Rogue Squadron/Legends

"Well, you know the Rogues. All we need is a ship and rock to land it on."

- Wedge Antilles

Rogue Squadron, originally dubbed Rogue Flight, and also known as the Rogues, was an elite Rebel Alliance starfighter squadron founded by Commander Arhul Narra, Luke Skywalker, and Wedge Antilles shortly after the Battle of Yavin out of Red Squadron. Rogue Squadron played a key role during several engagements in the Galactic Civil War, serving as the primary defense squadron of the Alliance High Command. The squadron mainly fielded T-65 X-wing starfighters, but flew other craft as well, including T-47 airspeeders, Z-95 Headhunters, RZ-1 A-wing interceptors, B-wing assault starfighters, and BTL-A4 Y-wing starfighters.

They participated most notably at the Battle of Hoth and later at the Battle of Endor while reorganized once more as Red Squadron. Following the first death of the Emperor, the Rogues served the New Republic and Galactic Alliance in several critical campaigns, including the Liberation of Coruscant, the hunt for Ysanne Isard, the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Second Galactic Civil War. The squadron was in operation during the Battle of Mon Calamari in 137 ABY.

Organization
"I'm with Rogue Squadron. Impossible is our stock in trade, and success is what we deliver."

- Corran Horn

Rogue Squadron was a twelve-person starfighter squadron that, throughout its history, served the Rebel Alliance, New Republic, Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, and Galactic Alliance Remnant. It was composed of the Alliance's top pilots, and later, the best pilots in the New Republic Defense Force. The Rogues were the symbol of the New Republic's starfighter superiority and its most effective tool against enemy aggression; their successes gave them an almost mythical presence in battle and could sometimes prompt an enemy to surrender without any shots being fired. As long as Rogue Squadron endured, the citizens of the New Republic had hope that there was someone in space protecting them. Still later, the Rogues became a symbol of the bravery and fighting spirit of the Galactic Alliance, and in 137 ABY, they were the most elite of all squadrons in the Galactic Alliance Remnant.

Rogue Squadron was originally a flight group known as Rogue Flight, and was, along with Renegade Flight, formed from the remnants of the Rebel Alliance's Red Squadron following the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY. The pilots of Rogue Flight, together with the pilots of Blue and Green Squadrons, flew as the ad hoc Rogue Group in the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY, after which the Rogues became a full squadron, designed to operate without a set mission profile in order to take on any assignment that came their way. In 10 ABY, the Rogues briefly flew within a fighter wing known as Rogue Wing. Throughout their history, the Rogues were led by a pilot designated Rogue Leader; some Rogue Leaders broke the squadron up into smaller flight groups of four starfighters a piece.

For many years, the Rogues flew X-wing fighters, with astromech droids assisting them from the fighters' droid sockets. The Rebel Alliance and the New Republic originally used the T-65 X-wing starfighter model, but in 11 ABY, the squadron was reconfigured into a multi-fighter unit that included A-wings, V-wings, and B-wings. The Rogues were back in X-wings within the year, however. By 25 ABY, Rogue Squadron was flying in the new T-65 A3 X-wing, and in 40 ABY, the XJ7 model. Nearly 100 years later, the Rogues flew CF9 Crossfire starfighters.

In the New Republic's early years, Rogue Squadron was so key to citizens' morale that when its members resigned their posts to wage the independent, guerrilla Bacta War against the warlord Ysanne Isard, the New Republic put together an ersatz Rogue Squadron to be visible while Antilles's Rogues were away. Two unique Rogue Squadrons existed simultaneously with each other, but after Isard's defeat, the New Republic retroactively deemed the Bacta War an officially sanctioned operation, and Rogue Squadron was once more whole.

Rogue Squadron's crest featured a blue Alliance Starbird surrounded by a twelve-pointed red star, with an X-wing fighter at each of the star's points. It was designed by Rogue pilot Gavin Darklighter in 6.5 ABY. The Rogues began to use it before it was officially sanctioned by New Republic Starfighter Command, sporting it as a patch on their flight suits and having it painted on their X-wings.

Origins
In the year 0 BBY, the Rebel Alliance cobbled together an ad hoc starfighter squadron composed of rebel pilots from such groups as the Ecliptic Evaders, the Dantooine Squadron, the Tierfon Yellow Aces, and the Griffon Flight Wing. The new group was known as Red Squadron, and its task was to destroy the Galactic Empire's massive Death Star battlestation, which was approaching the Alliance's base on the moon of Yavin 4. In T-65 X-wing starfighters, Garven Dreis flew as Red Leader, Wedge Antilles as Red Two, Biggs Darklighter as Red Three, John D. Branon as Red Four, Luke Skywalker as Red Five, Jek Tono Porkins as Red Six, Elyhek Rue as Red Seven, Bren Quersey as Red Eight, Nozzo Naytaan as Red Nine, Theron Nett as Red Ten, Wenton Chan as Red Eleven, and Puck Naeco as Red Twelve. Of the entire squadron, only Skywalker and Antilles survived the Battle of Yavin, with the former firing two proton torpedoes into the Death Star's thermal exhaust port and destroying the entire station.

After the battle, Red Squadron was reconstituted as two different flight groups: Renegade Flight, led by Commander Arhul Narra, and Rogue Flight, led by Rogue Leader, Luke Skywalker. Wedge Antilles was his second-in-command. The latter developed when Antilles was permanently assigned to Alliance High Command following the Alliance's Evacuation of Yavin. He was part of a core team of pilots that began to form under Skywalker, that flew, trained, and developed tactics together. Narra placed Skywalker in charge of the nascent Rogue Flight, which began to take form under Narra's wise tutelage. Its members included Wes Janson, a capable pilot and gunner who struck up a fast friendship with Antilles, and Derek "Hobbie" Klivian, who bonded with Skywalker over the loss of their mutual friend Biggs Darklighter. During several skirmishes of the Alliances' evacuation of Thila, Rogue Flight proved their effectiveness as a team that lived together and flew together.

Early missions
"How pathetic, allying yourself with those Rebel criminals&mdash;Rogue Squadron. You and your so-called Rogues helped in the absconding of my AT-PTs and the plundering of my Research Facility. My retaliation shall be swift and just&hellip;"

- Moff Kohl Seerdon, to Kasan Moor

Some of the earliest missions undertaken by Rogue Flight included an escort operation on Barkhesh and the rescue of the downed Rebel supply ship Nonnah. While the Rogues were stationed on Tatooine, Skywalker and Antilles fought a brief skirmish with TIE bombers at the Mos Eisley spaceport. On Corellia, when the Empire learned of a secret meeting between Imperial officer Crix Madine and Rebel commanders, Rogue Flight helped cover the officers' escape. The Rogues began to work on a number of missions under the direction of Madine, including the liberation of Gerrard V from the oppression of Moff Kohl Seerdon. On that mission, they disabled the TIE interceptor of Lieutenant Kasan Moor, commander of the 128th TIE Interceptor Squadron. Moor took the opportunity to defect to the Alliance, and her inside knowledge proved vital as she flew with the Rogues in the Battle of the Jade Moon, a raid on Balmorra, and an assault on Kile II. Antilles was gunned down during the Kile II assault, but the Rogues quickly rescued him and other Alliance POWs from Kessel.

The pilots of Rogue Flight then put an end to Moff Seerdon's schemes on a number of worlds, flying in a battle above Taloraan, a mission to Fest, and a Blockade on Chandrila&mdash;while Seerdon invaded Chandrila, the Rogues escorted an armed hovertrain loaded with supplies to the besieged city of Nayli and several evacuation shuttles full of civilians away from it. They also took out Seerdon's TIE bombers and interceptors, thus saving the city. After raiding one of Seerdon's bases on Sullust, the Rogues had a final showdown with the Moff at Thyferra, which saw Seerdon finally perish. At Poln Major, the Rogues flew with an Alliance armada in battle with the forces of Warlord Nuso Esva; other Rogue missions included escorting a convoy of transports through the Ison Corridor and a battle with a droid army on Vactooine. Rogue Flight also headed to Dantooine to rescue the Imperial pilot Tycho Celchu, a double agent whose spying for the Rebels had been discovered. Celchu eventually became a Rogue, and the pilots were later dispatched to the defense of Ralltiir to help cover the escape of scientists working for the Alliance. Since the evacuation of Yavin, the Rogues' Lieutenant Sarkli had caused tension among he and his fellow pilots, believing he was not getting the credit he deserved. At Ralltiir, Sarkli decided he had enough and joined the Empire.

When Rogue Flight was sent to Kwenn Space Station to search for tips on seldom-used hyperlanes that might be used to establish a new Rebel base, Antilles, Janson, and Celchu were forced to evade a group of Imperial stormtroopers. They also discovered an Imperial–aligned vessel en route to the planet Bonadan and passed on the intel to fellow Rebels Leia Organa and Han Solo. For a mission to set up a listening post on Lubang Minor, three Rogues&mdash;Skywalker, Antilles, and Zev Senesca&mdash;flew under Commander Narra as Red Squadron. There, they rescued Able, an aged clone trooper left abandoned on the planet during the Clone Wars. Antilles and Klivian later escorted a diplomatic party of Rebels to Jabiim after the Jabiimi Loyalists requested Alliance aid in their fight against Imperial control of their planet. The two Rogues' X-wings remained in orbit, but they were soon ordered out of the system by the Loyalists, who were furious with one of the diplomats: Luke Skywalker.

TIE fighters aligned with the Imperial Jabiimi Nationalists suddenly arrived, but the Rogues elected not to attack them in an effort to maintain diplomacy. When the TIEs were followed by an Imperial fleet, Antilles and Klivian decided to rescue their comrades, diplomacy be damned. After outrunning the fleet of slave ships, they made it to the surface of Jabiim in time to save the Rebels Leia Organa and Nera Dantels from a group of TIEs. Although Organa did not want to abandon the Jabiimi Loyalists, Antilles insisted that they flee from the encroaching Imperial fleet. Before departing, they rescued Skywalker and Loyalist leader Nolan Gillmunn from the Nationalists, with Antilles's and Klivian's X-wings blasting their way into an Imperial Army garrison. On their way out of atmosphere, the two Rogues held off TIE fighters, allowing themselves and Dantels's Starduster to jump to lightspeed.

Fire and ice
"Rogue Group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs. It might be our only chance of stopping them."

- Luke Skywalker during the Battle of Hoth

In 3 ABY, the Alliance had set up the secret Echo Base on the icy world of Hoth. While escorting a convoy of supplies and reinforcements to Hoth from Derra IV, Renegade Flight was attacked and destroyed along with the entire convoy, and when word reached Echo Base, Rebel General Rieekan promoted Skywalker to Commander as a replacement for the fallen Narra. With the Renegades gone, Skywalker and Antilles decided to expand Rogue Flight into a full-fledged squadron that would serve Rebel High Command. The two pored over lists of pilots until a wampa attack forced Skywalker and Captain Han Solo to spend a night out in the cold; Rogue Flight took to snowspeeders the next morning to search for them in the fields of snow. The missing Rebels were found by Rogue Two, Zev Senesca.

Shortly after the rescue, base sensors detected a nearby metallic presence, and Rieekan dispatched Rogues Ten and Eleven to Echo Station 3-8 to investigate. Their progress was tracked by the presence, in fact an Imperial Viper probe droid, but the droid was destroyed by Captain Solo and his first mate, the Wookiee Chewbacca, who were investigating on foot. Certain that the Empire had discovered the base, Rieekan ordered a full evacuation. Preparations were made for an Imperial ground assault, as the Rebels' shield generator protected them from an orbital bombardment, and an ersatz snowspeeder unit was created out of Rogue Flight, Blue Squadron, and Green Squadron; the twenty-three person strong "Rogue Group" was made up of twelve pilots and eleven gunners. Dak Ralter served as Rogue Leader Skywalker's gunner, while Kit Valent joined Senesca in Rogue Two. Antilles and Janson flew as Rogue Three, Klivian and Kesin Ommis as Rogue Four, Celchu and Tarn Mison as Rogue Five, Samoc Farr and Vigrat Pomoner as Rogue Six, Nala Hetsime and Cinda Tarheel as Rogue Seven, Vekozev Kabir and Stax Mullawny as Rogue Eight, Stevan Makintay and Barlon Hightower as Rogue Nine, Tarrin Datch and Hosh Hune as Rogue Ten, Tenk Lenso and Jek Pugilio as Rogue Eleven, and the mercenary Dash Rendar flying solo as Rogue Twelve. Delivering foodstuff to Echo Base when its shield went up, Rendar found himself piloting a snowspeeder while waiting for the chance to leave the planet.

The Rogues flew into the Battle of Hoth against the AT-AT walkers of the Empire's Blizzard Force, tasked with delaying the ground assault while a groundside ion cannon aided Rebel transports in escaping the system. When the snowspeeders' laser cannons proved ineffective against the walkers' armor, Skywalker suggested tripping the AT-ATs' legs via harpoons and tow cables. An enemy laser blast killed Ralter, his gunner, but Antilles and Janson were able to take down Blizzard 2. Another hit on his speeder forced Skywalker into a crash landing, and command of Rogue Group was given over to Antilles by both Skywalker and by Rieekan. Other Rogues were not as lucky as their leader&mdash;Senesca, Valent, Pomoner, Kabir, Mullawny, Hune, Lenso, and Pugilio were all killed when their speeders were shot down. Farr and Datch survived being shot down, however, and Klivian and Ommis survived taking out the lead walker of the Empire's General Veers with a suicide run.

Following his crash, Skywalker ascended a magnetic grapple and cut into the AT-AT Blizzard 4 with his lightsaber. A lobbed concussion grenade knocked the walker down, and another walker was destroyed by Rendar in Rogue Twelve. Blizzard Force was ultimately successful in their mission of destroying the shield generator, and the surviving Rogues took to the skies in starfighters to protect fleeing Rebel transports. Thirteen of thirty transports escaped from the system, with the other seventeen destroyed or captured by the Empire. Antilles was promoted to commander to fill the gap left by the loss of Renegade Flight, and he assumed command of the Rogues while Skywalker traveled to the planet Dagobah to train as a Jedi under the mysterious Master Yoda.

A complete squadron
"Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron are with the fleet&hellip; they can provide all the backup we need!"

- Luke Skywalker

The loss of so many Rogues at Hoth was felt heavily by the survivors, and a plaque to the fallen Rogues and Renegades was hung on the command deck of the Rebel frigate Chancellor. Antilles expanded the Rogues into a full squadron: Rogue Squadron. Although they were an escort squadron for the main Alliance Fleet, they were designed to be a unit without a set mission profile, able to take on any mission that came their way. Stationed aboard the MC80 Star Cruiser Home One, the Rogues acted as a rapid response team that could transfer to hot spots as needed. The squadron was composed of the Alliance's twelve best pilots who had survived its fiercest battles against the Empire, and its pilots were famed for their ability to fly nearly anything. Antilles led the Rogues, but Skywalker sometimes still served with them, taking the call sign of Rogue Leader while Antilles flew as Rogue One. Other squadron members included Rogue Two Will Scotian, whom Antilles recruited due to his fine combat record at Oracle Base; Rogue Five Dix Rivan, who acted as the Rogues' rear guard; and Wes Janson as Rogue Six.

After Hoth, the Alliance Fleet rendezvoused outside the rim of the inhabited galaxy. Skywalker was a latecomer following his Jedi training and a duel with the Empire's Darth Vader on Bespin's Cloud City, and several hours after his arrival an Imperial strike cruiser appeared. Rogue Squadron moved to intercept in an effort to keep the cruiser from escaping and revealing the Rebel fleet's location. They destroyed several TIE fighters, with only Rogue Three taking damage to his engines, and the cruiser diverted power to its rear shields while attempting a getaway. Rivan swooped in and fired on the cruiser's front side, however, blowing it to pieces. Rebel jamming had prevented the enemy vessel from transmitting its coordinates, and the fleet's location remained safe, but the Alliance altered course as a precaution anyway and remained on the move over the next few months.

Antilles led the Rogues in dangerous missions to rescue prisoners from an Imperial installation at the Maw. Karie Neth was one of the prisoners, and she joined Rogue Squadron as a replacement for a Bothan pilot who had been lost during a secret mission. Keir Santage was another rescued prisoner who joined the Rogues; Kin Kian and Gemmer Sojan were also members of the squadron around that time. The Rogues next rescued prisoners from a prison orbiting Bakura, but several scientist prisoners were taken by the Empire from Bakura to Geonosis, where the squadron encountered former Rogue Sarkli. Antilles shot down the defector's gunship, but Sarkli survived the crash and swore revenge. The squadron then joined a task force under Rebel General Crix Madine and were sent to Destrillion to destroy an Imperial tibanna gas facility, but no such facility was found. After taking out Tie Hunters, the task force passed by neighboring Dubrillion while preparing to leave the system, and the Empire sprung their trap with a superlaser facility that sat on Dubrillion's surface. In the ensuing battle, Antilles commandeered an Imperial AT-ST and personally took out the superlaser facility. Later on, the Rogues led a Fondor shipyard assault and destroyed a prototype Super Star Destroyer.

At some point in the first half of 3 ABY, young Rebel Shira Brie was drafted into Rogue Squadron and flew with Skywalker on a mission to Cloud City. Former Baron Administrator of the city and fellow Rebel Lando Calrissian had been sent there from the Alliance's Haven Base on the world of Arbra, and when he failed to report in, Skywalker and Brie decided to investigate. When they landed in an empty city, Skywalker's astromech droid R2-D2 sliced into the central computer and learned that the population had been evacuated after a number of bombs had been planted. A firefight with arriving Imperial stormtroopers quickly ensued, but the arrival of Calrissian, his aide Lobot, and a group of Ugnaughts brought the confrontation to a standstill. Lobot was prepared to detonate the planted bombs until Imperial Captain Hugo Treece shot him, so Skywalker used the Force to blow the bomb's primers and trick the Imperials into fleeing from Cloud City. Not long afterward, intelligence reported the Empire was building a secret armada that was transporting to Coruscant a Teezl, a strange creature capable of naturally amplifying hyperspace communications. After Rebel pilots acquired four stolen TIE fighters and obtained the armada's coordinates, four members of Rogue Squadron &mdash;Skywalker, Brie, Hanc Thorben, and Alph&mdash;made their way to the armada.

The Rogues' TIEs were modified to fire just six standard-strength laser bursts before releasing powerful shots that would cut through even the strongest shields, and also included signal transceivers so the Rogues could recognize one another. Dubbed Flying Bantha Squadron, they gained entrance to the armada with stolen Imperial codes and each attacked a Star Destroyer. Imperial pilots were unable to tell friend from foe and destroyed several of their own before managing to take out Alph's fighter and kill the Rogue. Imperial Admiral Mils Giel responded by using the teezl to interfere with local comm frequencies, thus nullifying the Rogues' signal transceivers, and Skywalker instead relied on the wisdom of the Force to judge which TIEs were friendly. Thorben retreated from the battle when one of his fighter's solar arrays was hit, after which Skywalker used his last regular shot to destroy an unfriendly TIE. The squadron leader's ultra burst then took out the teezl and much of Admiral Giel's flagship, but his return to Haven Base was not welcomed with open arms. In a briefing room he was shocked to discover, via a holographic recording from a camera on Thorben's TIE, that the final TIE he had destroyed had been Shira Brie's. Facing severe backlash for killing a fellow Rogue, and with his faith in the Force severely shaken, Skywalker resigned his officer's commission and left Arbra. He soon discovered that the Force was indeed his ally: Brie had been an Imperial spy, tasked with alienating Skywalker from the Alliance and delivering him into the hands of Darth Vader.

The road to Endor
"Wedge is in command of Rogue Squadron now, and he told me if I ever needed them they'd come running."

- Luke Skywalker

At some point in the year after Hoth, Rogue Squadron participated in Operation: Quick Strike, a series of deep-space engagements intended to harass Imperial military-industrial operations. They also teamed with Gold Squadron to defend the evacuation of the Rebel hospital Hormuuz in the Gelgelar system, which marked the Rebellion's beachhead in the Elrood sector. The hospital was under attack by Admiral Wooyou Senn's Task Force Vengeance. After the battle, while the wounded were being transferred to the Redemption, the Rogues and Golds flew Headhunters to cover the Rebel fleet's escape from the Star Destroyer Nemesis. After being forced to retreat from the sector, the Rogues went on to participate in the Rebel campaign to expand Alliance activities into the Airam sector, piloting various starfighters and serving in a number of disparate mission profiles, including fighter interception and anti-capital ship striking. The first was another defense, this time of a Rebel convoy in the Halbara system, and the Rogues next worked with Green Squadron and several capital ships to steal supplies from the captured Hormuuz.

Flying A-wings to the Almaran system to gauge the strength of Task Force Vengeance, the Rogues identified the Super Star Destroyer Vengeance as Senn's flagship. They then supported the Alliance's MC80 Star Cruiser Liberty in the Goff system, where a Rebel trap destroyed two of the Task Force's Star Destroyers. The campaign against Admiral Senn also saw Rogue Squadron hold off an Imperial counterattack in the Battle of Swellen while the Alliance captured the Immobilizer 418 cruiser Compellor, guard the Compellor as it arrived at Mobetta and then hold off a second Imperial assault, ambush an Imperial fleet that had been sent to reinforce Task Force Vengeance, and defend the X7 factory Gallofree from the Empire at Mobetta. Although the Rogues covered the retreat of the Airam rebels, the Compellor was lost. Rogue Squadron's next engagement was beating back an Imperial attack while the grateful Airam rebels were supplying the Alliance with warheads. They then captured the Airam leader Ilay, who was attempting to negotiate with Senn, and later destroyed Imperial supply freighters at Dega. A weakened Senn took his task force to the Nocto system to attack the Alliance, but the Rebels destroyed both the Vengeance and the Rage, finally killing and defeating Senn.

Captain Solo, meanwhile, had been frozen in carbonite and taken by the bounty hunter Boba Fett just before Skywalker's confrontation with Vader at Cloud City. Six months into 3 ABY, Fett's location was pinpointed on the moon Gall by a group of Solo's close friends: Skywalker, Organa, Calrissian, Chewbacca, and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. Given Solo's importance to the Alliance, his friends planned a rescue operation, and asked Antilles and the Rogues to participate. The squadron accordingly set up a temporary base on Kile, a moon of Zhar, and did some flybys of the Imperial Enclave on Gall, which was also a moon of Zhar. Solo's group of friends soon rendezvoused with them at the base, as did Dash Rendar, who had been hired by Calrissian to lead them to Fett. After Antilles briefed the new arrivals, Skywalker devised a plan: He and the Rogues would distract the Imperial ships while Rendar led Calrissian to where Fett's Slave I was docked at the enclave.

Skywalker flew into the Battle of Gall as Rogue Leader with Antilles as Rogue One. The young Jedi switched off his targeting sensor and allowed the Force to guide him, and the result was a large amount of TIE fighter scrap metal. Scotian was forced to retreat from the battle after taking a nasty hit to his fighter, and Rivan was killed by enemy lasers, but the Rogues managed to keep a massive Star Destroyer from targeting them by drifting the engagement back and forth through space. When another Destroyer came in from the moon's nightside, the Rogues made a final pass at the first warship before breaking away from the fight, hoping that they had bought the others enough time. Before he could jump to lightspeed, however, Skywalker found himself targeted by the guns of Janson's X-wing&mdash;the Rogue's R2 unit had taken control of his starfighter. Skywalker only survived the surprise due to a warning from the Force, and after maneuvering a pursuing TIE fighter into Janson's line of fire, he was able to take out Janson's engines and laser cannons.

Janson's craft was towed back to base, where his droid was fitted with a restraining bolt. R2-D2 plugged into the rogue robot and discovered some grim news: it had been programmed by someone to target Skywalker. That someone was Rogue Squadron's crew chief, Viera Cheran, who had been paid 10,000 credits to assassinate Skywalker. She quickly destroyed the Artoo unit, and Antilles shot her in the chest when she turned her blaster on him and Skywalker. Meanwhile, Organa and the others returned to base empty-handed, as Fett had gotten away. The Rogues were next assigned to cover a meeting over the planet Kothlis between the medical frigate Redemption and the CR90 corvette Razor, but the Rogues arrived with the Redemption to find the Razor under attack. When Antilles disabled the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Motivator, it crashed to Kothlis's surface, necessitating a commando mission to retrieve the data that had been stolen from the Razor. The data was quite alarming to the Alliance: The Empire was constructing a second Death Star.

While with the Alliance Fleet, the Rogues received word from Dash Rendar that Skywalker, Organa, Calrissian, and Chewbacca were on the surface of Coruscant and would need assistance. Antilles brought his squadron to the outermost fringes of the Coruscant system to await for a signal from Rendar, and when he received it, he took the Rogues into the middle of a space battle to lend aid to the harrowed Millennium Falcon and to Rendar's Outrider. Their foes were fighters belonging to the criminal syndicate Black Sun, who outnumbered them badly. However, Darth Vader arrived in the Super Star Destroyer Executor to destroy his foe&mdash;Black Sun's Prince Xizor&mdash;and the destruction of Xizor's Skyhook opened an escape corridor for the Rebels, who quickly fled the system. Plans were put into place for a Rebel assault on the second Death Star, and the Rogues helped cover the retrieval of the stolen Imperial Lambda-class shuttle Tydirium from the Zhar system to the Alliance's Liberty. The Rogues also raided Imperial-held Cloud City for valuable tibanna gas.

Endor and aftermath
"&hellip; if you are selected for this duty, you will be part of a storied tradition. Rogue Squadron is tasked with the most dangerous assignments, the missions that only a nimble and highly trained squad can handle&hellip;"

- Admiral Ackbar, addressing Rogue Squadron candidates

In 4 ABY, the Alliance Fleet gathered near the planet Sullust and prepared to strike at the Empire's unfinished Death Star II battlestation, which sat in orbit of the moon of Endor. Rogue Squadron was directly attached to Home One, the flagship of the entire fleet, but Antilles temporarily renamed the Rogues "Red Squadron" in honor of the original Red Squadron from the Battle of Yavin. In addition to Antilles, Red Squadron included a Human male in a Y-wing as Red Two, Sila Kott in an A-wing as Red Three, Derek Klivian as Red Four, Grizz Frix as Red Five, Keir Santage as Red Seven, Randi, Wes Janson, Kirst, and Wister. Many top X-wing pilots had recently transferred to the new A-wing fighters, and the Battle of Endor saw such Rogue veterans as Gemmer Sojan and Tycho Celchu flying A-wings in Green Squadron. Karie Neth and Kin Kian both served as gunners in Gray Squadron.

Prior to the Battle of Endor, Antilles gathered Red Squadron into a briefing room and told them the plan of attack: Rebel starfighters would enter the Death Star's superstructure and fire on its reactor core. A strike team on the moon's surface would disable the shield generator that protected the Death Star before the Alliance Fleet arrived in the Endor system, but upon their arrival, the fleet found that the shield was still up. What they thought was going to be a surprise attack was countered by a massive force of Imperial starfighters, and although several Alliance squadrons were devastated by the onslaught, Red Squadron remained mostly intact and racked up a large number of kills. Kott was killed by a TIE pilot, however.

The Death Star joined in the battle, firing its superlaser at Rebel capital ships, forcing the Alliance Fleet to attack Imperial Star Destroyers at point-blank range so as to avoid the battlestation's destructive power. Grizz Frix perished during the daring attacks. When the strike team finally destroyed the shield generator, Antilles, Santage, and several other pilots entered the unfinished Death Star. Santage was killed, but Antilles and Gold Leader Lando Calrissian knocked out the reactor core, which started a chain reaction that destroyed the entire station. The day was won, and Galactic Emperor Palpatine was one of the Imperial casualties. The Imperial Navy fought on for nearly four more hours before finally retreating.

The Alliance remained at Endor for some time following the battle, and Rogue Squadron aided with cleanup operations. One day after the Death Star's destruction, Antilles intercepted an Imperial message drone while flying patrol duty and accidentally set off its self-destruct cycle. He was rescued by Luke Skywalker, who flew under the Rogue Leader call sign and was able to disarm the explosives. The drone's message, intended for Imperial reception, revealed that an alien invasion force was attacking the planet Bakura, and the Alliance immediately dispatched assistance to the besieged world. The Rebel task force included Rogue Squadron.

The Rogues and the entire Alliance Task force engaged the strange Ssi-ruuk aliens upon their arrival at Bakura, with Antilles flying once again as Rogue Leader. At one point, all of Rogue Squadron were surrounded by enemy fighters, and were only able to escape when Skywalker&mdash;commanding from the carrier Flurry&mdash;used the Force to convince one Ssi-ruuvi pilot to ram into a squadron mate. After the Alliance's Red Squadron destroyed an enemy cruiser, the Ssi-ruuvi Fleet retreated into hyperspace. The Alliance ships then joined an Imperial orbital defense web while a team of Rebel diplomats went planetside.

The combined forces of the Rebels and Imperials were able to repel the next attack launched by the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium, but the Alliance's success was quickly followed by an Imperial double cross. The Rogues protected Skywalker, who had commandeered the Shree-class battle cruiser Shriwirr from the Ssi-ruuk, from the Empire's forces while Skywalker convinced Imperial Commander Pter Thanas to surrender. Back at Endor, Antilles and two other Rogues&mdash;Kirst and Wister&mdash;came upon several TIE fighters that remained in the Endor system while flying a cleanup operation. The resulting chase led them to the remains of the |Super Star Destroyer Executor, downed during the Battle of Endor, which took out Wister's fighter with its still-operational turbolasers. Antilles and Kirst were able to finish off the massive ship by using proton torpedoes to cause an avalanche.

Seven days after the Battle of Endor, several of the Rogues were performing salvage duty and other cleanup at the Alliance's Endor Station. Other Rebel squadrons were out in the galaxy, assessing the political situations in major sectors, and Skywalker&mdash;once again acting as Rogue Leader&mdash; gathered several members of his squadron together for a mission to Corellia. One week later, he had arrived in the planet's capital, Coronet City, along with Antilles, Celchu, Janson, and Blue Leader Ten Numb. Although two sweeps of the entire Corellian system had failed to detect any Imperial presence, the group was quickly targeted by Imperial snipers while in a Coronet cantina. Biker scouts and AT-STs soon followed, but the Rogues were able to send their attackers into retreat. They learned from a captured officer that Coronet had been struck in order to send a message: the Empire still lived.

Ten Numb was captured while pursuing the fleeing Imperials, and when the Rogues followed his homing beacon into space in their snubfighters, they were intercepted by TIE fighters. In fact suicide drones, the TIEs all detonated, and the Rogues narrowly avoided the deadly explosions. Numb's signal was lost during combat with three remaining TIE drones, but R2-D2 was able to extrapolate his destination from his last signal. The Rogues followed Numb's captors to neighboring Tralus, where they learned that the Imperial General Weir had set up base in the underground Selonian Tunnels. Locating it with the aid of Selonian scouts, they held off Weir's stormtroopers largely thanks to Skywalker's lightsaber. Antilles and Celchu commandeered TIEs to chase a fleeing Weir, taking out enemy pursuit and ultimately downing their target. Although Numb had been tortured to death, Weir was placed in Rebel custody and the Rogues returned to the Alliance fleet. Several days later, Skywalker gave permanent command of the Rogues to Antilles so that he could focus on rebuilding the Jedi Order, and the new Rogue Leader was surprised to find that a large number of pilots had volunteered to fly with Rogue Squadron. By this point in time, the Rebel Alliance had transitioned into the Alliance of Free Planets, an interim government that was intended to be a stepping stone en route to establishing a New Republic.

Fighting for the New Republic
Rogue Squadron, officially reformed under Antilles, was considered the best of the best, undertaking their first mission to Cilpar with a lean team of six: Antilles, Janson, Klivian, Celchu, Plourr Ilo and Dllr Nep. Joined by Elscol Loro following this mission the squadron moved on to Mrlsst and then Tatooine where Elscol moved on to new things with a converted Imperial Intelligence team led by Sixtus Quin.

During the following year, Rogue Squadron eventually swelled to twelve&mdash;regular size for a New Republic starfighter squadron. They were involved in skirmishes on various worlds, including Brentaal IV where they captured Baron Soontir Fel, who defected and joined the squadron. They were also involved in the failed defection and rescue of Sate Pestage on Ciutric IV.

Of the remaining squadron members, Janson and Klivian went to train new squadrons, Fel disappeared, Celchu took on a mission for NRI and Nrin Vakil transferred out to deal with his grief. Antilles undertook a publicity tour on numerous New Republic worlds. When using diplomacy had reached its limits in getting worlds to join the New Republic, it was decided that taking Coruscant was required.

Antilles was then tasked with reforming Rogue Squadron in 6.5 ABY. The reconstituted Rogue Squadron would be an instrumental part of the New Republic's push against Imperial forces led by Ysanne Isard, with the ultimate goal of capturing Coruscant. Over 1200 pilots volunteered to join the resurrected Rogues.

The reformed squadron was quickly trained with a variety of missions designed to test the Rogue's abilities in numerous areas. It comprised pilots such as Corran Horn, Gavin Darklighter, Erisi Dlarit, Lujayne Forge, Andoorni Hui, Ooryl Qrygg, Nawara Ven, Rhysati Ynr, Peshk Vri'syk, and Bror Jace. Antilles chose Tycho Celchu as his Executive Officer, a choice he fought for with some of the upper echelons of the New Republic's military, as Celchu was under suspicion from previous encounters. The pilots of their command were quickly thrust into the line of fire in the disastrous First Battle of Borleias. Very soon after, Borleias was taken in a second, heated assault. From Borleias, the New Republic was in position to take an offensive action toward the core, particularly the capital world of Coruscant. Rogue Squadron would continue to lead the way.

With two new additions of Aril Nunb and Pash Cracken, Rogue Squadron infiltrated Coruscant. They went in as teams of two but all subsequently met up, gaining an ally in Asyr Sei'lar, a Bothan who was an alumnus of the Bothan Martial Academy. Celchu shocked the Rogues, when he showed up on Coruscant after having been presumed killed in a disastrous attack by Warlord Zsinj on Noquivzor. He had been brought in beforehand by Wedge as backup. Tycho had purchased six Z-95 Headhunters, of which five were used in the attack to bring down Coruscant's orbital shields. The sixth was flown by Corran Horn into a storm created by the Rogues by boiling the city's water supply with Coruscant's orbital mirrors. Their goal was to take down a power Grid Subsystem buried under a Statue. Although this endeavor was successful, Horn was subsequently captured by Ysanne Isard using the Headhunter's override codes (given to her by turncoat Erisi Dlarit). Horn was taken to Lusankya but presumed dead in the rubble where the storm and his attack had taken place. Corran's death was used by the New Republic to rally more troops and raise overall morale.

Tycho Celchu was accused of being the traitor and was brought on trial, defended by fellow Rogue Nawara Ven. Meanwhile, Corran Horn was trapped in Isard's Lusankya facility. Ysanne Isard couldn't change him, so she put him in the highest security area on Lusankya. He managed to escape, while Celchu's trial was tearing Rogue Squadron apart. Finally, when Ysanne Isard blasted out of Coruscant on the Lusankya, Erisi Dlarit, the real traitor, faked being pulled by a tractor beam, and rendezvoused with the Super Star Destroyer.

The Bacta War
"No choice at all Luke. We're, ah, we were Rogue Squadron. We do."

- Wedge Antilles to Luke Skywalker on going after Ysanne Isard

To pursue Isard, Rogue Squadron resigned their commissions and participated in the Bacta War. With only minimal resources, they managed to lure the Star Destroyer Avarice to the New Republic, and they heavily damaged Lusankya, making her surrender. Ysanne Isard was presumed dead, shot down by the Rogues as she tried to escape. Thyferra was liberated, and Rogue Squadron gained a pilot in Tal'dira. However, Nawara Ven became the Squadron's XO, never to fly an X-Wing again, for he had lost his leg and wasn't able to fly well enough with a prosthetic.

During that time, Klivian led a temporary Rogue Squadron during the "true" Rogue Squadron's absence. However, an alleged filing error kept the resignations from being documented, and the Rogues were again New Republic officers, and the mission on Thyferra was retroactively considered a New Republic-sanctioned campaign. Antilles turned command over to Celchu and founded Wraith Squadron. Antilles commanded both squadrons against Warlord Zsinj and after that he returned to his command as Rogue Leader.

Later action
"I say let the Imperials keep coming, because every time a new admiral crawls out of the Outer Rim or some Imperial goon finds a lost superweapon, Rogue Squadron gets a new starfighter. Seems like a good deal to me."

- Wedge Antilles

Rogue Squadron saw a great deal of combat during the Thrawn Crisis, including the Battle of Sluis Van and the Battle of Bilbringi, and immediately afterwards, the conquest of Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel's Ciutric Hegemony. The New Republic took one of its outlying planets, Liinade III and then prepared to attack Ciutric, the capital planet of the Hegemony, while simultaneously looking for clues that would lead to the remaining Lusankya prisoners. One of them, Urlor Sette, unexpectedly turned up at a party for the squadron, but when Corran Horn recognized him and said his name, an implanted device killed Sette. The Squadron went on a mission to Commenor, finding some of the prisoners and learning that Isard might be alive. During the attack on one of Krennel's outlying planets, Horn was shot down. He found a secret facility that showed evidence of a Pulsar Station, not unlike the Death Star, and the Rogues moved to attack it at a moon orbiting a gas giant, only to be ambushed. They were saved by two squadrons of TIE/D Defenders, Stranger and Interloper Squadrons, under the command of Colonel Broak Vessery, and taken to a secret base, having suffered the death of 2 pilots and the critical injury and presumed death of 2 more. Surprisingly, they met Ysanne Isard, who was responsible for their rescue. She revealed that the Isard they had thought they had killed was a clone, and she had survived to make herself a threat, and that all Isard wanted was her demise.

The squadron was trained to use TIE Defenders and then attacked Ciutric. The New Republic attacked at the same time, killing Krennel in the ensuing space battle. The real Isard tried to recapture Lusankya at Bilbringi, but was shot and killed in the attempt by Iella Wessiri. The real Isard had already betrayed Rogue Squadron by not supporting them in their attempt to kill the clone Isard and rescue the rest of the Lusankya prisoners at Ciutric. Rogue Squadron was successful however, and the clone of Isard was killed.

Not long afterward, now-General Wedge Antilles was given command of a fighter wing, which he dubbed Rogue Wing. The wing included Rogue Squadron. While the New Republic was still celebrating their victory over Thrawn, the Imperial Military mounted a massive attack on Coruscant in 10 ABY. Antilles helped coordinate the New Republic's retreat from the embattled world, a retreat that was covered by Rogue Squadron. Due to devastating losses in New Republic Army Command, a temporary emergency transfer saw Antilles appointed to the army as Fighter Command Liaison, but Admiral Ackbar allowed him to retain command of the Rogues. Meanwhile, an Imperial Civil War erupted within the leaderless Empire, and the New Republic took advantage of the confusion by sending their own Star Destroyers into war zones to stir up further confusion. The hangars of those destroyers were filled with the X-wings of Rogue Wing. On a mission to Coruscant, most of Rogue Wing's fighters were stationed aboard the Star Destroyer Emancipator, but Antilles himself was on the Liberator when it was shot down above the former capital world. In the midst of the still-raging battle, the general evacuated the crew of the ship and waited for rescue.

After being ferried from the Coruscanti war zone, Antilles was sent to coordinate the air defense of the Battle of Calamari. The planet was being ravaged by World Devastator superweapons under the command of Luke Skywalker, who had been turned to the dark side and was serving as the Empire's Supreme Commander under a reborn Emperor Palpatine. Rogue Squadron was deployed into the battle, with Antilles flying a V-wing airspeeder and Kasan Moor once again flying for the Rogues. The battle was finally won when R2-D2 beamed the Emperor's master control signal&mdash;given to him by Skywalker, whose dark turn had partially been a deep undercover ruse&mdash;into the World Devastators' control computers, which caused the massive machines to turn on and destroy each other. Although Palpatine managed to unite the feuding Imperial factions into a Dark Empire, his final death halted his destructive campaign and saw the Imperial fleet again splinter into warlordism. With the Empire in ruins, the New Republic was able to retake Coruscant, with Antilles commanding Rogue Squadron during the siege.

With secure control of the galaxy once more, the New Republic began to reassess its military forces. Although Rogue Squadron was a nearly mythical name by this point, Antilles's superiors wanted it changed, and ordered him to reconfigure it into a versatile unit composed of several different kinds of fighters, which they felt would allow for more flexibility in battle. Antilles's protests were overruled, and his distaste for bureaucracy prompted him to request command of the Rogues from the bridge of the captured Super Star Destroyer, Lusankya. One hundred fighters from a broad range of ships in Lusankya hangars were available for Rogue Squadron alone, the new version of which saw its first round of action in the Battle of Phaeda in 11 ABY. The Lusankya arrived at the planet to defend its New Republic outpost from the Steadfast, a Star Destroyer of Lord Carnor Jax's Crimson Empire. Tycho Celchu served as Rogue Leader in a squadron composed of E-wings, B-wings, and A-wings. The Steadfast and its TIEs were easily outmatched by Lusankya and the Rogues, and the Imperials were defeated. Not long afterward, central Imperial leadership collapsed, and the Galactic Empire ceased to exist.

Later in 11 ABY, the Rogues were yet again a squadron exclusively composed of X-wings. They were assigned to hunt for the Invids, an elusive pirate group led by ex-Imperial Moff Leonia Tavira, who eluded every attempt by the New Republic to capture her. The Rogues found themselves with about a week of down time in between raids. On one raid, they intercepted a group of Invid ugly starfighters in the K'vath system and easily disposed of them, capturing the modified bulk cruiser Booty Full. The New Republic capital ships waiting just outside of the system were disappointed, however, that Tavira's Star Destroyer Invidious was not present. Corran Horn left the squadron shortly afterward in order to train as a Jedi in Master Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order, and ended up going undercover with the Invids during a hunt for his missing wife, Mirax. When the New Republic tracked the Invidious to Xa Fel and attacked, the Rogues were unaware that they were flying against Horn, who narrowly avoided proton torpedoes fired by Celchu's fighter and escaped. The Rogues later removed the Invid-affiliated Khuiumin Survivors from their base on Courkrus, and Horn was able to defeat and rescue his wife from the Force-sensitive Jensaarai, who had been helping Tavira anticipate the New Republic's strikes. The threat of the Invidious was thus effectively neutralized. In 12.5 ABY the Rogues were one of the few New Republic survivors of the Battle of Orinda.

A situation on the newly found planet of Adumar called for Wedge to return to the cockpit with Tycho Celchu, Wes Janson and Hobbie Klivian in 13 ABY. Antilles led a diplomatic envoy which succeeded in bringing the neutral world to the New Republic. The four pilots used Rogue Squadron markings on their X-wings and flew as Red Flight with call signs Red 1 through Red 4.

The Caamas Document incident also called for Rogue Squadron's unique talents as they were pressed into ground-based service in an attempt to find out the truth behind the document. The return of Thrawn also saw the Rogues thrust back into the frontlines in an attempt to protect the New Republic.

The signing of the peace treaty ending the Galactic Civil War marked the time for many pilots from Rogue Squadron to retire.

Yuuzhan Vong War
"Rogue Squadron to Borleias. We're back. We kicked your butt twenty years ago. Now we're here to do it again."

- Colonel Gavin Darklighter, 27.5 ABY

Under the leadership of Colonel Gavin Darklighter, Rogue Squadron played a central role in a number of battles against the Yuuzhan Vong. The conflict saw Rogue Squadron suffer heavy losses, including nine pilots killed, one resignation and one transfer &mdash; the Battle of Dantooine took the lives of half the squadron. The war also saw the adoption of several new technologies, including the shadow bomb and XJ3 model X-Wing fighters.

Following the conclusion of the war, Colonel Darklighter accepted a Fleet command and handed Rogue Squadron over to a new Rogue Leader.

In 36 ABY, the Galactic Alliance found itself caught in the midst of the Swarm War between the Chiss Ascendancy and the the Colony. Gilad Pellaeon, Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force, hoped to decimate the Colony's swarms of insectoid Killiks at the Unknown Regions world of Tenupe, but Jedi Master Luke Skywalker proposed a different plan: He would neutralize the Colony's Force‐sensitive Joiner leaders, Lomi Plo and Raynar Thul. Although the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force would consequently face the Killiks without Alliance assistance and would take heavy casualties, Skywalker knew that the hive minded Colony would collapse without its leadership and bring a quick end to the war. The mere destruction of their fleet would simply prolong the conflict and prompt the Chiss to commit speciecide with their parasite bomb weapon. Rogue and Wraith Squadrons were assigned to support Skywalker as he made his way to the Admiral Ackbar, a captured Star Destroyer where Thul and Plo were stationed.

As the Rogues and other squadrons escorted Skywalker's shuttle to the Admiral Ackbar, Alliance turbolasers brought down the target's shields and took out Killik dartships. Proton torpedoes from the Alliance fighters destroyed more dartships, and the Rogues personally took care of the enemy starfighters that were launched from the Admiral Ackbar hangar bays. A tractor beam from an Alliance Star Destroyer removed the remaining dartships, and Skywalker was able to board the target and achieve his objective. With the Killik threat removed, the Chiss Ascendancy agreed to not continue pursuing the war.

Second Galactic Civil War
"A minute ago, I just vaped a Rogue.''" "''I did, too. Rogue Leader. A Duros named Lensi. A good man."

- Syal and Wedge Antilles, flying for Rakehell Squadron

In the year 40 ABY, the Five Worlds government of the Corellian system came into conflict with the Galactic Alliance, and Chief of State Cal Omas imposed a blockade of Corellia. Rogue Squadron were stationed with the blockade, and Jaina Solo, who had been prompted by the crisis to reenlist as an active starfighter pilot, served as a colonel and as Rogue Leader. In XJ7 X-wing starfighters, the squadron flew patrol duty in the Corellian Exclusion Zone behind Colonel Jacen Solo of the Galactic Alliance Guard, who had been given temporary command of the battle group. Due to tensions between the Solo twins, they were unable to maintain a Force meld with each other and with fellow Jedi Zekk. Tensions between the three further escalated when Jacen ordered Zekk to turn back a water tanker that was attempting to supply some Corellian shipyards, an order to which both Zekk and Jaina objected on moral grounds.

For three hours, the Rogues intimidated transports and supply vessels into turning around, albeit without firing any shots. When ships of the Corellian defense fleet finally arrived, Jacen destroyed a Corellian attack fighter after it launched a missile at him, effectively firing the first shot of the Second Galactic Civil War. When the blockade reached its sixth day, capital ships from several worlds sympathetic to Corellia's cause arrived to lend aid to the bedevilled planet. To avoid a major confrontation, Jaina and Zekk were the only two Rogues to accompany Jacen in that day's harrying sortie, which saw a spirited Atzerri freighter nearly collide with both Solo twins. Jaina disabled both of its laser cannons but was nevertheless ordered to destroy it by her brother; as the vessel was civilian, no longer a threat, and had already begun to flee, Jaina refused the order. Her brother consequently took out the ship and immediately suspended Jaina from duty. When Jacen attempted to court-martial her, Zekk resigned his commission in Rogue Squadron, and he and Jaina instead dedicated their war effort to the Jedi Order.

By 41 ABY, Jacen Solo had become a co-Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance, and in that year he led a strike at the Corellians' Centerpoint Station. Rogue Squadron launched from his flagship, the Anakin Solo, and soon encountered Rakehell Squadron, a group of Rogue alumni and other veteran pilots that was flying for the Alliance-opposed Jedi Coalition. Aerial combat commenced between the two squadrons. As former Rogue Leader Wedge Antilles and his daughter Syal, both flying for Rakehell, engaged in a dogfight with their enemies, Syal took out a Rogue and her father killed Lensi, the Rogue Leader. The Rakehells were not without losses of their own: the Jedi Knight Twool, Rakehell Six, was killed, and two more of their fighters were heavily damaged. When a Commenori task force reverted from hyperspace in support of the Corellians, the Rogues broke away from the Rakehells to engage the new threat. The battle came to an end when Centerpoint was destroyed, owing to sabotage from a Jedi strike team that had been escorted aboard the station by the Rakehells.

Sith-Imperial War
"Ho ho ho! You all right! Welcome to Rogue Squadron, Hondo Karr! Come! Andurgo give you ale! Brew it myself!''" "''A drink's a drink."

- Rogue pilots Andurgo and Hondo Karr, after a knife-fight with each other

Rogue Squadron was still an active squadron in 137 ABY as the most elite of all of the squadrons in the Galactic Alliance Remnant. Although the Galactic Alliance had since fallen, Admiral Gar Stazi was leading its Remnant in a campaign of hit-and-run battles against Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire, that formed a large theater of the ongoing Imperial Civil War. The Rogues were stationed aboard the Indomitable, a Scythe-class battle cruiser that served as the flagship of the Galactic Alliance Core Fleet, and were flying CF9 Crossfire starfighters. The Weequay Jhoram Bey was Rogue Leader, and the squadron members included the Klatooinian Ronto, the young and brash Human Anj Dahl, the hot-headed Dug Andurgo, and the Mon Calamari Monia Gahan, niece of former Galactic Alliance Triumvirate member Gial Gahan. In 137 ABY, the former Mandalorian Hondo Karr joined the squadron.

During the Battle of Mon Calamari, Rogue Squadron provided cover for the Alliance Remnant fleet. Intent on keeping incoming waves of Predator-class starfighters from attacking the Indomitable and other Alliance capital ships, the Rogues flew interference and shot down several fighters. Once the main objective of capturing the Imperious-class Star Destroyer Imperious was achieved, the Rogues fell back and covered Stazi's fleet as it jumped to a secret rendezvous point. Late in the battle, Jhoram Bey returned to the Indomitable to rescue an injured Admiral Stazi from his crippled flagship. As Captain Jaius Yorub piloted the Indomitable into the Mon Calamari shipyards on a suicide run, Bey, escorted by Anj Dahl and Andurgo, jumped to hyperspace and made it safely back to the Alliance rendezvous point. Bey was promoted to captain and took Yorub's former position at Stazi's side, and Dahl became the new Rogue Leader. Gahan and Ronto, among other Alliance pilots who had crash-landed onto Dac's surface, were soon after rescued by two Imperial Knights. Sigel Dare, one of the Knights, brought Gahan back to Stazi, and the encounter planted the seeds of an alliance between the Galactic Alliance Remnant and the Empire-in-exile.

The alliance was tested in the Battle of Ralltiir, a joint operation between the Alliance Remnant and the Empire-in-exile, where each government fielded an armada in an attack on Darth Krayt's Third Fleet. The Rogues were tasked with taking out an ion cannon on Ralltiir's Moon Twelve before it could set up a force field, and Gahan and Andurgo quickly achieved their objective before proceeding to target TIE predators. Admiral Peto Kelsan of the Third Fleet soon surrendered to overwhelming enemy strength, but when Captain Vaclen Tor of the frigate Steadfast refused the order, Admiral Edouard Fenel of the Empire-in-exile ordered all Imperial ships&mdash;including Peto's&mdash;to fire on the Steadfast. Peto refused, instead ordering all ships of the Third Fleet to self-destruct. Fenel and Stazi had hoped to capture the fleet intact, and an enraged Fenel ordered his forces to fire on Third Fleet escape pods. Stazi thus placed his own ships, including Rogue Squadron, in between the rival Imperial fleets, in order to prevent a massacre.

Both the escape pods and the self-destruct mechanism of the Steadfast had been damaged, however, and the Rogues protected the frigate from an angry Fenel's TIE predators. A potential dissolution of the coalition between the Galactic Alliance Remnant and the Empire-in-exile was averted when Stazi was able to contact exiled Emperor Roan Fel, and gift him the captured Steadfast. The Rogues later flew on a mission to rescue a group of Mon Calamari refugees from the genocide that Darth Krayt had declared against their species. On that mission, the Rogues encountered the Mandalorian bounty hunter, Tes Vevec&mdash;Hondo Karr's ex-wife. At the mission's end, Karr left the Rogues and teamed up with Vevec in order to pursue fellow Mandalorian Yaga Auchs, who had betrayed his clan and killed the Mandalore, Chernan Ordo. The genocide on Dac got worse when viral spores were released into the water world's oceans and began to kill every living thing on the planet; Rogue Squadron discovered millions of corpses floating on the seas three days later and reported it to Admiral Stazi after taking out several TIE predators. Stazi organized a massive Evacuation of Dac, during which the Rogues helped fend off attacking Imperials.

When Galactic Emperor Darth Krayt began an aggressive military push against the Alliance of the Remnant, the Empire-in-exile, and the New Jedi Order, the Rogues and Stazi's Imperious, since renamed the Alliance, stopped Imperial forces from bombing Falleen. There, they met the famed Sith hunter Cade Skywalker, who aided them in the battle. Rogue Squadron later fought with the Alliance fleet in the evacuation of the Jedi's Hidden Temple and in the final battle of the war over Coruscant. Although the Allies ultimately won the battle and, consequently, the war, both Ronto and Andurgo were killed.

Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker was one of two Red Squadron pilots to survive the Battle of Yavin in the year 0 BBY, an engagement in which he personally fired the proton torpedoes that destroyed the Empire's Death Star battlestation. New to the Rebel Alliance, the Force-sensitive Skywalker initially honed his talents as a pilot rather than his skills as a Jedi, and he was placed in charge of the burgeoning Rogue Flight by the Alliance's Commander Arhul Narra, leading them in various missions and racking up a number of victories. Skywalker commanded the ersatz Rogue Group in 3 ABY's Battle of Hoth, after which Wedge Antilles ascended to the Rogue Leader position. Skywalker flew often with the new Rogue Squadron over the following year, however,  taking the position of Rogue Leader with Antilles flying as Rogue One. In 4 ABY, Skywalker permanently retired from the Rogues, deciding to finally concentrate on rebuilding the Jedi Order. Nevertheless, he was promoted to the rank of general in the young New Republic, a commission which he did not resign until one year after Endor.

Wedge Antilles
A veteran of the cockpit, Wedge Antilles was often acclaimed as the best starfighter pilot in the galaxy. He developed tactics which were used as textbook examples for new Rebel pilots, and his X-wing piloting was used in simulators throughout the galaxy. His name was revered even among Imperial squadrons, and it went on to become synonymous with Rogue Squadron itself. A Red Squadron survivor of Yavin and a member of Rogue Flight right from its inception, Antilles was initially Skywalker's second-in-command in the nascent flight group. The two decided to expand Rogue Flight into a full squadron while stationed on Hoth, and Antilles participated in Rogue Group's defense of the Alliance's Echo Base, downing an AT-AT walker along with his gunner, Wes Janson. Finding himself the new Rogue Leader following that battle, Antilles led Rogue Squadron as a unit operating with no set mission profile. Placed in permanent command of the squadron a year later, just after leading it into the Battle of Endor, he commanded the Rogues until their temporary dissolution in 5 ABY and resumed his post when the unit was rebuilt one year afterward.

That post was resigned by Antilles when the New Republic refused to wage war against the warlord Ysanne Isard, and he commanded his own, unofficial Rogue Squadron to defeat her in the Bacta War. That conflict was retroactively deemed an official New Republic operation, but Antilles promoted Tycho Celchu to Rogue Leader and instead focused on building the new Wraith Squadron. He later returned to Rogue Squadron as Rogue Leader, but an eventual promotion to general took him out of active pilot duty. Rogue Squadron often flew under General Antilles's command, including a brief placement in the fighter wing known as Rogue Wing. He was back in the cockpit as Rogue Leader in 19 ABY, but following peace accords between the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant in that year, he retired from the military. Decades later, Antilles flew against the Rogues as a member of Rakehell Squadron, which was supporting the Galactic Alliance–opposed Jedi Coalition in the Second Galactic Civil War. To his deep regret, he shot down and killed Lensi, the current Rogue Leader.

Derek "Hobbie" Klivian
Derek Klivian, also known as Hobbie, enlisted in the Imperial Academy as a young man but quickly defected to the Rebel Alliance, becoming one of its most talented pilots. Although he missed being a part of Red Squadron at Yavin due to injury, Klivian was one of the earliest Rogues and flew with them at Hoth and Endor. When Rogue Squadron was recommissioned by the New Republic in 6 ABY, Klivian was assigned elsewhere to train new starfighter squadrons, but the New Republic brought him in to lead an ersatz Rogue Squadron one year later. He and Wes Janson cobbled together the temporary squadron in order to keep up New Republic citizens' morale following Antilles's resignation. After this brief run as Rogue Leader, Klivian continued flying with the squadron until his retirement, which came in the wake of the peace between the New Republic and Imperial Remnant. During his years as a Rogue, Klivian was known for his cautious pessimism and beloved for his vast experience in an X-wing fighter. He was also a survivor of many crashes and a frequenter of healing bacta tanks.

Tycho Celchu
A superior pilot, the Alderaanian Tycho Celchu served in the Imperial Academy until the Empire destroyed his homeworld. Defecting to the Alliance, Celchu soon joined the ranks of the Rogues and flew with them at the Battle of Hoth. Although he piloted an A-wing in the Alliance's Green Squadron at Endor, Celchu was soon back with the Rogues, but a brief period of Imperial imprisonment led some in the New Republic to suspect him of being a brainwashed sleeper agent. Antilles had to settle for installing Celchu as his Executive Officer in the recommissioned Rogue Squadron until the man's innocence could be proven. After the Bacta War, Celchu became temporary Rogue Leader while Antilles was building Wraith Squadron, and he took the position permanently following Antilles's promotion to general. Major Rogue operations under his command included the hunt for the Invid Pirates and the Orinda Campaign. Although Antilles was Rogue Leader during the Caamas Document Crisis of 19 ABY, it was Celchu who handed over command of the squadron to Gavin Darklighter before his retirement, which came shortly after Antilles's own.

Gavin Darklighter
After learning how to fly from behind the yoke of a T-16 skyhopper on his homeworld of Tatooine, Gavin Darklighter joined Rogue Squadron at the age of sixteen, making the cut in part due to his martyred cousin, Biggs. Support from his fellow Rogues enabled the young pilot to realize his full potential, and he proved his skills many times over, becoming a master of the strafing run. After years in the squadron and many battles fought, Darklighter became the new Rogue Leader when Antilles and Celchu both retired, but his command of the Rogues was tested by the threat of the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong. Serious squadron losses were suffered against the mysterious enemy coralskippers until Darklighter devised a countermeasure involving his X-wing's inertial compensators, and he went on to lead a rebuilt Rogue Squadron in numerous battles against the Yuuzhan Vong, including the evacuation of Coruscant and the later recapture of it. After the war, he became a commodore in the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet.

Corran Horn
The Force-sensitive ace pilot Corran Horn joined a restructured Rogue Squadron after the New Republic took notice of his flying skills and invited him to apply. He remained with the squadron for years, flying in some of the most important and dangerous missions in which any starfighters had ever been engaged. He also spent time honing his skills with the Force, and when he finally retired from the military, he became a full-time Jedi in Skywalker's order. Despite this, Horn briefly took command of Rogue Squadron during the Yuuzhan Vong War, serving as Rogue Leader during battles at Obroa-skai and at Ebaq 9.

Jaina Solo
Jaina Solo was a Jedi student and the niece of Luke Skywalker, skilled both with the Force and behind the controls of a starfighter. She was accepted into Rogue Squadron by Gavin Darklighter early in the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, and she flew in such engagements as the Battle of Dantooine. Darklighter quickly developed a great respect for her talents, but she was asked to take an indefinite leave of absence from the squadron when the Yuuzhan Vong began calling for the extermination of the Jedi. Solo soon took over Twin Suns Squadron from her uncle and commanded it for much of the remainder of the war. When the Corellian government began to rebel against the Galactic Alliance over a decade later, Solo volunteered for active flight duty and was put in command of Rogue Squadron. Her tenure as Rogue Leader was cut short, however, when her morality prompted her to refuse an order from her brother, who was in charge of the Rogues' battle group, and he suspended her from duty.

Lensi
Lensi, a Duros, had claimed a spot in Rogue Squadron a year and a half into the Yuuzhan Vong War. He flew in the Second Battle of Sernpidal, in which the Rogues were told by the rogue Jedi Kyp Durron that they were attacking a gravitic superweapon, but were in fact tricked into helping destroy an enemy worldship that was being grown for non-military purposes. The sting of Durron's lie remained with Lensi, and when he was involved in a feint attack on Yuuzhan Vong–held Duro more than two years later, he was kept in the dark about the battle's true nature and resigned his commission, feeling betrayed. Lensi later rejoined the squadron and eventually came to command it, but the Rogue Leader was shot down and killed by Wedge Antilles during the Second Galactic Civil War.

Jhoram Bey
In the year 137 ABY, the Weequay Jhoram Bey led Rogue Squadron during their assignment to the Galactic Alliance Core Fleet. He was dedicated to the fleet, and although the irregulars under his command were lacking in discipline, his strong presence and personality kept them in order and ensured that they were always combat-ready. When the flagship of the Galactic Alliance Remnant's leader, Gar Stazi, took major damage during a battle at Dac, Bey docked his fighter aboard the warship and rushed to its bridge. Stazi was planning to sacrifice his own life, but Bey punched his superior in the face in order to keep him alive and a symbol of hope to the embattled Alliance. As a reprisal, Stazi promoted Bey to be his new second-in-command.

Anj Dahl
A talented pilot and an enthusiastic troublemaker, Anj Dahl joined the Rogues several years after 130 ABY's Battle of Caamas. Feeling that everything could end at any moment, she embraced all that was fun in life. Dahl saw combat with Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire at Dac and at Raaltiir, replacing Jhoram Bey as Rogue Leader between the two battles. She was unhappy with the promotion, feeling that Bey had been a more capable commander, but fellow Rogue Hondo Karr believed that her only problem was treating her squadron mates as friends. Dahl stayed on as Rogue Leader through the war's end, leading the squadron against Krayt's forces in major engagements at Taivas and Coruscant.

Pilots
In alphabetical order

Original (Pre-Endor)

 * Alph
 * Wedge Antilles
 * Berl
 * Shira Brie
 * Bothan pilot
 * Carithlee
 * Tarrin Datch
 * Samoc Farr
 * Nala Hetsime
 * Barlon Hightower
 * Hosh Hune
 * Wes Janson
 * Zev Kabir
 * Kin Kian
 * Kirst
 * Derek Klivian
 * Tenk Lenso
 * Stevan Makintay
 * Tarn Mison
 * Kasan Moor
 * Stax Mullawny
 * Karie Neth
 * Ten Numb
 * Kesin Ommis
 * Vigrat Pomoner
 * Jek Pugilio
 * Dak Ralter
 * Dash Rendar
 * Gayla Riemann
 * Dix Rivan
 * Keir Santage
 * Sarkli
 * Will Scotian
 * Zev Senesca
 * Luke Skywalker
 * Gemmer Sojan
 * Cinda Tarheel
 * Hanc Thorben
 * Kit Valent
 * Wald
 * Wister

Post-Endor

 * Wedge Antilles
 * Feylis Ardele
 * Avan Beruss
 * Tycho Celchu
 * Soontir Fel
 * Xarcce Huwla
 * Ibtisam
 * Plourr Ilo
 * Herian I'ngre
 * Wes Janson
 * Standro Jcir
 * Dar Keyis
 * Derek Klivian
 * Elscol Loro
 * Dllr Nep
 * Luke Skywalker
 * Nrin Vakil

Reformation

 * Wedge Antilles
 * Tycho Celchu
 * Pash Cracken
 * Gavin Darklighter
 * Erisi Dlarit
 * Myn Donos
 * Inyri Forge
 * Lujayne Forge
 * Ghufran
 * Corran Horn
 * Andoorni Hui
 * Bror Jace
 * Wes Janson
 * Ran Kether
 * Derek Klivian
 * Kasan Moor
 * Kenn Nitram
 * Koobis Nu
 * Aril Nunb
 * Reme Pollar
 * Ooryl Qrygg
 * Pedna Scotian
 * Asyr Sei'lar
 * Riv Shiel
 * Khe-Jeen Slee
 * Tal'dira
 * Nawara Ven
 * Rhysati Ynr
 * Peshk Vri'syk
 * Vurrulf
 * Lyyr Zatoq

Yuuzhan Vong War and beyond

 * Wedge Antilles
 * Anni Capstan
 * Tycho Celchu
 * Gavin Darklighter
 * Dinger
 * Inyri Forge
 * Corran Horn
 * Lensi
 * Leth Liav
 * Kral Nevil
 * Volu Nyth
 * Ligg Panat
 * Jaina Solo
 * Dakorse Teep
 * Tik
 * Alinn Varth
 * Zekk

Sith-Imperial War/Second Imperial Civil War

 * Andurgo
 * Anj Dahl
 * Jhoram Bey
 * Hondo Karr
 * Monia Gahan
 * Ronto

Support personnel

 * Carter
 * Viera Cheran
 * Reina Faleur
 * Harthis
 * Koyi Komad
 * M-3PO (Emtrey)
 * Pirgi
 * R2-B3
 * R2-D2
 * R5-D2 (Mynock)/R5-G8 (Gate)
 * Shabba
 * Sparky
 * Toughcatch
 * Whistler
 * Zraii

Genesis
"And then in 1995, out of the blue, I picked up the phone and there was Mike. It seemed he'd just been contracted to write a series of Star Wars X-Wing books for Bantam and wanted to discuss the Rogue Squadron group I'd created for my own Star Wars books."

- Timothy Zahn

Rogue Squadron's origins date back to Irvin Kershner's 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, wherein Luke Skywalker commands a team of snowspeeder pilots during the Battle of Hoth that he calls "Rogue Group." The movie's novelization also uses the designation "Rogue Group," but its radio drama identifies the group as "Rogue Flight," a name that would be echoed in 1984's A Guide to the Star Wars Universe. Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, published in 1989, again uses "Rogue Group," and describes them as a squadron of starfighter pilots who are pressed into service flying snowspeeders in times of need. 1990's Rebel Alliance Sourcebook refers to all of the starfighter units assigned to Hoth's Echo Base as "rogue squadrons," and Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi, published in the same year, again uses the term "Rogue Group" to refer to Skywalker's squadron.

It was author Timothy Zahn who coined the term "Rogue Squadron" and established the Rogues as an elite fighting force of the New Republic, active five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, while writing his 1991 novel Heir to the Empire. The Second Edition of Galaxy Guide 3, published in 1996, went on to state that "Rogue Group" fell under the command of Wedge Antilles following the Battle of Hoth, and that it was remodeled and renamed "Rogue Squadron" prior to Return of the Jedi Battle of Endor. More recently, 2012's The Essential Guide to Warfare has established a definitive timeline regarding the squadron's nomenclature: "Rogue Flight" was born just after Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope Battle of Yavin, and while Skywalker and Antilles were later stationed on Hoth, they were considering expanding the flight into a full-fledged squadron. Hoth's Echo Base was attacked, however, and "Rogue Group" was an ersatz snowspeeder unit created from Rogue Flight, Green Squadron, and Blue Squadron, and tasked with defending Echo Base. The Rogues then became a full twelve-person squadron following the battle. Nevertheless, various sources refer to the pre-Hoth Rogues as either Rogue Group or Rogue Squadron.

A different origin story for the Rogues is given in Brian Wood's 2013–2014 comic series Star Wars. The series' tenth issue sees Skywalker and Antilles flying in the Rebel Alliance's black ops Stealth Squadron, which Antilles suggests renaming Rogue Squadron. Two issues later, he formally requests that Stealth Squadron be dissolved so that he may form Rogue Squadron, a proper Alliance squadron that fights out in the open. His request is approved. This runs contrary to the Rogue Squadron origin story given in Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition and reiterated in such sources as The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and The Essential Guide to Warfare. The two conflicting stories have not been reconciled.

As Return of the Jedi features Antilles leading a "Red Group" rather than a Rogue Squadron during the Battle of Endor, the first edition of Galaxy Guide 5 asserted that the Rogues reformed into Red Group prior to the battle. It has since been retconned that the name was merely a temporary one used to honor the heroes of Red Squadron from the earlier Battle of Yavin; the 1993 novel The Truce at Bakura sees the Rogues flying as Rogue Squadron again just one day after Endor. The 1977–1986 Star Wars comic series published by Marvel Comics features Rebel pilots flying X-wings in the time period between Hoth and Endor; some of the pilots and their missions were later retconned into being part of Rogue Squadron.

Development and impact
"&hellip; because of your reaction to and reception of the novels. The way you embraced them and the characters opened a whole new realm within the GFFA. Before you latched on to the eclectic collection of pilots, Star Wars™ was all princesses, pirates, droids and Jedi. Everyone else was expendable set dressing."

- Michael A. Stackpole, thanking fans for the success of the X-Wing books

Rogue Squadron has been the focus of a multitude of Expanded Universe works. Author Michael A. Stackpole was contracted by Bantam Spectra to write four X-Wing novels about the squadron in the mid-1990s, and he logged a large number of hours playing the X-wing and TIE Fighter video games in preparation. He also consulted friends of his who were pilots, read biographies of pilots, and watched television documentaries on fighter squadrons, the latter having been featured prominently on television due to the fiftieth anniversary of D-Day. Stackpole has referred to the books as "Star Wars meets Top Gun," which was in fact a theme suggested by Bantam editor Tom Dupree. The books were initially pitched to Stackpole as simply X-Wing books, and Lucasfilm Ltd.'s Sue Rostoni suggested to him that the first volume be about the Red Squadron pilots of A New Hope. He ultimately decided that Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron would be the ideal main focus, however, and he contacted Timothy Zahn to ask for details about the group in the New Republic era. The novels proved to be massive hits, pleasing fans and reaching The New York Times Best Seller list. Six additional X-Wing novels were later written, by Stackpole and by Aaron Allston.

Stackpole also authored a thirty-five issue comic series about Rogue Squadron, which, although it was canceled due to low sales, consistently remained one of Dark Horse Comics' most requested titles for years. A number of the Rogues from the series were later immortalized as Hasbro Inc. 3¾ inch action figures. The Rogues have factored into the plots of other Expanded Universe works as well, such as The New Jedi Order novel series and the Star Wars: Legacy comics.

Three Rogue Squadron video games were developed by Factor 5 and published by LucasArts. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was released for the Nintendo 64 and PC CD-ROM in 1998, and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike were respectively released in 2001 and 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube. Factor 5 also developed a compilation of the three games, entitled Star Wars: Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leaders, for the Xbox, but the project was canceled by Lucasarts. Further attempts to bring it to the Nintendo Wii were halted when Factor 5 went out of business. Another unfinished game, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron: X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter, was also canceled and eventually became the 2007 PlayStation 3 game Lair.

A 2002 Star Wars Insider article written by Jason Fry asserted that "In the Expanded Universe of comics, books, and videogames, no military unit is more famous than Rogue Squadron." It also highlighted the Rogues' status as loyal, working-class heroes who follow orders and perform impossible missions, setting them apart from the Force-using movie heroes who often decide the fate of the galaxy. Fans of Stackpole's X-Wing novels and comics agreed, telling the author that it was "very good to see someone else saving the universe." The analysis was echoed by Peet Janes, who edited the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comics and called the Rogues "some of the galaxy's greatest heroes, the 'working stiffs' of the Star Wars universe."

Writer Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly opined that Stackpole's best contribution to the Rogues' saga "was to portray Rogue Squadron as the everymen-and-women of the Star Wars galaxy. They didn't fight zero-sum battles against Death Stars; they fought renegade Imperials and war lords, they fought on land and over sea, in space and beyond." To Ryan Britt of Tor.com, the adventures of working-class pilots were both "something to see" and "endlessly interesting," and he suggested that the X-Wing comics were less like Top Gun in space and more akin to a mixture of The A-Team and Ghostbusters. On writing the 2005 comic miniseries X-Wing: Rogue Leader, author Haden Blackman described Rogue Squadron as "a microcosm of the Rebel Alliance as a whole, composed of different people from different backgrounds all working together."

The Rogues' adventures in the Expanded Universe received significant attention in online media in 2015 when the title of the first Star Wars Anthology film was revealed to be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Amid speculation that the movie would center on the Rogues, various websites related tales of the squadron that had been told throughout Star Wars media, some suggesting that they be adapted for the silver screen.

Non-canonical appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters video game
 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out