So, let me open with this. I found myself watching 'Flight of the Intruder' on cable the other night. Once I got past the whole 'doesn't really do the book justice bit,' I got to thinking about in in reference to Xwing. Specifically, the line from the bar fight scene: "Fighter pilots make movies, attack pilots make HISTORY."
Looking at the great air battles of WWII, which Star Wars drew heavily on, the pure fighter on fighter matchup was pretty rare. While aces are cool, decorated and celebrated, they really flew in support roles. The Japanese bomber pilots of the Kido Butai that hit Pearl Harbor, the Dauntless dive bomber pilots that broke through and sank the carriers at Midway, the heavy bombers over Germany, those are the ones that made the great impact on the war. Could they have succeeded without the fighters? With the exception of Pearl Harbor, not so much. But the fighters in those battles had one mission. For the defender, stop the bombers. For the attacker, protect the bombers. I want a taste of that here.
Even in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, the big battles start off in this same vein. The Ywings start off the trench run with the Xwings providing cover. And at Endor, in theory the Ys and Bs should have taken the reactor, with the Xs and As keeping the TIEs off them.
What I'd like to see is mostly just some one shot missions. Some genuine love for the TIE bomber, Y and B in the role they are designed for. Builds where you need to pack some torps or missles, and enough to take a hardened target. Balancing fighters with attack planes and ordinance. Maybe throw in some fixed defences like turbolaser turrets and the like.
Thought? Comments? Links? Scorn and ridicule?
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