Have you ever seen those “everyone’s all ____________ and I’m over here __________” memes? Well, this article is kind of like that. Everyone’s all “Zorri Bliss” when it comes to the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker poster, postulating about her possible allegiance in the film. Meanwhile I’m over here like “can we talk stop and talk about the new Rise of Skywalker Y-wing for a minute?”
George Lucas first introduced us to the Y-wing starfighter in the original Star Wars back in 1977. Slower than their X-wing counterparts, the fighter/bombers of the Rebellion still packed quite a wallop. Although, even by the time the Battle of Yavin rolled around, the ships were already aging. (We learned that in the Star Wars Rebels episode “Steps into Shadows.”) In fact, their design goes all the way back to the Clone Wars.
The Rise of Skywalker Y-wing
The Rise of Skywalker Y-wing, however, seems to follow J.J. Abrams’ nostalgic plan to tie all eras of Star Wars together with Episode IX. They are, of course, updated for the Resistance as the BTA-NR2 variant of the ship. However, a close look at the new version proves it to be a blend of each era of its predecessors.
First, the Rise of Skywalker Y-wing forward fuselage, nose and cockpit specifically, bears more of a resemblance to that of its Clone Wars era BTL-B counterpart. It’s at the mid-fuselage, however, where the ship begins to morph. It’s wider, drawing from the Clone Wars model. Notwithstanding, its overall design begins to look a little more familiar. Not as sleek as the Clone Wars version, the Rise of Skywalker Y-wing, from its midsection back, most closely resembles the BTL-A44 version we’ve come to know and love.
I always like the Y-wings for their toughness. There’s a reason some ship designs survive for so long. X-wings evolved through multiple iterations and designs…. But the Y-wing stayed pretty true to its roots as a solid, reliable ship. (It’s even featured heavily in the novel Alphabet Squadron.) Personally I can’t wait to see what the Rise of Skywalker Y-wing can do.
Oh, and that whole Zorri Bliss thing? The LEGO packaging for the tie-in toy includes Zorri Bliss and shows her piloting a Rise of Skywalker Y-wing. I’ll just leave that here for you to ponder.
