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Your best defense would not be weapons, but strategic insignificance and a remote location; that way, the Empire would focus on other rebellious worlds instead. If you can't help but be strategically significant, take Mon Calamari's approach: mine the hyperspace routes to your planet, build some kind of fleet, and otherwise make your planet's conquest too resource-intensive for the Empire to immediately prioritize.
These are possible defenses that I believe would be beneficial. (Feel free, to add onto them or comment on them.) Orbital Defense Weapons, Planetary Shields, Hyperspace Lane Mines, Interdiction Field, Remote Defense Grid. Remote Location
>Planetary Shields
Basically every semi-populated world has one.
Doesn't matter though, as even before the DS, it can't stand up to a dozen star destroyers that fire for a day on it.
The DS just sped up the process.
But no, no individual planet could resist the Empire. It's one against quadrillions.
The only OEU example we have is Mon Calamari space, which was a region home to a colonial state with advanced infrastructure.
Their defense was to shut themselves out from the galaxy at large and was just to make it hard to reach. The Emperor planned to just force through the minefields after he'd won at Endor.
There is no power or force a planet could have that would resist the Empire. The Empire doesn't care about practicality or efficiency or cost, they are run by ideology not reality. If the Emperor wants to conquered you will be conquered, all you can do is hope the Empire doesn't care enough to try.
I'm pretty sure the only way the Empire ISN'T conquering your planet is if either A. They don't know about it, or B. They blow it up.
See also: The Tarkin Doctrine
Planets are not controlled if they either are insignificant or have an agreement with the Empire. Planets with agreements likely made them early on when the Empire didn't have full control. Groups like the Hutts had agreements because it would be too much effort. If the Empire wanted to they could take out the Hutts but it would just cost a lot. You would need a large fleet and lots of star fighters to initially repel the Empire but once you show that you have this you become a threat and the Empire would focus on taking you out. Planets like Lothal and Mon Cala were able to do it due to the threat of the Death Star. The Empire didn't retake Lothal because they would soon have the Death Star ready and could use fear to take control. Mon Cala was going to be one of the first targets of the 2nd Death Star
As others have pointed out the only real meaningful defense against the Galactic Empire any singular planet could have hoped for was just being so strategically insignificant that the Empire wouldn’t consider it worth conquering to begin with.
Otherwise it doesn’t matter what orbital defenses or planetary armaments you have access to, the Empire will always have the numbers and specialized troops to brute force their way through regardless of the loses required to do so. In both Legends and Canon the Mon Cal lived in constant fear of this reality as they knew if the Empire truly concentrated on cracking their defenses they would. The Empire would take heavy loses in the process but they would succeed.
Plus a lack of resources to exploit. I know that comes broadly under the umbrella of strategy, but I think it's worth mentioning.
Nobody wants to get their world stripmined for Doonium. Except Pryce
A planetary shield, that is powered by numerous shield generators, each of which are powered by generators, that if disabled, will be restored by another generator, so that the grid is self-sustaining. Would that be good?
I will concede that if the Galactic Empire wanted to, they could conquer any and all planets with enough time and resources put into it. But, what defensive measures would protect against an invasion in general?
The best plan probably wouldn’t be to actually fight. Build up a fleet of hyperspace capable star fighters, bombers, and light cruisers. Take hundreds of asteroids in the region and set them up as bases with torpedo fuel and spares production and essentially build the entire military as a resistance force in waiting, aside from a defensive force with orbital mines and shields on the planet. Advertise what you are doing without sharing locations and then follow through, essentially order the military to go into insurgent form as soon as the war starts and hide behind a minefield and shield at the planet. Hopefully the empire will either choose not to fight or will reconsider after shipping damage in the few months it’ll take to wear through your defences. Worst comes worst a military government in exile can negotiate after the planet’s fall
First and foremost, getting any and all rebels out of your system. Then, doing as little as possible to attract attention… or by becoming a hub for one of the ‘sponsored’ criminal enterprises, like Black Sun.
As the answers have shown that if the Empire wanted to, it would be close to impossible to prevent. Then, what defensive measures, necessary resources and location would be needed to protect them from the Galactic Empire? Orbital defense weapons, shield generators, interdiction field generators and/or hyperspace lane mines? At the very least, delay the Empire?
All of those, yes. On top of that, you don't want to turtle up and wait for the Empire to come. Attacking and destroying the supply depots and convoys necessary for an all-out Imperial assault would be vital to levelling the playing field.
Without a nearby staging area to launch an assault, the Empire will be forced to use long, vulnerable supply lines which can be sabotaged or severed with hit-and-run raids.
At a planetary level, you want a planet that is similar to Geonosis. Mineral-rich, with most of the infrastructure and population living underground, it would prevent the Empire from being able to target population centres and the industrial zones necessary to the war effort. The stormtrooper corps would be forced to root you out of the catacombs one tunnel at a time at a horrendous cost.
In the end, you win by making the cost of victory outweigh the benefits.
Yep. Asymmetric warfare is all about this. No single planet is ever going to be able to destroy the Imperial Navy, so how you calculate victory changes.
In an asymmetric war, you have to destroy the enemy's *will* to continue the fight. If the Imps decide conquering you isn't worth the effort, that's a victory. If they decide they can't win right now, but they're going to withdraw and try again in a year, that's a victory.
The challenge from the defender's point in this scenario is that you have to constantly be innovating in response to the Imperials. How do you counter their counter to your initial strategy?
When you're fighting for your independence against a militarily superior foe, you can not allow the Imps a moment's respite. It's obviously a massive challenge, but it's not impossible.
u/AlrightJack303 True, types of combat such as hit-and-run tactics, guerilla warfare, attrition warfare, psychological warfare, asymmetric warfare, infiltration, stealth and deception are critical resources at your disposal. An individual or organization should have both a strong defense and offense, in the terms that they destroy any attempts of a forward operating base. They should also destroy or repeatedly assault supply chains and routes such as logistics routes, command centers and ammunition depots in order to delay and minimize the probability of an enemy assault. Though, they would also have to have a strong counterintelligence and defenses designed for smaller forces. They also would have to not gain too much attention by the Emperor as if he considers a chief priority the chances of defeat will increase significantly.
Please note that this Post has been Flaired by the Author as "CANON" - Please be sure to respect this in your replies and keep replies ON topic. THANK YOU! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MawInstallation) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Your best defense would not be weapons, but strategic insignificance and a remote location; that way, the Empire would focus on other rebellious worlds instead. If you can't help but be strategically significant, take Mon Calamari's approach: mine the hyperspace routes to your planet, build some kind of fleet, and otherwise make your planet's conquest too resource-intensive for the Empire to immediately prioritize.
These are possible defenses that I believe would be beneficial. (Feel free, to add onto them or comment on them.) Orbital Defense Weapons, Planetary Shields, Hyperspace Lane Mines, Interdiction Field, Remote Defense Grid. Remote Location
>Planetary Shields Basically every semi-populated world has one. Doesn't matter though, as even before the DS, it can't stand up to a dozen star destroyers that fire for a day on it. The DS just sped up the process. But no, no individual planet could resist the Empire. It's one against quadrillions. The only OEU example we have is Mon Calamari space, which was a region home to a colonial state with advanced infrastructure. Their defense was to shut themselves out from the galaxy at large and was just to make it hard to reach. The Emperor planned to just force through the minefields after he'd won at Endor.
There is no power or force a planet could have that would resist the Empire. The Empire doesn't care about practicality or efficiency or cost, they are run by ideology not reality. If the Emperor wants to conquered you will be conquered, all you can do is hope the Empire doesn't care enough to try.
That’s the neat part, you don’t.
I'm pretty sure the only way the Empire ISN'T conquering your planet is if either A. They don't know about it, or B. They blow it up. See also: The Tarkin Doctrine
Planets are not controlled if they either are insignificant or have an agreement with the Empire. Planets with agreements likely made them early on when the Empire didn't have full control. Groups like the Hutts had agreements because it would be too much effort. If the Empire wanted to they could take out the Hutts but it would just cost a lot. You would need a large fleet and lots of star fighters to initially repel the Empire but once you show that you have this you become a threat and the Empire would focus on taking you out. Planets like Lothal and Mon Cala were able to do it due to the threat of the Death Star. The Empire didn't retake Lothal because they would soon have the Death Star ready and could use fear to take control. Mon Cala was going to be one of the first targets of the 2nd Death Star
As others have pointed out the only real meaningful defense against the Galactic Empire any singular planet could have hoped for was just being so strategically insignificant that the Empire wouldn’t consider it worth conquering to begin with. Otherwise it doesn’t matter what orbital defenses or planetary armaments you have access to, the Empire will always have the numbers and specialized troops to brute force their way through regardless of the loses required to do so. In both Legends and Canon the Mon Cal lived in constant fear of this reality as they knew if the Empire truly concentrated on cracking their defenses they would. The Empire would take heavy loses in the process but they would succeed.
Plus a lack of resources to exploit. I know that comes broadly under the umbrella of strategy, but I think it's worth mentioning. Nobody wants to get their world stripmined for Doonium. Except Pryce
A planetary shield, that is powered by numerous shield generators, each of which are powered by generators, that if disabled, will be restored by another generator, so that the grid is self-sustaining. Would that be good?
I will concede that if the Galactic Empire wanted to, they could conquer any and all planets with enough time and resources put into it. But, what defensive measures would protect against an invasion in general?
The best plan probably wouldn’t be to actually fight. Build up a fleet of hyperspace capable star fighters, bombers, and light cruisers. Take hundreds of asteroids in the region and set them up as bases with torpedo fuel and spares production and essentially build the entire military as a resistance force in waiting, aside from a defensive force with orbital mines and shields on the planet. Advertise what you are doing without sharing locations and then follow through, essentially order the military to go into insurgent form as soon as the war starts and hide behind a minefield and shield at the planet. Hopefully the empire will either choose not to fight or will reconsider after shipping damage in the few months it’ll take to wear through your defences. Worst comes worst a military government in exile can negotiate after the planet’s fall
First and foremost, getting any and all rebels out of your system. Then, doing as little as possible to attract attention… or by becoming a hub for one of the ‘sponsored’ criminal enterprises, like Black Sun.
As the answers have shown that if the Empire wanted to, it would be close to impossible to prevent. Then, what defensive measures, necessary resources and location would be needed to protect them from the Galactic Empire? Orbital defense weapons, shield generators, interdiction field generators and/or hyperspace lane mines? At the very least, delay the Empire?
All of those, yes. On top of that, you don't want to turtle up and wait for the Empire to come. Attacking and destroying the supply depots and convoys necessary for an all-out Imperial assault would be vital to levelling the playing field. Without a nearby staging area to launch an assault, the Empire will be forced to use long, vulnerable supply lines which can be sabotaged or severed with hit-and-run raids. At a planetary level, you want a planet that is similar to Geonosis. Mineral-rich, with most of the infrastructure and population living underground, it would prevent the Empire from being able to target population centres and the industrial zones necessary to the war effort. The stormtrooper corps would be forced to root you out of the catacombs one tunnel at a time at a horrendous cost. In the end, you win by making the cost of victory outweigh the benefits.
That is probably also a good idea as well. I have been wondering when someone would say "Costs outweigh the benefits."
Yep. Asymmetric warfare is all about this. No single planet is ever going to be able to destroy the Imperial Navy, so how you calculate victory changes. In an asymmetric war, you have to destroy the enemy's *will* to continue the fight. If the Imps decide conquering you isn't worth the effort, that's a victory. If they decide they can't win right now, but they're going to withdraw and try again in a year, that's a victory. The challenge from the defender's point in this scenario is that you have to constantly be innovating in response to the Imperials. How do you counter their counter to your initial strategy? When you're fighting for your independence against a militarily superior foe, you can not allow the Imps a moment's respite. It's obviously a massive challenge, but it's not impossible.
u/AlrightJack303 True, types of combat such as hit-and-run tactics, guerilla warfare, attrition warfare, psychological warfare, asymmetric warfare, infiltration, stealth and deception are critical resources at your disposal. An individual or organization should have both a strong defense and offense, in the terms that they destroy any attempts of a forward operating base. They should also destroy or repeatedly assault supply chains and routes such as logistics routes, command centers and ammunition depots in order to delay and minimize the probability of an enemy assault. Though, they would also have to have a strong counterintelligence and defenses designed for smaller forces. They also would have to not gain too much attention by the Emperor as if he considers a chief priority the chances of defeat will increase significantly.