The Rebels has just moved their base from Dantooine to Yavin. Then disaster. Preventing any retreat with their Interdictor, the Rebel Fleet (with two Mon Calamari Cruisers) was entirely destroyed over the planet Ord Mantell. Then worse, Admiral Ackbar was captured (after that same battle) and held prisoner on Ord Mantell. Luckily, just before his interrogation started, Han Solo mounted a rescue mission using the Millennium Falcon, preventing the location of the Rebel Base from being revealed....
With the location safe for now, the Imperials launched small scout parties across the galaxy. One such party was led by Tarkin and found the base on Yavin. Tarkin's small band was easily eliminated, but the with just two turns left for the massive Imperial fleet to travel two spaces and attack, the Rebel once again had to move it's base - this time to Hoth.
With having built-up loyalty across the galaxy, the Rebels reduced the game length one last time (those loyalty markers finally did come in handy). On the last turn of the game, the Rebels first action was to attack the only small Imperial fleet that could land on Hoth before game end. The first turn of combat was a disaster, but with Admiral Ackbar's leadership (and re-rolls), the Rebels escaped with a victory. With that victory, the galaxy was made safe for freedom.
So the Rebel base ended up being on Dantooine, then Yavin, then Hoth. Just like the movies.... But in this game Star Wars was the story of Admiral Ackbar - not Luke Skywalker. Admiral Ackbar's recruitment, capture, rescue, and ultimate victory explained the story arc, and also demonstrated the cinematic feel of the game.
