So everyone has been giddy as schoolkids at the new footage this weekend showing us TIE Interceptors in 'Rebels'...

...as well as the new TIE Striker in 'Rogue One'...

...and I certainly have been, too!

Thing is, though...

I mean...cool and all, but...

They're grey . Which is a funny complaint for me to make, as someone who felt like digging years back into my forum posts would note my complaining about the blue fighters that started appearing way back in wave 2, as it created an annoying clash from the all-grey Imperial wave 1 (and the all-grey Imperial fighters straight through the X-Wing and TIE Fighter series of games...). So I finally, after YEARS of staring at the and playing with them...I FINALLY get used to blue being the predominant color of Imperial fighters (with the earlier fighters, only, really being the grey ones)...

And now we've got the distinct possibility we'll never see another blue TIE, again?!

Gaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!

Don't worry, its about the timeframe. Everything around ANH is grey. Should we get new visual material ESB onwards TIEs will be blue again.

I hope.

Don't worry, its about the timeframe. Everything around ANH is grey. Should we get new visual material ESB onwards TIEs will be blue again.

I hope.

While I sort of "get that" from a 'why it is the way it is' angle...

...the practical reality of it is that it means we aren't getting any new blue TIEs . The 'Rebels' TV series isn't going into that time frame, and the occasionally-rumored follow-up series for that team once 'Rebels' finishes next year or so (IIRC., it was planned as just a 5-season show?) is said to be TFA-era. And, of course, TFA-era is the inverted white-on-black scheme of the not-Imperials-who-pretend-to-be.

Obviously, 'Rogue One' is pre-ANH, as will be the next two standalone movies (the 'Han Solo', and 'Boba Fett' movies both set even earlier than 'Rogue One').

And finally, Episodes VIII and IX of the main 'saga' films will be post-TFA, as well, so...

Yeah, there is just no new work in the ESB/RotJ timeframe that would give us any more blue TIEs.

GRAH! Very frustrating !

I believe it isn't unlikely to have another anthology movie between episodes VIII and IX and that would probably get into that timeframe. Unless its the Han Solo movie, but I think thats coming sooner?

I believe it isn't unlikely to have another anthology movie between episodes VIII and IX and that would probably get into that timeframe. Unless its the Han Solo movie, but I think thats coming sooner?

Yeah, they announced the casting for the Han Solo movie and teased a (very little) bit about it this weekend. It's the "20 year old Han Solo" story, so something from his past. Release date for this one is between VIII and IX (as 'Rogue One' is the anthology film being released in the schedule between VII and VIII).

Supposedly the final anthology film is a Boba Fett story. I suppose that could be a re-interpretation of the 'Shadows of the Empire' story arc, so possibly it could be in the ESB/RotJ timeframe?? I dunno, Disney seems to like "origin stories"...and in any case, the third anthology film isn't planned for anything earlier than a 2020 release date, so...

Don't worry, its about the timeframe.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

The Empire transitioned from grey to blue as its standard fighter color in years between ANH and ESB, so naturally fighters in Rebels (5 years before ANH) and Rogue One (maybe a month before ANH) would have grey TIEs.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

The Empire transitioned from grey to blue as its standard fighter color in years between ANH and ESB, so naturally fighters in Rebels (5 years before ANH) and Rogue One (maybe a month before ANH) would have grey TIEs.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

They were comissioned after BFY, same goes for Ceptors. Rebels realized Y-wings suсk real hard as assault unit (almost said Boats hurr hurr) and Imps realized that Advanced and TIE\Ln aren't fast enough to tail and gun rebels before they manage to pull of a torp run.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

Mostly because discarding the EU in that way requires explanation.

If the Rebels in Sato's cell had been flying Clone-Wars-surplus Z-95s, Y-Wings, ARC-170s, V-19s, etc...then no explanation is needed. Surplus from the last major war - nobody asks questions why those are around.

A-Wings , though? Where did THOSE come from? We don't know - simply a new type of fighter appears being flown by a rag-tag group of terrorists that clearly are not well funded enough to have developed it, themselves, yet.

It leaves a gap, and an unnecessary one.

ANYWAY, that's getting a bit off topic, but it sort of points to the problem of the 'Rebels' team pulling in whatever looks cool without any regard to the potential background issues it would cause, complexity of explaining the difference, and impact on other stories. (I mean, TIE Interceptors appearing years before Yavin and not a single one used to protect the Death Star or chase down the Millennium Falcon? LOLwut?? )

There were A-Wings and B-Wings in the Droids cartoon series in the 80's, and it was set few years before Yavin. Not only that, their use seemed to be widespread, not limited to the Rebel Alliance (that didn't appear at all in that series).

I guess Disney has opted for making canon everything that Lucas directly produced himself (other than the Holiday Special and the Ewok movies), so Rebels had to show A-Wings and B-Wings in use before Yavin.

Don't worry, its about the timeframe. Everything around ANH is grey. Should we get new visual material ESB onwards TIEs will be blue again.

I hope.

Is that a recent hope, would you say?

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

Mostly because discarding the EU in that way requires explanation.

Only to a relatively small number of obscure knowledge obsessed fans.

To the vast majority however...

I guess Disney has opted for making canon everything that Lucas directly produced himself (other than the Holiday Special and the Ewok movies), so Rebels had to show A-Wings and B-Wings in use before Yavin.

That hasn't been confirmed yet. As far as we know, the events of Droids and Ewoks are still Legends.

They were comissioned after BFY, same goes for Ceptors.

That's from early WEG. The EU pretty quickly dropped that, showing A-wings and Interceptors in the X-wing game set pre-Yavin.

The Empire transitioned from grey to blue as its standard fighter color in years between ANH and ESB, so naturally fighters in Rebels (5 years before ANH) and Rogue One (maybe a month before ANH) would have grey TIEs.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

They were comissioned after BFY, same goes for Ceptors. Rebels realized Y-wings suсk real hard as assault unit (almost said Boats hurr hurr) and Imps realized that Advanced and TIE\Ln aren't fast enough to tail and gun rebels before they manage to pull of a torp run.

...in the old legends canon. Nothing in the movies states any of that, there's no reason they couldn't have been around earlier.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

Mostly because discarding the EU in that way requires explanation.

If the Rebels in Sato's cell had been flying Clone-Wars-surplus Z-95s, Y-Wings, ARC-170s, V-19s, etc...then no explanation is needed. Surplus from the last major war - nobody asks questions why those are around.

A-Wings , though? Where did THOSE come from? We don't know - simply a new type of fighter appears being flown by a rag-tag group of terrorists that clearly are not well funded enough to have developed it, themselves, yet.

It leaves a gap, and an unnecessary one.

ANYWAY, that's getting a bit off topic, but it sort of points to the problem of the 'Rebels' team pulling in whatever looks cool without any regard to the potential background issues it would cause, complexity of explaining the difference, and impact on other stories. (I mean, TIE Interceptors appearing years before Yavin and not a single one used to protect the Death Star or chase down the Millennium Falcon? LOLwut?? )

Not being used to chase the falcon makes perfect sense since they didn't actually want to catch it. Not gonna worry any further than that until we actually see how they're used in rebels and if there's any explanation behind them.

The Empire transitioned from grey to blue as its standard fighter color in years between ANH and ESB, so naturally fighters in Rebels (5 years before ANH) and Rogue One (maybe a month before ANH) would have grey TIEs.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

They were comissioned after BFY, same goes for Ceptors. Rebels realized Y-wings suсk real hard as assault unit (almost said Boats hurr hurr) and Imps realized that Advanced and TIE\Ln aren't fast enough to tail and gun rebels before they manage to pull of a torp run.

...in the old legends canon. Nothing in the movies states any of that, there's no reason they couldn't have been around earlier.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

Mostly because discarding the EU in that way requires explanation.

If the Rebels in Sato's cell had been flying Clone-Wars-surplus Z-95s, Y-Wings, ARC-170s, V-19s, etc...then no explanation is needed. Surplus from the last major war - nobody asks questions why those are around.

A-Wings , though? Where did THOSE come from? We don't know - simply a new type of fighter appears being flown by a rag-tag group of terrorists that clearly are not well funded enough to have developed it, themselves, yet.

It leaves a gap, and an unnecessary one.

ANYWAY, that's getting a bit off topic, but it sort of points to the problem of the 'Rebels' team pulling in whatever looks cool without any regard to the potential background issues it would cause, complexity of explaining the difference, and impact on other stories. (I mean, TIE Interceptors appearing years before Yavin and not a single one used to protect the Death Star or chase down the Millennium Falcon? LOLwut?? )

Not being used to chase the falcon makes perfect sense since they didn't actually want to catch it. Not gonna worry any further than that until we actually see how they're used in rebels and if there's any explanation behind them.

They didn't want to catch the Falcon in 'Empire Strikes Back'? Really?

Different movie than I saw...

They were riding dewbacks in ANH! AT-ST's and AT-AT's were clearly developed later why were they in Rebels!!! RAARHGH!!11!!!EINZ!!RAGE!

Only "upside" I can think of to Interceptors appearing in 'Rebels'...

...?we might someday get another Interceptor expansion with them painted grey?

I guess that's an upside, if someone wanted to try for an all-grey Imperial fighter fleet?

The Empire transitioned from grey to blue as its standard fighter color in years between ANH and ESB, so naturally fighters in Rebels (5 years before ANH) and Rogue One (maybe a month before ANH) would have grey TIEs.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

They were comissioned after BFY, same goes for Ceptors. Rebels realized Y-wings suсk real hard as assault unit (almost said Boats hurr hurr) and Imps realized that Advanced and TIE\Ln aren't fast enough to tail and gun rebels before they manage to pull of a torp run.

...in the old legends canon. Nothing in the movies states any of that, there's no reason they couldn't have been around earlier.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

Mostly because discarding the EU in that way requires explanation.

If the Rebels in Sato's cell had been flying Clone-Wars-surplus Z-95s, Y-Wings, ARC-170s, V-19s, etc...then no explanation is needed. Surplus from the last major war - nobody asks questions why those are around.

A-Wings , though? Where did THOSE come from? We don't know - simply a new type of fighter appears being flown by a rag-tag group of terrorists that clearly are not well funded enough to have developed it, themselves, yet.

It leaves a gap, and an unnecessary one.

ANYWAY, that's getting a bit off topic, but it sort of points to the problem of the 'Rebels' team pulling in whatever looks cool without any regard to the potential background issues it would cause, complexity of explaining the difference, and impact on other stories. (I mean, TIE Interceptors appearing years before Yavin and not a single one used to protect the Death Star or chase down the Millennium Falcon? LOLwut?? )

Not being used to chase the falcon makes perfect sense since they didn't actually want to catch it. Not gonna worry any further than that until we actually see how they're used in rebels and if there's any explanation behind them.

They didn't want to catch the Falcon in 'Empire Strikes Back'? Really?

Different movie than I saw...

And what if they DID try not to catch it?

And Vader knew it all along, plotting against his master, and that's why he ordered every super-accurate stormtrooper to miss like a baby.

And Jar Jar is the misa-master-minda-behinda-thiss-a-plaan!

Meanwhile us Scum and Rebels are decked out like it's Mardi Gras.

Well I don't exactly see the First Order using Red and White.

Well I don't exactly see the First Order using Red and White.

They do like their red and white accents though.

That's another of the reason i never like legends. People that write these stories leap on every detail of 3 2 hour fils and desperately try and work their own thing in.

3 seperate stories about what happened on Ord Mandel or whatever.

The idea about B wings and A wings being created after ANH is purely cos they didn't appear in that film? So they think it's a cool idea to write about how they were made, but there's juts no reason to assume that they didn't exist just because they never used them in the single rebels in space scene in the whole film.

The Empire transitioned from grey to blue as its standard fighter color in years between ANH and ESB, so naturally fighters in Rebels (5 years before ANH) and Rogue One (maybe a month before ANH) would have grey TIEs.

It's hard, because Rebels messed up so hard, we can hardly imagine.

B? A? What do you say, prototypes? And now we get another "prototype" that's somehow identical to Ceptor.

How is it messed up? Nobody said that the A-wing and B-wing were brand new in ROTJ, and the A-wings and B-wing that we've seen in Rebels are very noticeably different from the ROTJ ones.

They were comissioned after BFY, same goes for Ceptors. Rebels realized Y-wings suсk real hard as assault unit (almost said Boats hurr hurr) and Imps realized that Advanced and TIE\Ln aren't fast enough to tail and gun rebels before they manage to pull of a torp run.

Firstly, that's the old canon. The new canon has A-wings being a KSE fighter model (same people who made the Delta-7), the B-wing is again a rebel prototype but as you'd expect it takes a very long time to make more with the Rebel's present resources. The Y-wing doesn't suck, it's just old (they go into the trench first because they've got better targeting systems than the X-wings).

And secondly, that's not even correct to the old canon. The interceptor being chosen over the x1 as a replacement for the now pretty dated TIE/ln was a case of price, not speed.

That's another of the reason i never like legends. People that write these stories leap on every detail of 3 2 hour fils and desperately try and work their own thing in.

3 seperate stories about what happened on Ord Mandel or whatever.

The idea about B wings and A wings being created after ANH is purely cos they didn't appear in that film? So they think it's a cool idea to write about how they were made, but there's juts no reason to assume that they didn't exist just because they never used them in the single rebels in space scene in the whole film.

Sure, let's not use the things that can get it done better.

Who needs those stupid, fast Ceptors, let's just swarm it all! Who needs those dumb B-wings, let's use the rusty-old Y-wings!

Sure, let's not use the things that can get it done better.

Who needs those stupid, fast Ceptors, let's just swarm it all! Who needs those dumb B-wings, let's use the rusty-old Y-wings!

I take it you know absolutely nothing about logistics.

You use what you've got.