Why is Luke Skywalker allowed to fly an X-wing?

Did the princess get him a spot on the squadron as a token of her appreciation?

 

He joined the rebel alliance as an X-wing pilot.

 

He was an available pilot, and the Alliance was in need of volunteers, so they took what they could get.

 

Maybe that had something to do with it, but it was most likely due to the fact that they needed as many good pilots as possible and he was a good pilot. Many of the top brass probably also recognized that he was the son of Anakin Skywalker, so they knew he would be powerful and/or a good pilot.

 

He's the best pilot on the outer rim, as Biggs says.

 

[image=http://membres.lycos.fr/drayson/rebels/chasseurs/x-wing/xwing%20-%20rendu1.jpg]

X-wings are expensive as hell though, and he'd never flown one before. Imagine if the son of the Red Baron or Maverick walked onto a U.S. Air Force base in Iraq and volunteered to fly an F-14. They'd probably jail him.

 

The Rebels were low on pilots and he always wanted to join. Biggs helped him get in.

 

Which of the 500 Star Wars books did you read that in?

 

Only the American forces in Iraq aren't in dire need of pilots. The odds were in favor of none of those X-Wings coming back to Yavin, so what's one more?

 

In the ANH radio drama, Biggs gets Luke into a Fighter Simulator, and he does very well. They show the results to Commander Willard, and Willard gets Luke a plane.

In one of the comics, the X Wing that Luke uses belongs to a pilot that got hurt and was dwn at Yavin Base. He's really mad at Luke for stealing his thunder.

 

Luke flew an Incom T-16 on Tatooine, which has very similar controls to the Incom T-65 X-wing. So Luke did have piloting experience.

 

I can even make an ANH-only argument that this makes sense. Remember, during the briefing, Luke mentions that he's flown a T-16... even without any evidence of what that craft is, you understand that it's at least somewhat similar to what the Rebel pilots are flying because no one says anything like "that's ridiculous" or "this is totally different."

Also, in the restored SE scene of Red Leader, Biggs, and Luke, Red Leader asks Luke if he can handle the ship (the way he asks implies to me that they've done some training, and he already knows what Luke's answer will be) and Biggs also chimes in on Luke's behalf. His acceptance is a bit sudden, but the Alliance knew that the planet would likely be blown up in short order anyway; they had a promising pilot and nothing to lose.

 

ANH novel.

Besides, ANH the film certainly doesn't depict a vast Rebel fighter force.

 

Luke: "You will let me fly an X-Wing"
Flight Commander: "I will let you fly an X-Wing"




Let's not get technical and realistic here. This is an adventure, a space opera or a fairytale if you like. Rules and technicallitiues aren't important. Luke flew the X-Wing because he is the hero and the ship is real cool.

 

bingo - i've just always thought that they needed another body and luke happend to be there...

 

It was in a deleted scene that was restored in the ANH Special Edition. You know, the one that's on DVD.

 

Like many have said, the Rebels were always looking for extra pilots. They are, afterall against a vast galatic empire and they are referred to as a pitiful band. Luke is the hero and a jedi. He has friends in the academy, plus I'm sure rescuing Princess Leia helped him secure a spot.

He already had piloting experience, with a T-16 and even refers himself to as a pretty decent pilot to Han. He probably tested most of their crafts out and felt most comfortable in the X-wing, I know I would.

 

Luke's playing with a T 16 toy in the garage scene, and you can the back of the real ship in the scene by the walkway that goes out of the garage.

 

One of them is also shown in flight at the end of the ROTJ Special Edition.

 

It's a movie.

 

Luke's playing with a T 16 toy in the garage scene, and you can the back of the real ship in the scene by the walkway that goes out of the garage.

I know - but someone who had only seen the movie wouldn't, since it's never called by name. Since I was responding to someone who seemed to have contempt for the books, I figured I'd try a film-exclusive explanation.

 

I may have contempt for the books, but boy do I love the video games, especially Rogue Squadron and SOTE.

 

Though that does also work on movie-only conjecture. The toy and the back of the thing in the garage coupled with the later womp-rat line about how he's flown a T-16 suggests that thing is one. They wouldn't have a flotilla of various airspeeders.

Then only the similarity between a T-16 and an X-Wing is EU - though novelisation-canon.

 

I Agree with that, *nod*

 

and what would the other option be...

we have this xwing in the hanger....the death star is approaching....we are not evacuating....

so Luke, you stay here and watch the xwing collect some more dust while we worry about getting blown to bits

it is better to have a bad pilot getting shot down over the death star than to have the xwing destroyed in the hanger

the best analogy is from the film Independence Day....anyone with piloting ability was given a plane and instructed to go attack the enemy