TIE Advanced x1/Legends

TIE Advanced x1 The TIE Advanced x1, or TIE/x1 was an advanced prototype starfighter touted as a replacement for the standard TIE Fighter and tested by Darth Vader at the Battle of Yavin.

While it never made it into production, many of its best design features were later incorporated into the TIE/sa bomber and TIE/In interceptor. Further development of the Advanced continued, eventually leading to the TIE Avenger and TIE Defender.

Characteristics


The TIE Advanced x1 featured a solar ionization reactor and paired twin ion engines like the original TIE Fighter. However, the x1 had an original spaceframe, with an elongated rear deck and reinforced durasteel-alloy hull. The x1's most important innovation was its "bent-wing" solar array wings, which had the advantages of increased surface area for more power while also reducing the craft's profile, compared to the TIE/ln starfighter's hexagonal panel wings.

Speed was only slightly improved due to the added mass of the vessel; a good deal of the extra power was bled off to the deflector shield generators. While less maneuverable than standard TIE fighers, it was more resilient in battle.

The TIE Advanced x1 had twin heavy blaster cannons in a fixed, front-mounted position, as well as a cluster missile launcher. In addition to its shields, it had a modest hyperdrive but no life-support systems. The target tracking system was also more sophisticated than the already formidable advanced targeting system on standard TIE craft, used to overcome the extremely powerful electronic jamming used by all combat craft to defeat target lock in battle. For best performance, the targeting system of the x1 required frequent adjustment in combat.

History
The Empire decided not to order the TIE Advanced x1 in large quantities, citing their excessive cost. Privately, some Imperial Navy strategists admitted that the Navy was afraid to purchase a fighter with a hyperdrive, fearing that it would give bureaucrats an excuse to slash orders for new capital starships.

The few ships built were carried aboard Star Destroyers. TIE Advanced x1s were deployed from Commander Strom's Pursuit-class light cruiser to stage an attack on the Wheel, which the Empire blamed on the Rebellion, excusing the Imperial takeover of the station. Storm Squadron was known to use x1s extensively.



The Empire instead opted for the TIE/In interceptor, which featured the TIE Advanced x1's drive system in a more compact ship. Although the TIE interceptor lacked a hyperdrive and shields, it was blindingly fast, incredibly maneuverable, and significantly cheaper than the TIE Advanced x1. By the Battle of Endor, the large increase in TIE Interceptor production meant the end of production for the TIE Advanced x1. The Advanced x1's bent-wing solar array wings were also adopted for the similar but twin-hulled TIE/sa bomber.

The fighter flown by Vader at Yavin was repaired when he reached an Imperial outpost. Vader had it with him on the Terror, while overseeing the TIE Phantom project. When the Terror was destroyed by Rebel operatives, Vader escaped in his fighter. Vader again utilized his TIE Advanced x1 during the Battle of Hoth. However, his ship was damaged and rendered out of control by Rebel starfighters.

It was later stowed aboard the Executor and was apparently vaporized when the ship collided with the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor, though at least one TIE Advanced x1 was involved in the space battle over the sanctuary moon. One of Vader's other TIE Advanced x1 models was discovered by Jaden Korr in a hangar at Darth Vader's former stronghold on Vjun.

By the beginning of the Yuuzhan Vong War, enough of these ships had been made that some ended up in the hands of private parties such as Lando Calrissian, who used a modified TIE Advanced x1 for entertainment purposes in the asteroid belt at Dubrillion. During the First Battle of Dubrillion, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin Solo (Vader's grandchildren) flew three of these fighters against Yuuzhan Vong coralskippers.

Behind the scenes
In early blueprints for the Imperial I-class Star Destroyers, fighters known as "TIE Assault Craft" could be seen as part of the fighter complement. These bent-wing craft might have been TIE Advanced x1's with a different name or possibly a sister craft of the x1.

Non-canon appearances

 * Prey
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * Tag & Bink Are Dead
 * The Long, Bad Day
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Collapsing New Empires