How did Luke get an X-Wing?

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-03-06 01:07am

After seeing Star Wars a question has been ongoing in my mind.

How did Luke get to fly an X-Wing against the Death Star in ANH?

For all anybody knows, except for Wedge and I think Biggs, nobody knows how good he could possibly be, yet they give him a fighter.

Not only that, but where does it come from? I have come up with four possibilities.

1. There is an abundance of fighters, though not many munitions for them. So there was an spare.

2. There is a shortage of pilots meaning they will take anybody who doesn't crash after taking off.

3. There aren't that many fighters, but there are even less pilots meaning they need every man they can get. Despite being untrained.

4. They had a pilot, but Luke used the Force to lock him in the bathroom and take it place.

Does anybody know why?

I apologize if this has already been answered.

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2003-03-06 01:18am

I think it was his reward for rescuing Leia

Captain tycho · Post by **Captain tycho** » 2003-03-06 01:19am

Probably a combination of word-of-mouth from Biggs and that the Rebellion needed pilots badly.

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-03-06 01:30am

I think it's that the Rebs needed the pilots. The Farlander Papers give some insight into the preceding stages to this battle. Apparantly, much of the personnel and ships attached to the base had been evacuated, leaving behind the crew you see, much of the heavy machinery and other capital, and the small defense group of fighters that participated in the battle. The Rebs weren't pinning all their hopes on R2, so they left before it got down to it (they would have known to prepare evacuation as soon as they knew Princess Leia was captured). The discovery that the battle station's Achilles heel could be exploited by fighters was a lucky break.
Then the assumption would be that they had fewer qualified pilots than they had ships (this could be due to injury or sickness, not necessarily just ill-preparedness). It is revealed that in the hours before the battle, Keyan Farlander taught Luke the basics of the T-65, which Luke picked up quickly due to his innate ability and the similarity of the T-65's controls to those of the T-16. I'm willing to bet that the Rebs didn't expect Luke to survive, but when a DS is coming at you, why not give him a chance?

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-03-06 01:32am

There are two sources.

One the Farlander papers basically state a shortage of pilots.

The other is a Rogue Squadron one shot where basicaly Red Squadron was delivering some last minute supplies and Red Five(a Twil'leck woman) dies on the mission.

Either way Luke somewhat won an odd luck of the draw.

Trytostaydead · Post by **Trytostaydead** » 2003-03-06 01:38am

Was Yavin a major base? If so, wouldn't there have been at least more fighters? Because if it WAS a major base, I would expect an organized rebellion against a GALACTIC empire to have a wee bit more manpower.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-03-06 01:50am

Hmm, makes sense. Thanks.

Connor MacLeod · Post by **Connor MacLeod** » 2003-03-06 01:58am

Ya'll are forgetting the radio dramas. They make it abundantly clear they needed pilots (Luke was tested by Biggs and then given a fighter.)

vakundok · Post by **vakundok** » 2003-03-06 03:52am

Excuse me, but during the ceremony after the battle we saw several pilots, far more then could survive the attack. In the novelization he got it as a reward.

Lord Sander · Post by **Lord Sander** » 2003-03-06 05:41am

Trytostaydead wrote:Was Yavin a major base? If so, wouldn't there have been at least more fighters? Because if it WAS a major base, I would expect an organized rebellion against a GALACTIC empire to have a wee bit more manpower.

'T was the Rebellion's headquarters base, so I'd assume it was major, yeah.

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-03-06 05:49am

Trytostaydead wrote:Was Yavin a major base? If so, wouldn't there have been at least more fighters? Because if it WAS a major base, I would expect an organized rebellion against a GALACTIC empire to have a wee bit more manpower.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure the Farlander Papers indicate that much of the base personnel were already away. The Imps still would have won if they blew up the base because the loss of the amount of capital and high-ranking personnel still at Yavin would have been too much of a hurdle to overcome for the Rebs at that stage.

As Connor MacLeod points out, the NPR dramatizations also indicate that they were short on pilots. Most of their pilots and fighters were probably elsewhere.

The dramatization explains that Luke was trained quickly by Biggs, which makes sense given that they know each other. The Farlander Papers say that Luke was instructed by Keyan Farlander, which is probably not untrue (he could have received instruction from both Farlander and Darklighter). The reason he would receive instruction from Farlander is that Farlander was senior to Biggs in rank and experience, so he would probably be helping Biggs teach Luke.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-03-06 06:49am

Luke was flying instead of Janson, who was sick by the time.

Or it was someone else?

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-03-06 06:52am

Not sure, but it's possible.
By the way, your new avatar rocks.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-03-06 07:30am

Robert Treder wrote:Not sure, but it's possible.
By the way, your new avatar rocks.

Thanks Robert!

Comics rules!!!

Jason von Evil · Post by **Jason von Evil** » 2003-03-06 08:13am

Desperation.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-03-06 09:11am

What I'm truly wondering is how Luke got his X-Wing back after ESB, or if it's a different one.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-03-06 09:14am

Dalton wrote:What I'm truly wondering is how Luke got his X-Wing back after ESB, or if it's a different one.

I always thought about that- personally I think it's different- the Empire controlled Bespin after all.

greenmm · Post by **greenmm** » 2003-03-06 10:34am

Vympel wrote:
Dalton wrote:What I'm truly wondering is how Luke got his X-Wing back after ESB, or if it's a different one.
I always thought about that- personally I think it's different- the Empire controlled Bespin after all.

2 likely options:

1. As a Commander in the Rebellion, a long-time member (if not leader) of Rogue/Red Squadron at the time, and the only Jedi (even if only an apprentice) available to the Rebellion, plus being friendly with Princess Leia, he would be able to requisition a new X-Wing as needed.

2. They don't really go into it too much in the films, but the later novels seem to indicate that the Empire's sole interest in Bespin was to capture Luke for Vader and the Emporer. Having failed at that, and given that Bespin was evacuated by Lando's people, the Empire probably felt it wasn't worth bringing in new gas miners; and in the confusion of the Empire going after the Falcon and Lando's people leaving, one little X-Wing could easily be left behind to be salvaged later by Luke and company.

ANGELUS · Post by **ANGELUS** » 2003-03-06 12:57pm

greenmm wrote:
Vympel wrote:
Dalton wrote:What I'm truly wondering is how Luke got his X-Wing back after ESB, or if it's a different one.
I always thought about that- personally I think it's different- the Empire controlled Bespin after all.
2 likely options:

1. As a Commander in the Rebellion, a long-time member (if not leader) of Rogue/Red Squadron at the time, and the only Jedi (even if only an apprentice) available to the Rebellion, plus being friendly with Princess Leia, he would be able to requisition a new X-Wing as needed.

2. They don't really go into it too much in the films, but the later novels seem to indicate that the Empire's sole interest in Bespin was to capture Luke for Vader and the Emporer. Having failed at that, and given that Bespin was evacuated by Lando's people, the Empire probably felt it wasn't worth bringing in new gas miners; and in the confusion of the Empire going after the Falcon and Lando's people leaving, one little X-Wing could easily be left behind to be salvaged later by Luke and company.

Funny, I never tought about that. In Heir to the Empire they state that Luke and R2 have been fliying the same X-Wing for such a long while that R2 has now become an escential part of it and it wouldn't work with any other astromech droid, but the never say exactly how long is that (could have been the 7 years between ESB and HTTE). So my opinion is that they gave him a new one, after all he wasn't just some pilot, he was the guy who destroyed DS1, the one who saved Leia, the Rogue Squadron commander and the last Jedi they had left, I soposse that they wanted to keep him happy because he had proven himself as the best in the alliance and so they gave him a new one.

ANGELUS · Post by **ANGELUS** » 2003-03-06 01:00pm

greenmm wrote:
Vympel wrote:
Dalton wrote:What I'm truly wondering is how Luke got his X-Wing back after ESB, or if it's a different one.
I always thought about that- personally I think it's different- the Empire controlled Bespin after all.
2 likely options:

1. As a Commander in the Rebellion, a long-time member (if not leader) of Rogue/Red Squadron at the time, and the only Jedi (even if only an apprentice) available to the Rebellion, plus being friendly with Princess Leia, he would be able to requisition a new X-Wing as needed.

2. They don't really go into it too much in the films, but the later novels seem to indicate that the Empire's sole interest in Bespin was to capture Luke for Vader and the Emporer. Having failed at that, and given that Bespin was evacuated by Lando's people, the Empire probably felt it wasn't worth bringing in new gas miners; and in the confusion of the Empire going after the Falcon and Lando's people leaving, one little X-Wing could easily be left behind to be salvaged later by Luke and company.

As for why they gave him a fighter in ANH, well, they just needed pilots, they had a mayor enemy coming and they needed all who were capable of flying just as seen in ID4 (yes, I know the movie sucks, but it shows what i mean).

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-03-06 01:06pm

ANGELUS wrote:Funny, I never tought about that. In Heir to the Empire they state that Luke and R2 have been flying the same X-Wing for such a long while that now R2 is an escential part of it and it wouldn't work with any other astromech droid. But they never state exactly how long it's been. My opinion here would be that Luke got another X-Wing, after all he's not just some pilot, he's a comander, the guy who destroyed DS1, the one who saved Leia and the only Jedi they have left, I supose that they wanted to keep him happy, and so they gave him a new one.

HTTE takes place something like five years after ROTJ.

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-03-06 02:01pm

Boba Fett wrote:Luke was flying instead of Janson, who was sick by the time.

Or it was someone else?

That's Porkins.

vakundok wrote:Excuse me, but during the ceremony after the battle we saw several pilots, far more then could survive the attack. In the novelization he got it as a reward.

How long after the battle did the ceremony take place? There might have been ample time for the Rebs who evacuated to come back for the awards.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2003-03-06 02:12pm

Well for a start i can definately confirm that the Imperials took and held Bespin. I remember that in the second part of Heir to the Empire Pellaeon and Thrawn where talking abous shortages of Tabanna gas and certain ores for the construction of Warships. Tharwn orders Pellaeon to tell Bespin to step up Tabanna gas production and then plans to steal all Lando's surplus in Niklon(sp?).

Kazeite · Post by **Kazeite** » 2003-03-06 02:29pm

I remember reading somewhere that after ANH Luke got into newly created Rogue Squadron. Just before TESB he was second in command, but original CO was killed and Luke got his job

Regarding original question,

it was stated that Luke was checked out on the T-65 (whatever that "checked" means

). Also, Luke wasn't trained by Biggs, because he was suprised that Luke was there at all

(Apparently he was dozing off during brefing

)

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2003-03-06 03:35pm

IG-88, Porkins died in the battle. I remember a Jansen, though...hmmm.