Talk:R-22 Spearhead/Legends

Modifications
Do we know any differences in stats between Spearhead and A-Wing? MoffRebus 00:24, 11 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * Basically, the A-wing was a modified Spearhead. Admiral J. Nebulax 13:22, 11 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes, and the modifications were...? MoffRebus 23:27, 26 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure, but I know there were modifications. Admiral J. Nebulax 02:08, 27 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook discusses Dodonna deciding, after watching TIE fighter performance at the Battle of Yavin, that the Alliance needed a starfighter that could match or exceed TIEs in raw speed. Given that they already had R-22s, my guess is that one of the improvements made was the improvement of the ships' sublight engines. jSarek 10:35, 13 Jan 2006 (UTC)
 * As I say below, I wish someone could read the A Call to Reason and tell us what it says about the A-wing background MoffRebus 13:11, 13 Jan 2006 (UTC)
 * I'd have to say that jSarek is probably right. Admiral J. Nebulax 21:10, 13 Jan 2006 (UTC)
 * Is it possible the absence or presence of the concussion missile launchers might count? WotC's Starships of the Galaxy gives a stat block for the A-Wing that omits the launchers, introducing at least a possible variant that could qualify. Dangerdan97 14:42, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Uh, the concussion missile launcher is an in-game thing for Battlefront II, which has gone against canon numerous times. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 19:37, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * The non-concussion missile launcher version was the original variant of the A-wing; originally, the concussion missiles were a custom modification, but the modification became so common that it essentially became standard equipment. If anything, the R-22 had the launchers as well, since the alleged A-wings in Star Wars: X-wing have them. jSarek 20:00, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Again, games go against canon. That's usually the case with features seen only in games. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 20:02, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * No, they don't. Games are treated exactly the same as novels, comics, guides, and other media when it comes to C-canon conflicts. If something is in a game that contradicts something else, then it's dealt with on a case-by-case basis, just as if it were two novels in conflict. jSarek 22:05, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, how do you explain all of the incidents where the games have clearly gone against canon? Games are canon, yes, but they screw things up in places. It's all for in-game stuff. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 22:09, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * When they go against canon, then there's a conflict that must be resolved by the canon committee at Lucasfilm. Most of the time, a retcon fixes the contradiction.  For example, The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels indicated that concussion missiles, while not originally standard, became such a common modification as to become standard, thus reconciling the official A-wing loadout with that seen in the games.  Similarly, Thrawn's promotion to Grand Admiral occurring early in the Galactic Civil War, as indicated in works like "Side Trip," contradicted his later appointmentment to the rank in Star Wars: TIE Fighter; The New Essential Guide to Characters reconciled this contradiction by making the former promotion secret and the latter official.  However, sometimes the contradiction can't be reconciled and one source wins over the other, and sometimes that source is a video game, as was the case when the existence of small, hyperdrive-equipped Assault Gunboats and TIE Avengers overruled the Imperial Sourcebook's claim that the Skipray Blastboat was the smallest Imperial vessel equipped with a hyperdrive. jSarek 22:35, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * What about the existence of TIE Interceptors early on in the Galactic Civil War, as shown in Battlefront II? There's no source otherwise. What about the Alpha-3 Nimbus shown as a bomber in Battlefront II? There's no source for that, either. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 23:12, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, certain things ARE game mechanics, and game mechanics are less well regarded than storyline material; I'm pretty sure that the Nimbus-as-bomber was a game mechanical thing because all affiliations had to have very comparable hardware for game balance reasons. However, the presence of TIE Interceptors early in the war does need to be explained; given how *often* they've shown up early (they were also in X-wing, IIRC), we may have to rethink the idea that they were first introduced between Yavin and Hoth. jSarek 23:21, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * "they were also in X-wing". Another game. See, there's no source besides games showing TIE Interceptors before the time they were first produced. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 23:23, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Then again, has it been stated when they were first produced? Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 23:24, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Yes, at the very least the Star Wars Sourcebook states that the meeting that initiated the TIE Interceptor project occurred after Yavin, and there was a Galaxywide NewsNet entry regarding the field trials of the TIE Advanced x2, which implied that the TIE Advanced x3 would be the prototype for the Interceptor. Anyway, this has ceased to be about the R-22, so we should probably move the discussion elsewhere. jSarek 23:35, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 00:27, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
 * There's a scene in RotJ where A-Wings would appear to use concussion missiles. You can see a pair of them attacking an ISDs sensor globes, and what they're firing is not standard lasers, there's a brighter flash and they appear to be orange, as well as more powerful, and are very similar to the missiles fired by the Falcon at the DSII's reactor. Additionally, I've seen diagrams of the A-Wing (I don't remember where so don't ask for images or other confirmation) that specifically label concussion missile launchers, those black strips on the sides.95 Headhunter
 * Well, they're probably proton torpedoes, because I don't think a fighter of that size could carry concussion missiles (I could be wrong, however). Admiral J. Nebulax (Imperial Holovision) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 14:35, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Never mind, I'm probably wrong. Admiral J. Nebulax (Imperial Holovision) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 14:35, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

Appearances

 * Where can you see A-wings in !!A New Hope?!! - TopAce 22:51, 26 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * R-22 Spearheads are not in A New Hope. Admiral J. Nebulax 22:52, 26 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * I have the impression that some appear in the hangar of Yavin MoffRebus 23:27, 26 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, they're not there. Admiral J. Nebulax
 * They were only depicted in the hangar in the Yavin entry of Inside the Worlds as a retcon for their existence in X-Wing and Rebel Assault. They were not actually present in any of the umpteen versions of A New Hope. &mdash;Darth Culator   (talk)  02:44, 27 Dec 2005 (UTC)
 * Exactly. But while I was surfing the Internet last night, I found something interesting. It said that there is an A-wing/R-22 Spearhead in the Echo Base hangar. While I doubt this, could anyone find out if there is an A-wing or R-22 Spearhead in there? Admiral J. Nebulax 13:00, 27 Dec 2005 (UTC)

It would be really helpful if anyone had the Farlander Papers and quote the respective spec sheet which says about the history of its ship. When I last read it, I was not much educated on the history and timeline of Star Wars so I was not aware of any historical details or contradictions. MoffRebus 11:25, 27 Dec 2005 (UTC)

In Rogue Leader, in the Ison Corrider level (which seems to be a portion of the fleet on its way to the new base on Hoth) you switch from X-Wings to A- Wings. Wedge says something along the lines of "We need something faster, let's try out those modified stunt fighters!"
 * That probably refers to the R-22, not the A-wing. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 11:59, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

I thought it referred to the first A-Wings being modified stunt fighters, the original stunt fighters being Spearheads. The mission does take place a little before the Battle of Hoth, afterall.
 * I suppose it's possible. That's why I hate the games sometimes&mdash;they can't stick to canon. Admiral J. Nebulax (talk) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 12:42, 15 April 2006 (UTC)
 * "Stunt" fighters? Surely you mean "snub" fighters? :P VT-16 19:38, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, couldn't it be "stunt fighters"? Admiral J. Nebulax (Imperial Holovision) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 20:07, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
 * It reeeeeally sounds like they said "modified stunt fighters" in the mission. Which makes sense, being that A-Wings are really fast and agile but not terribly well-armed or armored.--Commander Mike 02:42, 19 April 2006 (UTC)
 * You're right; it does make sense. Admiral J. Nebulax (Imperial Holovision) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 20:33, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
 * I've just never heard of that word before. Have heard of "snub fighters" but not "stunt fighters". :) VT-16 14:13, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

Is there a picture?
Is the R-22 Spearhead's appearance based on early Return of the Jedi art for the A-Wing. I saw somewhere in the Art of Return of the Jedi a painting of two A-Wing-like starfighters painted in blue. These craft have older, squarish segmented cockpits like the X-Wing and Y-Wing. In any case can someone post a picture of the R-22?
 * There's only one that I know of, and it's very small. It's in Inside the Worlds of the Star Wars Trilogy. There's no way it would look good in the article. Plus, the concept art for the A-wing is exactly that&mdash;concept art, not the R-22. Admiral J. Nebulax (Imperial Holovision) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 23:05, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Since the R-22 was used to explain the presence of A-wings in pre-ANH sources like Droids, you can try to find a good screencap from the Tammuz-an arc. VT-16 08:18, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Oops, forgot about that. Admiral J. Nebulax (Imperial Holovision) [[Image:Implogo.jpg|20px]] 11:04, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

A-Wings in Empire at War
A-wings appear in Empire at War, but the game takes place beforethe battle of Yavin!- New user