Full Series Rebel Pilots in Rebels

Nice thread!

I would like to see an "other" pilot:




He should be old enough to be an officer in the time of Rebels.

 

I think it's more complicated than that because for someone like me who doesn't know everyone's EU Legends back-story, incidental characters who had a couple lines in one of the films aren't same-old, getting to actually know them and feel a stronger connection to them would be something new. TCW did that for me for numerous characters in the PT (and even OT come to think of it...), most of which have few or no lines or maybe aren't even named on-screen in the films. And then there's another category of characters portrayed by extras who don't even have names in the scripts or EU Legends back-stories who are seen doing important things in the films that could have names and stories developed for them. I think there's plenty of room for new characters we know nothing about who could surprise us while still expanding the films.

 

I agree, Tarkin, Yularen, Dooku, and Plo Koon are all great examples of expanding characters with otherwise minimal roles.

And pluffmeister or whatever most of the new characters with the exception of inquisitor, Kallus, and Zeb have sucked so far... big time.

 

Regarding the old vs new character debate... Rebels bridges the time between RotS and ANH, and I do not see a problem with showing old ANH characters in it. Especially if the characters are physically old enough like Gold & Red Leader, Gold 5, it is very unlikely that they just walked into the Yavin Hangar on the eve of the battle and said "Hello, here I am". They had a history with the Rebellion before that. Rebels as a show does not need to explore all of this history, but it could well offer some insights en passant. Some clever scenes are enough to do so without distracting from the show, and without distracting from the main (new) characters.

 

Agreed In TCW having Yularen and Tarkin as clone wars vets made sense. It wasn't like they just popped out of nowhere in ANH.

TCW helped bridge the PT with the OT in ways Lucas ignored. Hopefully Rebels continues this.

 

I'm always glad to see when folks promote the notion of new, original characters (they are the lifeblood moving the franchise forward and keeping the stories fresh). But I didn't take it as this thread necessarily demonstrating a desire by the fandom to see known characters, at the exclusion of originals, at all. I think the answers are simply a reflection of the way the topic was posed.

"Which [returning] Rebel Pilot do you want to see the most?" That kind of thing. At least, that's how I took it, anyway. And I think it makes sense. Considering all of the returning OT/TCW characters just in the first fifteen/sixteen Season 1 episodes, alone, it wouldn't shock me if, by the time the series is done, we end up not only getting some terrific new characters, but also spending some time with some more fan favorites.

But, hey: We already know we are getting new Rebels. Commander Santo, his Phoenix Squadron, and the like. There's already reason to celebrate on that front!

You know what, Disney/LFL? Surprise me.

But don't shy away from seeing some of those Yavin Rebels show up, now and again, either.

 

The idea of the A-wing Phoenix squadron intrigues me.

 

I like the responses about Wedge & Biggs, nice to see folks recognizing that it's probably too early for these guys to be part of the Rebellion (especially Biggs, story-wise, but also Wedge age-wise). I've mentioned elsewhere that it bugged the hell outta me that Brian Wood's Star Wars run at Dark Horse had Wedge, at least in the first couple arcs, treated like a grizzled veteran of many years, promoted over Luke, acting far more like Garven Dreis than the guy convinced the mission was impossible and chattering over the size of the Death Star. When paired with Luke on an infiltration mission he felt a little more like the Wedge I knew, but before? It felt all kinds of wrong. Technically Wedge had more time in than Luke, but he always struck me as someone who still wasn't much more experienced than Luke--still a good pilot of course, just green. One thing I liked in the EMPIRE days of Dark Horse was that Commander Narra was brought in as the new Red Leader--another vet, not just "the guy who survived the Death Star and had a call sign closest to Red One" (looking him up, I see he was around even before that, from the ESB radio drama! Learn something new every day...). That felt more natural than immediately giving Wedge or Luke command. (Trebor, I love that pic you posted of Wedge; I had hoped Hasbro's Comic Pack toy line would make that version of Wedge; I attempted, poorly, to kit bash one--didn't get very far, as the only torso that worked was the original Dark Empire Luke, which was a brittle mess to work with; maybe I'll make a Lego version someday instead! Decals are easier)

Not quite sure how the canon is handling Wedge post-ANH just yet; Leia refers to a "Captain Antilles" in PL#1, but it isn't clear if she's talking about Wedge--the Cap'n Antilles commanding the Tantive IV seems like dead meat, of course, but it's supposedly a common name, so who knows? At least when Wedge & Luke chased after Leia's ship, they were still using Red 2 & Red 5 as their call signs, so even if Wedge is now a captain he's not necessarily Red Leader.

Anyhoo, back to Rebels, Biggs should be a late, final-couple-episodes-of-the-series kind of addition as an actual Rebel, if it ends with the theft of the DS plans or something. I know the deleted scenes have Biggs basically joining the Rebellion a day or two before Luke gets to Yavin, but of course they're not beholden to that--and if we see him at an Imperial Academy, and those friends he made there who know of the Rebellion, I hope they pick up this element of the deleted scene: that the Academy doesn't just train Imperial military pilots & crew, but civilian as well. He wanted to jump ship from the Rand Ecliptic so he wouldn't be drafted into military service, not to escape current military service.

Dak is meant to show that Luke's no longer the eager young novice; Dak's basically "Luke, a few years ago". Probably got plenty of active duty under his belt by ESB, after all he's part of Rogue Squadron, but I'd guess he's still pretty new to the Rebellion, so throwing him in a show set 4 years before ANH isn't necessary (unless he's another kid in the Academy, of course).

Porkins, Pops, Dutch, Garven... sure. Let's see 'em all (with the old EU names; no sense in changing them)! Theron Nett, too. He kept his cool until he knew he was doomed, and I always liked that. I wouldn't mind seeing those guys in engaged in skirmishes but surviving as some of their fellows fall... and anything that'll maybe help some SW fans move on from "Porkins HAW HAW FAT JOKES!" can only be a good thing.

 

I'm a little fat and I love porkins fat jokes...

 

If this series gets more in depth with the rebellion I think it is only logical that some of these characters do show up. So while I agree I want to see new characters, at the same time it makes sense that these characters would be there. My preferred route would be mainly as background characters with maybe a one off episode/arc where the Ghost team joins up with Red Squadron on a mission. Beyond that though I do think they are overstaying their welcome. The only exception would be if Red/Gold leaders are high ranking, and would hold important positions outside of being pilots.

 

You know, Toonimator, I think you may have an idea here. He's not a pilot to my knowledge, but assuming the storyline progresses in certain ways, Captain Raymus Antilles (assuming they choose to keep the Legends full name, and they seem to want to do so with other characters) is certainly a character we could possibly see as a member of Bail Organa's retinue that the main cast could interact with in some fashion. Again, that's assuming we see a lot more of Bail in the show (which would be my preference), and that Ahsoka doesn't essentially fill Antilles' story function instead.

 

You mean the old redneck guy (Dreis I think) red leader that fought with Anakin in the clone wars? In the EU there is a book that describes that in detail.

 

Yup - The Essential Guide to Warfare. Although, not all that much detail - it's only one sidebar.

 

I think he flew a v-19 torrent with his local airforce with anakin and obi against vulture droids when they were short on clones.

Funny it mentions that he praised Anakin as a hero, talk about an ironic death.

 

Going by the Wookieepedia description, it was a Headhunter he flew, with his home world's forces, the Rarified Air Cavalry.

 

That's awesome. Also in Tarkin and later seasons of TCW Headhunters are canon.

 

Different looking Headhunters to the EU standard version - but they vary very considerably from that standard in the EU anyway.

 

From what I've read is that even the canon headhunters have different variations, much like the republic y-wing and the rebel one. However with JJ's x-wing being a shamless knock off of Mcquarrie's xwing and the EU's headhunter, he will probably go to all lengths to ensure the mouse erases the old headhunter from existence.

 

Always go to be Porkins. I'd like an original story where we find out that he's actually a Hutt.

 

All the guys who died in the Deathstar Run except Biggs. I dont want see Wedge either, if this is YEARS before the Deathstar battle, Wedge and Biggs should NOT be apart of that team yet, they are Lukes age, Red Squadron should be tied to Bail or the old guy with the beard from Episode 4. I wanna know more about Porkins.

 

Guy with beard in Jan Dodonna.

 

Ackbar maybe? Some EU works did hint at him being a fighter pilot before he worked his way up to admiral - it would be nice to see that carry over to the newcanon.

 

We've already seen (Captain) Ackbar in TCW as a commander of Mon Cala forces. I doubt he'll hop over to the starfighter corps before becoming Admiral (and as of Episode IV, he's already an Admiral--he appears in Princess Leia #1, helping with the Yavin evacuation)

 

Maybe he commanded Mon Cala starfighter corps in early space battles against the Empire?