X-Wing: Rogue Squadron

X-Wing: Rogue Squadron, penned by Michael A. Stackpole, marks the beginning of the X-Wing novel series, with its initial release in 1996. Henry Thomas lent his voice to the audiobook rendition. Set in the year 6.5 ABY, the narrative follows Wedge Antilles as he undertakes the task of reforming Rogue Squadron, leading to the First and Second Battles of Borleias. Subsequently, this planet serves as a strategic base for the New Republic's assault on Coruscant, an event detailed in the series' second book, X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble.

Publisher's summary

These X-wing fighters are known for their speed, agility, and lethality. As the galactic conflict intensifies, the brave pilots who fly these craft risk everything. Their objective: to protect the Rebel Alliance from the still formidable and experienced Imperial forces in a final push for control of the galaxy!

The mere mention of its name inspires dread in the enemy. When Rebel legend Wedge Antilles decides to rebuild Rogue Squadron, he seeks out only the most exceptional X-wing pilots – those with unparalleled skill and unwavering courage. Through rigorous training and perilous missions, he separates the capable from the inadequate, forging a team of battle-hardened warriors prepared for any sacrifice. Antilles is acutely aware that even with the most talented pilots in the galaxy, many will perish during their near-impossible missions. However, when Rogue Squadron receives orders to participate in the assault on the heavily defended Imperial stronghold of Black Moon, even the most fearless among them must question whether anyone will survive…

Plot summary

The story commences with Wedge Antilles assembling a selection of pilots to reconstruct the famed Rogue Squadron, envisioned as a combined X-wing and commando unit. Despite having autonomy in choosing most of his team, Wedge is compelled by his Rebel Alliance superiors to include specific pilots, with the intention of swaying neutral planets to join their cause. Wedge successfully persuades Admiral Ackbar to allow him to select his own second-in-command, Tycho Celchu, a former member of the original Rogue Squadron. Tycho had been accused of being an Imperial double agent following a solo mission to Imperial Center that resulted in his capture. Although Tycho escaped and maintained Wedge's trust, his superiors remained skeptical of his loyalty. Consequently, Tycho was barred from flying an X-wing, prohibited from operating any weapons in combat, and placed under guard when not engaged in training with the Rogues.

Once Rogue Squadron is fully formed, their training begins, and Corran Horn quickly distinguishes himself. Initially enigmatic and overly confident, Corran is reprimanded by Wedge. However, he is promoted to lieutenant and given command of the third flight of three X-wings when Rogue Squadron is activated months before the completion of their training. En route to their new base on Talasea, the squadron is intercepted by an Imperial Interdictor Cruiser, a capital ship capable of generating a gravity well to disrupt hyperspace travel. Despite the surprise attack, the squadron survives their first engagement and rescues the Pulsar Skate, a smuggler's ship captained by Mirax Terrik, which had been targeted by the cruiser.

Following several more attacks by the Rogues, Kirtan Loor, an Imperial intelligence operative, recognizes the need to neutralize them. Summoned to Imperial Center by Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence, and informed that Corran Horn, a former colleague from the Corellian Security Force, is still alive, Isard assigns him the task of destroying Rogue Squadron. Despite the Rogues' practice of using multiple hyperspace jumps to conceal their location, Loor, possessing a photographic memory and exceptional intellect, deduces their base of operations. Against his recommendation to deploy a larger force, the sector's commanding admiral secretly dispatches only two squads of stormtroopers to eliminate the Rogues in their sleep. Although six sentries are killed and several pilots sustain serious injuries, the squadron survives, suffers its first pilot loss, and relocates to a new base to strategize their next move.

Alliance command subsequently plans a large-scale assault on Borleias. Despite intelligence suggesting it would be an easy target, and could be captured and used as a step toward Imperial Center, it is revealed to be a trap orchestrated by General Evir Derricote. After the planetary shields are deactivated and rebel forces begin landing attack shuttles, multiple squadrons of TIE fighters launch an attack, the shield is reinforced, and planetary defenses engage. Numerous ships are lost, including five of the Rogues' X-wings. Only two of their pilots are killed, with the remainder ejecting to safety. Although the mission is deemed a failure, Corran, assisted by one of the commandos, devises a new plan to attack Borleias that would prevent an ambush by capital ships. With only six Rogues providing air support for the first four hours of the mission, and a ground team of commandos, the battle proves successful. Corran runs out of fuel before he can escape, and the rest of the squadron thinks he is dead, but he is rescued by the Pulsar Skate, and no Rogue is lost in the mission. Borleias is captured, and the Alliance advances toward liberating Coruscant. As the novel concludes, Ysanne Isard reveals to Loor the existence of an unnamed spy within Rogue Squadron.

Continuity

The simulated battle depicted at the beginning of the book draws inspiration from a mission featured in the PC game Star Wars: X-Wing.

The explanation given for Jek Porkins' crash into the Death Star is that he was unable to recover from a dive. However, other sources attribute his demise to being shot down by the station's turbolaser turrets.

Furthermore, the age of Biggs Darklighter presented in this novel contradicts information from other sources. Gavin Darklighter, aged sixteen, mentions that his cousin was eight years his senior, implying that Biggs was approximately eighteen years old at the time of his death. In contrast, the 1995 reference book The Essential Guide to Characters states that he graduated from the Imperial Naval Academy at the age of twenty-four.

Captain Uwlla Iillor is mentioned to have served under Colonel Thrawn in the Navy. According to The Essential Guide to Warfare, the army-like rank suggests that Thrawn served in the Navy's Flight, Support or Engineering branch before his line duty service.

Media

Editions

American

Foreign

Cover gallery

Appearances

Unkown
Unknown
Unkown
Unknown
Unkown
Unknown