Attack on the Phoenix
- "With good dogfighting ability, you were able to overcome the odds."
"But tell me, why didn't I have some backup?"
"Yeah, Farlander. Good question. Get us some more pilots. Well, the truth is, we didn't anticipate a very heavy response on this mission, so we sent you alone. Go take a break, captain. You look a little tired."
"I wonder why." - ―Lieutenant Commander Lagrane debriefs Captain Keyan Farlander
In 1 BBY, the Rebel BFF-1 bulk freighter Phoenix came under attack from Imperial forces while awaiting a rendezvous with the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Maximus and the freighter Ojai. The Imperial starfighters were held off by the R-22 Spearhead starfighter of Captain Keyan Farlander until the Maximus arrived.
Prelude
In 1 BBY,[2] the Alliance to Restore the Republic learned that the Galactic Empire was working on a secret military construction project. Alliance High Command devised a plan to learn more by tapping into the Imperial communications network. To this end, Rebel forces captured the BFF-1 bulk freighter Phoenix with its cargo of Imperial communications satellites. The Phoenix was to rendezvous with the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Maximus and the freighter Ojai, but their arrival was delayed.[1] Not expecting any trouble, Red Squadron's Captain Keyan Farlander was dispatched in a lone[3] R-22 Spearhead starfighter[4] to watch over the Phoenix until the Maximus arrived.[1]
The battle
- "Finally, the Intrepid stopped launching TIEs. Then, when the Maximus arrived with the freighter Ojai, the Star Destroyer simple departed. Could it be that the Intrepid is suffering and acute shortage of starfighters or pilots?"
- ―Keyan Farlander's after-action report
Farlander emerged from hyperspace to discover the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Intrepid was already in the area. The Star Destroyer's TIE interceptors and TIE bombers engaged Farlander, forcing him to begin evasive maneuvers. Farlander kept the Imperial fighters away from the Phoenix until the Maximus arrived with the Ojai[3] and a flight group of T-65 X-wing starfighters from Blue Squadron, prompting the Intrepid to withdraw.[1]
Aftermath
The stolen satellites were transferred to the Ojai, which delivered them to the CR90 corvette Jeffrey. The satellites were deployed near the Cron Drift and later intercepted plans for the the Death Star, an Imperial battlestation with a superlaser capable of destroying a planet.[1]
Behind the scenes
The battle first appeared in the 1993 LucasArts video game Star Wars: X-Wing, in the fifth mission of "Tour of Duty II: The Great Search", "Protect Captured Satellites."[1]
Appearances
- Star Wars: X-Wing (First appearance)
Sources
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Star Wars: X-Wing
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide begins after the X-wing starfighter entered service with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, which The Essential Guide to Warfare places in 1 BBY. X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide establishes that the capture of Leia Organa occurs at the end of Star Wars: X-Wing's second tour of duty. Organa's capture takes place on 35:3:3 under the Great ReSynchronization dating system, placing it at the beginning of 0 BBY according to the following explanation. Events in X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide before the end of the second tour of duty therefore take place in 1 BBY.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 X-Wing Collector's CD-ROM: The Official Strategy Guide
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The RZ-1 A-wing interceptor was introduced following the Battle of Yavin according to sources released before Star Wars: X-Wing, including the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook. C-3PO: Tales of the Golden Droid and The New Essential Guide to Characters introduced the R-22 Spearhead starfighter as the basis for the A-wing's design, retconning the A-wings seen in X-Wing before the Battle of Yavin. The Written Word established "A-wing" as an informal nickname for the older starfighter among Rebel pilots.