Friday Fights Wedge Vs. Vader

By Stone37, in X-Wing

I'm definitely going to have to go with Vader here. Judging by what we saw in both Star Wars Rebels (Soloing an entire squadron of A-Wings with some ridiculously fancy flying) and Vader Down (Soloing THREE squadrons of X-Wings all at the same time, only going down when another Force sensitive kamikazed him), compared to Wedge's admittedly impressive second Death Star run, I have to give the edge to Vader in a one-on-one.

And to the person who said the X-Wing is a better ship than the TIE Advanced.. Where, in canon, has this been stated? I know in our tabletop game, the X-Wing used to be better, but with the x1 title, I'd say the Advanced is by far the superior ship. And judging by the maneuvers Vader is able to pull in his x1 in canon, I'd argue it's the superior ship in the comics, tv shows, and movies as well.

Edited by Underachiever599

I know the X-Wing is supposedly the super ship that won the early days for the Alliance but I would love some hard numbers on the TIE/x1. Between its sensor suite and Vader at the yoke I'm sure that machine was handily comparable to an X-Wing.

I think im going with vader, I would put all me reasons, but they have probably already been posted.

Lets also not forget that during the Battle of Yavin, Wedge, as fairly rookie pilot, managed to down several TIEs of Black Squadron, the most elite TIE squadron in canon.

Also on a side note, this is slightly one-sided, as Vader has many more canon exploits, then Wedge. Next "debate" should be more balanced in content for each.

I'm gonna throw a wrench into the works, I've obviously got my man Wedge all day every day, but black squadron can't even hold a candle to Rogue Squadron.

That sounds like NEXT WEEK's Friday Fights!

But back to Vader vs. Wedge...

I will continue to back Vader because of Episode IV. Wedge ran away and was spared by Vader and his Black Squadron.

Wedge and Vader each came into that trench run with a mission. Vader didn't accomplish his. You really can't say vader is the better pilot when he was able to wait till wedge started his attack run down a narrow trench and then dropped in behind him. Even with that advantage vader couldn't do the job. Youre telling me that makes him better?

Let's not forget though that Vader downed MANY rebels that day, even out side of the trench in open space combat.

Vader only downed 1 Rebel craft outside of the trench, and he had already been following him that whole time.

Meanwhile Wedge shot down multiple elite TIE pilots, and survived a volley from Vader which nobody else did, besides Luke who had plot armor on his side.

I know the X-Wing is supposedly the super ship that won the early days for the Alliance but I would love some hard numbers on the TIE/x1. Between its sensor suite and Vader at the yoke I'm sure that machine was handily comparable to an X-Wing.

The x1 was supposedly the first in a line up of prototype ships that were meant to counter/handle the Rebel ships with shields/hyperdrives.

I think the fact that the x1 as it was never put into common production says a lot about the success of the project. Some of the other projects eventually turned into the TIE Interceptor, TIE Avenger and TIE Defender, the most successful of course being the Interceptor.

I think a lot of the praise for the X-Wing though had to do with the military faction using it as much as it did the actual design. The X-Wing was especially capable for hit and run tactics the Rebels used, especially when facing a military which relied so much more on their Capital ships and relatively static fighters. This is also why a fighter like the TIE Advanced didn't really see much production. The Empire had tons of Capital ships to ferry around fighters and couldn't realistically chase the Rebels anyway. So the Hyperdrive, at least, was a bit of a waste and the need for shields was limited by the fact the Empire had tons of pilots. They didn't need a better fighter, they just needed to find those darned Rebels =P.

EDIT:

As far as the the two ships against each other, I think X-Wing (as a game) does a great job of representing them. The X had more firepower and better shields, while the Advanced was based on the basic TIE and was fast and maneuverable, but had the standard firepower aside from the possibility of missiles. I think they were comparable, but that the X had a slight advantage over the x1 because the firepower mattered more than the improved speed/maneuverability more often than not.

In this scenario I'd personally give a slight nod to the X-Wing, but I don't think it was a big gap.

Edited by Hida77

Wedge auto wins just by being alive longer/ is alive.

Edited by GeneticDrift

My money is on the space wizard who can cheat physics.

My money is on the space wizard who can cheat physics.

It's SW m80, everyone cheats physics.

If Vader has the TIE/x1 title upgrade, advanced sensors system upgrade, and engine upgrade modification then I would ABSOLUTELY give the 1-on-1 match to Vader ... if he is flown by a skilled player who understands arc dodging and how to use advanced sensors, barrel roll and boost to setup shots while arc dodging.

Advanced Sensors doesn't work with Vader.

Also, I vote for Vader, as Vader is awesome and Wedge is lame.

I'm honestly surprised no one has defended Wedge with the whole two Deathstars thing...

My reply to this is, of course:

Anakin%252520fucks%252520em%252520up.gif

8 year old Vader thinks that's cute....

If Vader has the TIE/x1 title upgrade, advanced sensors system upgrade, and engine upgrade modification then I would ABSOLUTELY give the 1-on-1 match to Vader ... if he is flown by a skilled player who understands arc dodging and how to use advanced sensors, barrel roll and boost to setup shots while arc dodging.

Advanced Sensors doesn't work with Vader.

Also, I vote for Vader, as Vader is awesome and Wedge is lame.

How is the guy that is responsible for the destruction of 2 Death Stars, an epic last stand that bought time for people to escape, and saved the main character's life lame?

I'm honestly surprised no one has defended Wedge with the whole two Deathstars thing...

My reply to this is, of course:

Anakin%2520fucks%2520em%2520up.gif

8 year old Vader thinks that's cute....

That my friend was dumb luck. And the prequels. And not technically Vader, as that was Anakin pre-Vader.

Gotta go with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

As posted above, the man has been destroying space station sized ships since he was EIGHT. His starfighter experience is insurmountable. Also with his precognitive abilities and awareness makes him a very scary pilot.

Wedge has the skills, the raw talent, and experience as well.

I feel the edge goes to the TIE/Adv. A ship BUILT for Vader. Sure the T-65 is a proud ship and very robust, but when you have a ship specifically built for your level ass kickery? hard to overcome.

Experience: Vader
Talent: TIE
Extra Abilities: Vader
Ship: Vader

Sorry rebel scum ::que Imperial March::

Edited by Midv4lley

In the new canon, unfortunately I give it to Vader.

In the old EU, Baron Soontir Fel was rumored to be able to out-fly Vader. Wedge could out-fly Fel on a good day (just barely). Therefore, by the transitive property, Wedge should beat Vader.

I'm honestly surprised no one has defended Wedge with the whole two Deathstars thing...

My reply to this is, of course:

8 year old Vader thinks that's cute....

That my friend was dumb luck. And the prequels. And not technically Vader, as that was Anakin pre-Vader.

As defined by the rules, Anakin IS Vader and Vader is Anakin.

As for luck,

giphy.gif

I'm honestly surprised no one has defended Wedge with the whole two Deathstars thing...

My reply to this is, of course:

8 year old Vader thinks that's cute....

That my friend was dumb luck. And the prequels. And not technically Vader, as that was Anakin pre-Vader.

As defined by the rules, Anakin IS Vader and Vader is Anakin.

As for luck,

giphy.gif

Then as per the rules, any comment Obi made about Anakin being the best starfighter pilot is invalid since he considered Anakin and Vader 2 separate people.

But back into the spirit of the thread, the Trade Federation control ship was no where near as heavily protected as the Death Stars. Wedge flying into the infrastructure of the DS2 is significantly more impressive then Kid Anakin flying into a relatively unprotected hangar, and shooting a power generator.

I will happily kick this off by casting my vote. Vader is the best pilot in the galaxy, capable of taking on a whole squadron of Rebels by himself.

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God, I was so confused by your vote at first glance. I haven't seen Rebels, and assumed it was this lol:

star-wars-darth-vader-spinning.gif

Also this:

Edited by zerotc

I'm honestly surprised no one has defended Wedge with the whole two Deathstars thing...

My reply to this is, of course:

8 year old Vader thinks that's cute....

That my friend was dumb luck. And the prequels. And not technically Vader, as that was Anakin pre-Vader.

As defined by the rules, Anakin IS Vader and Vader is Anakin.

As for luck,

But back into the spirit of the thread, the Trade Federation control ship was no where near as heavily protected as the Death Stars. Wedge flying into the infrastructure of the DS2 is significantly more impressive then Kid Anakin flying into a relatively unprotected hangar, and shooting a power generator.

I don't know I can go along with that... Tarken didn't even launch a defense force against the Rebel fleet. They flew around only having to tend with turbo laser fire (which was inadequate against snub fighters). It wasn't until Vader and 7 TIE Fighters got into the mix that the Rebels even saw an opposition.

So 8 TIEs vs:

Battle-of-Yavin.jpg

"Who would win, the man declared the best star fighter pilot in the galaxy who had the most kills at the Battle of Yavin and only was taken out by his own squad mate randomly crashing into him, or the minor character who retreated from the Battle of Yavin after being shot by said best star pilot in the galaxy?"

This is a hilarious mismatch, even if you include Legends EU since Vader there is frequently described as better than any normal human pilot.

In Gundam terms, Wedge is a fantastic pilot, but Vader is a fantastic pilot and a Newtype. Remember when Wedge declared the shot on the Death Star port was impossible, even for a super computer? Luke and Vader can make those shots because they're Force-sensitive/Newtypes. Outside of Gundam X, any dogfight between a normal person and a Newtype is gonna end with the Newtype victorious.

Edited by WingedSpider

I just want to point out that Anakin crashed more ships than Wedge has probably ever flown. Anakin was reckless, which worked out sometimes and other times nearly killed him (and his friends). He has way more plot armor than Wedge ever did. My vote goes to Wedge for his controlled and considerate flying. Vader wins when he is lucky (plot armor).

Also Obi-wan was talking about fate when he denied luck as a factor. Fate is even more of a plot device than luck, so I wouldn't count that as a point towards Vader.

Of course Vader could always just reach out and crush wedges throat, so there is that. Drop one of the force blocking creatures in the 'backseat' though and Wedge wins via technical skill.

Of course Vader could always just reach out and crush wedges throat, so there is that. Drop one of the force blocking creatures in the 'backseat' though and Wedge wins via technical skill.

Oh man, please give me Ysalamiri crew. 1 point, Unique "You cannot be dealt damage cards except by uncancelled [Hit] or [Crit] results; [Missile], [Torpedo], or [Cannon] attacks; or [bomb] tokens. A ship with no [Crew Upgrade slot] may equip this card for 2 squad points."

Lord Vader is deffinatelly one of the best pilots in the galaxy. He is very gifted and very strong in the force. But from my point of view, Wedge would win. Why? Because Wedge is THE pilot. He flies all his life and never practiced anything else then flying. Yes, he didn't mastered the ForceTM but he is aware of every dirty trick the pilot can pull out of his sleeve. He's just better in general piloting.