Red Squadron (Rebel Alliance)

For other uses, see Red Squadron.

Warning: This infobox has missing parameters: subgroup and unrecognized parameters: members, era

Red Squadron was an Alliance Starfighter Corps starfighter squadron active during the Galactic Civil War. Their unit specialties included starfighter dogfighting, convoy raids, convoy escort missions, planetary strafing and bombing runs, and capital ship harassments. Although Red Squadron primarily flew X-wings on their missions, they relied on the Koensayr BTL-A4 Y-wing starfighters for missions relating to heavy bombardment.^[1] The squadron most famously fought at the Battle of Yavin and Battle of Endor.^[2] By the time of the Battle of Yavin, Alliance High Command had made Red Squadron a floating unit that could be reassigned at will, largely because of a growing list of successes in anti-Imperial missions—enough that the Empire listed them, and especially the key personnel, Commander Arhul Narra and Lieutenant Wedge Antilles, as active threats in their official field manual, the Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide.^[1]

History

Aboard Independence

A Red Squadron was stationed aboard the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Independence during the buildup to the Battle of Yavin. Pilots who flew with the squadron included Lieutenant Hamo Blastwell, Keyan Farlander, Samuel Raider and Puck Naeco. Many members were transferred to Yavin Base and reassigned to different squadrons for the Death Star assault.

XwingpilotredsquadronTCG — A Red Squadron pilot at the Battle of Yavin

Battle of Yavin

"All wings report in. — Red Ten standing by. — Red Seven standing by. — Red Three standing by. — Red Six standing by. — Red Nine standing by. — Red Two standing by. — Red Eleven standing by. — Red Five standing by."

―Red Squadron at the Battle of Yavin —

Listen (file info)^[src]

Red Squadron was cobbled together from pilots from the Dantooine Squadron, the Ecliptic Evaders, and the Tierfon Yellow Aces for the assault on the Death Star.^[3] During the battle, Red Squadron gained the distinction of being the unit that brought down the Death Star's defenses as well as ultimately destroying the station. But the victory came at a price. Almost the entire squadron was destroyed, except for two X-wings, flown by Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles.

Red Leader: Garven Dreis^[2] (Shot down by Darth Vader)
Red Two: Wedge Antilles^[2] (Managed to retreat after sustaining damage to fighter)
Red Three: Biggs Darklighter^[2] (Shot down by Darth Vader while covering Luke at trench)
Red Four: John D. Branon^[2] (formerly Cesi Eirriss; shot down by TIE fighters)
Red Five: Luke Skywalker^[2] (formerly Jal Te Gniev; destroyed the Death Star; saved by Han Solo)
Red Six: Lt. Jek Tono Porkins^[2] (Destroyed; debris from turret caused computer malfunctions)
Red Seven: Elyhek Rue^[2] (Shot down by TIE fighters)
Red Eight: Bren Quersey^[2] (Shot down by Darth Vader at trench while covering Dreis)
Red Nine: Lt. Nozzo Naytaan^[2] (Shot down by TIE fighters)
Red Ten: Theron Nett^[2] (Shot down by a TIE fighter at trench while covering Dreis)
Red Eleven: Lt. Wenton Chan^[2] (Shot down during combat)^[2]
Red Twelve: Puck Naeco^[4] (Shot down by Darth Vader at trench while covering Dreis)

After the subsequent Battles and Evacuation of Yavin after the Death Star was destroyed, the squadron operated as two groups. The first was Renegade Flight under Arhul Narra, the squadron leader, and the second was Rogue Flight under Luke Skywalker. The latter group, while operating under the name Red Squadron, carried out various operations, including aiding an Imperial officer in his defection into the Rebel Alliance and rescuing Rebel-sympathizing scientists on Ralltiir after Imperial forces blockaded the planet.^[5] Immediately after the battle they escorted Chipr, a pair of Lambda-class T-4a shuttles owned by the Alliance, and Goat, a pair of Delta-class DX-9 stormtrooper transports, to carry troops and workers away from Yavin 4. As the Rogues became more autonomous, they became a group with no standing orders, ready any time or place for urgent missions that would arise. Renegade Flight was eventually destroyed before the Battle of Hoth, while escorting a convoy carrying supplies for the Echo Base.

Aboard the Defiance

In the months following the Battle of Hoth, Rebel pilot Ace Azzameen flew with a Red Squadron based on the Mon Calamari cruiser Defiance.

Battle of Endor

RedGroup — A Red Squadron recruitment poster

For the Battle of Endor, Wedge Antilles changed the name of Rogue Squadron to Red Squadron, with himself as Red Leader, to honor the heroes of Yavin.^[2]

Red Leader: Wedge Antilles^[2]
Red Two: a Human male^[6]
Red Three: Sila Kott^[6] (killed in action)
Red Four: Derek "Hobbie" Klivian^[7]
Red Five: Grizz Frix^[8] (killed in action)
Red Seven: Keir Santage^[9] (killed in action)
Wes Janson^[10]
Kirst^[11]
Randi^[10]
Wister^[12]

Behind the scenes

In the novelization of A New Hope, Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles flew for Blue Squadron. Their squadron was changed to Red Squadron when it was realized that blue markings on the ships would be replaced by moving starfield during bluescreen shots. Consequently, the name of the fighter group the novelization called Red Squadron was changed to Gold Squadron for the film.

The comic adaptation indicated that Red Squadron ("Blue Group") contained only six pilots, but subsequent literature changed the number to twelve. The comic adaptation also established that Luke was the youngest member of the squadron at the Battle of Yavin. The comic differs from the film in showing one of Red Leader's wingmen during the trench run piloting a Y-wing.

Red Squadron was also a recurring starfighter squadron in Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance. However, as all Alliance starfighter squadrons in the game are merely named by colors, this designation may have been an in-mission callsign system, rather than actual squadron names. This explanation is in line with most military procedures of assigning short callsigns for operational use.

Actor John Chapman claims that his character, "Gil Viray," was Red Twelve, ^[13] but the claim was unverified until it was revealed that the character Puck Naeco flew under the callsign at Yavin.

The 1998 novel X-Wing: Wraith Squadron identifies Gayla Riemann as a Rogue Squadron veteran, and The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook claims that she flew an X-wing during the Battle of Endor. No source has revealed whether she flew with Red Squadron in the battle.