Special Forces TIE Pilot

## **Special Forces Pilot**

The **TIE Pilots** of the First Order's Special Forces were considered to be the most effective pilots in the regime's navy, being the only pilots permitted to fly the specialized TIE/sf space superiority fighters in military engagements against the Resistance and the surviving forces of the New Republic.

## **Role**

Acting in a similar demeanor to the Imperial barons of the Galactic Empire, Special Forces pilots were rarely seen deployed in mass by the First Order, instead opting to allow these experienced combat veterans to fight alongside regular pilots as a sense of moral boost.

## **Deployment**

### **First Order**

#### **Jakku**

The earliest known sighting of these elite pilots was during the First Order's occupation of the desert world of Jakku, the same planet which saw the Empire's defeat at the end of the Galactic Civil War. In this engagement, the First Order managed to locate a number of Resistance soldiers infiltrating a downed Imperial-I class star destroyer that had crashed into the planet's surface during the fall of the Empire. Managing to uncover that the Resistance was after a GNK-series power droid that contained detailed Imperial information, the First Order deployed a massive legion of stormtroopers to the planet, intent on preventing the Resistance from obtaining the droid. In the midst of this battle, the Resistance managed to call in fighter support, which the First Order responded with a fighter squadron of their own, which including Special Forces units. As the fighting continued, the Resistance managed successfully evade the First Order long enough to escape off world with the droid.

#### **Takodana**

Sometime after their failure at Jakku, this same First Order legion was dispatched to the planet Takodana after learning that several spies sympathetic to the Resistance cause were hiding out within the castle of Maz Kanata. Hoping to catch the spies quickly and efficiently, the First Order was unaware of the Resistance garrison positioned near the castle which proceeded to assault the legion as it advanced, even using fighter support to aid their forces, resulting in deployment of Special Forces units once again. It is unknown how this engagement faired.

#### Second **Jakku Deployment**

Returning the desolate world of Jakku to recover a single BB-unit allied with the Resistance that contained a detailed map to the location of the missing Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker. Despite the efforts of the First Order and its Special Forces, the droid managed to escape aboard a stolen YT-1300 freighter with the aid of the treasonous stormtrooper, FN-2187.

#### Second **Takodana Deployment**

Tracking the droid to the planet of Takodana, the personal stormtrooper division of Kylo Ren deployed several pilots during the following siege against the castle located on the planet. Despite managing to provide efficient air support in the first half of the battle, these pilots would soon become overwhelmed when forces from the Resistance Navy managed to arrive on world and took the First Order by surprise. Several Special Forces pilots were shot down by the Resistance as their forces began to land troops on the ground, contributing to the First Order's retreat from the planet.

#### **Starkiller Base**

Being the primary base of operations for the First Order whilst it built up their forces in the Unknown Regions, a majority of the First Order Special Forces were stationed at Starkiller Base when it came under assault from a contingent of Resistance fighters. Upon identifying the oncoming threat the Resistance posed to the currently charging super weapon, General Hux ordered the deployment of all available TIE squadrons, including several Special Forces units. These fighters managed to eliminate more than half of the Resistance ships present for the battle but their efforts were ultimately futile, as a number of individuals allied with the Resistance had managed to infiltrate Starkiller Base prior to the battle's outbreak and from within the base these saboteurs were able to cause significant enough damage to the base's main reactor to allow for a single Resistance pilot to fly directly into the reactor and destroy it from the inside. With the reactor hit and the Resistance pulling out, the First Order quickly evacuate Starkiller Base with a majority of its assets managing to escape the planet killer before it imploded.

#### **D'Qar**

Striking back against the Resistance, a fleet of First Order warships managed to uncover the location of their enemy's primary base of operations on the planet D'Qar. Desperiate to eliminate the Resistance's defenses and ensure that there would be no escape, the fleet deployed a number of Special Forces pilots alongside standard units to destroy the Resistance's orbital defense grid in order to allow the incoming reinforcements to arrive. Despite suffering significant casualties, the First Order managed to successfully destroy the orbital defense grid, along with a few Ninka-class transports hidden amongst the field. With the orbital defenses destroyed, the rest of the First Order fleet, helmed by General Hux launched an immediate attack on the remaining Resistance ships including their flagship. However, while the First Order's fighters kept the Resistance's counterattack occupied, the commanding officer of the First Order's only Mandator-IV dreadnaught opted to target the Resistance base on the planet's surface as opposed to the Resistance fleet in orbit, hoping the destroy and remaining personnel still evacuating D'Qar.

As a direct result of this decision, the Mandator was unable to fire upon any of the Resistance capital ships, allowing for a massive wave of enemy aircraft, including several heavy bombers, to break through the First Order's defenses and obliterate the Mandator entirely. With the dreadnaught destroyed, the Resistance fleet escaped the D'Qar system.

#### **Crait**

Having lost the Resistance at D'Qar the First Order was able to track down the escaping fleet through advanced hyperspace tracking technology located aboard Supreme Leader Snoke's personal Mega-class star destroyer, *Supremacy*. Although they were unable to attack the Resistance fleet directly, as the Resistance fled to the nearby planet of Crait, the First Order pursued deploying a legion of stormtroopers accompanied by a contingent of TIE Fighters, including Special Forces units, and several allied walkers including MegaCaliber Sixes, Scout Transports, Armored Transports, and Heavy Haulers. As the inevitable fighting broke out between the two forces, the First Order initially managed to effectively push against the Resistance forcing them to retreat into an old rebel base from the Galactic Civil War. As more First Order snow troopers advanced to finish off the stragglers, a unexpected appearance from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and the arrival of the Millennium Falcon caught the First Order off guard, allowing the Resistance to once again escape into the stars.

## **Equipment**

Being part of the First Order Special Forces branch, these pilots had access to the TIE/sf space superiority fighters, the most efficient mass produced member of the TIE line at the time of the outbreak of the First Order - Resistance War. The fighter itself had room for two pilots, one to fly the starship and another to man the rear turret. The fighter was also equipped with stronger shields then its predecessor or even the newer First Order TIE model, a functioning hyperdrive, and a new cockpit design which allowed for artificial oxygen to be kept within the main canon, allowing individuals to pilot the straighter without the requirement of a oxygen filter. Despite this, in accordance with the First Order's policy for any individual of its military to remove their helmet in active service, the Special Forces pilots would continue to dawn their helmets in spit of this advancement making them unnecessary. The Special Force's armor was identical to that of a standard TIE pilot's with the exception of red markings being stripped across their helmet to distinguish their position. In case of crash landing, Special Forces pilots were also sublimated with a single SE-44C blaster pistol for self defense.

## Appearances

* *Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens (First appearance)*
* *Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization*
* *Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel*
* *The Force Awakens storybook*