I like the new trailer, and love the new TIE's that appear on it.

But I still have my doubts about the troopers helmet, looks to me like the joker's smile....

And, I think I'll never like that R-ball series droid...

I like the new trailer, and love the new TIE's that appear on it.

But I still have my doubts about the troopers helmet, looks to me like the joker's smile....

And, I think I'll never like that R-ball series droid...

But he's so roly-poly and cute!

it's a metal box on four wheels, not seeing much progress there.

I fail to see how you can play XWM, being a blind man...

When I was a kid I saved someone from being hit by a truck and got splashed in the eyes with water.

Lol, clearly I need to read more comics...

I like the new trailer, and love the new TIE's that appear on it.

But I still have my doubts about the troopers helmet, looks to me like the joker's smile....

And, I think I'll never like that R-ball series droid...

But he's so roly-poly and cute!

I had my doubts on BB8 after the first teaser, figuring that it was a digital addition that was going to appear out of place. My concerns dissipated quickly when I learned he was a practical model that actually works and moves like that. Now I'm just impressed.

This guy, right here.

This looks way better than the leaked artwork that was the ep 7 TIE Pilot. So far this the only new thing I really like. Fun how it looks like the TIE Defender PIlot that are rumered to exist in SW TIE Fighter a drive version.

Almost sure it's shooting backwards. The other Ties in the teaser have the regular cannons in the usual positions.

You can also make out the other ships in the background, they do look like troop transports (the one on the left has the hatch open).

I am sure that is the back. The crashed tie in the leaked concept art had engines just about exactly like the one in this pic.

They don't only have one kind of fighter craft, even by just the films you've also got the TIE bomber.

But I'll put this a different way: which different uses? What is a TIE fighter for that a TIE interceptor is not?

Cheaper for mass production.

The TIE interceptor was mass produced and was designed to be light and cheap like the TIE fighter. It's the reason the Empire designed the Interceptor rather than mass producing the x1.

Beyond that, why don't TIEs have shields again? I think the first real reference to it was the X-wing video games, closely followed by the Rogue Squadron novels.

Anyway, the idea that they are expendable doesn't work for me.

Usually these things are strategically questionable "for the evils" additions, putting pilots in unnecessary harm's way to look more bad guy. Putting pilots in harms way to increase their efficiency is completely Imperial but reducing efficiency (by making their ships easier to kill) in order to endanger their pilots and acquire dark side points? I hate that sort of writing.

The TIE rotation thing in a few legends books for example, is stupid. For those who don't know, it's where the Empire goes to the effort of randomly assigning its pilots a specific TIE for each mission to actively prevent them from getting to know their machines. It's moronic "for the evils". It also contradicts a few other sources though: Fel can't paint bloodstripes on his TIE interceptor if it's randomly rotated.

The way I rationalise the TIE fighter is a combination of:

A: Less resource intensive fighters you can make more of faster. Severe damage to them doesn't matter when you can just grab another one. Have to eject from your TIE?

B: They don't have hyperdrives in order to make the pilots dependent on the higher command: stops defections and helps the Empire's "you are a cog in the Imperial military machine, obey orders unquestioningly." The Empire doesn't want Stormtroopers or TIE pilots to question the ethics of what they're told to do, they want unwavering, unfaltering loyalty and obedience. Once the hyperdrive's out, the ship gets a lot faster, so they figured "why not go for not getting hit." All the weight, resources and energy that's not in hyperdrives and shields is in speed, maneuverability and more TIE fighters.

I like the new trailer, and love the new TIE's that appear on it.

But I still have my doubts about the troopers helmet, looks to me like the joker's smile....

And, I think I'll never like that R-ball series droid...

But he's so roly-poly and cute!

I had my doubts on BB8 after the first teaser, figuring that it was a digital addition that was going to appear out of place. My concerns dissipated quickly when I learned he was a practical model that actually works and moves like that. Now I'm just impressed.

^This.

As soon as he/she/it rolled out onto the stage at Celebration, I was sold. That's just impressive.

It's probably a reference.

See times moved on so surely the tie interceptor should be the standard fighter now not the LN, but no he's instead messed with a classic design just because he can.

I'd rather a new generation of fighters to rehashing what was already a solid design.

Because it's a different craft, with different strengths and weaknesses, not simply an advanced replacement.

Only in X-Wing. Canonically it's a faster, more maneuverable and more heavily armed TIE fighter. The only reason TIEs are used after the Interceptor is brought out is because they haven't replaced them with Interceptors yet, and in the Legends canon the TIE fighter dies out and is fully replaced by the Interceptor. The Empire's 40 ABY TIEs in Legends (Starhunters) are based off the Interceptor.

Likewise, the new white TIEs in canon probably make the TIE interceptor similarly obsolete and replace it. The difference between the TIE/in and TIE/ln in appearance is the shape of the wings, and they're just Rule of Cool appearance things. The internals are better in the /in than the /ln, but the internals of the new TIE probably beats the TIE/in similarly.

So far the lore for Interceptors hasnt been contradicted. Also its pretty eairly too assume Intercepotors or heck Avengers are not in this film. If they are not it can be easily assumed they are produced few in number compared too reg TIEs and they are taking action off screen.

The TIE rotation thing in a few legends books for example, is stupid. For those who don't know, it's where the Empire goes to the effort of randomly assigning its pilots a specific TIE for each mission to actively prevent them from getting to know their machines. It's moronic "for the evils". It also contradicts a few other sources though: Fel can't paint bloodstripes on his TIE interceptor if it's randomly rotated.

That bit of lore about rotating pilots so they hardly ever fly the same craft isnt really contradicted by the fact that the 181st pilots have their own TIEs. Its just a privilege elite TIE pilots have over the core group. Also it was refrenced in the Rebs tv show source book that the rotate pilots.

Oh joy. Of all the things to keep, they kept that.

Rotating pilots is something most air forces do/have done historically. Oftentimes pilots had a preferred serial number aircraft, but they often didn't always fly it. Even the ones with custom nose art were sometimes flown by other pilots in a pinch. The random rotation doesn't bug me much. Yes, planes have their idiosyncrasies, but these are not usually enormous, and they are oftentimes reported, so that a crew chief could impart this information to a different pilot. Alternatively, it is sometimes something that pilots discuss amongst themselves.

So ... white solar panels?

WHY THE **** SHOULD SOLAR PANELS EVER BE WHITE?

Thats not how things work ... and its not cool to just invert colors .... like the visual designers were on drugs or something like that. Maybe they smoked their own ****....

Scene: Office of Imperial Moff Mothraa. Music playing in the background: Jefferson airplane - white rabbit.

Moff Mothra (as played by tommy chong) Oh man, this song, it really speaks to me... white... rabbit (1 minute of chuckling) Man, we should paint our TIE's white.

Command officer Sensible: Uh, are you sure sir, it doesn't fit our aesthetic (well apart from shuttle escorts maybe) and well, it's the opposite of visual camouflage in space.

:sensible is killed by a noghri: ahh, but it was so artistically done...

We associate white with purity and modernity.

you would think that 30 years after Endor, maybe the Empire would look a little beat-up? Well not these guys. This *new* Empire, or First Order looks fresh from the factory. Gleaming white and silver troopers, supported by white TIEs does seem to evoke a certain newness.

I HOPE FFG will never release crap like this for X-Wing

Just like I will do if they ever release the N1.

REPAINT!

And this TIE-Cocky with turret? LOL!

Imagine a Tie swarm with turrets

And this TIE-Cocky with turret? LOL!

Imagine a Tie swarm with turrets

I have an archer quote for this.. but it's not for the forums.

And this TIE-Cocky with turret? LOL!

Imagine a Tie swarm with turrets

It's not a turret. It's the front of an up-armored TIE variant.

I guess you don't mean Captain Archer then?

And this TIE-Cocky with turret? LOL!

Imagine a Tie swarm with turrets

It's not a turret. It's the front of an up-armored TIE variant.

Its the back side with a window for a rear gunner.

I guess you don't mean Captain Archer then?

Sterling Archer...

Author of Terms of Enrampagement.

And this TIE-Cocky with turret? LOL!

Imagine a Tie swarm with turrets

I have an archer quote for this.. but it's not for the forums.

What? You can say "phrasing" here.

No, it was about having a huge, throbbing.

phrasing.