Battle of Endor Numbers

[VT-16]

According to an old comic story about the evacuation of Yavin base, the Mon Cals stage an attack on certain parts of the massive Imperial blockade around the Yavin system, and the Imperials were shocked to find them being aligned with the Rebels. This was pre-Hoth iirc.

[Star Wars Fan]

. I can understand amassing a huge fleet just in case, but everything you've got? I dunno, just feels more like minimalism to me, even if the Alliance is underpowered no matter what.

Not the entire Alliance fleet was shown, and Lucas intended more warships. Maybe thousands of capital ships were at Endor, given this is a Rebellion large enough to warrant the Empire's attention and task forces formed for that purpose

By some sources the Empire had lost the majority of the Outer Rim by the time of Endor. Its not to difficult to understand why Palpatine would give the Mon Cal a temporary pass; while focusing on securing the Core ward regions of the Galaxy.

that's after Endor. The Empire had a hard time in the Outer Rim fighting the Alliance, but they didn't lose the majority of worlds.

Imperials were shocked to find them being aligned with the Rebels. This was pre-Hoth iirc.

that was the first time the Calamari probably engaged the Empire, they likely have been helping for some time.

[NRS Guardian]

It could be that part of the Rebel fleet was used to "spread the imperial fleet in a vain effort to engage us".

[VT-16]

That, in addition to sector forces being used to create conflicts all over the galaxy to keep the Imperials occupied.

[Lord Pounder]

The rebellion still had planets and systems to protect. To throw every fighting ship you have at one target is insanely moronic IMHO. The rebellion would see it as their duty to protect their member systems.

[phongn]

Look this is fairly simple, there were three main Mon Cal designs present at Endor:

The two 1.2 km cruisers, where one type had wings and the other did not, but had an extra engine.

There were no 1.2km cruisers at Endor. There were several 1.5km designs, however.

[Star Wars Fan]

The rebellion still had planets and systems to protect. To throw every fighting ship you have at one target is insanely moronic IMHO. The rebellion would see it as their duty to protect their member systems.

many planets would be hidden supporters, and if the DSII was completed, the planets would surrender or be destroyed, so this was their final chance, everything or nothing.

[PainRack]

The rebellion still had planets and systems to protect. To throw every fighting ship you have at one target is insanely moronic IMHO. The rebellion would see it as their duty to protect their member systems.

Except it was a do or die battle in this case.

The risks involved may had been great but the Alliance leadership felt that it was worth it, especially since they get to have a free shot at Palpatine.

As for the fleet itself..... I'm tempted to say that this was virtually all the heavy hitters that was contributed to the Alliance by its member "cells". The ROTJ novelisation made note of how Kessel, Alderaanian and etc ships were present. We know that while many planets covertly supported the Alliance, they remained politically neutral at best prior to Endor.Its possible that the fleet present was virtually all the capital warships the Rebel HQ could call, with other vessels being committed to the various hidden governments or rebel cells, not under centralised Rebel authority.

Tales of the New Republic also tell of how a Rebel Y-wing squadron attempted to take over several kuatian shipyards. Ignoring the slant involved, its possible that multiple insurrections like the above were waged throughout the galaxy so as to distract the Imperial navy. Which may answer why Tatooine and Bespin was celebrating in the Special edition.

[Adrian Laguna]

I really like this theory being put forth. A large number of the smaller Rebel cap-ships and various fighter squadrons were doing raids and attacks all over the Galaxy to keep the Imperial Navy occupied while the main fleet attacked the Death Star II. It makes the Rebel fleet larger and more impressive, a suitably large threat to warrant the attention of the Emperor himself. It also makes sense, the Rebels would have been worried about Imperial re-inforcements coming from nearby systems once the battle was joined. Remember, we are talking about a civilization that make large interstellar trips in hours, the Imperial garrison nearest to Endor might have been just minutes away.

Now all we need is for some author to seize on the idea and do a good novel or two showing the various distraction assaults done by the Rebel Alliance in conjuction with the assault on Endor.

[VT-16]

One of the most telling moments for me, in regards to military action elsewhere in the galaxy, was the Emperor's dismissal when Vader reported on the rumors regarding the Rebel fleet near Sullust.

If Starfleet was really ardent about tracking down the Rebel fleet, and this was the only lead to any significant Rebel activity, surely Vader would just take a task force from its idle status and send it to the Sullust system, rather than waste time reporting to the Emperor? Unless, of course, this was simply one of many leads and the various Imperial forces were already busy with enough conflicts, to go after even more possible sightings.

[Noble Ire]

If Starfleet was really ardent about tracking down the Rebel fleet, and this was the only lead to any significant Rebel activity, surely Vader would just take a task force from its idle status and send it to the Sullust system, rather than waste time reporting to the Emperor? Unless, of course, this was simply one of many leads and the various Imperial forces were already busy with enough conflicts, to go after even more possible sightings.

If that was the case, then why would Vader bother mentioning it? Surely, if major Rebel sightings were so common, such news wouldn't even reach as high up as Vader, and would simply be dealt with by a local admiral.

[Isolder74]

If Starfleet was really ardent about tracking down the Rebel fleet, and this was the only lead to any significant Rebel activity, surely Vader would just take a task force from its idle status and send it to the Sullust system, rather than waste time reporting to the Emperor? Unless, of course, this was simply one of many leads and the various Imperial forces were already busy with enough conflicts, to go after even more possible sightings.

If that was the case, then why would Vader bother mentioning it? Surely, if major Rebel sightings were so common, such news wouldn't even reach as high up as Vader, and would simply be dealt with by a local admiral.

Vadar may have been drawing on his own spies and they had sent him information that this was the location of a Rebel Fleet Preparing to attack Endor.

[Star Wars Fan]

It also makes sense, the Rebels would have been worried about Imperial re-inforcements coming from nearby systems once the battle was joined. Remember, we are talking about a civilization that make large interstellar trips in hours, the Imperial garrison nearest to Endor might have been just minutes away.

XWA says that if reinrorcements arrive. the Rebel fleet could and would hold them off until the fighters destroyed the Main Reactor. The reinforcements would likely be Imperators, at most. Even an Executor could be easily be dealt with the Alliance fleet (the 3 home one cruisers maybe with some support? since there were enough fighters) The Alliance fleet could wait, and it was esentially an extended guerilla attack.