I don't remember that scene. Is that on the Special Edition DVD?
That would make more sense than just Luke showing up out of nowhere and leading an attack run with no track record.
As said, the scene with Biggs, Luke and Red Leader was put back in for the SE but the line about Red Leader knowing Luke's father was cut. In the film you can see an extra walk across the frame at that point to facilitate the editing out of the dialogue. I suppose Lucas cut it because he was unsure about everything that was going to happen in the prequels he was planning. So he didn't know whether Anakin would be well known enough for someone like Red Leader to have known him, or for him to know that Luke was his son.
Interestingly, the idea of Red Leader knowing Anakin was brought back into continuity when it was noted in the EU that Red Leader flew alongside Anakin at the Battle of Virujansi during the Clone Wars. So although he actually did know Anakin, he presumably still does not know that Luke was his son.
In the Wookieepedia article for Red Leader it notes that Luke flew simulations before the battle and his impressive performance, as well as Biggs's endorsement led to Luke being admitted into the squadron.
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"Orr would be crazy to fly any more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to.
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