This fall, a new Star Wars game will be released, Star Wars: Squadrons, and it will combine both single player and multiplayer in giving fans a true Star Wars starfighter experience.
The trailers that have been released for the game show us quite a bit, but I’ve compiled five of the things that most excite me, from a canon perspective. Let’s dive in.
The end of the war is near!
When Squadrons was first announced, and a poster showed an X-Wing and TIE Fighter, people assumed that meant that this game would take place during the original trilogy era. That’s true – but there’s more to the story, as we learned in the first trailer. There’s a small line in there that tells us what we need to know, as the Rebel commander tells his pilots that they’re fighting for the New Republic. So that identifies where in the timeline this takes place. Not long after the Battle of Endor the Rebel Alliance was reorganized into the New Republic, but the Empire didn’t go down easily. Despite their crushing defeat at Endor, the Empire continued to fight the Galactic Civil War, which lasted for another year until the Battle of Jakku provided the final and decisive victory for the New Republic.
So that tells us the context for this show, as it’ll take place during the final year of the Civil War. Based on some other things in the trailers, I’d guess that it will take place closer to Endor than Jakku, but that’s totally a guess on my part. What we know is that we’ll get to see more of the New Republic versus the Empire, which is really exciting to me!
Hera Syndulla!
One of the generals in the Rebel Alliance and later the New Republic, whom fans are very familiar with, is Hera Syndulla – and she shows up in both trailers for this game! Hera is the captain of the Ghost and a member of Phoenix Squadron in Star Wars Rebels. She fought in several key Rebellion victories, including the Battle of Scarif and the Battle of Endor, and took on a commanding and prominent role in the fight against the Empire. Continuing to serve the New Republic, Syndulla operated from her flagship, the Lodestar, and commanded Alphabet Squadron. Her role in these trailers suggests that she might have a role in commanding Vanguard Squadron as well. But regardless, it really is amazing to see Hera show up in this game, seeing how far she’s come since the events of Rebels. And where Hera is, we know Chopper can’t be too far off!
Rae Sloane!
The New Republic isn’t the only ones with a familiar commander showing up in this game, and while Hera Syndulla is more well-known, Rae Sloane’s appearance is no less exciting. Sloane was a military officer for the Empire and was a Vice Admiral at the Battle of Endor, but shortly after that defeat she became a Grand Admiral. She became one of the most important leaders of the Imperial remnants in the final year of the war, but eventually fled to the Unknown Regions with the other remnants to rebuild, laying the foundations for the First Order. We get a look at Sloane in the trailer, but she’s not wearing the familiar white Grand Admiral uniform – suggesting that at least this shot takes place before she reaches that rank, thus not too long after Endor. No matter when it takes place, though, it is really exciting that we’re actually going to be seeing and hearing Rae Sloane, and that she plays at least a minor role in this story. She’s such a key player for the Empire, and it’s cool to have two familiar military commanders for the two sides.
Wedge Antilles!
The trailer also gives us a look at one of the heroes of the Rebellion, Wedge Antilles. The ace X-Wing pilot flew at the Battle of Atollon, the Battle of Yavin, the Battle of Hoth, and the Battle of Endor, among others – and then in the post-Endor world, Antilles formed a new squadron of fighters, Phantom Squadron, of the New Republic. With Wedge as the commander of Phantom Squadron, they rushed to the aid of Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Chewbacca in the Liberation of Kashyyyk, backing up Organa (who was piloting the Millennium Falcon) in freeing Solo and Chewie, as well as the Wookiee homeworld. Phantom Squadron was disbanded for disciplinary reasons by the New Republic since the Liberation of Kashyyyk wasn’t officially sanctioned, but Wedge re-formed the team to fly in the Battle of Jakku, the last battle of the Civil War. He shows up here for just a brief second, as your character sees him flying alongside before peeling off, but it’s exciting to see him. I’m not sure if he’ll have formed Phantom Squadron by this time or not, but I love that Wedge makes an apperance!
Starhawk!
Also really exciting for Star Wars fans is that we see both the New Republic Starhawk and the Nadiri Dockyards in this trailer!! This ship class was developed late in the Civil War for the New Republic Defense Fleet and built at the Nadiri Dockyards, and it had a notable impact at the Battle of Jakku, as several Starhawks participated in the massive battle. This will mark the first time we’ve actually seen them ‘on-screen,’ however, which is pretty exciting – and will also be the first time we’ve seen the Nadiri Dockyards ‘on-screen’ as well. It looks like part of this game will have you defend the Dockyards, which I’m sure will be pretty cool. So I’m excited too for this new location, but even more so to finally see the Starhawk in its glory!
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