- "Commander, we just lost Blue Squadron!"
- ―Red Leader at the Battle of Muunilinst
Blue Squadron was a Galactic Republic starfighter squadron active during the Clone Wars that flew a variety of craft, including V-19 Torrent starfighters, Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptors, Z-95 Headhunters, BTL-B Y-wings, and ARC-170 starfighters.
History[]
During the Clone Wars, Blue Squadron developed from a unit of Jedi starfighter pilots[7] into a clone trooper pilot squadron. This Blue Squadron fought in the Battle of Muunilinst, flying V-19 Torrent starfighters under the command of Anakin Skywalker. Its pilots assisted in the destruction of the orbital gun platforms, though the squadron was wiped out when Asajj Ventress joined the fray in her Ginivex-class starfighter.[5]
Later in the war, a Blue Squadron was under the command of Jedi Master Adi Gallia. Flying a Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor, Gallia's V-19 Torrent squadron was accompanied by Master Plo Koon's Red Squadron in defense of Senator Bail Organa's diplomatic cruiser from pirates, with Blue Squadron engaging and crippling the pirate mothership.[1]
Blue Squadron flew V-19 starfighters at the Battle of Rendili, in which the squadron lost at least a third of its strength.[6]
When Jedi General Anakin Skywalker secured BTL-B Y-wing starfighters for the Grand Army of the Republic, Blue Squadron was outfitted with a flight of them bearing blue markings, thereby augmenting the V-19s that they fielded.[8][9]
Jedi Padawan Commander Ahsoka Tano flew a Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptor as Blue Leader, commanding a Blue Squadron of V-19 torrents at the Battle of Ryloth. During the battle Blue Squadron sustained heavy losses after Ahsoka disobeyed a direct order to retreat.[2]
At the battle of Ukio, General Keelyvine Reus, commanded Blue Squadron against the CIS invasion force that assaulted the planet. The Separatist's had released electromagnetic soil from Moorja which clung to the Ukio planetary shield. They engineered the soil to be photoreactive so that it moved along the shield as the planet rotated around it's sun, created an artificial and mobile solar eclipse which threatened to destroy all the valuable crops on the agriworld. A section of the planetary shield had to be dropped to allow the soil to dissipate in the atmosphere. Blue squadron assaulted the CIS forces to prevent them taking advantage of the opening the shield and directly assault the planet below.[10]
After the development of the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter, Blue Squadron was among the units in the Republic fleet to receive ARC-170s for combat and utilized them at the Siege of Saleucami.[3] The pilots of the ARC-170s favored a configuration that provided more power to weapons than to shields, when compared to Red Squadron.[8] At this time, the squadron also included Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors flown by Jedi Knights including Aayla Secura,[11] and Xiaan Amersu, who served as Blue Leader in the siege's final battle, in which she sacrificed herself by flying her damaged starfighter into a Separatist planetary gun.[3]
Known members during the Battle of Muunilinst[]
Known members during the Battle of Ryloth[]
- Blue Leader: Commander Ahsoka Tano
- Blue Two: Axe †[2]
- Blue Three: Slammer †[2]
- Blue Four: Kickback[2]
- Blue Five: Tucker †[2]
- Group Two Leader: Swoop[12]
Known members during the Battle of Ukio[]
- Blue Leader: Kit Fisto
- Blue Two: Keelyvine Reus
Behind the scenes[]
While Adi Gallia's entry in StarWars.com's Databank refers to her as the leader of Red Squadron during Bail Organa's rescue from pirates,[13] the comic issue Republic 61, the original source, portrays Gallia as Blue Squadron's leader, with Plo Koon commanding Red Squadron.[1]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 10" (First appearance)
- Republic 61
- Republic 70
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Clone Cadets" (Appears in Newsreel)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Storm Over Ryloth"
- The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct
- Republic 74
- Republic 76
- Republic 77
Sources[]
- Star Wars PocketModel TCG — Base Set (Card: Blue Squadron ARC-170) (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide
- Star Wars PocketModel TCG — Clone Wars Tactics (Card: Blue Squadron V-19 Torrent)
- Star Wars PocketModel TCG — Clone Wars Tactics (Card: Blue Squadron Y-wing)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Storm Over Ryloth on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Republic 61
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Storm Over Ryloth"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Republic 77
- ↑ Star Wars PocketModel TCG — Clone Wars (Card: Blue Squadron Y-wing) (backup link)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 10"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Republic 70
- ↑ Republic 50
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Star Wars PocketModel TCG: Clone Wars
- ↑ Star Wars PocketModel TCG — Clone Wars Tactics
- ↑ The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct
- ↑ Republic 74
- ↑ The Clone Wars Episode Guide: Storm Over Ryloth on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ Gallia, Adi in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)