Rogue Squadron

"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

Rogue Squadron, also referred to as Rogue Group, was a Rebel Alliance starfighter squadron led by Luke Skywalker. The squadron flew craft such as the T-47 airspeeders, T-65B X-wing starfighters, and occasionally BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers, when heavy ordnance was required.

During the Galactic Civil War, Rogue Squadron was most notably known for their participation in the Battle of Hoth.

History
When the Galactic Empire brought its Death Star superweapon to bear on the Rebel Alliance's base on the moon Yavin 4, the Rebel pilots of Red Squadron attacked the space station. Only two of the squadron's pilots&mdash;Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles&mdash;survived the Battle of Yavin, with Skywalker's proton torpedoes destroying the Death Star and winning the day. Following the battle, Antilles became a respected veteran of the Alliance's Rogue Squadron; another distinguished pilot in the squadron was Derek "Hobbie" Klivian.

The Rebels later established Echo Base on the icy world of Hoth, and a number of Rebel pilots flew snowspeeders in Rogue Squadron, also known as Rogue Group. When Skywalker and Captain Han Solo went missing in the planet's vast snowbanks, Rogue Two Zev Senesca and several other Rogues took their speeders out to search for them, and Senesca found them both alive. Echo Base was soon after discovered by an Imperial probe droid, and the Rogues were tasked with delaying an Imperial ground assault while Alliance transport ships fled the system.

Skywalker flew as Rogue Leader in the Battle of Hoth against Imperial AT-AT walkers, with Dak Ralter serving as his rear gunner and Klivian flying as their wingman. Other Rogues in the battle included Senesca, as well as Antilles and Wes Janson as a pilot-gunner pair. When the AT-ATs' armor proved too strong for blasters, Skywalker suggested tripping the walkers' legs using harpoons and tow cables. A direct hit on his speeder killed Ralter, however, leaving the task of tripping the first AT-AT to Antilles and Janson. They succeeded, but Skywalker's vehicle was shot down and crushed by a walker's massive foot.

Having escaped the wreckage, Skywalker continued the fight by using a grappling hook to ascend to one of the walkers' underbellies. Cutting it open with his lightsaber, he tossed a grenade inside, which exploded and took the AT-AT down. Klivian, meanwhile, ejected from his craft before ramming it into the lead walker, but only after that walker fulfilled its objective of destroying the base's shield generator. Imperial snowtroopers were thus able to enter the base. The delaying tactic proved a success, as a number of Alliance transports were able to escape the system.

Behind the scenes
Rogue Group first appeared in the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back as a snowspeeder squadron flying in the Battle of Hoth. They became a fabled unit known as Rogue Squadron within Star Wars Legends continuity,  starring in several video games,   novels, and comics. Little has been told about their exploits in current Star Wars canon beyond the Battle of Hoth, but the moniker of "Rogue Squadron" has been maintained as an alternative to Rogue Group.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Lost Stars
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi?
 * Star Wars Battlefront