif[2].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler · Episode IV — A New HopeShowYou've watched it
Rebel pilots take off from Yavin 4 to attack the Death Star, and Luke Skywalker fires the shot that destroys it. This is the Battle of Yavin, year 0 of the Star Wars calendar[1].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler · Episode IV — A New HopeShowYou've watched it
In the main hall of the Great Temple, Leia awards medals to Luke and Han while the Rebels celebrate[2].
-
0 BBY
Fearing an Imperial counterstrike, the Alliance leaves the Yavin 4 base not long after the battle[6].
Heroes from Yavin 4
Poe Dameron
grew up here
Poe learned to fly as a boy on Yavin 4, and Oscar Isaac asked that the character come from the moon[5].
Where to see Yavin 4
Every film, series and game in the timeline where Yavin 4 appears, in watch order.
Filmed on Earth
Real places that played Yavin 4 on screen.
Did you know?
Questions about Yavin 4
Where was Yavin 4 filmed?
Yavin 4 was filmed at Tikal National Park in Guatemala, where Mayan temples stand in for the Massassi pyramids in A New Hope. Rogue One built its version of the Rebel base at Cardington Airfield in England[2][3].
Where is Yavin 4 in Star Wars?
Yavin 4 is a moon of the gas giant Yavin Prime, in the Yavin system of the Outer Rim. It lies in the Gordian Reach, at grid square P-6 of the galaxy map[6].