Wedge Antilles

"It's like you said: the Death Star had to be stopped. Just as the Empire must be destroyed. If that's going to happen, some of us have to get blood on our hands. We have to be willing to kill, and willing to die. It's not easy and it never will be. But I can tell you this much, Kyrell. It's easier than standing by and doing nothing."

- Wedge Antilles, to Thane Kyrell

Wedge Antilles, known as TIE SS-2-5 during his time at Skystrike Academy, was a renowned human male starfighter pilot from Corellia who first served in the Imperial Navy as a TIE fighter pilot until defecting to join the rebellion. He would also serve in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and years later the New Republic during their fight against the Galactic Empire. He became a member of the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War and fought in several battles of the war. He fought in the Battle of Yavin, where he flew in Red Squadron alongside Luke Skywalker. After Skywalker destroyed the Death Star, he and Antilles were left as the only survivors of Red Squadron.

In the years that followed, Antilles became a respected member of Rogue Squadron, flying as Rogue Three during the Battle of Hoth. Antilles and his gunner Wes Janson became the first duo to successfully destroy one of the All Terrain Armored Transports that were attempting to destroy Echo Base, the Rebel outpost on the planet Hoth, while aboard an T-47 airspeeder. Six months after the evacuation from Hoth, Antilles commanded Red Squadron during the Battle of Endor, and he and General Lando Calrissian destroyed the second Death Star during the battle. The decisive battle led to the death of the Emperor, Darth Sidious, and left the Empire shattered in their defeat.

The Rebel Alliance soon reorganized into the New Republic, and Antilles continued to serve in their war against the now weakened Empire. Antilles undertook a lone reconnaissance mission to the planet Akiva, where he was captured while observing a gathering of Imperial forces that were preparing for a counterattack against the Republic. Following the rebellion on Akiva, Antilles formed Phantom Squadron and took part in the liberation of Kashyyyk. While Phantom Squadron was disbanded by the New Republic authorities for launching an unauthorized strike on Kashyyyk, Wedge was able to reform the squadron in time for the Battle of Jakku. Following the signing of the Galactic Concordance, Antilles retired to Hosnian Prime to work as a flight instructor.

Early life
"The Empire hurt people close to me. Family. Friends. A girl I loved, once."

- Antilles, to Admiral Rae Sloane on why he became a Rebel

Wedge Antilles hailed from the planet Corellia, where he grew up getting his hands dirty at a fuel depot and working local farms in his spare time, and where he became a pilot and a mechanic.

At a time when Antilles was flying cargo ships, the Galactic Empire recruited him and he accepted as it seemed more exciting than hauling spare parts around the galaxy. Antilles enrolled in Skystrike Academy, located on the planet Montross, to train as an elite TIE fighter pilot. During his attendance, he met fellow cadets Derek "Hobbie" Klivian and Rake Gahree. He became aware of the Empire's cruelty, partly because it hurt people close to him&mdash;his family, friends, a girl he once loved. In time, his desire to defect to the rebellion attracted the attention of "Fulcrum", who recruited him.

Skystrike Academy
"Commander, we heard you're looking for some good pilots."

- Wedge Antilles, to Jun Sato

In 2 BBY, after Imperial forces massacred the surrendering crew of a rebel transport near Teralov, Antilles contacted Fulcrum to defect alongside Gahree and Klivian; Fulcrum in turn relayed his message to the leaders of the Phoenix Cell. They dispatched the former Imperial cadet and Mandalorian explosives expert Sabine Wren on an undercover mission to rescue the cadets. Sabine infiltrated the Academy as a cadet under the name "Ria Talla".

Antilles met "Talla" during a TIE fighter simulator exercise, in which they destroyed several rebel Y-wings but hesitated at shooting an unarmed transport. As a result, their fighters were destroyed by a simulated version of the Ghost, flown by Captain Vult Skerris, who lectured Antilles and Wren that the consequence of insubordination was death in combat. Following the exercise, Antilles warned Wren that people at the Academy did not usually care about ethics. After Governor Arihnda Pryce and Agent Kallus arrived to investigate rumors of defectors, Gahree argued that they were undertaking risky action, but Antilles told him and Klivian to relax.

Later, Antilles met with Wren at a hangar bay where he confided his unease with the recent simulator exercise. He voiced that he had not signed up to kill indiscriminately, and finally expressed a desire to leave, to which Wren revealed her true name and reassured Antilles that the rebels had gotten his message. She then told Antilles and his friends to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, but when he asked Wren about her plan, she responded that she would think it up, much to Antilles' surprise.

An opportunity to escape arose when Pryce had Commandant Goran order the cadets to engage in a mock combat exercise in space. When Wren's support CR90 corvette arrived, Antilles, Gahree and Klivian followed at her direction towards the rebel corvette. However, Governor Pryce disabled their solar collectors, leaving them stranded in space. Under her orders, Captain Skerris destroyed Gahree's fighter as a warning to the rebels and drove away the rebel vessel. Antilles, Klivian and Wren were brought before Pryce, who demanded to know which one of them was the rebel agent and threatened to fasten Antilles to a torture device. To protect him, Wren identified herself as the agent. The trio was then separated, as Kallus escorted Antilles and Klivian to their holding cell.

Inside, the two pilots argued about the merits of escaping without a plan, when they were freed by Wren after she had escaped from Pryce. Being pursued by stormtroopers, the trio fled down a corridor only to run into Agent Kallus, who due to his encounter with Wren's comrade Garazeb Orrelios, helped them to escape by telling them to head to Hangar 24. Once there, the fugitives commandeered a TIE/sa bomber. Antilles piloted the slow-moving craft which was pursued by Skerris' TIE Interceptor. Despite taking several hits, the trio managed to escape when Wren's rebel comrades arrived in their CR90 corvette, they made the jump into hyperspace together. Upon their arrival at Chopper Base on Atollon, they were greeted by Commander Jun Sato, who welcomed Antilles and Klivian into the rebellion.

Chopper Base
"Hobbie, Wedge, let's go! Move it!"

- Hera Syndulla, to Antilles and "Hobbie" Klivian

Shortly after the Ghost team's mission to Geonosis, Antilles and Klivian were sent by Captain Hera Syndulla on a training exercise away from Chopper Base, along with several other Phoenix Group personnel. During his absence, an E-XD infiltrator droid designated EXD-9 found the base and attempted to broadcast its location to the Imperial Navy, only for Garazeb Orrelios, AP-5, and C1-10P to send it back to its Star Destroyer with its self-destruct mechanism activated. Although the rebellion was able to keep the location of its Atollon base secret for the time being, Grand Admiral Thrawn was able to use the incident to narrow down the possibilities for the base's location.

Killun 71
"Now I can see why I got this mission. Nobody else wanted it."

- Wedge Antilles on the bickering between AP-5 and C1-10P "Chopper"

Following the reorganization of the rebellion into the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Lieutenant Antilles undertook a mission on behalf of Phoenix Leader Hera Syndulla to steal a set of clearance codes for the Lothal strike mission from the Imperial Security Bureau station on Killun 71. For the mission, Wedge was disguised as a TIE fighter pilot and was accompanied by the rebel droids AP-5 and Chopper. The rebels traveled to the base in a stolen Sentinel-class landing craft.

Wedge found AP-5 and Chopper to be petty and quarrelsome. Antilles was irked by AP-5's fastidiousness but remained focused on the mission. Using stolen clearance codes and posing as a TIE fighter pilot, Antilles managed to land the Sentinel shuttle without incident at Killun Station under the pretext of delivering two new droids to the base. While Antilles waited aboard the shuttle, AP-5 and Chopper infiltrated the base. AP-5 managed to obtain the clearance codes from the central computer. However, Chopper was hijacked by a team of Imperial slicers while accessing a terminal network.

During the return journey, Antilles did not suspect anything suspicious about Chopper. The Imperial-controlled Chopper curried favor with Antilles by offering him blue milk. AP-5 tried to warn Wedge but the young pilot thought that the RA-7 protocol droid was being paranoid. Wedge was irked when AP-5 followed him into the refresher and accused the protocol droid of dabbling in conspiracy theories. Unknown to AP-5 and Wedge, their movements and conversations were being watched by the Imperial slicers, whose controller was determined to find the location of Chopper Base.

After returning to the Ghost, Antilles told Hera, Ezra, and Zeb that AP-5 and Chopper were playing a sort of spy game. While Zeb and Ezra shared Wedge's sentiments, AP-5 insisted that something was wrong and managed to warn Hera. While Hera stopped Chopper from downloading the ship's hyperspace logs, Wedge related his encounter with AP-5 in the refresher. After Hera returned to the common area and reaffirmed AP-5's warnings, Antilles joined the Spectres in searching for Chopper, who had headed to the engine room.

Chopper managed to trap the rebels in the cargo bay and seal the entrances. Under the control of his Imperial handlers, Chopper then exposed the cargo bay to zero gravity space in an attempt to kill the rebels. Hera managed to seal the hatch manually but the rebels were unable to return to the cockpit. Since AP-5 did not need a spacesuit and had a magnetic body, the protocol droid was dispatched to open the cargo bay from outside. This enabled Wedge and the other rebels to enter the cockpit, stun Chopper, and remove the data spike which the Imperials were using to download data from the Ghost navigation computer.

Hera then removed the Imperial programming from Chopper and retaliated against the Imperials by transmitting a large amount of data back to the IGV-55 surveillance vessel that the slicers were operating from. This data overload caused the Gozanti cruiser to explode, eliminating the Imperial threat to the rebellion. After returning Chopper to his prior state, the rebels rescued AP-5, who was stranded in space. Antilles was present at the cargo bay when AP-5 reunited with the other rebels. When AP-5 insulted Chopper for apologizing, Chopper waved his appendages. One of them struck Antilles, who expressed his frustration with the droids and insisted on flying solo.

Battle of Atollon
"Phoenix Squadron, let's get out of here!"'' "''Roger, Phoenix Leader. We're right behind you."

- Captain Hera Syndulla and Wedge Antilles near the end of the battle

Antilles and Hobbie later flew A-wing starfighters during the Battle of Atollon. Wedge told Hobbie to follow him as they tried to attack Thrawn's AT-AT walkers. However, they came under attack from TIE fighters. Wedge and Hobbie managed to escape with the remnants of Phoenix Squadron and General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group to Yavin 4.

Supply mission
"Sorry about the mission. If we just could've..."

- Wedge Antilles to Hera Syndulla

Antilles was stationed at Base One on Yavin 4 under the command of Syndulla, Antilles later flew a Y-wing starfighter on a supply mission. Since the Empire had been monitoring their movements through a relay station at Jalindi, the squadron was ambushed and suffered damaged. Wedge and his squadron managed to return to Yavin 4. While descending, Antilles dumped fuel at the advice of Hera. Wedge and his starfighter survived the landing.

Comradeship
During one of his first missions as a pilot for the Alliance, Antilles crashed an A-wing at the lip of a volcano, allegedly at the urging of Fulcrum. The crash broke one of his legs in three places, almost cutting short his career as a Rebel pilot, but he convinced the Alliance leadership to let him work aboard a freighter, where he manned the laser cannons and occasionally worked as a navigator. While in the service of the Rebellion, he became friends with fellow pilots such as Biggs Darklighter and Jek Tono Porkins.

Battle of Scarif
"Attention, all flight personnel, please report to your commanders immediately. All flight personnel, please report to your commanders immediately. We have been redirected to Scarif. Pilots, you'll be briefed by your squadron leaders en route. May the Force be with you."

- Wedge Antilles, to all rebel pilots

When a squad of Rebel soldiers under the name "Rogue One" took it upon themselves to steal the plans of the Death Star, Alliance High Command learned that they had engaged in a battle on Scarif (which marked the beginning of the Galactic Civil War), they decided to deploy support; Antilles was tasked to announce to flight personnel to report in and redirect to Scarif, although he himself stayed on Yavin.

Battle of Yavin
"Look at the size of that thing!"

- Wedge Antilles, upon seeing the Death Star for the first time

While the Rebel forces suffered heavy losses during the battle, Princess Leia Organa and her companions on the Millennium Falcon eventually brought the plans to Yavin. Antilles was tasked to oversee a simulation test for a new recruit, Luke Skywalker. He explained the test to the newcomer, and noting that Skywalker had lasted over 30 seconds on his first try, Antilles advised him to listen, and encouraged not to give up. In his second try, Skywalker surpassed Antilles' highest score, and Antilles joked that should Skywalker write an autobiography, he should write 'I owe everything to Wedge Antilles', when Skywalker told it was only because he had helped him.

With the Death Star approaching, its readouts were analyzed, and Antilles attended a briefing by Dodonna in which Dodonna over-viewed the plan of attack. It involved starfighters assaulting the Death Star and firing a proton torpedo into a two-meter-wide thermal exhaust port.

As a member of Red Squadron, Antilles flew a T-65B X-wing starfighter under the callsign "Red Two" when the Alliance launched the Battle of Yavin. With only fifteen minutes to spare, Antilles destroyed a number of enemy targets but, in the process, lost his friend Porkins to enemy fire. When Skywalker was unable to shake a TIE fighter that pursued him, Antilles destroyed the TIE fighter and saved the rookie pilot.

As Red Leader Garven Dreis failed in his attempt to fire a torpedo into the reactor shaft and was killed by Darth Vader on his TIE Advanced x1, Antilles joined Skywalker and Darklighter in a trench run, covering Skywalker on the lead. A hit from Vader's TIE damaged hydraulic lines on Antilles' X-wing (which had been hastily repaired following the Battle of Scarif), forcing him to pull out of the trench shortly before Darklighter was killed by Vader. Antilles attempted to re-enter the trench with a group of TIE fighters trailing him, but backed off after Skywalker was able to fire proton torpedoes at the exhaust port, with help from the timely arrival of the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Skywalker's friends Han Solo and Chewbacca. Antilles' X-wing was one of only four ships to return to Yavin 4, and of the twelve members of Red Squadron, he and Skywalker were the only survivors of the battle.

After the battle ended, the Alliance began evacuating the planet, as the Empire knew of their location and were sure to retaliate as a result of the Death Star's destruction. During the evacuation, Princess Organa joined with Rebel pilot Evaan Verlaine and Skywalker's astromech droid, R2-D2, to undertake a mission to rescue and unite the Alderaanians who survived the destruction of Alderaan. The trio stole a shuttle from the Rebel base, leaving on their mission in defiance of General Dodonna's orders. Antilles and Skywalker were sent to intercept the shuttle and return the escaping Rebels to the Great Temple, but Verlaine, who piloted the shuttle, outmaneuvered the two X-wing pilots and the shuttle jumped into hyperspace. Organa went on to successfully complete her mission.

Mission to Giju
"You know, for just an hour I'd like to know what it's like to fly with the Force watching my back.''" "''It's almost as good as having you watching my back."

- Wedge Antilles and Luke Skywalker

Newly-appointed Red Leader Commander Narra asked Antilles and Skywalker to continue to fly with Red Squadron, while making it clear that neither of them should expect special treatment for surviving an encounter with the Death Star, even if they did destroy it, and the two accepted. After numerous missions alongside Skywalker and earning each other's complete trust, Antilles assisted on a mission for Red Squadron above Giju, under the designation "Red Three". Antilles, Skywalker and Narra escorted a transport carrying underground rebel leaders being evacuated from the planet.

Once the package was clear and calculating its jump into hyperspace, the three followed the scatter protocol to meet at the rendezvous point, Devaron, at 2300 hours. As he arrived, he attached his X-wing to a freighter at a refueling station. Antilles soon met with Skywalker, who was then sent with his two faithful droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, and the Y 4 on a mission for Chancellor Mon Mothma; Antilles wished him good luck before parting ways.

The Harbinger
"This is Red Three. I've got eyes on the breach. Making my run now."

- Wedge Antilles, to the rest of the Alliance Fleet

Sometime later, in order to break the blockade of Tureen VII, Antilles was part of an operation to hijack the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Harbinger, along with the rest of Red Squadron, the Millennium Falcon and Rebel-allied smuggler Sana Starros. During the proceedings, Antilles engaged the hoard of TIE fighters deployed by the Harbinger, as did all members of Red Squadron, so as to cover the Falcon while Solo made his run to open a breach in the Star Destroyer's hull near the main engine reactor with proton bombs. Once they successfully did so, Antilles used his chance and fired proton torpedoes to overload the reactor; although they hit the mark, it did not overload as expected and Skywalker was forced to make a run into the breach and overloaded the reactor at close-range.

Upon the Harbinger imminent self-destruction, its admiral ordered all personnel to evacuate, leaving Antilles and Red Squadron to intercept all Imperial vessels, while the Falcon entered the Star Destroyer. When Antilles lost communication with them, he was momentarily worried, but the mission was a success&mdash;the infiltration team jettisoned Harbinger main reactor into space and avoided the explosion, while leading Imperial evacuees to inform Imperial Command that they had lost the ship. After the operation, Blue Squadron and Red Squadron were tasked to defend the Harbinger.

The Storms of Crait
"You want to come after Wedge Antiles...You better bring a Star Destroyer!"

- Wedge Antilles to SCAR Squadron

Antilles later joined the mission to Crait to see if it could be used as a rebel base.

Mission to Oulanne
"You defied the Empire alone. You gave up the life and career you'd built rather than violate your principles. I'd call that brave."

- Wedge Antilles, to Thane Kyrell

Eighteen months after the Battle of Yavin, Antilles as a Lieutenant Commander led a mercy mission to Oulanne. Alongside other Rebel pilots, they delivered a substantial haul of medical supplies and emergency rations after a massive earthquake had devastated part of its megacontinent a month before. Upon learning that the Mighty Oak Apocalypse on behalf of off-world Oulannists had come to their aid as well, Antilles and his fellow pilots helped them distribute the supplies after a megahurricane. Impressed by the Moa’s pilot Thane Kyrell, Antilles asked Kyrell if he had done other mercy runs (which he had) and asked him to speak with him in private after they had finished unloading the crates.

During their conversation, although Kyrell revealed he was an ex-Imperial pilot, Antilles asked him to join the Rebellion. Kyrell initially refused, but after a few hours, some Corellian ale and a talk with his employer Lohgarra, he accepted Antilles' invitation.

Battle of Hoth
"Whoa! That got him!"

- Antilles, after destroying a downed All Terrain Armored Transport

In 3 ABY, Antilles was assigned to Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth, where he served alongside Skywalker as a veteran member of Rogue Squadron, which he fought with in a number of battles during the war. The base was discovered by an Imperial probe droid and assaulted by Imperial forces, prompting the entire Rogue Squadron to engage the All Terrain Armored Transports, which approached the base in order to destroy its energy shield and allow Imperial forces to land.

Led by Skywalker, the squadron flew T-47 airspeeders and Antilles, as Rogue Three, and his gunner, Wes Janson, attempted to destroy the walkers using conventional laser weaponry, but the AT-AT armor proved too strong for blasters. Skywalker ordered his squadron to begin using tow cables to bring them crashing down, and Antilles and Janson were assigned to the first attempt. Janson shot the tow cable onto one of the AT-ATs while Antilles piloted the snowfighter around the walker, tangling its legs in the cables until the giant vehicle fell onto the snowy battlefield. The crash left its neck exposed, and Antilles fired the shot that hit the weak point and destroyed the AT-AT, becoming the first pilot in the battle to destroy one of the walkers.

The efforts of the Rogue Squadron were ultimately unsuccessful—the AT-ATs destroyed the shield generator, and Imperial forces led by Darth Vader overran Echo Base. As they did so, Antilles and the remaining Rebels escaped the ice world; aboard an X-wing fighter, Antilles, along with Janson and Klivian, helped the last Rebel transport, the Bright Hope, escape Hoth and regroup with the Alliance Fleet at a rendezvous point onboard the MC80 star cruiser Liberty. There, Antilles informed Thane Kyrell of Dak Ralter's death during the Battle of Hoth, after congratulating each other on the walkers they each had taken down. Afterwards, as several vital personnel were missing, General Carlist Rieekan called an emergency conference of the senior officers attached to their portion of the fleet, which Antilles got pulled into.

Zastiga
After becoming the wing commander of Red Squadron, Antilles went to Zastiga, where he met with Skywalker while the Alliance High Command held a top-clearance meeting. He reunited with Nien Nunb and Skywalker for a discussion of "reconnaissance tactics" about Antilles' refusal to pay the Sullustan a drink after saving him at Hagar Secundus, which he had eluded several times.

In addition to the command of the Red Squadron, Antilles achieved the rank of Commander.

Battle of Endor
"Alright, Wedge. Go for the power regulator on the north tower.''" "''Copy, Gold Leader. I'm already on my way out."

- Lando Calrissian and Antilles, as they fired the shots that destroyed the second Death Star

After the Battle of Hoth, Antilles was present at a briefing aboard the Rebel command ship, Home One, in which High Command introduced the plan to destroy the shield generator protecting the Empire's second Death Star and revealed that Emperor Palpatine himself was aboard the Death Star to oversee the final stages of the station's construction. His squadron (as well as Gold and Green Squadrons) was assigned to be part of General Lando Calrissian's strike force to enter the Death Star and destroy it from the inside. For the assault, Antilles appointed Norra Wexley.

Along with the rest of the Alliance Fleet, Antilles and his squadron arrived to the Endor system, only to discover that the deflector shield was still operational. Lured into the Emperor's trap, the Rebel fleet found itself under attack by the Imperial fleet's TIE fighters. After a heads-up from Calrissian, Antilles ordered Red Two and Red Three Sila Kott to pull in, when another two TIEs came in; Antilles then ordered his accompanying fighters to cut to the left, while he took out the TIE leader. At the same time that the Millennium Falcon destroyed two other TIEs, Antilles noticed the remaining three of the group headed for EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Redemption. Antilles then knocked out the leader, but not before two X-wings were shot down and the Falcon took a brutal hit to its forward deflectors, and still more TIE fighters bombarded the frigate until the hull started to crack.

It was then that Calrissian ordered all fighter squadrons to accelerate to attack speed and follow him to the encounter of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, in order to draw Imperial fire off their cruisers. Antilles, along with the remainder of the Alliance Starfighter Corps, engaged then a horde of TIE fighters that rushed to meet their attack.

However, General Solo and his Endor strike team managed to destroy the shield generator on the moon below, allowing Antilles, Calrissian and Nunb on the Millennium Falcon, and the remainder of Red and Gold Squadron to enter the superstructure, making their way through a maze in order to reach the reactor core. As Antilles destroyed the power regulators on the north tower, the Falcon destroyed the core itself, setting off a chain reaction that left the two pilots in a race against time. Antilles escaped first, followed closely thereafter by the Millennium Falcon, before the Death Star was consumed by a massive explosion.

After the battle, the Alliance forces headed for the surface of Endor, where they joined Solo, Organa, and their team in Bright Tree Village, the home of the Ewoks who had helped them destroy the shield generator. Rebels and Ewoks alike held a celebration honoring their decisive victory over the Empire, and Antilles was in attendance. He shook hands with Chewbacca and shared a hug with his friend Skywalker, as all of the Rebel forces rejoiced in their victory before setting out on the difficult task to restore the Galactic Republic. For his part, Antilles looked forward to further service with Rogue Squadron.

Mission to Malastare
Some time following the Battle of Endor, Antilles scouted an Imperial communications hub on Malastare which would later be targeted in a mission spearheaded by Blade Squadron.

Imperial Future Council
"The galaxy is home to good people. There's more of us than there are of you.''" "It's not about numbers or percentages. It's about faith. The few of us have infinitely more faith than the many of you." "I have faith in the New Republic." "And that faith will be tested." "''Your face will be tested when I kick in your teeth."

- Wedge Antilles and Yupe Tashu

Months later, now a pilot (and having obtained the rank of Captain) of the New Republic, Antilles believed the Imperial forces had moved to the Outer Rim and told Ackbar and Mothma he had devised a run to find the supply lines that were bolstering the Imperials. On the HH-87 Starhopper Rover, under the alias "Gev Hessan", Antilles set out on a reconnaissance mission that took him to Florrum, Ryloth, Hinari, Abafar, Raydonia and Akiva, where he finally found signs of the Imperial remnant. His false identity was discovered by the Star Destroyer Vigilance, which captured the Rover with a tractor beam. Antilles destroyed his ship once inside the Vigilance, avoiding capture by clambering through ventilation ducts and making his way to the communications room to send a message through the local channel traffic, hoping to find a sympathizer in the world below.

Admiral Rae Sloane found Antilles and had him arrested; she also provided medical attention for him while they descended to the planet below, keeping him sedated during the Imperial Future Council's first meeting. After intermittent torture by Yupe Tashu, Sloane appeared in his cell and asked why Antilles had joined the Empire before leaving him alone. After another confrontation with Tashu, Antilles escaped after Sloane had destroyed part of the palace with one of the turbolaser cannons set up across Myrra, to stop Norra Wexley's assault. Though Antilles discovered a secret passage to escape, he decided to stay; he fought Adea Rite over her holoscreen and sent a summons to war to the Republic channels, before passing out and falling in Sloane's hands again.

Strapped down to a hovering table ushered forward by a pair of stormtroopers and a 2-1B medical droid, the badly-injured Antilles was later transported to the Golden Harp, when he saluted Norra Wexley—who had been trying to rescue him. Kept in a separate room from everyone else, he was rescued by her son, Temmin, once the ship crash-landed on the Vigilance and brought onto a Lambda-class shuttle to be piloted by Jas Emari. Thanks to them, was brought to Hanna City in Chandrila, where he received medical treatment. After a week, he met with Ackbar, and together they awarded Norra Wexley a medal, but also informed her of the battle's outcome, and assigned her and her team from Akiva a new mission—to hunt Imperial war criminals.

Friend of the Wexleys
"And hey, watch your mouth, will you? I don't want your mom thinking you're picking up that kind of language from me." "Sure, Dad, whatever you say. I'll get the next flight right."

- Wedge became a mentor for Temmin Wexley

Due to Tashu's torture, he was forced to remain on Chandrila until he was fully recovered. Meanwhile, he worked as a liaison for Wexley's team, and trained Temmin (whom he nicknamed "Snap" for habit) as an X-wing pilot. Antilles let the boy run training exercises out in his personal X-wing over the Silver Sea. He also developed feelings for Norra, but did not act on them openly. At the same time, he decided to create Phantom Squadron.

After a few months, Leia Organa asked Antilles to help her find her missing husband, Han Solo. Antilles accepted and, as per her request, summoned Norra Wexley to her as soon as she and her team arrived from their mission to capture Perwin Gedde. Once she accepted the mission to find Solo, Antilles told Kyrsta Agate about the mission before accompanying Wexley on her MK-4 freighter Moth to Solo's last known location, near Warrin Station, and invited her to a drink before arriving at the coordinates. Though they found no trace of the Millennium Falcon, they found wreckage and a still-functioning Prowler probe droid, which alerted their presence to the Star Destroyer Scythe. The Concord, under Agate's command, and the Sunspire soon came to their rescue, destroying the Imperial ships. Hailed by the Concord, Wexley kissed Antilles.

Upon their return to Chandrila, Antilles and Agate met with Ackbar and Organa (who was reprimanded for her request), and was later present when Ackbar ordered Wexley and her team to stop the manhunt for Solo. Wexley, however, refused and resigned her commission to go look for Solo with her team. Their search eventually meant the liberation of prisoners from Ashmead's Lock on Kashyyyk, who traveled to Chandrila on the Falcon. Alongside Organa, Antilles went to greet Wexley upon her arrival; however, they were both disappointed: Solo had remained behind to liberate Kashyyyk and Wexley had found her missing husband, Brentin.

Liberation of Kashyyyk
"Phantom Squadron's got your back, General Organa. Let's save the day and bring it home."

- Wedge Antilles, to Leia Organa

In the following month, as his leg was almost fully healed, he was assigned to the special security detail for the upcoming Liberation Day celebrations and the Imperial-Republic peace talks. That day, Antilles was overlooking the day's events from a balcony when he received a recorded message from Organa, telling him she had gone to the Kashyyyk system alone with Evaan Verlaine on the Falcon, and invited him to intervene. At once, Antilles notified Mon Mothma of this but promptly left Chandrila alongside Phantom Squadron.

Captain Antilles' Phantom Squadron and Princess Leia battled the three Imperial Star Destroyers Dominion, Vitiator and Neutralizer above Kashyyyk. Their meager forces were soon reinforced by Admiral Ackbar's flagship Home One. Han Solo managed to hijack the Dominion and turned the ship's guns on the Vitiator and Neutralizer; destroying the former and forcing the latter to surrender. Though they were successful, and Organa was reunited with Solo, the Republic had received a blow during the concurrent attack on Chandrila and the scattered Imperial Fleet gathered on Jakku.

Following the liberation of Kashyyyk, Wedge watched his friend Temmin crash an X-wing during a computer simulator exercise. When Temmin demanded to fly a real X-wing, Wedge responded that the New Republic military authorities had tightened access to X-wings. He also promised the boy that if he improved his simulator scores, he could arrange for Temmin to have a ship before the next moon alignment. When Temmin remarked that his own father Brentin, who had been implanted with an inorganic biochip, had tried to assassinate Chancellor Mothma, Wedge asked if things with Norra were better.

Temmin then complimented Wedge for his flying during the liberation of Kashyyyk. Wedge responded that the full credit should go to Leia. Wedge also added that he had done what Leia had needed him to do and also warned Snap to watch his language. Temmin addressed Wedge as "Dad" and promised to do as he said. Temmin then asked if he could go for another round on the simulator but changed his mind after receiving a message from his mother Norra. Before Snap left, Wedge told the boy that he was welcome to try the simulator again.

Battle of Jakku
"Phantom Leader, you've got a bug on your back. Lemme swat him for you."

- Temmin covering Wedge's back during the Battle of Jakku

Despite being given a medal and publicly praised for his actions during the liberation of Kashyyyk, disciplinary action was taken against Wedge and his fellow Phantom Squadron pilots for embarking on an unsanctioned mission outside the New Republic command structure. Phantom Squadron was dissolved and Wedge was reassigned to managing the New Republic military base on Chandrila. Wedge's fellow Phantom pilots Koko, Jethpur, and Yarra were also reassigned to support duties.

Following the discovery of Imperial remnants forces on the Inner Rim planet Jakku, Temmin visited Wedge and sought his help in rescuing his mother Norra, who had infiltrated Jakku in order to hunt down Grand Admiral Sloane, the purported architect behind the attack on Chandrila. Lacking the necessary flight clearances, Wedge told Temmin he was unable to help and counseled the boy to wait until the New Republic sent its military forces to Jakku. Angered, Temmin stormed out of the hangar bay.

After the Galactic Senate sanctioned the deployment of military forces to Jakku, Temmin visited Wedge again in order to enlist for the battle. Wedge responded that Phantom Squadron had been shut down. Temmin managed to convince Wedge to change his mind by pointing out that his mom Norra and droid Mister Bones were on Jakku. He also reminded Antilles of his heroic actions against the Empire and the Death Stars. Wedge realized that the boy was right and told Temmin to meet him at Hangar Forty-Seven in two hours' time. He added that Phantom Squadron was housed in that hangar.

Wedge and his fellow Phantom Squadron pilots including Temmin entered the Battle of Jakku after the main New Republic fleet had arrived. Since the space above Jakku was crowded, Wedge heeded Temmin's advice that the squadron attack the Imperial air-to-space defenses so that New Republic ground forces could land on the planet. Under Wedge's orders, Phantom Squadron attacked any TIE fighters, troop carriers, and Imperial walkers they encountered. The battle turned in the New Republic's favor when Commodore Agate succeeded in downing the Imperial Super Star Destroyer Ravager, which served as the enemy command ship.

While pursuing TIE fighters, Wedge and his fellow pilots received word from Admiral Ackbar that the Ravager had been brought down and to beware of falling debris. Wedge managed to avoid the falling debris but Temmin's X-wing was hit. Wedge and his fellow Phantom pilots survived the Battle of Jakku. Following the signing of the Galactic Concordance, Wedge was made the head instructor of a new flight academy on the planet Hosnian Prime. He was accompanied by Temmin, who had become a student, and Norra, who had also found work as an instructor there. In the wake of Temmin's father Brentin's death, Temmin believed that Wedge and Norra had developed romantic feelings for each other.

Legacy
Wedge Antilles would later serve as the inspiration for the Antilles Intercept, a training basic for pilots within the Resistance's Starfighter Corps thirty years following the Battle of Endor.

Personality and traits
"Phantom Squadron is shut down." "Then bring it back from the dead! Nobody has to know we're doing it. Nobody has to see us coming. We can be like real phantoms, Wedge. Not heroes in the books, but who cares about being in the books? My mom is there. My droid, too. I want them back. You don't want to help me get them? Fine. But then I'll know who you really are, and it isn't the guy who flew against two Death Stars and all the Empire. I'll know you're not a pilot anymore. You're just some hangar-monkey, some tired old sir-yes-sir game-leg who cares more about docking ledgers than he does about actual people."

- Temmin Wexley managed to convince Wedge Antilles to participate in the Battle of Jakku by appealing to his past heroism

Wedge Antilles was a human male with brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin. While Antilles had earned a place at the prestigious Skystrike Academy, he became disillusioned with the Empire for shooting unarmed transports. This led him and Derek Klivian to desert the Empire and join the rebellion. In his youth, Antilles could be carefree at times and was once had to reminded by Hera to remain alert for an upcoming training exercise. Antilles also found the droids AP-5 and Chopper petty and argumentative. Still, he was a good team player and joined forces with his fellow rebels to steal Imperial clearance codes and to prevent an Imperial-hijacked Chopper from transmitting the coordinates of Chopper Base to the Empire.

Through his service to the Rebel Alliance, he garnered the respect of his fellow Rebel fighters. Focused and calm during his flights,  he firmly believed that the only way to improve as a pilot was to constantly come up against the impossible and push oneself to the limit; during battles, he would concentrate on keeping his cool and trusting his instincts. Antilles disliked being away from a cockpit for too long, and though he did not mind commanding, Norra Wexley once noticed that his whole body seemed to hunger for being behind a flight stick. Despite his talent and standing among his fellow pilots, Antilles remained approachable and friendly to those around him.

Bitter at the Empire for what it had done to the people he loved, Antilles had an unwavering strength of belief in the Alliance, and although courageous and full of resolve, he once resorted to bravado at the prospect of being tortured to death. He was also unaccustomed to not being taken at his word—if he believed someone was good and told them so, he really meant it as he was not one to flatter others in his own interest, and was not capable of telling others easy lies. Antilles was known to be fond of giving everyone lectures about trigger discipline, which meant not putting one's finger on the trigger until they were ready to pull it.

Wedge's loyalty to Princess Leia led him and his Phantom Squadron pilots to take part in an unsanctioned mission to liberate Kashyyyk. While the New Republic military leadership publicly praised Wedge and his fellow pilots, they were transferred to support duties as punishment for acting outside the official chain of command. Due to this disciplinary action, Wedge was despondent and unwilling to take risks. However, his friend Temmin managed to convince him to change his mind by reminding Wedge of his past heroism during the Galactic War. Wedge was a competent commander who led his squadron in attacking Imperial ground forces on Jakku in order to aid the New Republic ground assault.

Skills and abilities
"You have a way with words for just a pilot."

- Rae Sloane

Antilles was a renowned pilot in the Rebel Alliance. He fought in numerous battles during the Galactic Civil War, earning him recognition from his fellow Rebels for his bravery and ace piloting abilities, being famed as legendary by some. During the first time he tried a flight simulator, he lasted less than ten seconds, prompting him to practice and listen to advice from more experienced pilots. He would eventually obtain the highest scores, only surpassed by Luke Skywalker. Due to his training as a TIE fighter pilot, Antilles was familiar with Imperial military protocol which helped him during an undercover mission to steal Imperial clearance codes.

As a skilled starfighter pilot, Wedge shot down several Imperial fighters, transports, and walkers during the Battle of Jakku. In recognition of his efforts, Antilles was made the head flight instructor of a New Republic flight academy on Hosnian Prime following the Galactic Civil War.

Behind the scenes
Wedge Antilles first appeared as a supporting character in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where he was credited as "Red Two (Wedge)". His surname is never mentioned in any of the films, but appears in the script for A New Hope. The character's origins can be traced to early drafts of Star Wars, which depicted a young pilot named Chewie. That nickname was later given to Chewbacca, so the character that had been known as Chewie took on the name of Wedge.

Antilles was portrayed by two actors in A New Hope. During the Rebel briefing, he was played by actor Colin Higgins, but he was replaced with Denis Lawson for the scenes depicting the Battle of Yavin&mdash;both actors were overdubbed by David Ankrum for the film. Higgins was used to the rehearsal periods in television acting and had not memorized his lines for the film, leading to him becoming nervous and dispirited while shooting the scenes in the Rebel briefing. After only one day in which he struggled to film the character's scenes, he was fired from the production. Lawson was brought in to film the remaining scenes for the character, despite having been initially passed over in favor of Higgins. Higgins' brief appearance led some fans to dub him as the "Fake Wedge". In 2017, the short story collection From a Certain Point of View established "Fake Wedge" as a different character named Col Takbright.

Lawson continued to play the character in 1980's Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. He was surprised to return for The Empire Strikes Back, having assumed that Antilles died in A New Hope. The initial drafts of Return of the Jedi depicted Antilles in an earlier scene in the film, where he would have infiltrated an Imperial fleet. During the sequence, he would have flown and ultimately crashed a TIE fighter, necessitating his rescue at the hands of Princess Leia. Lawson supposedly declined an offer to reprise the role for the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, though he later appeared at Celebration Orlando. However, in December 2017, Lawson revealed during an interview with Clive Anderson from BBC Radio 4 that he actually didn't turned down the offer to reprise his role in the sequel trilogy because he wasn't interested, rather as he was frustratingly unable to do so, though he would like to be asked once more to reprise his role as Antilles.

For the third season of the animated TV series Star Wars Rebels, Antilles appeared as a defecting Imperial TIE Fighter pilot and was voiced by Nathan Kress. Kress also voiced Antilles in the 2016 LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game.

For the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, David Ankrum reprised his role as Antilles' voice, credited as "Red Two", during which he announced flight personnel to redirect to Scarif; due to his "Look at the size of that thing!" line in A New Hope, he was deliberately excluded from the Battle of Scarif so that the Battle of Yavin would still be the first time he had actually seen the Death Star.

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes