A-wing

RZ-1 A-wings from Green Squadron participate in the climactic Battle of Endor depicted in Return of the Jedi (1983). At Endor, an A-wing piloted by Arvel Crynyd (Hilton McRae)[2] crashes into the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, resulting in the Executor crashing out of control into the second Death Star. In addition to McRae, two women recorded A-wing cockpit footage; one of the actors was cut, and the other was dubbed over by a male actor.[3]

A-wings later appear in various Star Wars Expanded Universe television shows, books, and games. Some Expanded Universe material says Jan Dodonna created the A-wing based on his analysis of the role of speed in the Battle of Yavin, the climactic battle in Star Wars (1977).[4] Later material, such as the Star Wars Rebels television series, depicts the starfighters in use before the events of Star Wars.[5]

The A-wings of Phoenix Squadron play an important role in Rebels' second season (2015–2016). Rebels producers used the A-wing in part because the ship was not used much in Return of the Jedi[6] The fighter's presence in the cartoon was meant to show that different groups used different craft to fight the Empire.[6] The series's episodes "The Holocrons of Fate" and "Twin Suns" also feature the two-seater RZ-1T trainer, a training spacecraft used by the rebels to train recruits. The RZ-1T also appears in the novel Battlefront II: Inferno Squad.

The RZ-1 A-Wing is based on the R-22 A-Wing, also made by Kuat Systems Engineering[7]

A later variant, the RZ-2 A-wing, features in Star Wars Battlefront II and in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It is a bigger spacecraft used by the Resistance against the First Order.

Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the A-wing. Bluescreen limitations meant the blue parts of the craft were instead dark red on the production model.[8] The A-wings in Star Wars Rebels use McQuarrie's original blue-and-white color scheme.[9]

The A-wing was one of two new Rebel Alliance starfighters created for Return of the Jedi.[8] It was dubbed the A fighter because it was the first of the two designs created.[8] Ralph McQuarrie's concept art has blue coloring, but these sections were red on the models because of bluescreen limitations.[10]

Wesley Seeds and Lorne Peterson of Industrial Light & Magic built the model, and its pilot figure is based on a World War I German airman.[8] A battle-damaged engine "wing" was snapped into place to represent Arvel Crynyd's damaged fighter as it crashed into the Executor.[8]

McQuarrie's original blue-and-white coloring was used for the craft's appearance in Rebels.[9] Photographs from the filming of Star Wars: The Last Jedi show an A-wing on the film set.[11][12] Screen Rant suggests the A-wing seen in the photographs evokes some of McQuarrie's original design, such as the blaster cannon shape and the presence of additional ports in the cockpit.[13]

According to Star Wars canon, the A-wing was first produced by Kuat Systems Engineering, which had built the Delta-7 starfighter for the Jedi Order. With the Jedi eradicated (as depicted in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith) and the Delta-7 nearly impossible for non-Jedi to pilot, Kuat designed a new starfighter, the R-22 A-wing, in hopes the Galactic Empire would purchase it. While impressed with prototypes of the R-22, the Empire instead went with the TIE fighter, and forbade Kuat from mass-producing the A-wing. The prototypes were sold to the kingdom of Tammuz-an, which over a decade later were eventually sold to the Rebel Alliance.[14]

Rebel engineers made many alterations to the original R-22 design to produce the RZ-1 model as seen in Return of the Jedi. The original engines were swapped out for more powerful ones, while other major components were replaced with lightweight versions so a supraluminal hyperdrive could be added. The resulting fighter is faster than even the Empire's TIE interceptor and perfect for hit-and-run attacks, long-range patrols, and reconnaissance missions. Its two laser cannons, mounted on special swivel mounts, can elevate or depress 60° vertically; some were modified for full 360° rotation but these had a greater chance to jam. However, engineers could not fit the A-wing with an astromech droid, which limited how many hyperspace coordinates it could carry. The lack of droid assistance also makes it challenging even for a being with Jedi-like reflexes to control a fighter so fast and maneuverable. Consequently, only the best Rebel pilots are allowed to fly the A-wing.[14]

After the Empire was defeated, background material explains how Kuat Systems Engineering made a number of improvements to the design to create the RZ-2 A-wing for the New Republic Defense Fleet. Even faster than the original, the RZ-2 requires less maintenance than the RZ-1, and the swivel mounts that allow its laser cannons to rotate 360° were no longer at risk of jamming. Thanks to the New Republic's disarmament campaign, RZ-2s found their way into the Resistance, which like the Rebellion before allows only the best pilots to fly the A-wing.[14]

CinemaBlend said the A-wing received little attention after Return of the Jedi because no prominent characters pilot the craft.[15] Kenner in 1985 released an A-wing pilot figure as part of its Power of the Force line, and it released a "magnificent" A-wing toy as part of the Star Wars: Droids line.[16][17] Since then, the A-wing has been recreated as various other toys, models, and collectibles by companies that include Galoob, Hasbro, Model Products Corporation, Estes Industries, Lego, and Fantasy Flight Games.[16][18]

Screen Rant said the A-wing gained popularity as a playable craft in the Star Wars: X-Wing space combat simulator (1993),[13] which The Escapist said depicted the ship as "an excellent dogfighter".[19] Subsequent video games that allowed players to pilot the A-wing also contributed to the ship's popularity.[13] Blastr ranked the A-wing 16th on its list of the best Star Wars vehicles.[20]

Prince Harry was photographed sitting in an A-wing cockpit during his and the Duke of Cambridge's April 2016 visit to the Star Wars: Episode VIII set.[11] Responding to the photographs, various publications called the A-wing "iconic",[12][21] an "unsung hero",[22] "woefully underappreciated",[22] and "a classic".[15]

In 2018 a number of Star Wars starfighters - including the A-wing - had their aerodynamic abilities tested using the Autodesk Flow Design virtual wind tunnel program. Of those starfighters tested the A-wing was among the most aerodynamic designs of all with a drag coefficient of .17, though it was still worse than the real-life example of the F-4E Phantom with a .02 rating. These poor results were rationalized with the in-universe explanations that drag coefficient plays no role in space travel, and that Star Wars fighters can use repulsorlifts and deflector shields to give themselves better flight profiles.[23]

• A-wing fighter in the StarWars.com Databank
• Phoenix Squadron in the StarWars.com Databank
• A-wing trainer (RZ-1T) in the StarWars.com Databank
• RZ-1 A-wing interceptor on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
• R-22 Spearhead on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki