Blue Squadron (Rebel Alliance)/Legends

Blue Squadron was a starfighter squadron active in the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. Its pilots flew T-65 X-wings and B-wings among other starfighters used in the Rebel fleet.

Aboard Independence
When stationed aboard the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Independence, Blue Squadron was commanded by Captain Ernek Marskan. This squadron later transferred to Yavin Base just prior to the Battle of Yavin and many pilots, including Marskan, were reassigned for that battle.

Tantive IV
A group of fighters named Blue Squadron served as scouts for the Princess Leia Organa's Tantive IV shortly before the vessel was attacked by Imperial forces led by Darth Vader, prior to the Battle of Yavin.

Battle of Yavin
Blue Squadron served at the Rebel base on Yavin 4, and participated in the Battle of Yavin. It was essential in clearing the first Death Star's surface of turrets, and neutralized a larger laser cannon emplacement. Their main goal had been to join Green Squadron in an attack run on the station's superlaser, and also hopefully distract the Empire from the exhuast port attack.
 * Blue Leader - Captain Merrick Simms (X-wing)
 * Blue Two - Commander Ru Murleen (X-wing)
 * Blue Three - "Rookie One" (X-wing)
 * Blue Four - Thurlow Harris (X-wing)

Battle of Hoth
During the Battle of Hoth, members from the Rebellion's Blue and Green Squadrons and Rogue Flight were cobbled together and pressed into service as a unified "Rogue Squadron," doubling up as pilots and gunners aboard the Rebels' T-47 airspeeders.

First Battle of Bothawui
Following the Battle of Hoth, Luke Skywalker formed an unofficial Blue Squadron comprising Bothan agents piloting BTL Y-wing starfighters. They launched an attack against the Suprosa, a freighter carrying plans for the second Death Star. Many Bothans died on that mission.
 * Blue Six - Ace Azzameen

Aboard Defiance
Another Blue Squadron was assigned to the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Defiance during the build up to the Battle of Endor. At least one pilot, Blue Eight, was killed in action at the time. It is possible this was the same squadron that would serve at Endor.

Battle of Endor
Blue Squadron participated in the Battle of Endor, though the pilot roster had been revised by this time. Ackbar had originally hoped for a full squadron comprised solely of B-wing starfighters. However, due to an unfortunate shortage of qualified B-wing pilots, three A-wings were used to flesh out the squadron during the battle.

Each of Blue Squadron's three Flights contained three B-wings & one A-wing. The B-wings were charged with striking enemy capital ships while the A-wings kept them safe from starfighter attack. During the battle, the callsign "Blue Wing" was used to denote the squadron as a whole. However, it was also used as a moniker by the squadron's second-in-command.


 * Blue Leader: Merrick Simms (B-wing) (K.I.A.)
 * Blue Two (X.O.): "Blue Wing" (B-wing) (K.I.A.)
 * Blue Three: Unknown (B-wing)
 * Blue Four: Unknown (A-wing) (Survived)
 * Blue Five (Second Flight leader): Ten Numb (B-wing) (Survived)
 * Blue Six: Unknown (B-wing)
 * Blue Seven: Palso Thern (B-wing) (Survived)
 * Blue Eight: Unknown (A-wing) (Survived)
 * Blue Nine (Third Flight Leader): Keyan Farlander (B-wing) (Survived)
 * Blue Ten: Unknown (B-wing)
 * Blue Eleven: Unknown (B-wing)
 * Blue Twelve: Unknown (A-wing)
 * Ibtisam (flew as Blue 3, 6, 10 or 11) (B-wing) (Ejected)
 * Bowman Gavin (flew as Blue 3, 6, 10 or 11) (B-wing) (Survived)

After Blue Leader perished in the wake of an exploding Star Destroyer, two of Blue Squadron's flights joined Lando Calrissian's attack on the second Death Star. They later broke off from the attack in order to draw a group of pursuing TIE fighters away from Calrissian & Antilles. They were led by acting squad leader Blue Wing, who died at some point during the pursuit. Outside the Death Star, Farlander kept the third flight in reserve while helping to protect the Alliance's capital ships.

Though the Alliance succeeded in destroying the second Death Star, the Battle of Endor inflicted significant losses on Blue Squadron - four B-wing pilots had died, including both the squad leader and the executive officer. Another pilot was forced to eject and though she survived, her B-wing was destroyed and she took several months to recover from her injuries.

Ultimately, only Ten Numb, Keyan Farlander, Palso Thern, Bowman Gavin and the three temporary A-wing pilots remained on active duty. They were far from a full squadron and could not function as such. As former leader of Two Flight, Ten Numb was next in line to be named leader of Blue Squadron, such as it was.

Battle of Bakura
With the Ssi-ruuk invading and no time to replace the five lost pilots, Numb was forced to lead a single B-wing flight of Endor-survivors to Bakura to drive off the extra-galactic invaders. The three A-wings also participated in the battle, though they operated as a separate unit from the B-wings. Under Numb's leadership, pilots Farlander, Thern and Gavin all survived the battle.

Numb returned his triumphant B-wings to Endor where they were refitted to fight forest fires raging across the moon. He was killed shortly thereafter after being captured by Imperials during a ground mission on Corellia.

As former leader of Three Flight, it is most likely that Farlander was promoted to Blue Leader at this point, and that nine new B-wing pilots were recruited to fill the squadron's ranks, as Ackbar had always intended.

It is possible that Thern & Gavin became leaders of Two Flight & Three Flight, though Farlander may have recruited higher-ranking pilots to fill these roles. Ibtisam left Blue Squadron to join the Rogues after recovering from her injuries.

New Republic Service
The squadron was assigned to the New Republic base on Folor sometime afterwards.

Behind the scenes
During the making of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the X-wing squadron that Luke Skywalker was assigned to was given the designation "Blue Squadron." When it was realized that the blue markings on Blue Squadron's starfighters would be replaced by background footage during shots that incorporated a blue-screen, Blue Squadron was renamed "Red Squadron" and the name of the Y-wing squadron that originally bore that name was changed to "Gold Squadron." This change was not reflected in the novelization of A New Hope, which used the original designations for the squadron.

The information concerning the Battle of Yavin and the names of the pilots is derived from the S-canonical game Star Wars: Rebel Assault and is given with caution. The squadron seen defending Tantive IV in Star Wars: Empire at War may also be non-canonical.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * The Farlander Papers
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization
 * Star Wars: Rebel Assault
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Firepower
 * Star Wars 65: Golrath Never Forgets
 * Shadows of the Empire novel
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * X-wing: Rogue Leader 1
 * Dark Forces: Jedi Knight