The Empire is using the Forest Moon of Endor as a staging ground to construct a second Death Star. Bothan spies employed by the Alliance gained the intelligence needed to determine the Death Star's location and learn that the Emperor planned to personally oversee the final phases of construction, though the Alliance was unaware that this was an elaborate plot to destroy Luke Skywalker, a Jedi and the son of Darth Vader, and the Alliance itself once and for all. The battle began after the Alliance Fleet assembled near Sullust, and special operations ground forces were deployed to Endor to disable the shield protecting the armored battle station.