Star Wars: How The Second Death Star Plans Were Stolen
The Star Wars franchise tells the story of how the first Death Star Plans were stolen in both Canon and Legends, but what about the plans to the Second Death Star? Two novels depict part of the plans’ theft in Canon, while in Legends, the original Star Wars timeline (formerly called the Expanded Universe), the full story is told across comics, novels, and video games. Return of the Jedi notably mentions the death of many Bothans in the process of obtaining the plans as well. The Bothans and their role in the theft of the plans differ between the two continuities.
In Legends, Bothans are a mammalian species renowned for their spy network and allegiance to the Rebels. Thanks to them, the Rebellion raided the Imperial freighter Suprosa (shown in Shadows of the Empire and X-Wing Alliance), obtaining the plans. With the plans secured but encrypted, the Rebels took them to the Bothan colony world of Kothlis to be decrypted, only for a sizeable Imperial force to intercept them, leading to a major battle in orbit and later on the surface of the planet. The Battle of Kothlis was portrayed in Shadows of the Empire, Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, and X-Wing Alliance. Although the battle was a Rebel victory, there were high casualties among their Bothan allies, which Mon Mothma mournfully acknowledges in Return of the Jedi.
In Canon, the theft of the plans was covered in vague detail in the novels Lost Stars and Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure. The actual theft of the plans is less focused on than Palpatine’s intentional leaking of them to the Rebellion, as well as his covert sabotage of the Death Star II to make it appear vulnerable to a Rebel attack. Bothans have yet to be visually depicted in the Canon continuity since their only appearance is in the novel Bloodline. Bothans are not visually described in the novel, but their language (consisting of growls) is mentioned. The Bothan spy network and its involvement in the theft of the second Death Star’s plans are also described vaguely.
The theft of the plans for the Empire's first Death Star in Legends was shown through multiple missions across various mediums, leading fans to understandably believe that they contradicted each other. In-universe, each mission resulted in the theft of a portion of the complete plans, culminating in the climactic Battle of Toprawa, where they were consolidated and transmitted to Princess Leia’s vessel. The theft of the second Death Star’s plans was far simpler since the Empire wanted to lure the Rebellion into a trap, using the Death Star II as bait. Behind the scenes, the simplicity of their theft is the result of properties like X-Wing Alliance and Rogue Leader simply adapting elements of Shadows of the Empire.
While Bothans are a prominent species in the Legends-era Star Wars franchise, their conspicuous lack of depiction in the Canon continuity has been noted by the fandom. Matt Martin of the Lucasfilm Story Group once strongly implied that Bothans are not aliens in Canon, but perhaps a “nationality,” like Corellians or Alderaanians. Moreover, the Story Group’s Pablo Hidalgo clarifies that in the Canon timeline, Bothans did not assist in the theft of the plans as they did in the Legends universe. Instead, they simply provided the Rebel Alliance with the Second Death Star’s location, the status of construction, and that The Emperor himself was to visit the battle station.
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