The X-Wing Starfighter is synonymous with Star Wars. It was the ship that brought down the first Death Star, assisted in bringing down the second Death Star, and was there to help take down the third Death… I mean Starkiller Base. It is the workhorse of countless battles throughout games, comics, and novels and its the vehicle of choice for the most famous squadron in the galaxy, Rogue Squadron.

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While the Rogues were mentioned in the Original Trilogy, it wasn’t until 1995’s X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comics from Dark Horse that the elite pilots truly came into being. Author Michael A. Stackpole was joined by artists Allen Nunis, Andy Mushynsky, and Dave Nestelle to bring the exciting adventures of Wedge Antilles and his fellow fighter-jockeys to life. While the comics were great and introduced the world to a smaller, more focused story within the galaxy far, far away, it was the 1996 novel X-Wing: Rogue Squadron that really set this writer’s (and countless others’) imagination on fire. That novel and subsequent series managed to take the most frantic thing imaginable, a dogfight in space, and translate it perfectly to the written page. Stackpole’s ability to describe the actions and physics of space battles was equally matched by his ability to show the heart and motivation of individual characters and their relationships. His world-building and character development are unmatched. It is impossible to not want to boot up a copy of X-Wing vs TIE Fighter on the computer after reading Stackpole’s work.

Ask any Expanded Universe fan about their favorite book series and X-Wing will be number one or two, depending on the person’s love of the Heir to the Empire trilogy. This beloved group of pilots came to an end in 2014 though when Disney gave the Expanded Universe the ax. Since then, the Rogues have been relegated to a few comic book pages, a few episodes of Rebels, and had their namesake retconned thanks to the film Rogue One. They weren’t mentioned in any of the Sequel Trilogy films so far, although Wedge Antilles is set to appear in the upcoming The Rise of Skywalker.

With so much love for the group, why has Disney not used them more? Would Michael Stackpole be willing to bring his characters back to the Star Wars universe? According to him… yes:

I could work that into my schedule. 🙂

— Michael A Stackpole (@MikeStackpole) October 29, 2019

With so little described about the Rogues in the new Star Wars canon, a streaming series could be a blank slate for Stackpole and Lucasfilm to reach out to the die-hard EU fans and introduce characters like Corran Horn, Nawara Ven, Gavin Darklighter, and Ooryl Qrygg to an entirely new generation of fans. An eight-episode series about the training of the Rogues and the taking of Coruscant could be more exciting than anything Disney has done so far. While Wedge would have to be recast, there’s almost no need for any of the OT characters to make an appearance other than Admiral Ackbar and he’s in a rubber suit! This is a home run waiting to happen, and the man who created it all is ready and willing.

So, Disney… If you’re listening, get in touch with Mr. Stackpole! Put out some feelers with fans to gauge interest in such a project! I promise you, it’ll be the hit you’ve been looking for. Plus it gets us away from the space between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Fans, make some noise!

Would you be willing to spend eight hours getting to know Rogue Squadron? Who would be your dream creative team behind the series? Let us know in the comments below!

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