During the Galactic Civil War, Yavin 4 was a location of one of the Rebel Alliance’s principal bases. The Ghost crew and other rebel cells from across the galaxy joined together there in the early days of the Rebellion.

Princess Leia Organa refused to divulge the location of the Yavin base, then fled there aboard the Millennium Falcon after her rescue from the Death Star.

The Imperial battle station tracked the Falcon to the Yavin system, and the Alliance sent up squadrons of starfighters in a desperate attempt to destroy it. Luke Skywalker’s proton torpedo blasted the Death Star into atoms, giving the Alliance a critical victory and making the Battle of Yavin a milestone in galactic history. After a brief celebration, the rebels abandoned the base before the Empire could strike back.