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- "Good to have company, Wedge."
"No time for sentiment, Luke. We need to get fighting. So, Flight Leader, what's our call sign?"
"You know, Wedge, if we're acting like Jyn Erso, I have to disagree. Rogue Squadron, form up." - ―Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles, as Rogue Squadron is officially formed
Rogue Squadron, also referred to as Rogue Group, was a Rebel Alliance starfighter squadron founded by Luke Skywalker during the Galactic Civil War. Officially formed during the Imperial Military assault on the Mako-Ta Space Docks, it went to fight in a number of engagements, including the Battle of Hoth. They took their namesake from Rogue One, the squad led by Jyn Erso who sacrificed themselves to steal the Death Star plans from the Galactic Empire. 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.
History[]
Early formation[]
When the Galactic Empire brought its Death Star superweapon to bear on the Rebel Alliance's base on the moon Yavin 4,[10] the Rebel pilots of Red Squadron[11] attacked the space station. Only two of the squadron's pilots—Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles—survived the Battle of Yavin, with Skywalker's proton torpedoes destroying the Death Star and winning the day.[10]
Mako-Ta Space Docks[]
- "Falcon to all of…"Rogue Squadron"? Really?"
- ―Han Solo, to Rogue Squadron
In 1 ABY,[8] the Empire launched an attack on the Mako-Ta Space Docks. During the battle, Skywalker and Antilles impromptuly formed Rogue Squadron. In naming the squadron, Skywalker drew inspiration from Jyn Erso and her Rogue One team, who sacrificed themselves to steal the Death Star plans during the Battle of Scarif shortly before the Battle of Yavin. It was the sacrifice of Rogue One that allowed Skywalker and Antilles to fight in and ultimately survive the attack on the Death Star.[5]
To honor the actions of Erso and her squad, Skywalker decided the specific phrase "Rogue One" should be forever retired. While he served as Rogue Leader, the next pilot would be known by the callsign of Rogue Two instead of one.[3]
After Mako-Ta Space Docks[]
To honor his actions in the battle and replenish the Alliance leadership with commanding officers, Mon Mothma promoted Skywalker to commander.[13] Over time, Antilles became a respected veteran of the Alliance's Rogue Squadron.[14] Another distinguished pilot in the squadron was Derek "Hobbie" Klivian.[15]
Taris shipyards[]
- "I appreciate the enthusiasm Ibti, but we need level heads on this one."
"Yeah, yeah, Rogue Leader, we know the drill…accompany Blade Squadron as they take out the Imperial shipyard." - ―Luke Skywalker and recruit Ibti Myrak, Taris system
In an attack on an Imperial shipyard in the Taris system organized by Admiral Gial Ackbar, Luke Skywalker led the squadron's T-65B X-wing starfighters as escorts to the B-wings of Blade Squadron for a bombing run. Flying with R2-D2 as Rogue Leader, Skywalker was accompanied by Isla Mantra as Rogue Two, Wedge Antilles as Rogue Three, Lyle Kullan as Rogue Four, and rookie Vurk pilot Ibti Myrak as Rogue Five. Upon arrival, the Rebels were quickly set upon by Imperial TIE fighters, leading Myrak to break formation to engage, leaving Blade Squadron vulnerable. Despite the novice pilot's reckless flying, nearly colliding with Kullan's starfighter to secure a kill and earning a reprimand from Skywalker, Blade Squadron successfully completed its bombing run. Returning to the Rebel fleet, Skywalker contemplated grounding Myrak, while the pilot brushed off her squadmates' concerns.[6]
Kullan, in reality an Imperial spy, had been tasked with bringing Skywalker to Taris to be captured, but was prevented from fulfilling his objective by Myrak's eagerness.[16]
Pirates in the Cilpar system[]
Three days later, Skywalker and the Rogues defended a CR90 corvette from a pirate attack in the Cilpar system. As a Draedan pirate moved away from the combat, Myrak once again broke formation to pursue, disparaging her squad leader for his past as a farmboy, springing a trap set by the fleeing pirate. The Vurk was rescued by Commander Skywalker, who, upon return to the MC80 Star Cruiser Home One, announced her removal from the squadron, tasking her with cataloguing message logs.[6]
Ambush in the Valo system[]
Responding to a distress call from Lyle Kullan claiming an Imperial attack on Lonisa City on Valo, the Rogues arrived in the Valo system to find no sign of Kullan or the attack. As Skywalker sensed a disturbance in The Force, Rogue Squadron was ambushed by three Imperial Star Destroyers,[6] blocking the Rebels' communication with the fleet and releasing TIE fighters and interceptors to engage. In the ensuing battle, Mantra lost her astromech droid to a pursuing interceptor, while Skywalker was caught in a Star Destroyer's tractor beam. Shooting down her pursuer, Mantra locked on to the tractor beam projector, only to fall under attack from Kullan, revealing himself to be an Imperial agent, luring the Rogues to Valo to deliver Skywalker to Imperial Commander Calister, compensating for his failure over Taris. Skywalker was instead freed by the arriving Ibti Myrak, who had discovered coded transmissions indicating Kullan's guilt during her cataloguing and had left for Valo following an altercation with Admiral Ackbar and Rebel technician Chief Garn Stewer. Myrak subsequently eliminated an interceptor tailing Wedge Antilles, and the four Rogues pursued the traitorous Kullan, who attempted to reach the safety of Calister's Star Destroyer. However, as the Rebel fleet arrived in system, following Myrak, the Imperial forces fled, abandoning Kullan to be captured by the Rebel Alliance. Owing to her role in rescuing her fellow pilots, Ibti Myrak was reinstated to Rogue Squadron.[16]
Hoth[]
- "Rogue Group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs. It might be our only chance of stopping them."
- ―Commander Luke Skywalker, during the Battle of Hoth
The Rebels later established Echo Base on the icy world of Hoth.[1] In the months[2] before the Battle of Hoth, Rogue Squadron was assigned to Hoth.[17] For patrols, Rogue-assigned pilots flew snowspeeders[1] as Rogue Squadron,[18] also known as Rogue Group. However, rebel technicians experienced regular issues with adapting the T-47s for the cold, forcing many patrols to be done on foot via Tauntaun mounts.[1]
In 3 ABY,[19] a month after Echo Base was formally established,[20] Skywalker and Captain Han Solo went missing in the planet's vast snowbanks,[1] however the T-47s weren't ready for Hoth's freezing conditions and temperature was dropping fast as light faded into night. It wasn't until first light that Rebel technicians had finally a figured out the coolant problem and gotten the speeders running. Within an hour, a dozen speeders were in the air, with Rogue Squadron splitting into groups of four to cover the search grid with maximum efficiency.[3] Zev Senesca (Rogue Two) 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.[1]
Rogue Group during the Battle of Hoth
Skywalker flew as Rogue Leader in the Battle of Hoth against Imperial AT-AT walkers, with Dak Ralter serving as his rear gunner[1] and Klivian flying as their wingman.[15] 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.[1]
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.[1] Klivian, meanwhile, rammed his craft into the lead walker,[15] 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.[1]
Post-Hoth[]
Following the evacuation of Hoth, with Skywalker absent, as he had not reached the predetermined rendezvous point,[1] Antilles was promoted to the rank of commander by The Contessa and given command of what was left of the squadron. Rather than continue with the Rogue Group name, Antilles decided to reform Red Squadron, with Janson as his newly appointed executive officer, and whoever they could recruit from the pilots at the rendezvous point.[21]
Later, Antilles continued to lead Rogue Squadron after Skywalker decided to take a leave of absence to focus on personal matters.[2] He and the Rogues developed anti-tractor beam tactics later used to escape an Imperial ambush: accelerating with the tractor beam of the Star Destroyer Tarkin's Will, Antilles and the Rebellion's Starlight Squadron destroyed the beam's generator, boarded the enemy ship, and hijacked an Imperial astromech droid to calculate their escape navigations.[22]
Battle of Endor[]
During the Battle of Endor[7] in 4 ABY,[8] one Rogue Squadron pilot—the Abednedo Captain Junhya Havoc—participated in the battle but crashed his RZ-1 A-wing interceptor on the Forest Moon of Endor.[7]
Post-Endor[]
- "Wedge Antilles, Rogue Squadron."
- ―Wedge Antilles introducing himself to a New Republic pilot
Rogue Squadron served the New Republic after the Battle of Endor, with Antilles still as a member under the rank of captain. General Hera Syndulla kept Rogue Squadron busy, handling classified missions.[9]
Battle above Yavin Prime[]
After the communications were re-established in the Bormea sector, Syndulla gave Antilles a temporary assignment to Project Starhawk, to steal an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, a mission Antilles would normally have Rogue Squadron for. Instead, Antilles flew alongside Vanguard Squadron to steal the Imperial Star Destroyer Victorum that was in orbit over Yavin causing trouble for Talus Group.[9]
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.[1] They became a fabled unit known as Rogue Squadron within Star Wars Legends continuity.[23][24][25]
Appearances[]
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: The Rebel Files
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Rogue Two" — From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars Battlefront
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Star Wars (2015) 52
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4
"Squad Goals, Part One" — Star Wars Adventures (2020) 11
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2
"Galactic Tales: Lost in the Woods" — Star Wars Insider 221
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Star Wars: Timelines
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Star Wars: Squadrons
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ Rebel Pilots Biography Gallery in the Databank (backup link); image #1 (of 15)
- ↑ Star Wars (2015) 53
- ↑ Star Wars (2015) 55
- ↑ Wedge Antilles in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Squad Goals, Part 2" — Star Wars Adventures (2020) 12]]}}
- ↑ "Rogue Two" — From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ Zev Senesca in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑ Lost Stars
- ↑ "Rendezvous Point" — From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ Star Wars (2020) 11
- ↑ "Who's Who in Rogue Squadron" — Star Wars Insider 59
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 106-107 ("Rogue Squadron")
- ↑ The New Jedi Order Sourcebook
