Summary

• Operation: Cinder was an extremely brutal and devastating campaign conducted by the Empire following Emperor Palpatine's death.
• It was even worse than the destruction caused by the Death Star, requiring a massive amount of resources and driven purely by revenge.
• Operation: Cinder targeted multiple planets, including Vardos, Nacronis, Mandalore, Naboo, and more, resulting in immense suffering and loss of life.

Operation: Cinder, Emperor Palpatine's failsafe plan to destroy as many planets as possible upon his death in Star Wars, was even more brutal than the Death Star. Palpatine wanted the Empire's planets to suffer for failing to protect him, so in his final sadistic act, he executed Operation: Cinder. In the last year of the Empire, following the Battle of Endor, Imperial remnants went across the galaxy to punish loyal Imperial planets. The destruction that followed was one of the most cruel atrocities the Empire ever committed, even worse than the Death Star's destruction of Alderaan.

There were two factors that made Operation: Cinder so much worse than the Death Star. The amount of effort, time, money, and energy it took compared to firing a single laser shot meant that the operation was one of the largest undertakings of the entire Empire. Additionally, the fact that it happened at a period when the Empire was already crumbling, as compared to the Death Stars being built when the Empire was at its strongest, meant that such a huge undertaking was purely driven by revenge. The Empire meticulously ravaged many planets before the New Republic ended the war, although only 12 have been revealed to date in Star Wars canon.

12 Vardos

Battlefront II

One of the first planets targeted by Operation: Cinder was Vardos, the home of crack pilot Iden Versio and her father, iral Versio. The iral used a climate disruption array to create planet-wide storms across the surface of Vardos that covered the planet in atmospheric ash. Troops on the ground kept the citizens from fleeing, and any who made it off the surface were shot down by the Empire. During the destruction of Vardos, Inferno Squad - an elite Imperial strike team - was disbanded.

Operation: Cinder has not been depicted in live-action yet. It appears in Star Wars: Battlefront II, the Alphabet Squadron books, and is referenced in The Mandalorian.

11 Nacronis

Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron trilogy

Nacronis was a planet that had naturally occurring silt storms across its surface. In this instance, the Empire did not use satellites in its attack on the planet. Instead, squads of pilots used vortex grenades to enlarge the storms to a cataclysmic degree. The New Republic tried and failed to stop this attack, and the entire population of Nacronis was killed by the storms. This led to elite starfighter pilot Yrica Quell's defection, and she was destined to become leader of the New Republic's Alphabet Squadron.

10 Mandalore

The Mandalorian

Known as the Great Purge of Mandalore, the most notorious revenge was taken against the homeworld of the Mandalorians. Ahsoka confirmed the Great Purge's timeline, and the attack was orchestrated by Moff Gideon, Imperial ships dropped fusion bombs across the entire planet's surface twice on the Night of a Thousand Tears. The bombing killed most of the Mandalorians and turned the surface to glass. Ground troops were also deployed to hunt down and kill any survivors. The Great Forge underneath the planet was extinguished, and Mandalorians nearly became extinct.

There were several reasons Mandalore was included in Operation: Cinder: to wipe out everything about Mandalore, even the memory of it, to set an example for the rest of the galaxy about what resisting would bring, and to ensure that if the Empire couldn't control Mandalore, no one would. Mandalore was thought to be uninhabitable and cursed for years. Then, Din Djarin discovered that the caverns below the surface could sustain life in The Mandalorian season 3. Bo-Katan Kryze led the surviving Mandalorians back to the planet and relighted the Great Forge.

9 Naboo

Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy & Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron trilogy

Theed was the capital of Naboo and one of the targets of Operation: Cinder, despite being Emperor Palpatine's homeworld. Leia Organa and elite pilots fought back against the Empire. In orbit, the combined forces were able to destroy the climate disruption arrays before they could destroy the planet, but not before Imperial ground troops were deployed to capture the city. Leia and the other troops were able to fight back the invasion by using an ion disruptor in the royal palace. Iden Versio was officially welcomed to the New Republic after the battle.

8 Abednedo

Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron trilogy

Located in the Coloniest section of the Star Wars galaxy map, Abednedo's natives have been sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance. Abednedo was not featured prominently in Battlefront II or Alphabet Squadron. However, Quell revealed that the planet was not destroyed by the Empire due to the local population's resistance and an intervention from a New Republic special forces team. After Operation: Cinder, Abednedo became extremely loyal to both the New Republic and the Resistance.

7 Candovant

Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron trilogy

Another Colonies world, this time situated on the Hydian Way, Candovant was also only briefly mentioned in the list of targets of Operation: Cinder. Several civilizations on Candovant were destroyed in the attack, but they were eventually able to recover. By the time of the sequel trilogy, Candovant had a senator in the New Republic.

6 Mon Cala

Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy

Mon Cala was one of the targets Palpatine had planned to destroy with the second Death Star. This waterworld was the homeworld of iral Ackbar, and its shipyards had provided the Rebel Alliance with many capital ships. While the planet was saved from complete destruction by the Battle of Endor, it was still a target for Operation: Cinder. The Empire also used Mon Cala as a more strategic opportunity by attacking the planet's defense forces and civilian targets in an effort to draw the New Republic to the planet so they could destroy Project Starhawk, a prototype battleship.

5 Commenor

Greg Rucka & Marco Checchetto's Shattered Empire

Commenor was a surprising target for Operation: Cinder, given the planet had been deeply loyal to Palpatine, although it had an underground rebel movement. Commenor was devastated by Operation: Cinder, but not fully destroyed. Though many civilizations were decimated and Imperial remnants occupied the planet for years, the planet survived. By the time of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Commenor had a Senator in the New Republic.

4 Burnin Konn

The Mandalorian

Burnin Konn, a mining planet in the Anoat sector, was primarily destroyed in a ground battle; the sniper Migs Mayfeld served the Imperial army on the planet under the command of Valin Hess. During the battle, Mayfeld's division encountered strong resistance from the local population. Hess ordered the destruction of the city the battle took place in, along with at least 5,000 of Mayfeld's fellow soldiers. Mayfeld deserted the Empire, only to encounter Hess again years later while helping Din Djarin infiltrate an Imperial remnant base. Face to face with his former commander, Mayfeld killed Hess.

3 Dybbron III

Alexander Freed's Alphabet Squadron trilogy

Little is known about Dybbron III, apparently a hideout for Imperial breakaways. An elite Imperial group known as Shadow Wing attacked Dybbron III at the end of Operation: Cinder. After the attack, Shadow Wing recovered a pirate gunship and several recruits from the planet.