Imperial flight simulators at Skystrike Academy
A flight simulator served as a training and evaluation tool for starfighter pilots. The Alliance to Restore the Republic utilized a simulator that mirrored the internal components of an X-wing cockpit, detached from its main body and linked to a sizable display screen. The highest achieved score on this simulator belonged to pilot Wedge Antilles, but his record was surpassed by the new recruit Luke Skywalker not long before the Battle of Yavin. This simulator's design was such that it presented Rebel pilots with an unwinnable situation. The pilot was immediately thrown into a space battle against simulated Imperial forces, with the number of enemies steadily increasing until the battle became too much to handle, and even the most accomplished pilot could no longer withstand the heavy attack.
During the Age of the Empire, Thane Kyrell, an aristocrat from Jelucan, had an old flight simulator that belonged to his family. He asked his new friend Ciena Ree to train using it alongside him. Later on, both of them enlisted in the Imperial Navy. In the months leading up to the attack on Tuanul, Rey, who worked as a scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku, honed her flying skills using an A-wing simulator.
Alexandra Bracken, the author of A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, mentions in her notes that some of the story's content was derived from the radio drama adaptation of Star Wars. This radio drama featured a scene where Skywalker underwent testing in a holosimulator before becoming a member of Red Squadron.