<P> Three years after the destruction of the Death Star , the Rebel Alliance has been driven from their former base on Yavin IV by the Galactic Empire . The rebels , led by Princess Leia , have set up a new base on the ice planet Hoth . The Imperial fleet , led by Darth Vader , continues to hunt for the Rebels ' new base by dispatching probe droids across the galaxy . Luke Skywalker is captured by a wampa while investigating one such probe , but he manages to escape from the wampa 's cave with his lightsaber . Before Luke succumbs to the freezing temperatures , the Force ghost of his late mentor , Obi - Wan Kenobi , instructs him to go to the Dagobah system to train under Jedi Master Yoda . Luke is found by Han Solo , where they cut open a Tauntaun ( that Han rode on ) to keep warm inside , and the duo is eventually rescued by a search party . </P>
when does the empire strikes back take place
Three years after the destruction of the Death Star