The
Rand Ecliptic was first mentioned in the Anchorhead scene in
A New Hope, which was deleted from the film, but was retained in the novelisation,
Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker:
"The academy didn't change you much," Luke commented. "But you're back so soon." His expression grew concerned. "Hey, what happened -- didn't you get your commission?"
There was something evasive about Biggs as he replied, looking slightly away, "Of course I got it. Signed to serve aboard the freighter Rand Ecliptic just last week. First Mate Biggs Darklighter, at your service.
There is no indication that Mr. Darklighter is an Imperial officer, or that the
Rand Ecliptic is an Imperial vessel. Indeed, he refers to her as a freighter, and identifies himself as "First Mate", a merchant marine position equivalent to the naval position of Executive Officer. The intention is clearly that he is not a naval officer, but rather commissioned in the merchant marine, and that for only one week.
In a subsequent scene, Mr. Darklighter tells his friend, Skywalker:
"I'm talking about the talking that's been going on at the Academy -- and other places, Luke. Strong talking. I made some new friends, outsystem friends. We agreed about the way certain things are developing, and -- " his voice dropped conspiratorially -- "when we reach one of the peripheral systems, we're going to jump ship and join the Alliance."
[...]
Biggs cut him off and continued. "A friend of mine from the Academy has a friend on Bestine who might enable us to make contact with an armed rebel unit."
[...]
He stared intensely at his friend. "Luke, I'm not going to wait for the Empire to conscript me into its service. In spite of what you hear over the official information channels, the rebellion is growing, spreading. And I want to be on the right side -- the side I believe in."
From this, it is clear that Mr. Darklighter is not a commissioned officer in the Imperial Navy. In fact, it is even made clear that "the Academy" is not the Imperial Naval Academy, and that graduation from the Academy is not followed by commissioning in the Empire's service. Skywalker confirms this distinction, when he assures Mr. Darklighter that after he attends the Academy, he "won't be drafted into the starfleet, that's for sure". In this case, Skywalker's independent confirmation is significant, as he applied to, and was accepted by, the Academy, but was obliged to defer his enrollment.
The audio dramatisation expands on this by explaining that graduates from the Academy enter one of three services, viz., the exploration, merchant, and starfleet services (this is repeated by the
Star Wars Encyclopedia). Thus, it is fairly clear from the novelisation and the audio dramatisation that the Academy is not an Imperial Naval institute.
The original
Essential Guide to Characters (Del Rey Books, 1995) followed this general outline of events, with a few differences. First, it refers to "the Academy" by the name "the Imperial Space Academy", which indicates that if it is not a Naval institute, it is at least operated by the Imperial Government.
While in the Academy, Biggs and several classmates made contact with the Rebellion while on a trip to the planet Bestine -- not to be confused with Bestine, the capitol of Tatooine. The group made plans to join the forces fighting the Empire as soon as possible. Upon his graduation, the twenty-four-year-old Biggs was assigned to a non-combat post as first mate on the merchant ship Rand Ecliptic.
A week after his commission, Biggs made a final trip to his native Tatooine. There, he and Luke had an unexpected reunion at Fixer's shop in Tosche power station. Luke told him of a space battle above Tatooine, but Biggs assured him it was just ships refueling. Later, in private, Biggs told Luke that he was going to join the Rebellion, then bade his friend good-bye. The next morning, he departed Tatooine.
A few short weeks later, Biggs and his executive officer, Derek "Hobbie" Klivian, made contact with Rebellion spies while at the Imperial Navy Yard in the central Bestine system. Aided by their Captain Heleisk -- himself a Rebel spy -- the two young officers staged a mutiny aboard the Rand Ecliptic and stole it, escaping from the Navy Yards with a valuable shipment of rubindun ore.
Biggs was a great help to the Rebellion, piloting an X-wing fighter in several space battles. He was united with his friend Luke Skywalker on the Fourth Moon of Yavin as the battle against the first Death Star was about to begin. Both childhood friends were flying with the X-wing Red Squadron, Biggs as Red Three, Luke as Red Five.
Notice that according to this version, Mr. Darklighter's story to Skywalker about meeting a friend of a friend on Bestine is not the case; rather, he and others had already made plans to defect prior to graduation. It maintains the week intervening between his graduation and his final trip to Tatooine, but inserts several weeks between that time and the First Battle of Yavin (long enough for the defection, and for him to participate in several engagements on behalf of the rebel Alliance). This in particular is curious, as the film gives no indication of such a length of time.
Furthermore, note that Mr. Klivian is stated to be Mr. Darklighter's executive officer, which is simply nonsensical; a First Mate (or First Officer) aboard a merchant ship is equivalent to an Executive Officer aboard a warship.
Subsequent sources have complicated matters somewhat. "The Making of Baron Fel" established that Captain Soontir Fel, IN, later created 1st Baron Fel of the Empire, was flight instructor at the Prefsbelt IV Naval Academy for two years, and that his career was besmirched by the ignominious barratry of two of his best students, Messrs. Biggs Darklighter and Derek Klivian. This is inconsistent with the novelisation/audio dramatisation version and the
Essential Guide version, both of which indicate that "the Academy" was not a Naval institute.
The present story arc "Darklighter" in
Star Wars Empire agrees with "The Making of Baron Fel"'s version of events. Midshipman Darklighter tells Skywalker that "The Emperor's in charge, and he runs the academies", and this is certainly reflected in "Darklighter"'s depiction of "the Academy" (no specific name is given). The midshipmen wear Imperial uniforms, are instructed with Imperial equipment, by Imperial faculty, and are unambiguously training to be Naval officers (at one point, Midshipman Klivian tells Midshipman Darklighter, "You're an Imperial pilot now. Adjust").
In fact, the commencement speaker is no less a figure than the Grand Moff Tarkin himself, addressing a graduating class over over 4,000 midshipmen, all dressed in Imperial uniforms (all shown, incidentally, with the correct single blue square on the rank badge). His speech includes some unconscionably careless remarks, which lead Mr. Darklighter and a few of his classmates to induct the existence of the Death Star; Mr. Darklighter worries that he will be assigned to the Death Star.
The next day, he and eleven other uniformed graduates receive their orders from an Imperial rear admiral:
You graduates will form the core of the junior staff of a brand new ship in the Imperial fleet. You'll do double duty as pilots, when necessary, as the ship carries a complement of TIE fighters, also freshly minted. I expect the best from you men, and from the Class II frigate, the Rand Ecliptic. Don't be disappointed. Between pirates and rebels, there's a good chance you'll see action. And even if you don't, you're doing vital support work for the Empire. Assignments are as follows: Biggs Darklighter, First Mate. Derek Klivian, Second Mate...
In this version, he is both an Imperial Naval officer and is given a combat post, as a naval aviator. In this context, his rank of first mate seems bizarre, unless it is used in the older, Royal Navy sense of a sublieutenant, with mates numbered to indicate seniority, as was formerly done with lieutenants (reflected by the First Lieutenant of a ship being the head of the Deck Department/Ordnance Department).
"Darklighter" makes a further departure from the previous versions when it unambiguously states that Mr. Darklighter's return to Tatooine is not one week, but "several eventful months" after his graduation and commission. It also indicates that his answer to Skywalker's question is evasive because he is in fact lying to his friend. His claim to have signed on to serve aboard a freighter is said to be outright fabrication, as well as his claim about a friend of a friend on Bestine; according to this version, the mutiny aboard the
Rand Ecliptic is already a
fait accompli (thus removing the several weeks intervening between the capture of the
Tantive IV and the First Battle of Yavin.
It should be noted that Mr. Randy Stradley, Vice-President of Publishing for Dark Horse Comics, Inc., and the editor of
Star Wars Empire, has reportedly stated that he was instructed by Lucasfilm Ltd. to disregard the
Essential Guide's claimed timeframe of events, and to reveal that Mr. Darklighter was in fact lying to Skywalker.
In any event, "Darklighter" further indicates that the
Rand Ecliptic is in fact a warship, shown to be an
Acclamator-type ship with four large landing bays cut into the frame, two on the port side and two on the starboard side, below theship's midline. She is referred to in issue nine as "the cruiser
Rand Ecliptic", and then described as Mr. Darklighter's "first posting in the Imperial fleet -- First Mate of a gleaming new battle cruiser" (Mr. Darklighter introduces himself to Captain Heliesk -- who is shown to wear a commander's rank badge, revealing that he is in fact "Captain Heliesk" by courtesy only -- as "First Mate Biggs Darklighter"). As if that were not enough, Mr. Darklighter subsequently informs a civilian vessel that they are under the authority of "the Imperial frigate
Rand Ecliptic".
In any event, "Darklighter"'s version dispenses not only with the friend of a friend on Bestine, but also with the pre-graduation conspiracy. In this version of events, Mr. Darklighter and three other officers had been meeting infrequently to discuss dissatisfaction with Imperial policy, but were only prompted to consider defection after Captain Heliesk's ill-considered orders result in disastrous loss of civlian life, which the taciturn Commanding Officer quickly covers up.
The "Darklighter" version is somewhat necessary if one is to credit "The Making of Baron Fel", which reveals that as a result of the
Rand Ecliptic debacle, Captain Fel was demoted to major and transferred to the command of Colonel Evir Derricote, IN, Commander, 181st Imperial Fighter Wing; this version requires some time between the mutiny and the First Battle of Yavin, as Major Fel is said to have taken command of the second squadron (presumably Sabre Squadron) of the 181st, rebuilt it, and led it to victory at the Second Battle of Ord Biniir, the same day as the First Battle of Yavin.
Furthermore, the "Darklighter" version allows for the events of
X-Wing, which include rebel pilot Keyan Farlander rescuing fellow rebel pilot Biggs Darklighter, who then transfers to Red Squadron, in the month or so prior to the First Battle of Yavin. This, along with the events of
Rogue Squadron issue 1/2, would presumably be included in the "several engagements" which Mr. Darklighter is said to have flown on behalf of the rebel Alliance by the
Essential Guide.
At any rate, that is a summary and discussion of pertinent details to the identity of the
Rand Ecliptic.
Publius
