X - Wing : Rogue Squadron X - Wing : Rogue Squadron is the first installment in the " X - Wing " series of novels , first published in 1996 . It was written by Michael A . Stackpole . Narration for the audio version was performed by Henry Thomas . The book , occurring in 6 . 5 ABY , chronicles the re - creation of Rogue Squadron by Wedge Antilles , and the First and Second Battles of Borleias . The planet is then used as a launching point for the New Republic ' s taking of Coruscant in the second book of the series , " " . Publisher ' s summary . They are sleek , swift , and deadly . They are the X - wing fighters . And as the struggle rages across the vastness of space , the fearless men and women who pilot them risk both their lives and their machines . Their mission : to defend the Rebel Alliance against a still - powerful and battle - hardened Imperial foe in a last - ditch effort to control the stars ! " Its very name strikes fear into enemy hearts . So when Rebel hero Wedge Antilles rebuilds the legendary Rogue Squadron , he seeks out only the best - the most skilled , the most daring X - wing pilots . Through arduous training and dangerous missions , he weeds out the weak from the strong , assembling a group of hard - bitten warriors to fight , ready to die . Antilles knows the grim truth : that even with the best X - wing jockeys in the galaxy , many will not survive their near - suicidal missions . But when Rogue Squadron is ordered to assist in the assault on the heavily fortified Imperial stronghold of Black Moon , even the bravest must wonder if any at all will survive … " Plot summary . As the novel begins , Wedge Antilles has gathered together a group of pilots to choose from to recreate the legendary Rogue Squadron , as a dual X - wing and commando squadron . Although Wedge is allowed to pick most of his squad , his superiors in the Rebel Alliance force him to choose certain pilots , in the hope of causing some neutral planets to join the Alliance . Wedge is able to convince Admiral Ackbar to allow him to choose his own executive officer , Tycho Celchu , who was a member of the original Rogue Squadron , but had been accused of being an Imperial spy after a solo - mission to Imperial Center left him as their prisoner . Although Tycho escaped , and was trusted by Wedge , his superiors weren ' t convinced of his loyalties , and Tycho was not allowed to fly an X - wing , wouldn ' t be able to command any weapons in battle , and would be under guard when not training with the Rogues . With Rogue Squadron complete , they begin training , and soon Corran Horn stands out above the rest . Though initially mysterious to his squadron - mates and very boastful , he is rebuked by Wedge , but is made a lieutenant and put in charge of the third flight of three other X - wings when Rogue Squadron is activated months before training was finished . On the way to their new base on Talasea , the squadron is pulled out of hyperspace by an Imperial Interdictor Cruiser , a capital ship which creates a gravity well to prevent hyperspace travel . Although surprised , the squadron survives their first battle , and save the " Pulsar Skate " , a smuggler ' s ship , captained by Mirax Terrik , that had been attacked by the cruiser . After a few more attacks by the Rogues , Kirtan Loor , an Imperial intelligence agent , realizes that they must be stopped . After being called into Imperial Center by Ysanne Isard , the Director of Imperial Intelligence , and told that Corran Horn , a man he worked with in the Corellian Security Force , was still alive , Isard gives him the mission to destroy Rogue Squadron . Although the Rogues always used multiple hyperspace jumps to hide their locations , Loor , a genius with a photographic memory , determines where they are based . Against his suggestion to send in a larger force , the admiral in charge of the sector covertly sends in only two squads of stormtroopers to kill the Rogues in their sleep . Even though six sentries are killed , the squadron has its first pilot loss , and multiple pilots are seriously injured , they survive and relocate to a new base to plan their next attack . The Alliance command then plans a large - scale attack on Borleias . Although their intelligence suggests that it would be an easy target , and could be captured and used as a step toward Imperial Center , it is actually a trap set up by General Evir Derricote . Although the planetary shields are taken down and the rebels begin to land attack shuttles , multiple squadrons of TIE fighters attack , the shield is reinforced , and planet - side defenses attack . Multiple ships are lost , including five of Rogues ' X - wings . Only two of their pilots are killed , the rest able to eject safely . Although the mission is considered a failure , Corran , with the aid of one of the commandos , is able to plan a new attack on Borleias that would prevent an ambush by capital ships . With only six Rogues being the only air support for the first four hours of the mission , and a group of commandos on the ground , the battle is a success . Although Corran doesn ' t have enough fuel to escape and the rest of the squadron thinking him dead , he is rescued by the " Pulsar Skate " , and no Rogue is lost in the mission . Borleias is taken , and the Alliance takes a step toward liberating Coruscant . As the novel ends , Ysanne Isard reveals to Loor the existence of an unnamed spy in Rogue Squadron . Continuity . This is the first novel to not feature any of the original heroic trio , Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , or Leia Organa . The simulated battle at the beginning of the book is based on a mission from the PC game " " . On page 311 of the first run of the book ( 0553568019 ) , Gil Bastra is incorrectly written as Gus Bastra . Jek Porkins is incorrectly said to have crashed into the Death Star due to being unable to pull out of a dive . In actuality , he was shot down by the station ' s turbolaser turrets . This book is unusual for a Star Wars tie - in in that Corran Horn uses the word " bastards " in one scene . The only real - world obscenities in most Star Wars novels are the words " damn " and " hell " . Media . Cover gallery . This is a gallery of the different cover variations of " X - Wing : Rogue Squadron " .