Darth Whaler
06-18-2002, 02:13 PM
When my brother and I were younger, we loved the character Wedge Antilles. *We joked that he got no respect because he was given limited screen time in the Star Wars trilogy and apparently had no action figure despite the fact that he played an important role in all of the films' major battles. *We even decided (in jest) that he was in fact the TRUE hero of the Star Wars original trilogy. *The following is more of an essay than a story but I wrote it several years ago to explain my theory. *Please keep in mind that this was written for fun...we don't REALLY believe this. *
WHY WEDGE ANTILLES IS THE TRUE HERO OF STAR WARS
Believe it or not, some people do not agree that Wedge is the true hero of the Star Wars trilogy. *It is time to expose the truth. *Here is all the evidence you’ll need to be convinced. *
There are several reasons why Wedge is the true hero of the Star Wars trilogy. Let’s analyze the first movie, Star Wars (A New Hope). *Notice that the character Wedge did not show up until the very end of the movie. *The reason for this is obvious. *His services were saved for the most important battle because he is the best pilot. *The rebel alliance did not want to risk using him earlier. *Why chance losing your best pilot and warrior until you really need to? *Now let’s get down to the real proof. *In the battle scenes where the rebels must
destroy the Death Star, despite what people say about the heroics of Luke or Han, it is Wedge who saves the day. *First of all, when TIE fighters are all over Luke’s sorry butt,
Wedge comes to his aid. *Remember when Luke says “Thanks Wedge?” *Luke is acknowledging the fact that he is an inferior pilot. *Then, Wedge exhibits true bravery by sacraficing his X-wing. *He apologizes to Luke (he’s even polite) and pulls out of the trenches...a very sneaky, clever maneuver. *The Empire thinks they have the greatest pilot in history out of the battle. *But Wedge tricks them! *What the camera fails to show was that after he pulls out, faking the damage to his X-wing, he circles around and heads back into the trenches. *Now Wedge has the upper hand! *
Let’s jump to the point where Darth Vader is behind Luke and about to blow him away. *It appears that Han Solo arrives from out of the blue and destroys Vader’s wingmen and sends Vader himself hurling into space. *Some may argue that the shots came from the Millenium Falcon and not Wedge’s X-wing. *Possible, but unlikely considering the position of the Falcon and the fact that Han and Chewie are both at the
controls rather than at the guns. *It is impossible to be sure but one has to think Wedge played a part in this. *One thing is for sure though: Luke did not fire the proton torpedoes that resulted in the Death Star’s destruction. *Remember when R2-D2 was damaged during the trench battle? *At that time, the torpedo-launching *mechanism on Luke’s X-wing was severely
damaged preventing him from firing them. *Of course, the ship’s computers were also damaged so his weapons computer showed all systems were active. *So Luke is nearing the point where he is to fire. *Ben tells him to “use the Force” and “let go.” *This causes Luke to turn off his targeting computer. *See, Ben’s not stupid. *He knows that Wedge is close behind. *Then, just as Luke hits the fire button, Wedge fires his proton torpedoes so it looks like Luke is the one who shot them. *The camera fails to show this event. *One may wonder why the rebels were not aware of Wedge’s return to the trench. That’s easy. *Wedge is an expert at covert operations. *He sent out a false signal which registered his X-wing elsewhere on radar. *This way, nobody, including the Empire, would know that he was right in the middle of the action. *Another possibility is that the rebels did know. *They just didn’t say anything in order to keep up Luke’s confidence.
That brings me to another point...Wedge never receives a medal in the movie. *The reason for this is because the alliance held a separate private ceremony for him. *The film
ends before we can see any footage of this ceremony. *However, rest assured that the medal he receives is much bigger and shinier than the ones given to Luke and Han. *
Now let’s analyze the second movie, The Empire Strikes Back. *Originally the title of this movie was "Wedge Strikes Again" but because he was used only for a small portion
of the film, the movie was renamed prior to release. *A lot of people will argue that Luke is definitely the hero in this one. *It’s always Luke did this and Luke did that. *Well, guess who’s snow speeder gets taken out in the early stages of the battle against the AT-AT’s? Yup, Luke. *Guess who stays in it to the bitter end? *Yup, Wedge. *Wedge led the strike which resulted in the first AT-AT being destroyed. *Okay, Luke took out one AT-AT single handedly, but hey, Wedge did it first. *Also, though the camera fails to catch it, Wedge actually took out 7 other AT-AT’s before returning to the base. *Unfortunately, this is all we actually see of Wedge in the second movie. *His last words are “good luck Luke, see you at the rendezvous.” *Luke does not wish Wedge luck because he knows that Wedge does not need it. *
Did you know that Wedge not being on Cloud City resulted in Luke losing a hand? It’s true. *If Han, Leia, and eventually Luke would have let the other rebels know that they were on Cloud City, Wedge would have been sent to protect them. *But no, because of their own stupidity, Luke lost an appendage. *See, the truth is that Wedge is actually a Jedi
master. *He just doesn’t tell anybody because he is very humble. *Who do you think Yoda meant when he said “No, there is another” after Obi-Wan stated that Luke was their last hope? Certainly not Leia. *
Return of the Jedi (Return of Wedge was the title until halfway through production) provides the ultimate evidence of Wedge’s heroism. *Remember when Jabba’s barge explodes? *You think Luke did that? *Nope. *What the camera failed to show was Wedge arriving unseen (he’s so sly) and shooting a grenade-like object on the barge while everyone else was preoccupied with the commotion outside. *After that, he sped away and met up with his friends elsewhere. *By the way, guess who was the smart one who explained to Princess Leia how to “defrost” Han? *Wedge.
Skipping to the end of the movie, the most action packed climactic event of the trilogy, we find Wedge and Lando “co-leading” the attack of the Death Star. *Wedge and Lando are the only ones who actually make it in and out without getting destroyed. *When they are headed for the main reactor it is Wedge who leads the way. *That’s right, WEDGE! *Once Wedge’s X-wing and the Millenium Falcon reach the main reactor, Lando tries to be all cool and tell Wedge what to do. *Wedge responds by saying “I’m already on my way out.” *See, he’s already on his way out. * He already knows what to
do. *Lando is just a slow poke on a power trip. *Anyway, what Wedge destroys is the primary target (the power regulators). *Lando shot something of less significance that wouldn’t have made a difference either way. *Wedge has it all taken care of. *Lastly, Wedge makes it out before the Death Star starts flaming like mad. *Lando just barely escapes. *So who’s the better pilot? *Who’s the hero? *I think the answer is clear: Wedge Antilles.
WHY WEDGE ANTILLES IS THE TRUE HERO OF STAR WARS
Believe it or not, some people do not agree that Wedge is the true hero of the Star Wars trilogy. *It is time to expose the truth. *Here is all the evidence you’ll need to be convinced. *
There are several reasons why Wedge is the true hero of the Star Wars trilogy. Let’s analyze the first movie, Star Wars (A New Hope). *Notice that the character Wedge did not show up until the very end of the movie. *The reason for this is obvious. *His services were saved for the most important battle because he is the best pilot. *The rebel alliance did not want to risk using him earlier. *Why chance losing your best pilot and warrior until you really need to? *Now let’s get down to the real proof. *In the battle scenes where the rebels must
destroy the Death Star, despite what people say about the heroics of Luke or Han, it is Wedge who saves the day. *First of all, when TIE fighters are all over Luke’s sorry butt,
Wedge comes to his aid. *Remember when Luke says “Thanks Wedge?” *Luke is acknowledging the fact that he is an inferior pilot. *Then, Wedge exhibits true bravery by sacraficing his X-wing. *He apologizes to Luke (he’s even polite) and pulls out of the trenches...a very sneaky, clever maneuver. *The Empire thinks they have the greatest pilot in history out of the battle. *But Wedge tricks them! *What the camera fails to show was that after he pulls out, faking the damage to his X-wing, he circles around and heads back into the trenches. *Now Wedge has the upper hand! *
Let’s jump to the point where Darth Vader is behind Luke and about to blow him away. *It appears that Han Solo arrives from out of the blue and destroys Vader’s wingmen and sends Vader himself hurling into space. *Some may argue that the shots came from the Millenium Falcon and not Wedge’s X-wing. *Possible, but unlikely considering the position of the Falcon and the fact that Han and Chewie are both at the
controls rather than at the guns. *It is impossible to be sure but one has to think Wedge played a part in this. *One thing is for sure though: Luke did not fire the proton torpedoes that resulted in the Death Star’s destruction. *Remember when R2-D2 was damaged during the trench battle? *At that time, the torpedo-launching *mechanism on Luke’s X-wing was severely
damaged preventing him from firing them. *Of course, the ship’s computers were also damaged so his weapons computer showed all systems were active. *So Luke is nearing the point where he is to fire. *Ben tells him to “use the Force” and “let go.” *This causes Luke to turn off his targeting computer. *See, Ben’s not stupid. *He knows that Wedge is close behind. *Then, just as Luke hits the fire button, Wedge fires his proton torpedoes so it looks like Luke is the one who shot them. *The camera fails to show this event. *One may wonder why the rebels were not aware of Wedge’s return to the trench. That’s easy. *Wedge is an expert at covert operations. *He sent out a false signal which registered his X-wing elsewhere on radar. *This way, nobody, including the Empire, would know that he was right in the middle of the action. *Another possibility is that the rebels did know. *They just didn’t say anything in order to keep up Luke’s confidence.
That brings me to another point...Wedge never receives a medal in the movie. *The reason for this is because the alliance held a separate private ceremony for him. *The film
ends before we can see any footage of this ceremony. *However, rest assured that the medal he receives is much bigger and shinier than the ones given to Luke and Han. *
Now let’s analyze the second movie, The Empire Strikes Back. *Originally the title of this movie was "Wedge Strikes Again" but because he was used only for a small portion
of the film, the movie was renamed prior to release. *A lot of people will argue that Luke is definitely the hero in this one. *It’s always Luke did this and Luke did that. *Well, guess who’s snow speeder gets taken out in the early stages of the battle against the AT-AT’s? Yup, Luke. *Guess who stays in it to the bitter end? *Yup, Wedge. *Wedge led the strike which resulted in the first AT-AT being destroyed. *Okay, Luke took out one AT-AT single handedly, but hey, Wedge did it first. *Also, though the camera fails to catch it, Wedge actually took out 7 other AT-AT’s before returning to the base. *Unfortunately, this is all we actually see of Wedge in the second movie. *His last words are “good luck Luke, see you at the rendezvous.” *Luke does not wish Wedge luck because he knows that Wedge does not need it. *
Did you know that Wedge not being on Cloud City resulted in Luke losing a hand? It’s true. *If Han, Leia, and eventually Luke would have let the other rebels know that they were on Cloud City, Wedge would have been sent to protect them. *But no, because of their own stupidity, Luke lost an appendage. *See, the truth is that Wedge is actually a Jedi
master. *He just doesn’t tell anybody because he is very humble. *Who do you think Yoda meant when he said “No, there is another” after Obi-Wan stated that Luke was their last hope? Certainly not Leia. *
Return of the Jedi (Return of Wedge was the title until halfway through production) provides the ultimate evidence of Wedge’s heroism. *Remember when Jabba’s barge explodes? *You think Luke did that? *Nope. *What the camera failed to show was Wedge arriving unseen (he’s so sly) and shooting a grenade-like object on the barge while everyone else was preoccupied with the commotion outside. *After that, he sped away and met up with his friends elsewhere. *By the way, guess who was the smart one who explained to Princess Leia how to “defrost” Han? *Wedge.
Skipping to the end of the movie, the most action packed climactic event of the trilogy, we find Wedge and Lando “co-leading” the attack of the Death Star. *Wedge and Lando are the only ones who actually make it in and out without getting destroyed. *When they are headed for the main reactor it is Wedge who leads the way. *That’s right, WEDGE! *Once Wedge’s X-wing and the Millenium Falcon reach the main reactor, Lando tries to be all cool and tell Wedge what to do. *Wedge responds by saying “I’m already on my way out.” *See, he’s already on his way out. * He already knows what to
do. *Lando is just a slow poke on a power trip. *Anyway, what Wedge destroys is the primary target (the power regulators). *Lando shot something of less significance that wouldn’t have made a difference either way. *Wedge has it all taken care of. *Lastly, Wedge makes it out before the Death Star starts flaming like mad. *Lando just barely escapes. *So who’s the better pilot? *Who’s the hero? *I think the answer is clear: Wedge Antilles.