Y-wing
| Koensayr BTL Y-wing starfighter | |
|---|---|
| Star Wars vehicle | |
| First appearance | Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1976 novel) Star Wars (theatrical appearance) |
| Last appearance | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker |
| Created by | Colin Cantwell |
| Information | |
| Affiliation |
|
| Launched | During or Prior to 22 BBY[1] |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Guidenhauser ejector seat |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Assault starfighter/bomber |
| Armaments |
|
| Defenses |
|
| Maximum speed |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Length |
|
| Width | 8.54 meters |
| Height | 2.44 meters |
| Population volume |
|
The Koensayr BTL Y-wing assault starfighter/bomber are a series of fictional spacecraft from the Star Wars expanded universe's books, comics, and games.
Origin and design
Colin Cantwell, who also designed the saga's TIE fighters, initially designed the Y-wing with a large bubble turret for a gunner.[2] However, the dome did not appear properly when filmed against bluescreen and subsequent designs omitted the turret.[2]
Appearances
In the original Star Wars movie (1977), a group of Y-wings designated "Gold Squadron" took part in the attack on the
Jon Vander (Angus MacInnes), Y-wings made the first unsuccessful "trench run" on the Death Star's exhaust port, and only one Y-wing would survive the battle itself. (The pilot of the surviving Y-Wing differs between Canon and Legends). Luke Skywalker pilots a Y-wing in the animated segment of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. Y-wings made a brief appearance at the end of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when the heroes are reunited with the Rebel fleet, and feature alongside other Rebel starfighters during the climatic space battle of Return of the Jedi
(1983).
Y-wings were later seen in Anakin Skywalker is shown leading a squadron of Y-wings on one of their first missions to take out a Separatist cruiser, where they are noted for their powerful shields and secondary gunner. In the Star Wars Rebels 2014 animated series, the crew of the Ghost are shown stealing decommissioned Old Republic Y-wings, in the process of being dismantled by the Galactic Empire, for use by the nascent Rebel Alliance
. These former Republic Y-wings the Rebellion had captured and reclaimed from scrap had become skeletal by having their armor paneling & hull stripped-down and they were heavily modified to fit rebel specifications to transform the former Republic Y-wings into Rebellion Y-wings.
Rebel BTL-A4 Y-wings are stripped down and heavily modified BTL-B Y-wings that were leftover from the Clone Wars.
Y-wings made their theatrical reappearance in Imperial Star Destroyer with ion torpedoes. Y-wings would appear again as newer & upgraded models during the climax of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
(2019).
Depiction
Based on Star Wars supplemental retail material, the Galactic Republic commissioned Koensayr Manufacturing to produce the BTL-B Y-wing during the early part of the Clone Wars. Prized for its durability and long-range striking capability, the success of the Y-wing prompted further production of the original model and a number of variants. However, when the war concluded and the Galactic Empire came to power, Y-wings were decommissioned and relegated to
Galactic Civil War. Rebel Y-wings were used to perform a variety of missions including courier, escort and reconnaissance.[3]
The original Y-wing (The BTL-B) features a forward module seating a pilot in the cockpit and a gunner in a astromech droid (which served as the fighter's navigation system) fits into a dedicated socket behind them. The module contains the starfighter's armaments: two forward-firing laser cannons, twin ion cannons in the turret, and a pair of torpedo launchers with six-round magazines capable of launching bombs, cluster missiles and other ordnance. The module connects to two powerful ion engines via reinforced central spar and cross wing, all encased in heavy armor plating. Heavily modified and skeletal versions of the Original Y-Wing (BTL-B) include the BTL-S3, which replaces the bubble turret with a remote-controlled turret and seats the gunner behind the pilot in the cockpit, and the BTL-A4, which removes the gunner altogether and gives the pilot control of the ion cannons.[3]
Once acquired, Rebel technicians modified the fighter-bombers to make them more suitable to the Rebellion's hit-and-run tactics. Armor plating was removed to save on weight and make it easier to perform maintenance, compensated for by increasing deflector shield power. Various other components were removed or rearranged - such as replacing the six-round torpedo magazines with four-round versions - to lighten weight and increase performance while maintaining overall integrity. The resulting modification makes these Rebel Y-wings faster and more lethal than it’s original version making the old BTL-B become the new BTL-A4 Y-wing.[3]
After the defeat of the Empire, Koensayr introduced a new version of the Y-wing to capitalize on the fighter's popularity. This BTA-NR2 model emulates the look of the Rebel-modified Y-wings both because the public is more familiar with this version and because it allows for greater customization. While outwardly mimicking the "classic" Y-wing design, the new version features various upgrades including stronger shields and more sophisticated sensors.[3]
Cultural impact
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
In 2018, Star Wars starfighters had their aerodynamic abilities tested using the
repulsorlifts and deflector shields to give themselves better flight profiles.[4]
References
- ^ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ^ a b "Y-wing starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
- ^ ISBN 978-1683839361.
- ^ Pockross, Adam. "Testing the Aerodynamics of Star Wars Ships in a Virtual Wind Tunnel". SyFy Wire. Retrieved 9 September 2020. [dead link]
External links
- Y-wing starfighter in the StarWars.com Databank
- BTL Y-wing starfighter on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
