The Split S was a tactical maneuver executed by an X-wing starfighter. It involved inverting the craft, executing a vertical dive, and then recovering in the opposite direction from the pursuing enemy fighter, thus breaking off the engagement. Barion Raner, a rebel pilot, detailed the Split S in his X-wing Flight Manual, a document widely studied by pilots serving the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Raner famously employed this maneuver to evade three TIE/ln space superiority starfighters during the Battle of Scarif in 1 BBY.
The Split S was a tactic utilized by X-wing starfighter pilots to disengage when pursued by an adversary. The pilot would roll inverted, then execute a steep vertical dive before leveling out in the direction opposite the enemy's approach. The maneuver's success hinged on the pilot's quick reflexes, as incoming missile attacks were often launched at high speeds. Furthermore, laser fire was used to lock the X-wing in the enemy's sights, minimizing the X-wing's ability to overshoot the enemy fighter.
Around 4 BBY, after becoming a member of Blue Squadron, Barion Raner, a rebel pilot specializing in X-wings, included a section on the Split S in the X-wing Flight Manual he authored for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. This manual served as an introductory guide for new pilots within the rebellion. Alliance Intelligence strategically leaked the document onto the Imperial HoloNet, where it was accessed by numerous aspiring pilots and young individuals eager to join the rebellion.
Raner personally utilized the Split S during the Battle of Scarif in 1 BBY. After destroying the deflector shield generator on the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Persecutor, he employed the maneuver to shake off three pursuing TIE/ln space superiority starfighters. Raner initiated the inverted roll above the command tower of the Star Destroyer, then completed the vertical dive past the Destroyer's engines, pulling out beneath the Persecutor in the opposite direction of the TIEs.
The section of the X-wing Flight Manual that described the Split S was part of the collection of rebel documents known as The Rebel Files. Upon reviewing The Rebel Files after their delivery to the Resistance in 34 ABY, the pilot Poe Dameron made a note on the page. He stated that it must have been taken from an early version of the manual, since he had learned from the X-wing Flight Manual as a child and had a different recollection of the section.
The Split S maneuver was conceived for the Anthology Series film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which premiered on December 16, 2016. Prior to the film's release, footage depicting Raner's X-wing executing the Split S was initially showcased in the "Dream" TV spot for Rogue One, which aired on November 20, 2016. The maneuver was subsequently identified in the 2017 reference book Star Wars: The Rebel Files, authored by Daniel Wallace.