Star Wars EU is huge and as such has tons of ships to pull from. (see that picture of dozens of different TIE variants. It shouldn't be hard to find it is on about every other ship speculation thread. Someone will probably even post it on this one)

But I have seen a pattern in the EU ships that have been chosen

#1 HWK -from the computer game (I can't believe I forgot the name, I played it a ton)

#2 TIE Defender -from the computer game TIE Fighter

#3 TIE Defender - Okay I don't know what game it is from but it originally comes from a computer game.

#4 Z-95 - first time I saw it, it was in the WEG Star Wars Role Playing game. However it does appear in the computer game TIE Fighter.

#5 E-wing - First appearance is in the Star Wars Comic Dark Empire (To my knowledge it does not appear in any computer games, but if I was a betting man I would say that it does)

#6 Decimator - Again I don't know what game it comes from, but I am pretty sure it originally came from a computer game.

#7 YT-2400 - I am pretty sure this originally appeared in the computer game X-wing Alliance.

Do you see the pattern yet.

It seems that FFG tends to take their EU ships primarily from Computer games rather than comics or books. The E-wing is the obvious exception, but it is such a great foil for the Defender and the Defender was the final and best ship in the TIE Fighter game, one could argue that they FFG threw in the E-wing because they wanted to do the Defender.

What do you guys/gals think. Do you agree? Do you think I am way off base? Did anyone else see this connection?

I noticed it but until they release the Assault Gunboat and/or TIE Avenger, I wouldn't say they are taking ships from the X-Wing/TIE Fighter franchise.

On another note, I am perfectly ok with them taking this route. I loved playing all 4 games while I was growing up.

PS: The HWK comes from Dark Forces and DF2: Jedi Knight. It's Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors' ship, the Moldy Crow.

I think they figure the video game market was bigger than the books/comics market and more people would recognize those ships.

Come on rogue shadow

I think they figure the video game market was bigger than the books/comics market and more people would recognize those ships.

That is what I figured as well, that an it is more visual than novels, and even debatably comics. More visual medium might lead to cooler looking ships.

Has anyone seen a game with the E-wing?

Actually, does the E-Wing make an appearance in the first Rogue Squadron for the N64? I can't remember...

Actually, does the E-Wing make an appearance in the first Rogue Squadron for the N64? I can't remember...

It was the V-Wing that made an appearance in N64 Rogue Squadron

Not as far as I can recall

Ah. My mistake. It's been… ehe. A few years since I've played that game.

I think the Outrider is originally from the book, Shadows of the Empire, which was eventually made into a video game.

The E-Wing was in Dark Empire, which was drawn by Cam Kennedy, who got his start at 2000 A.D. and Doctor Who magazine. I'm a big fan of his work, but he made some goofy looking ships, like the E-wing and Slave-2.

The z-95 is originally from a book, Han Solo at Stars' End (published in 1979!), and its design was taken from the original concept art for the x-wing. It was later used in various video games, but it's no more of a video game ship than the TIE fighter.

I think the Outrider is originally from the book, Shadows of the Empire, which was eventually made into a video game.

Not quite, the book and game were released simultaneously as part of what was originally supposed to be a much larger project (IIRC including a movie).

The Outrider first appeared in the novel Shadows of the Empire.

The z-95 headhunter first appeared in the novel Han Solo at Star's End. And made many other appearances in many other EU novels and comics.

Darn. Many people beat me to it.

I think they figure the video game market was bigger than the books/comics market and more people would recognize those ships.

You nailed it I think.

Come on rogue shadow

I want that one so bad also...oh my goodness but ain't she a pip!

Come on FFG!!!

The origins of these craft can be looked up in Wookieepedia.

The TIE Defender is also from the TIE Fighter game, but was judged to be over-the-top for X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. I wish that FFG would have taken that as a hint, but oh well.

Yes, they do seem to plumb the video games more than other sources. I understand that, and am glad that we got the Z-95 regardless.

The TIE Defender is one of the best ships in the game.

Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors piloted a HWK named Moldy Crow in the Dark Forces series (Dark Forces, Dark Forces 2: Judi Knight), though traded the ship for another in the later games (Mysteries of the Sith, Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, and Jedi Acadamy).

The first YT-2400 that we saw was Dash Rendars Outrider. It appeared simultaniously in a novel and video game: Shadows of the Empire. It covers the one year gap between ESB and RoJ.

Tie Defenders first showed up in the X-Wing / Tie Fighter games.

Tie Phantoms first showed up in a video game called by the name of Rebel Assualt 2: The Hidden Empire.

The Decimator made its debut in the video game Star Wars Galaxies.

The E-Wing first showed up in Dark Empire.

Red Tie Interceptors are from Star Wars Galaxies as well.

Several of these ships are also in Star Wars: Empire At War - an incredibly fun real time strategy game. The z-95s are in story mode which you start with until you complete the mission to get Xwings. Hell, you can even play the Deathstar. Wouldn't that be a hoot! Come on FFG! I want a mini the size of a building!

Also, Tie Phantoms, Tie Defenders, Awings, Bwings blahblahblah.

The expansion Forces of Corruption used The Zann Consortium, including bounty hunters Bossk and IG-88 in both land and ship battles and you could play Darth Vader in the Executor. IG-88 was sick. Dude could aoe corrupt systems so your ships couldn't shoot effectively and your shields went down. As a land unit, he was even worse. Deflected lasers shot at him and could spray the ground with green goop that would disintegrate units. Not to mention Triferaline, I think it's called, Gas grenades. They just dissolved troops to nothing.

I'm hoping FFG releases some of the ships from The Zann Consortium into Xwing or even a third faction based on them. Skipray Blastboats, Starviper Fighters, Crusader Class Corvettes and mercing Empire and Rebel ships would be fun. IG-88 would be a great addition, so would Bossk.

I do not want the Zann Consortium. That faction was fan-fiction made into a game.

That said? Yes. Most of the ships came from very well known games, and that's why we'll see a assault gunboat and a missile boat someday. For sure.

And hopefully the YT-2000.

TIE Phantom was originally from Rebel Assault 2

The important thing is that FFG is doing an excellent job selling some of the choice bits of my childhood back to me.

The origins of these craft can be looked up in Wookieepedia.

The TIE Defender is also from the TIE Fighter game, but was judged to be over-the-top for X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. I wish that FFG would have taken that as a hint, but oh well.

Yes, they do seem to plumb the video games more than other sources. I understand that, and am glad that we got the Z-95 regardless.

Well the Z-95 was in TIE Fighter anyways, even if it pre-dates the game.

The origins of these craft can be looked up in Wookieepedia.

The TIE Defender is also from the TIE Fighter game, but was judged to be over-the-top for X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. I wish that FFG would have taken that as a hint, but oh well.

Yes, they do seem to plumb the video games more than other sources. I understand that, and am glad that we got the Z-95 regardless.

Well the Z-95 was in TIE Fighter anyways, even if it pre-dates the game.

They're all on wookiepedia, even if the rest of the source material predates them. In fact, that's the one place where every ship appears so far... dun dun duuuuuuun.

sorry, I don't know if I get where this is going. They're pulling from the games, except, when they're not?

The E-wing, the Z-95 Headhunter and the TIE defender are EU staples: they're all over the EU. The Z-95 is about as canon as you can get without being in a film, the E-wing was the replacement for the X-wing until the authors made up X-wing++s, and the TIE defender is all over the place too.

The HWK's Dark Forces, which I'd wager a fair few FFG designers remember fondly, same with Rebel Assault II's TIE phantom. Outrider is from the Shadows of the Empire Lucasfilm multimedia project, which they made as big a thing of as TFU. Outrider even made it into a special edition of Episode 4.

That leaves the Decimator, a kinda niche ship from SWG. Why use that? Only Imperial ship other than the Skipray that filled the role they wanted I'd wager.

As for why FFG sources from video games? Because they're much easier sources. Books don't have inbuilt 3D models.

The person who says Empire at War has everything FFG has so far released, excluding Outrider and Decimator, it does. I heard someone mention the Zann Consortium. The Zanns are utterly ridiculous (most EAW mods completely remake them or outright remove them from the game) but their ships, especially their X-wing level ships, are mostly a mishmash of other EU things. Skipray Blastboat: Imperial. Starviper Assault Fighter: production model of the Virago.

The origins of these craft can be looked up in Wookieepedia.

The TIE Defender is also from the TIE Fighter game, but was judged to be over-the-top for X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. I wish that FFG would have taken that as a hint, but oh well.

Yes, they do seem to plumb the video games more than other sources. I understand that, and am glad that we got the Z-95 regardless.

The TIE defender in TIE fighter is an outright Mary Sue fighter, completely overblown in order to create a fightable main adversary. Kinda makes me sad that the Empire's solution in the game was to build a Mary Sue Fighter Mark 2 (the Missile Boat).

Sources after TF have nerfed the Defender hard. It's now a higher-tech Imperial fighter-bomber: in effect the Empire's B-wing. In EaW it's actually pretty much analogous to the B-wing. In X-wing it kind of feels like the successor to the TIE advanced as the TIE interceptor is the successor to the TIE fighter.

Several of these ships are also in Star Wars: Empire At War - an incredibly fun real time strategy game. The z-95s are in story mode which you start with until you complete the mission to get Xwings. Hell, you can even play the Deathstar. Wouldn't that be a hoot! Come on FFG! I want a mini the size of a building!

Also, Tie Phantoms, Tie Defenders, Awings, Bwings blahblahblah.

The expansion Forces of Corruption used The Zann Consortium, including bounty hunters Bossk and IG-88 in both land and ship battles and you could play Darth Vader in the Executor. IG-88 was sick. Dude could aoe corrupt systems so your ships couldn't shoot effectively and your shields went down. As a land unit, he was even worse. Deflected lasers shot at him and could spray the ground with green goop that would disintegrate units. Not to mention Triferaline, I think it's called, Gas grenades. They just dissolved troops to nothing.

I'm hoping FFG releases some of the ships from The Zann Consortium into Xwing or even a third faction based on them. Skipray Blastboats, Starviper Fighters, Crusader Class Corvettes and mercing Empire and Rebel ships would be fun. IG-88 would be a great addition, so would Bossk.

I've never really understood all the FoC love, it always struck me as shoehorning SW material into a bog-standard triple-faction RTS format.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see StarVipers, the Aggressor, Blastboats, Cloakshapes, and some other things that happened to be in FoC, but using FoC's factional setup isn't something I can see X-wing doing.