10 Facts You Didn't Know About Wedge Antilles
Name a famous pilot from the Star Wars universe who doesn’t bear the last name Skywalker or Solo. His name is Wedge Antilles. While Luke and his friends are out fighting evil and furthering the main plot, Wedge plays a critical role behind the scenes, contributing to the military success of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Much of his stories are now considered Legends, so this article will only cover what is canon.
Here are 10 [canon] facts you didn’t know about Wedge Antilles
1.) He was born on Corellia.
It is no surprise that Wedge Antilles came from Corellia, a planet in the Core Worlds known for their many shipyards. Wedge spent his early years working in the fuel depot as a mechanic, before eventually flying cargo ships out of busy Corellian ports. Han Solo is also a Corellian.
2.) He was in the Imperial Navy before defecting to the Rebellion.
Wedge did not get his flying experience from shooting womp rats in his T-16. In season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, we see Wedge training to become a TIE Fighter pilot at Skystrike Academy. Sabine Wren would go undercover to help him defect to the Rebellion.
3.) His first on-screen appearance was in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
In the Battle of Yavin, Wedge flew as “Red Two,” the X-wing pilot who uttered the infamous “Look at the size of that thing” when the squadron first came upon the Death Star.
4.) Wedge and Luke were the only two of the Red Squadron to survive the Battle of Yavin.
Wedge saved Luke’s life by destroying the TIE Fighter that was pursuing him. After Red Leader’s torpedo fire missed the reactor shaft, Wedge joined Luke and Biggs in the trench run for the reactor shaft. While providing cover for Luke, his X-wing was hit and had to pull out of the trench run. Biggs would be killed by Vader, and we all know what happened with Luke’s shot.
5.) Wedge is instrumental in destroying the second Death Star in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
Wedge joined Lando Calrissian and the Millennium Falcon in destroying the reactor core of the second Death Star. Incidentally, he is the only X-wing pilot to survive all three major battles shown in the original trilogy.
6.) Wedge and Luke formed Rogue Squadron in the time between Battle of Yavin and Battle of Hoth.
The famous Rogue Squadron is a big part of the Legends lore spanning many books and video games. The elite X-wing pilots making up Rogue Squadron would become the backbone of the Rebel Alliance military and form the foundation for the New Republic Navy in the future.
7.) Wedge was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but he did not fight in Battle of Scarif.
At the Rebel Base on Yavin IV, we can hear his voice announcing to rebel pilots to report in and redirect to Scarif. He did not join the battle as he was injured at the time. The character was deliberately excluded from the Battle of Scarif by writers to avoid continuity error as the Battle of Yavin was supposed to be the first time he saw the Death Star.
8.) Wedge retired from military service and established a flight academy on Hosnian Prime.
After the Empire formally surrendered in 5ABY (After Battle of Yavin), between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, this was how Wedge spent his time. Poe Dameron was one of his best students.
9.) He came out of retirement to join the fight against the last remnant of the Sith Empire.
The novel Resistance Reborn details how Wedge becomes involved in the fight against evil again. In the final battle between the Resistance and the Sith during The Rise of Skywalker, he was manning one of the gun turrets on the Millennium Falcon piloted by Lando Calrissian.
10.) The actor who played Wedge Antilles is related to another Star Wars actor.
Denis Lawson is the maternal uncle of Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels and the upcoming TV show Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi).
