Because Admiral Ackbar didn't design it that way.

Good thing he didn't design it at all.

Heresy! Confound your new Rebels Canon! EU 4 life!

They could (won't, but could) still work that in. The prototype in rebels is not the B-wing from VI. Ackbar could very easily could be said to have taken the prototype and reworked it into the production model. The gunner in the lower wing is most definitely not in the ROTJ version.

Star Wars never has made any sense. Its kind of like the dumb hot girl you just can't stop sleeping with. Just enjoy the ride.

Have you seen the smooth aerodynamic masterpiece that is the B-Wing?!?!?! You don't mess with that by having a droid sticking out of it.

Pfft! It's like asking Da Vinci why he didn't use crayola crayons! Use your heads, people!

Strangely enough, the Mon Cal designer of the Bladewing prototype proceeded to modify the Phantom with an astromech slot.

Presumably, it was an artistic choice.

Do note however, that the R7 could only work with the E-Wing. This is significant because this restricted its abilities bigtime, and that kinda' helped kill the E-Wing.

Being heavily overcosted and cripplingly inefficient for its points did the rest

Do note however, that the R7 could only work with the E-Wing. This is significant because this restricted its abilities bigtime, and that kinda' helped kill the E-Wing.

Being heavily overcosted and cripplingly inefficient for its points did the rest

You forgot looking dumb. Never forget it looks dumb.

Do note however, that the R7 could only work with the E-Wing. This is significant because this restricted its abilities bigtime, and that kinda' helped kill the E-Wing.

Being heavily overcosted and cripplingly inefficient for its points did the rest

You forgot looking dumb. Never forget it looks dumb.

Hey now, just because you have a gun going across the top of your canopy doesn't make it dumb..sure, it blocks any hope of escape, and limits line of sight, and that hump means you can't look behind you at all...and neither can you astromech because it's inside with you....and....ok yea, it's dumb.

Do note however, that the R7 could only work with the E-Wing. This is significant because this restricted its abilities bigtime, and that kinda' helped kill the E-Wing.

Being heavily overcosted and cripplingly inefficient for its points did the rest

You forgot looking dumb. Never forget it looks dumb.

Hey now, just because you have a gun going across the top of your canopy doesn't make it dumb..sure, it blocks any hope of escape, and limits line of sight, and that hump means you can't look behind you at all...and neither can you astromech because it's inside with you....and....ok yea, it's dumb.

Don't forget the Pringles-can engines.

Do note however, that the R7 could only work with the E-Wing. This is significant because this restricted its abilities bigtime, and that kinda' helped kill the E-Wing.

Being heavily overcosted and cripplingly inefficient for its points did the rest

You forgot looking dumb. Never forget it looks dumb.

Hey now, just because you have a gun going across the top of your canopy doesn't make it dumb..sure, it blocks any hope of escape, and limits line of sight, and that hump means you can't look behind you at all...and neither can you astromech because it's inside with you....and....ok yea, it's dumb.

Don't forget the Pringles-can engines.

Once you pop, you can't stop?

Once you pop, you can't stop?

Well, that's certainly a good phrase to keep in mind if you're given the choice to finish off Corran or to fire at something else when he can use R2-D2.

Are there any tales in the background that touch on flying an astromech-capable ship without an astromech in place?

Do note however, that the R7 could only work with the E-Wing. This is significant because this restricted its abilities bigtime, and that kinda' helped kill the E-Wing.

Being heavily overcosted and cripplingly inefficient for its points did the rest

You forgot looking dumb. Never forget it looks dumb.

You're being too kind. It's even dumber looking than the bwing.

Have you seen the smooth aerodynamic masterpiece that is the B-Wing?!?!?! You don't mess with that by having a droid sticking out of it.

Pfft! It's like asking Da Vinci why he didn't use crayola crayons! Use your heads, people!

Because aerodynamics is really important in space.....

I think if you go down the path of looking at the engineering present in starfighter design you will quickly realise that a long time ago in a galaxy far far away physics worked completely differently.

Seems pretty poor from a design standpoint. The astromech surely is ridiculously inefficient mass (motive systems, self-contained power) and if all the astromech's mass could be done away with for a nav computer, the fighter would be that much more efficient. Maybe that's why B-Wings are a relatively efficiently costed Rebel ship at 22 vs the relatively overcosted E-wings and X-Wings.

But let's not apply logic and science to space laser fighters.

Because the astromech can get out and intelligently fix things too and is a modular component so put in whichever astromech you like. It's a design choice rather than tech progression or regression. To have a droid copilot or not.

Which, because of the improved performance, could have led to the idea of designing a ship with the intention of it being mated to a droid brain. Either by including the droid brain as an integrated component (B-Wing) or by designing the ship with a special, advanced droid in mind so that it can only be flown with a certain model of droid (E-Wing).

Or hotwiring a couple of droid brains into the main system (Falcon). .

Have you seen the smooth aerodynamic masterpiece that is the B-Wing?!?!?! You don't mess with that by having a droid sticking out of it.

Pfft! It's like asking Da Vinci why he didn't use crayola crayons! Use your heads, people!

Because aerodynamics is really important in space.....

Well sure if you believe in that silly science nonsense. Pfft, who believes in science.

Thread necromancy although these last two pages don't seem very serious.

Are there any tales in the background that touch on flying an astromech-capable ship without an astromech in place?

I do not remember seeing any stories/books where someone was flying as ship that normally takes an astromech without having one present. I'll admit I haven't read the Rogue Squadron books which may be the most likely place to find it.

If it happens to be impossible to properly fly an Astromech using ship without an astromech (oh, just imagine the implications in X-Wing) I guess it could be seen as a security feature although a shortage of droids could then ground otherwise perfectly good spacecraft.