I was watching my son play Battlefront 2 yesterday and he voiced his disappointment with the hero (or villain, if you prefer) ships for the Imperials (First Order and Separatist included). Not that he isn’t a fan of the characters or their ships, but as he pointed out with the introduction of Tallie Lintra “why don’t they introduce an Imperial pilot that’s kind of the same?” Meaning why don’t we get a TIE fighter or Interceptor based on a supporting character?

He’s pretty much right with this. Tallie is essentially an A-wing with a special ability. Now we’re not complaining about that, but the question still remains.

So it got me thinking about who they could actually use, which brings me to “which Imperial pilots count as canon?”

Howlrunner is...ish... I guess, since she is supposedly a part of the Falcon chase from Cloud City in Empire Strikes Back. Soontir Fel seems out (which is a disappointment to me personally).

Thoughts? And you don’t have to limit it to Imperials really.

I guess the whole point of the Imperials is that they use clouds of disposable, faceless pilots.

This is both to give them that uncaring and implacable air and to make it okay when the Rebel heroes kill dozens of them in a single battle.

That being said, I do miss the 'Red Baron' thing that we got with Soontir Fel.

Valen was in rebels recently.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Imperial_Navy_personnel_of_the_Galactic_Empire

look for the canon tab on the individual entries... the old EU is legends

Just now, Democratus said:

I guess the whole point of the Imperials is that they use clouds of disposable, faceless pilots.

This is both to give them that uncaring and implacable air and to make it okay when the Rebel heroes kill dozens of them in a single battle.

That being said, I do miss the 'Red Baron' thing that we got with Soontir Fel.

Yeah, it feels like that more than ever now, which is disappointing.

How sweet would it be if someone really breaks the mold and pitches a television series about an Imperial Flight wing? The amount of material they have to pull from (I’m thinking German WWII pilots who didn’t know about the awful things their commanders were doing) could make for some excellent viewing

6 minutes ago, slasher956 said:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Imperial_Navy_personnel_of_the_Galactic_Empire

look for the canon tab on the individual entries... the old EU is legends

This will work.

It also seems like a lot of work, but it’s spot on. Thanks

Individually named, right now, from Rebels, we really only have Valen Rudor, and Vult Skerris*

Their teams aren’t named, even though they do have dedicated squadrons.

Disney doesn't really care to develop meaningful, competent, and interesting imperial characters. They all turn out to be throwaway fodder for the heroes to have a little challenge to overcome. It's honestly disappointing that Star Wars views the empire as pure evil, it may have been founded on it, but can someone honestly say that every citizen fights to maim, kill, burn and to oppress alien scum? Even with the campaign for Battlefront 2

it's ridiculous. A lot of people want to see an imperial point of view, one that isn't all about hate darkside.

If armada isn't canon ( i don't know, is it?) can't they just take names from the legends EU.

2 hours ago, Democratus said:

I guess the whole point of the Imperials is that they use clouds of disposable, faceless pilots.

it's easier for the heroes to be mass murderers when we cannot see the faces of their victims?

9 minutes ago, Geressen said:

it's easier for the heroes to be mass murderers when we cannot see the faces of their victims?

Yeah. That's a staple of storytelling from way back.

Wookieepedia lists a pilot named Oxixo with the rank of lieutenant as being canon. He flew a TIE/ln and either died at yavin 4 or endor (the article cites conflicting sources).

Gideon Hask, Del Meeko and Iden Versio as well,

Isn't Ciena Ree canon?

Yup but she's in the game already.

11 minutes ago, Indy_com said:

Yup but she's in the game already.

I thought he was talking about BF2, and wondering what other pilots they could have used. My mistake.

55 minutes ago, Geressen said:

If armada isn't canon ( i don't know, is it?) can't they just take names from the legends EU.

it's easier for the heroes to be mass murderers when we cannot see the faces of their victims?

It is not.

And because it’s not, that doesn’t make it easy to use the EU... if anything it’s harder, because LFL still needs and wants to limit the exposure of things to the wild of publicity.

A lot of the EU was, basically, better off dead in their eyes... the stuff they want - like Thrawn, and the concept of Jan/Kyle (through the mirror of Jyn/Cassisn) will come back in a way they want in time - but through s canon source first.

9 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

It is not.

And because it’s not, that doesn’t make it easy to use the EU... if anything it’s harder, because LFL still needs and wants to limit the exposure of things to the wild of publicity.

A lot of the EU was, basically, better off dead in their eyes... the stuff they want - like Thrawn, and the concept of Jan/Kyle (through the mirror of Jyn/Cassisn) will come back in a way they want in time - but through s canon source first.

Jan and Kyle only bear resemblance to Jyn and Cassian by stealing the plans. Outside of that Jan and Kyle are more like Hera and Kanan in my opinion. But again, some huge differences.

3 minutes ago, TheBigLev said:

Jan and Kyle only bear resemblance to Jyn and Cassian by stealing the plans. Outside of that Jan and Kyle are more like Hera and Kanan in my opinion. But again, some huge differences.

Climbing the tower, they look like them, too.

but stealing the plans was the original Jan/Kyle too, so my point stands - it is them in spirit ?

3 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

Climbing the tower, they look like them, too.

but stealing the plans was the original Jan/Kyle too, so my point stands - it is them in spirit ?

Well perhaps they are more akin to those two, but Jan and Kyle's story lasted well into the EU. Unlike our poor protagonists from Rogue One.

The force connection, as well as Hera and Jan both being officers in the Alliance...

That said, I too miss good Imperial characters. I grew up loving TIE Fighter, Thrawn, and the X-Wing novels. Good Imperials are always more fun than righteous rebels.

1 hour ago, Indy_com said:

if you ignore the latter two's defection to the rebellion.

You consider that half way? Felt like hardly 1/3 the way. Very upset this happened

5 minutes ago, ripper998 said:

You consider that half way? Felt like hardly 1/3 the way. Very upset this happened

And before anyone says its stupid to get upset about the story in a game, I was very invested in this story line, I read the inferno book before hand specifically to get to know the characters better.

4 minutes ago, ripper998 said:

And before anyone says its stupid to get upset about the story in a game, I was very invested in this story line, I read the inferno book before hand specifically to get to know the characters better.

I don’t know why anyone would say that. Sometimes a video game is really the only media platform to get the most out of a story, re: The Last of Us

I found the story in Battlefront 2... problematic. I was definitely hoping for better

3 hours ago, BlueSquadronPilot said:

Disney doesn't really care to develop meaningful, competent, and interesting imperial characters. They all turn out to be throwaway fodder for the heroes to have a little challenge to overcome. It's honestly disappointing that Star Wars views the empire as pure evil, it may have been founded on it, but can someone honestly say that every citizen fights to maim, kill, burn and to oppress alien scum? Even with the campaign for Battlefront 2

your character switches sides like half way in

it's ridiculous. A lot of people want to see an imperial point of view, one that isn't all about hate darkside.

Well, all the good imperials join the rebellion. Or run off to help found the superevil first order after killing galius rax...

Defections to the rebellion are logical in any post-endor imperial story.

20 minutes ago, codegnave said:

Well, all the good imperials join the rebellion. Or run off to help found the superevil first order after killing galius rax...

Defections to the rebellion are logical in any post-endor imperial story.

They don't have to be, if you have quality officers like Pellaeon and Thrawn. Yanno. For example.

True enough many would abandon ship, especially those just serving as a job or because they felt the empire was the legitimate heir to the republic. We really have no information about the supposed Imperial Remnant before they signed up with the First Order.

I'm starting to pine for the much more developed world of post Endor EU. The politics of new canon are pretty vague if not kinda stupid.

24 minutes ago, TheBigLev said:

They don't have to be, if you have quality officers like Pellaeon and Thrawn. Yanno. For example.

True enough many would abandon ship, especially those just serving as a job or because they felt the empire was the legitimate heir to the republic. We really have no information about the supposed Imperial Remnant before they signed up with the First Order.

I'm starting to pine for the much more developed world of post Endor EU. The politics of new canon are pretty vague if not kinda stupid.

Considering new cannon post-endor empire was intentionally destroyed by the contingency, id say most to all talented officers died or jumped over to the first order the first chance they got.

6 hours ago, Flavorabledeez said:

Yeah, it feels like that more than ever now, which is disappointing.

How sweet would it be if someone really breaks the mold and pitches a television series about an Imperial Flight wing? The amount of material they have to pull from (I’m thinking German WWII pilots who didn’t know about the awful things their commanders were doing) could make for some excellent viewing

Top Gun remake about Imperial TIE jockeys, please and thank you.