- "Well, I asked for a dozen T-85 X-wings with cloaking devices. Guess they got held up in transit."
- ―Poe Dameron of the Resistance shortly before the Battle of Crait
The T-85 X-wing was a next-generation model of the X-wing starfighter utilized by the New Republic Defense Fleet three decades after the Battle of Endor.
Contents
Characteristics[edit | edit source]
Incom-FreiTek Corporation's T-85 X-wing starfighter was an advanced version of the old T-65B X-wing starfighter. The X-wings featured 4 fusial thrust engines and were equipped with a hyperdrive.[1] The engines could reach speeds up to 1,300 KPH and 120 MGLT.[2] The craft was flown by 1 pilot with an onboard astromech droid for assistance. Additional systems included deflector shields and sensors.[1] The craft featured a distinctive nose to hold advanced Carbanti sensors.[2]
For armament, they carried four KX14 laser cannons on the S-foils which deployed in the classic "X"-shape.[5] Additonal weapons included Krupx MG7-B proton torpedo launchers. The old magnetic flash suppressors were removed as unnecessary, although some pilots added custom ones.The engines were improved, with greater fusial thrust engines installed. Improved flight systems also gave more maneuverability.[2] The cockpit was placed near the rear, with a snub nose.[5] Targeting systems included Fabritech ANr 1.3 tracking computer with IN-630-B "Sightline" holographic imaging system.[2]
Some craft were colored gray with blue trim, and had the words "Republic Navy" written on their hulls in Aurebesh.[6]
History[edit | edit source]
The T-85s were flown by the New Republic Defense Fleet[3] in the decades after the Battle of Endor.[3] The impetus of their design came from Admiral Gial Ackbar, who realized that the T-70s were aging. He proposed that Incom-Freitek design the next generation. They were deployed to defend space lanes from pirates.[2] Commander Poe Dameron flew T-85 X-wings with the rest of Rapier Squadron while serving the New Republic. At one point, the Rapiers were assigned to Brooksdion space station. They received an alert, as unknown parties had stolen the head of Mathieson's protocol droid. They scrambled in their T-85s and gave chase to the starship. As they reached the asteroid field of Lost Souls, Dameron ordered his wingmen to remain behind while he pursued the ship. After escaping the field, the starship was able to outsmart Dameron and escape into hyperspace.[7] On another mission, Rapier Squadron ambushed a pirate frigate in the Mirrin sector. Dameron's fighter was disabled with an ion pulse, and towed aboard the frigate. His droid BB-8 was able to slip away, alerting the rest of the squadron to their location, and they arrived to confront the frigate. Dameron was then able to subdue the crew thanks to the distraction.[8]
Following his actions at the Skirmish in OR-Kappa-2722 and the Suraz engagement, Dameron was subsequently recruited into the Resistance,[1] becoming the leader of Black Squadron. He switched to the use of a T-70, Black One.[9]

New Republic X-wings pursued by a First Order TIE/ba interceptor.
While on a mission from New Republic Command, Kazuda Xiono's team employed T-85s. They were sent to rendezvous with the Resistance to pass along intelligence. Major Elrik Vonreg of the First Order engaged them. Xiono ordered his wingmen to escape, but his craft was damaged. Commander Dameron's arrival at the site saved Xiono, allowing them to trap and damage Vonreg's TIE with his sole remaining cannon, forcing him to retreat. Xiono's craft was then towed aboard a CR90 corvette.[5]
Most of[2] the New Republic's T-85 X-wing fleet was atomized when the First Order destroyed the Hosnian system in 34 ABY.[3] Shortly afterward, Commander Dameron joked to General Leia Organa that he had ordered a shipment of the T-85s in the leadup to the Battle of Crait as the Resistance fled the First Order counter-attack.[10]
Following the devastating losses at Crait, the Resistance was down to only a small amount of men and material. Meanwhile the First Order had begun large-scale scrapping of captured New Republic ships. General Organa ordered a team to the scrap planet Bracca, and Shriv Suurgav led Dross Squadron to recover several starships, including one T-85.[4]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

A T-85 X-Wing
The T-85 X-wings first appeared in the 2015 young-readers novel Before the Awakening, written by Greg Rucka and published as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens imprint, although it was depicted as Poe Dameron's Black One, a T-70 model.[1] Their full design was revealed in "The Recruit," the premiere of the Star Wars Resistance animated television series[11] that aired on October 7, 2018.[11]
The illustrations featured in Before the Awakening incorrectly depict the T-85 X-wings as T-70s, which were set to prominently appear in the then-upcoming film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. According to the Lucasfilm Story Group's Matt Martin, this is due to that the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens publishing program had aimed to invoke the feeling of the film, and also the T-85 X-wings had not been designed at that point.[12] This is also the case for Poe and the Missing Ship, a 2017 partial storybook adaptation of the aforementioned novel.[13]
Although Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary [3] declared that all T-85s were destroyed, this was overwritten by later sources such as the novel Resistance Reborn.[4]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Age of Resistance - Poe Dameron 1
"Kidnapped!"—Star Wars Adventures 24
- Before the Awakening (First appearance)
- Poe and the Missing Ship
Star Wars Resistance – "The Recruit" (First pictured)
- Force Collector (Mentioned only) (Appears in flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition (Mentioned only)
- Resistance Reborn
- Resistance Reborn audiobook
Sources[edit | edit source]
Star Wars Helmet Collection 26 (Databank A-Z: Imperial Future Council–Inquisitorius)
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Official Collector's Edition
Extended Sneak Peek - Star Wars Resistance on StarWars.com (backup link)
Behind the Mask of Vader Immortal and a Sneak Peek at Star Wars Resistance on StarWars.com (backup link)
The Recruit Episode Guide on StarWars.com (backup link)
Bucket's List: "The Recruit" - Star Wars Resistance on StarWars.com (backup link)
Bucket's List Extra: 8 Fun Facts from "The Recruit" – Star Wars Resistance on StarWars.com (backup link)
Meet Kaz - Resistance Rewind on StarWars.com (backup link)
George Lucas visits The Mandalorian and Justin Ridge talks Resistance on StarWars.com (backup link)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 57 (Helmets: Wedge Antilles)
- Path of Resistance
Star Wars: Resistance in Under Five Minutes on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (backup link)
- Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
- Rebel Starfighters Owners' Workshop Manual
Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Kazuda Xiono - 2020 Base Series)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition – Major Vonreg's TIE Expansion Pack (Card: Major Vonreg) (Picture only)
- The Star Wars Book
"Starfighters of the Rebellion, the Republic and the Resistance" – Star Wars Encyclopedia
Kazuda "Kaz" Xiono in the Databank (backup link) (as New Republic X-wing fighter)
T-85 X-wing in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 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 Before the Awakening
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 Rebel Starfighters Owners' Workshop Manual
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Resistance Reborn
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2
Star Wars Resistance – "The Recruit"
- ↑
Bucket's List #1.1: "The Recruit" | Star Wars Resistance on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Age of Resistance - Poe Dameron 1
- ↑
"Kidnapped!"—Star Wars Adventures 24
- ↑ Poe Dameron 1
- ↑ Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition
- ↑ 11.0 11.1
Strap in for a New Star Wars Resistance Extended Sneak Peek on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑
Matt Martin (@missingwords) on Twitter: "I don't know if "erroneous" is exactly the word I'd use as that implies that it was a mistake but yeah, it's incorrect. BTA was a tie in to TFA so it needed to have images that invoke the feeling of that film... also T-85 designs just didn't exist yet." (screenshot)
- ↑ Poe and the Missing Ship