i.e. Vader, if you've ever played TIE fighter the PC game

• Season 1
  • Introduces the spectres (ghost crew) and Lothal. It's an important imperial world on the outer rim
    • The rebellion at large is hinted at but not really seen until the final episode.
    • Fulcrum - the spectres point-of-contact turns out to be Ashoka; Anakin's clone wars padawan runaway.
  • Introduces the 'you've never heard of them' enemies - ISB Agent Kallus, The Inquisitor, assorted mid-ranking dudes in grey.
  • The Inquisitor turns up to hunt Ezra and Kanan after the empire becomes aware of a surviving jedi (technically padawan and...not even padawan).
  • The TIE/v1 prototype is seen, and some early production versions later seen in the hands of inquisitors
  • There's a hidden, abandoned jedi temple on lothal
  • In the final few episodes, Grand Moff Tarkin (who is the governor of the outer rim) turns up to ask what the heck is going on on the planet, and basically shows up everyone you've seen to date by actually being competent on multiple occasions (for example, the rebels disable power on his ship - which, since it was broadcasting a continuous 'all clear' signal, arguably causes in the reinforcements turn up) , and brutal as feck despite being polite about it (having two of the recurring villain mid-ranking dudes decapitated mid-briefing and then quite calmly saying " from now on, failure will have consequences ", or collateral-damaging imperial infrastructure the rebels had temporarily seized with a massive airstrike as it was the fastest way to get the job done).
  • Vader is seen twice, neither for more than a brief cameo.
    • In the first episode, Kallus essentially contacts him to report "bloody heck it's a jedi"
    • In the final episode, after the Inquisitor's death (arguably suicide) Tarkin turns up with Vader in tow as the 'in case of insurgency break glass' solution
• Season 2
  • Introduces Phoenix Squadron, the rebel corvette-and-A-wing-formation that the spectres end up hanging around with for the next couple of seasons. Also re-introduces Captain Rex.
  • Also introduces multiple other Inquisitors - Seventh Sister, Fifth Brother (and Ninth-and-a-Half Nephew for all I know), Maul (" formerly Darth, now just Maul " in his words), and Fenn Rau.
  • Vader gets to strut his stuff in the first episode, essentially solo-ing a squadron of A-wings and a Pelta-class frigate. Because He's Darth Goddam Vader.
    • In the process, he becomes aware that Ashoka is still alive.
  • The rebels set up shop at 'Chopper Base'
  • He also turns up again in the final episode, where all the force-ey characters basically end up at an ancient sith temple. This climaxes in the Ashoka/Vader duel scene which is one of the most emotive bits of the series, especially to clone wars fans.
    • Kanan also gets blinded by a lightsaber cut right through his eyes.
• Season 3
  • Introduces Thrawn (after Vader has left). The TIE defender development gets hinted at in development plans
  • The rebels acquire a bunch of decommissioned Y-wings, which are sent on to 'general dodonna's group'. They're subsequently seen again during the season - the Massassi group and Phoenix Squadron join forces to take out the TIE defender factory before it can go into full production.
    • At least one prototype is already in service, and it really shows up its rebel counterparts
  • They also pick up some imperial academy defectees, including SS-25 (one W. Antilles)
  • Mon Mothma essentially kick-starts the formal rebel alliance from the various independent rebel cells. By the end of the season, most of the rebellion is as it is at the start of Rogue One.
    • Saw Gerrerra shows up.
  • Kallus has decided he's on the wrong side and has taken over the role of fulcrum from Ashoka, as an inside agent in the empire
  • Thrawn eventually locates chopper base and hits it with a navy squadron before the rebels can attack lothal. They get away, but suffer serious, serious casualties - multiple capital ships are blown to scrap metal (and they don't have many) and the attack basically gets called off. With Phoenix squadron's flagship in bits and its commander dead, the survivors get relocated to Yavin. Kallus - who'd been caught by thrawn - defects and joins them.
  • The Bendu - a big scary force monster thing - takes an interest in Kanan Jarrus.
  • Maul discovers where Kenobi has been hiding (but not why ), confronts him, and takes a lightsaber to the vital bits for his troubles.
  • The rebels end up on good terms with the Mandalorians (at least, one house thereof) - although the Governor is still stolidly imperial
• Season 4
  • Still Thrawn as the big bad.
  • There's a Mandalorian civil war which pretty much kicks the empire out.
  • Saw Gerrera is shown more, and is clearly not signing on with the rebel alliance.
  • The second-generation prototype of the Defender (the Defender Elite) is shown and it's so scary it convinces the Rebels to launch the (much delayed) attack on the factories.
    • The rebels have somehow acquired X-wings - they're shown, but it's never said where they came from on scene.
  • Unfortunately, Thrawn knows the assault coming and is waiting for them with a blockade squadron. About half a dozen rebel fighters make it to the surface. On fire. And crash.
    • Hera does get to show off her own piloting talents and takes out the Defender Elite prototype. Admittedly through the pilot's cockiness as well as her own skill, but it's the most dangerous fighter ever shown in the new canon with the possible exception of the TIE/vn Silencer and it's still one heck of a scalp.
  • The surviving spectres manage to link up with....basically everyone you've seen over the series; the Lothal rebels, Rex and the surviving clones, the various scum factions, and so on, and manage to kick the empire off Lothal (although emphatically not as part of the rebel alliance)
    • Kanan is killed in the process.
    • Ezra, Thrawn, and a lot of thrawn's fleet are dragged off to....somewhere... through hyperspace during this.
  • During the liberation, Ezra finds there was a super-secret bit hidden in the Lothal temple. Palpatine knows about it, and there's an imperial dig going on, led by an Imperial Advisor.
    • Hard to explain, but it's kind of a doorway to everywhere and everywhen. The Emperor wants it. Ezra manages to lock it closed, but also rescues Ashoka from her duel back in season 2 in the process.
  • Whilst an imperial counterattack is expected:
    • The Imperial Fleet in the outer rim just lost it's commander (Thrawn) and the Lothal Blockade Squadron, so it's short of ships.
    • With the TIE defender factory gone, and the jedi temple collapsed, there's nothing in particular making Lothal worth taking back, so it slips down the priority list. Doubly so with Mandalore in revolt!
    • By the time the Empire would have been able to put a punitive expedition together, Scarif and Yavin happen, and the Empire has much bigger problems to worry about.

TIE Defenders, Gravity wells, Cortosis! These are all things that arouse my interest!

Thrawn has to pour SO much energy into keeping Vader from just executing people...and Vader has to pour SO much energy into not executing Thrawn.

VADER IN A DEFENDER!!! When he first hits the throttle and is basically like "I don't get erections anymore, but if I did, I'd have one now!"

I'm really hoping now that the new Clone Wars seasons do the Clone Wars era parts of this book as an arc. There's some great Anakin being a ****heel in this story.

And I'm sad there probably aren't going to be anymore opportunities for these two to interact given how soon after this that Thrawn disappears.

On ‎8‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 6:48 AM, DarthEnderX said:

VADER IN A DEFENDER!!! When he first hits the throttle and is basically like "I don't get erections anymore, but if I did, I'd have one now!" 

Yay. Delta 6 is back.

it's hard to imagine how unutterably brutal that'd be in 2.0 X-wing.

The closest comparison we've got between Advanced and Defender top aces at the moment is Rexler Brath and Maarek Stele. Vader is 20 points more than Stele in a TIE/x1 and I suspect his ability gets even more potent in a defender since it has a more impressive action bar, allowing supernatural reflexes boosts without self-damage and evade actions (if going too slowly for full throttle).

Adding 20 points to Rexler's price would be 104 points - possibly round up to 110. Throw on a Fire Control System, Heavy Laser Cannon, Supernatural Reflexes and Afterburners and you're at 137 points.....and worth it.