Turns out 29 years is a pretty significant amount of time. Speed up 29 years and because of the earlier battle the planet's surface is covered in wreckage before the fighting really begins, and it really only gets worse when the Empire tries to pull a Braveheart and stages a last stand there. Seriously, it looks like something out of Mad Max. Take one look at the map and it's clear that even for a desert planet located in the Western Reaches of the galaxy past the Inner Rim, Jakku is a literal wasteland. That should wrap everything in a nice bow, exceptвЂ¦ The Imperials had a strong advantage over the worn-down Rebel Alliance, and it was thought by Imperial command that they might be crushed if the bulk of the remaining forces were brought on en masse.Д¬ue a long battle, the crashing of ships and general destruction, and the Rebels win the day, albeit taking more casualties than they'd like. Long story short, an Imperial Captain crashed her Star Destroyer on Jakku to stop the recently established New Republic from getting information on Imperial strongholds. So what makes this Tatooine clone so worthwhile of a spot to wage a Battle of Hoth-sized scrimmage over? That means the universe is still mostly owned by the Empire, including this little rock of a planet called Jakku. While it's been years (decades?) since you saw the Emperor fall into the reactor and Vader finally relinquish the control of the dark side, it's only been one year in the Star Wars universe. The battle takes place one year after Return of the Jedi

Battle of jakku map