X - wing starfighter X - wing starfighters were a type of starfighter marked by their distinctive S - foils that resembled the High Galactic script ' s character " X " in attack formation . They were heavily armed with four laser cannons on the S - foils and proton torpedo launcher s in the fuselage . X - wings were designed for dogfighting and long missions . During the Galactic Civil War , the Rebel Alliance used T - 65B X - wing starfighter s and T - 65C - A2 X - wings in many battles , including the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Endor . Approximately thirty years later , a different and upgraded variation of X - wing , the T - 70 , was used by the Resistance , whereas a more advanced model , the T - 85 , was used by the New Republic Defense Fleet . History . Design and Development . The X - wing was descended from Incom Corporation ' s Clone Wars – era starfighter s , namely the Aggressive ReConnaissance - 170 starfighter , Clone Z - 95 starfighter , and Z - 95 Headhunter . Incom ' s engineers strove to build a well - rounded , hyperdrive - equipped snubfighter with no exploitable weakness . The new starfighter was intended to become the backbone of the Imperial Navy , but political forces led to the Galactic Empire deciding to rely on Sienar Fleet Systems ' more affordable TIE line . The Alliance to Restore the Republic then adopted the X - wing design as its own . In 5 ABY , Incom - FreiTek introduced the T - 70 model , which incorporated many improvements over the T - 65 series . The Incom engineers , having learned a valuable lesson from the loss of so many X - wings in the trenches at Battle of Yavin , equipped the T - 70 with a swiveling blaster cannon that could be used to fend off attacks from behind . At least one prototype had been constructed prior to the Battle of Jakku . By 34 ABY , the New Republic had retired most of its T - 70s in favor of the T - 85s , which were even more capable than the already impressive T - 70s . Operational History . Early rebellion against the Galactic Empire . The Alliance to Restore the Republic operated T - 65B X - wings as early as 1 BBY . At least 10 served in the Alliance ' s attack on Lothal alongside Y - wing starfighter s , but all were destroyed by the Imperial defenses . Hera Syndulla , Mart Mattin , C1 - 10P , and R3 - A3 survived being shot down , but many other pilots were killed and their astromechs destroyed . The Alliance had at least three squadron s equipped with the T - 65 series by 0 BBY . X - wings were also used by Saw Gerrera ' s Partisans , who had been ejected from the Alliance for Gerrera ' s extremist views . X - wings saw action shortly before the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War in both the Liberation of Erso and the Mission to Eadu . Galactic Civil War . The full - scale Galactic Civil War began with the Battle of Scarif , a costly but significant victory for the Alliance . The Alliance ' s Rogue One strike team disobeyed orders and deployed itself to Scarif in a desperate bid to steal the technical readouts for the Empire ' s Death Star battle station , and was subsequently joined by the Alliance Fleet . X - wings from Red Squadron , Green Squadron , and Blue Squadron engaged Imperial TIEs and attempted to destroy the Shield Gate , while the capital ship s joined the Shield Gate assault and fought the Imperial Star Destroyer s . Shortly after the Alliance acquired the Death Star plans , the Death Star arrived at Scarif and fired a low - power blast at the Citadel Tower , killing all forces at the Imperial surface installation . Within days of Scarif , the Empire learned that the Alliance was headquartered at Yavin 4 , and deployed the Death Star to crush the Alliance . The Alliance , having learned of the battle station ' s fatal design flaw , deployed a force of 30 starfighters ( including 22 X - wings ) to attempt a series of attack runs on the planet - killing space station . The result was another costly victory for the Alliance . Luke Skywalker , a Force - sensitive Rebel pilot , fired a pair of proton torpedo es into the Death Star ' s thermal exhaust port , causing a chain reaction in the reactor that destroyed the entire station . Although the Death Star was gone , the Alliance lost 27 starfighters ( including 20 X - wings ) in the assault . Sometime during 0 ABY , three X - wings of Red Squadron were deployed in a mission to Giju , which resulted in the rescue of multiple Alliance agents . A few days of the Battle of Yavin , Leia Organa and Evaan Verlaine disobeyed orders from Alliance High Command and departed on mission to rescue the survivors of Alderaan . Skywalker and Wedge Antilles were scrambled to intercept their shuttle , but the wayward rebels jumped to hyperspace . X - wings would again see large - scale action against the Empire in the Battle of Vrogas Vas . The battle was a costly defeat for the Alliance , with Blue Squadron completely destroyed and Red Squadron suffering heavy casualties . The Alliance then struck back against the Empire with the hijacking of the " Harbinger " , a major space battle that resulted a rare case of an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer being successfully boarded and hijacked . The Alliance used the " Harbinger " to break through the Siege on Tureen VII and bring relief supplies to the planet ' s population . Although the hijacking ended with an Alliance victory , it resulted in C - 3PO ' s capture by Task Force 99 . The astromech droid R2 - D2 took it upon himself to stage a mission to rescue C - 3PO in a stolen X - wing , while Luke Skywalker and S4 gave chase and embarked on a mission to an unidentified planet . X - wings also defended from Imperial forces that launched an attack on the Rebel fleet shortly before the mission to Crait . In 1 ABY , a number of X - wings accompanied the Sixty - First Mobile Infantry company , known to most as " Twilight Company , " on the Coyerti campaign in the Mid Rim Retreat . The campaign ended with the destruction of an Imperial biotoxin production facility and an Alliance victory . In 3 ABY , numerous X - wings served as fighter escorts for the Alliance ' s GR - 75 medium transport s during the Battle of Hoth . The rearguard actions on the surface covering the evacuation proved costly to the Alliance , with many personnel killed . Additionally , the Alliance was forced to leave behind much of their heavy equipment , and the fleet scattered throughout the Outer Rim Territories . Most X - wings joined the Alliance fleet at a predetermined rendezvous point . Luke Skywalker , however , traveled to the Dagobah system to seek out Yoda , the former Grand Master of the Jedi Order . Due to Dagobah ' s thick fog , Skywalker crashed his X - wing in a swamp . Some time later , the starfighter sank further until it was almost fully submerged , at which point Skywalker attempted to recover it . While he had developed some skill with telekinesis , his self - doubt led to his ultimate inability to lift his waterlogged X - wing from the bog , and only with Yoda ' s assistance was the starfighter moved to solid ground . When Skywalker left the system , he traveled to Bespin , where he ended up abandoning his X - wing when circumstances compelled him to depart in the " Millennium Falcon " . Later , X - wings assisted the beleagured Twilight Company in the Siege of Inyusu Tor . Although the Alliance squad was stranded on Sullust and on the verge of defeat from the outset , an uprising of the Cobalt Laborers ' Reformation Front eventually forced the Empire to evacuate the planet . In 4 ABY , Corona Squadron engaged Imperial TIEs in a dogfight in the Hudalla system . The small but drawn - out engagement resulted in each side losing a single starfighter , and it set the stage for the Battle of Endor . By this time , Luke Skywalker had acquired another X - wing and flew it to Tatooine to lead the rescue of Han Solo , who had been arrested by Boba Fett and encased in carbonite at Jabba ' s Palace . Upon the successful completion of the rescue , Skywalker returned to Dagobah , fulfilling a promise to Yoda . After Yoda ' s death , Skywalker departed Dagobah for the final time , en route to Sullust to rejoin the Alliance fleet . On Skywalker ' s arrival , the entirety of the Alliance Fleet staged a large - scale assault on the Death Star II , an under - construction Imperial battle station with even more firepower than the original Death Star . Wedge Antilles and Lando Calrissian , accompanied by a group of starfighters , led an attack run deep within the bowels of the station and fired ordnance at the reactor core , destroying the station . Seventeen days after the Battle of Endor , X - wings took part in the Battle of Cawa City , which expelled Imperial forces from Sterdic IV . X - wings fought Imperial forces at the Battle of Fondor alongside A - wings , U - wings , and Y - wings . The battle ultimately ended with a Rebel defeat , and the Empire securing weather control satellite s for Operation Cinder . X - wings also engaged Imperial TIEs in a battle of Naboo , which resulted in the destruction of a series of Imperial weather control satellites and the failure of . By the end of the Battle of Naboo , the Alliance had reorganized itself into the New Republic and continued to operate the Alliance ' s starfighters . New Republic X - wings saw action at the Battle of Naalol and the Rebellion on Akiva , both victories for the Republic . In 5 ABY , the Empire continued to put up resistance against the New Republic ' s liberation of the galaxy . Inferno Squad , a former Imperial special forces unit , flew X - wings against their former comrades in a skirmish on Takodana . Later , Inferno Squad would fly X - wings again in a mission to Chinook Station . X - wings accompanied the A / SF - 01 B - wing starfighter s of Blade Squadron in the Battle for Kuat Drive Yards , which crippled the Empire ' s capability to produce starships and walkers . The 12 X - wings of Phantom Squadron took part in the liberation of Kashyyyk , which deprived the Empire of much of its slave labor . Corona Squadron ' s X - wings fought Imperial forces during the Naboo invasions . Shepherd Squadron operated X - wings in the Battle of Fondor Shipyards The Galactic Concordance treaty was signed in the middle of the battle , which marked the final surrender of the Empire . The Imperial ships that hadn ' t been destroyed in the fighting began jumping into the Unknown Regions , and went on to form the nucleus of the First Order Navy . New Republic Era . In 28 ABY , the Amaxine warriors operated numerous X - wings alongside Y - wings , B - wings , and Imperial TIEs . Although these starfighters were all destroyed in a mission to Sibensko , the Amaxine warrior crisis resulted in the formation of the Resistance . In 34 ABY , the New Republic T - 85 X - wings of Rapier Squadron fought First Order TIEs over Suraz 4 . The First Order hijacked the " Yissira Zyde " freighter during the Suraz engagement , prompting Rapier Leader Poe Dameron to launch an unsanctioned mission to recover the ship . The resulting skirmish in OR - Kappa - 2722 led Dameron to trouble with the New Republic authorities , and Dameron defected to the Resistance shortly after . During the search for Lor San Tekka , the T - 70 X - wings of Black Squadron engaged First Order TIEs in a mission to Ovanis . The dogfight ended in a draw , although Black Squadron shot down several TIEs without suffering any casualties . In the mission to Kaddak , Commander Poe Dameron stowed his own personal T - 70 X - wing , " Black One " , in the cargo compartment of a freighter . After a series of complications required a quick evacuation from the planet , Dameron abandoned the freighter and left in " Black One " . Five Black Squadron starfighters , including four X - wings , engaged the forces of the First Order in a battle over a desert planet . The engagement led to the death of A - wing pilot L ' ulo L ' ampar . Black Squadron operated T - 70 X - wings in a mission to Spalex . Black Squadron was also involved in a mission to Cato Neimoidia , in which it faced off against Clone Wars – era droid starfighter s . Zay and Iden Versio both flew X - wings in a mission to Athulla , as well as in a mission to Vardos . Later , Dameron and BB - 8 flew a T - 70 to Jakku in order to meet Lor San Tekka in the village of Tuanul . Tekka had in his possession the Map to Skywalker , which was eagerly sought by both the First Order and the Resistance . The First Order also tracked down Tekka and launched an attack on Tuanul , killing him and all the villagers . Dameron attempted to flee in his X - wing , but the ship was damaged and subsequently destroyed . First Order - Resistance war . Within hours , the First Order ' s learned that the droid had escaped to Maz Kanata ' s castle , and initiated the Battle of Takodana in an attempt to recover BB - 8 and the map . Han Solo , Chewbacca , and Finn were captured , but the X - wings of the Starfighter Corps intervened and forced the First Order ' s ground forces to retreat , allowing the trio to escape . Upon learning that the First Order planned to destroy the Resistance base in the Ileenium system , the Resistance deployed a force of T - 70 X - wings in a desperate Battle of Starkiller Base . Despite the loss of all but seven X - wings in the offensive , the Resistance managed to destroy the base ' s thermal oscillator , resulting in the destruction of the base . Behind the scenes . The X - wing series of starfighters first appeared in " " , during the climactic Battle of Yavin . These ships quickly became iconic of the original film , the Original trilogy , and the Star Wars franchise as a whole . X - wings reappeared in the other two films of the Original Trilogy , " " and " " . Many Expanded Universe products also featured the X - wings and their crewmembers , including " , " " " , " " , and " " . For the Prequel trilogy , the " " television series , and other projects , Lucasfilm Ltd . created numerous ships that served as in - universe predecessors and successors of the X - wing . These included the Z - 95 Headhunter starfighter , ARC - 170 starfighter , and X - 83 TwinTail starfighter . On April 25 , 2014 , Lucasfilm announced that the Expanded Universe would be discontinued and rebranded as " Legends " in anticipation of the upcoming . All existing Expanded Universe material was declared non - canon , and the only previously published works that would still be canon were the original trilogy , prequel trilogy , the " Star Wars : The Clone Wars " and , and Part I of " Blade Squadron " . All products published on or after that date , with the exception of the continuation of a few Legends stories , would be part of a new , unified canonicity system in which all works were declared either canon or non - canon from the outset . Legends characters , organizations , titles , creatures , sentient species , droid models , vehicles , vessels , events , weapons , and locations would still be available for authors of new canon material with the approval of the Lucasfilm Story Group . After the announcement , known to many fans as the Great Retcon , Lucasfilm began publishing new canon material that introduced new X - wing models , including the T - 70 and T - 85 X - wing fighters . An X - wing model that was formerly unique to Legends , the T - 65C - A2 X - wing starfighter , was re - canonized by the release of " "