I'll play ball here.
As someone who has seen every Star Wars film opening day except Last Jedi, I find myself wrestling with what I know vs. what I feel. A breakdown, if you will;
1) The Rebel Alliance fleet, at its core of film only canon ships, has an industrial utilitarianism that is appealing. There's an underdog element to their motif that is undoubtedly resilient. They're pretty much the Bruce Springsteen of factions.
2) Scum have a wildly diverse gallery of maverick designs that feel foreign and intriguing. They're the wild one night stand that you know isn't healthy for you long term, but you can't resist their reckless abandonment of practicality.
3) Resistance lacks the requisite identity to stand on their own merits. Their ships are within the pale, vestiges of redundancy only enhanced by the character of their pilots. The Resistance Transport is a bit ham handed, the Starfortress a nice homage but not defining enough onscreen to be worthy. Resistance is the most sidebar of factions. Lowest of the low.
4) First Order expands on a theme well enough to be distinct, with subtle variations but ultimately possessing a residual sense of lost cause. The future, however, is brightest given the films and movies potentially to come. We haven't seen their full potential, but their most iconic on its own merits (Silencer) is toe to toe with the best any faction can offer. The most upside exists here.
5) Republic ships have a regal elegance to them. While the films are largely dismissable, one can't refute they have an aesthetic that possesses both refinement (Aethersprites, Naboo starfighter) and apex functionality (ARC-170, Torrents.) They are the Hattori Hanzo faction. Crafted with purpose and precision.
6) CIS ship designs hover inbetween being clunkily obtrusive and en massedly forgettable visually. They lack fearsomeness. They look like technological discards. The Sith Infiltrator is a hybrid misfit that fits other factions and other genres better than its own.
So where does this leave us?
The Imperial Empire.
Nothing else is as definitive. Nothing else is as versatile. Nothing else is as sexy. Nothing else has as much identity. You know an Imperial ship even at its most remote of archetype. (Starwing) The effort and result that went into the Decimator alone is enough to convince us of this. They're the cool kids we hated but wanted to be a part of. I don't even own them in the 3 years I've been in the game, but lately they've been... calling to me. And I don't know how much longer I can hold out. I tell myself, Hyperspace only. That's enough. I can resist the rest. But I'm finding it harder and harder now that TIE Interceptor is legal.
Yeah, Imperials win this handily. Your mileage may vary. But there's a reason we fear and respect them. Heroes are defined by their villains, and in Sci-Fi starfighter combat history, it all started here.
Book it, Lobot.
Edited by Cloaker
