Trench Run Defense Trench Run Defense ( TRD ) was an anti - capital ship tactic modeled after the success of Rebel Alliance starfighters against the Death Star known as the trench run , at the Battle of Yavin . Pilots colloquially referred to targets vulnerable to the tactic as being susceptible to " Trench Run Disease " . Description . Pilots facing large starships would fly close to the surface of a ship ' s outer hull , using trenches to avoid enemy fire . Starfighters could thus deliver their payload with impunity to sensitive ship segments , assuming a successful escort against enemy starfighters . X - wing pilots found particular success using TRD against " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers and other large capital ships , whose weaponry was primarily designed for combat with other capital ships and thus largely ineffective against small , fast , and agile snubfighters . The tactic was particularly effective when the fighters in question were armed with proton torpedoes , concussion missiles , and other heavy ordnance that could severely damage a larger ship ' s systems . The Imperial Navy ' s response to the successful use of this tactic at Yavin and at other battles was to accelerate the production and deployment of the faster and more maneuverable TIE Interceptor - class fighter , and to develop the " Lancer " - class frigate , an escort - sized ship specifically designed to eliminate screens of starfighters . During the Fondor shipyard assault and the Battle of Endor , the Rebels utilized this tactic against an under - construction " Executor " - class variant possessing cloaking abilities and the " Executor " , respectively . After the First Battle of Borleias , Commander Wedge Antilles reflected that , although the actual success rate of snubfighters destroying Imperial Star Destroyers was relatively small , the destruction of the Death Star had made all Imperial commanders fearful of the tactic . A variation of this tactic was used during the Battle of Thyferra , by Rogue Squadron , who maneuvered their X - Wings with relative impunity around the defenses of Ysanne Isard ' s Super Star Destroyer " Lusankya " , using their targeting systems to guide massive salvos of proton torpedoes and concussion missiles launched from nearby freighters . Trench Run Defense was typically formed in a triangular , three - ship formation . The two starfighters in the back protected the forward fighter for as long as possible with their shields . The forward fighter would usually be carrying powerful weapons to take out a target . The classic " trench run " . The original " trench run " was employed by Rebel pilots at the Battle of Yavin , and variations were employed in the following years in attacks on planetary bases , or other terrain - based engagement zones . For instance , during the Second Battle of Borleias , Corran Horn successfully piloted an X - Wing on a trench run that destroyed a conduit supplying extra power to the Imperial base ' s ground defenses . Another variation of the tactic was pioneered by Wraith Squadron to avoid pursuit in a cityscape , natural trench or valley . By diving into the cover of a trench , the pilots could lose enemy starfighters by weaving an impossibly difficult pattern to follow or by moving deep enough to make overhead pursuit equally difficult .