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which pilot would come out tops in a one-on-one among the following?

Page: 1 of 2
 benTantilles
04-25-2003, 5:21 AM
#1
who'd ya think would win in a battle in their vehicles of preference (edit- at the peaks of their respective careers in flying)? i'm with wedge...while the falcon is better shielded & the slave one's fairly stuffed with gadgets, the x-wing's the most all-rounded craft. with its arsenal of torpedoes and in the hands of someone as competent as wedge-the epitome of a fighter ace....he'll be undefeatable
 Lynk Former
04-25-2003, 7:17 AM
#2
It's not about the vehicle. Wedge is obviously the best pilot of them all. He's got the skill and experience and with his long experience with Rogue Squadron he's THE BEST!
 swphreak
04-25-2003, 8:59 AM
#3
Fel will own. He TAUGHT Wedge at the Acadamy.
 Lynk Former
04-25-2003, 9:00 AM
#4
yes but now Wedge is da man!!
 benTantilles
04-25-2003, 9:24 AM
#5
He TAUGHT Wedge at the Acadamy.
MY ASS!!!! fel taught tycho, hobbie, biggs and many others BUT NOT WEDGE. wedge is a self-taught genius (ok...i must admit he received some-but not much-training and advice from ex-commanders eg garven dries, ackbar) who grew to be the greatest pilot the galaxy ever saw thru a combination of factors: his unparalleled dexterity & reflexes which allowed him to gain masterful control of the x-wing's stick in a relatively short period of time, his sharp & creative mind which permitted him to devise new tactics (from those as simple as starfighter tactix to long-term strategies) for use against the enemy, his courage, his superb leadership, his long experience with the x-wing that allowed him to perfect his skills and a whole truckload of other talents. http://downtime.echostation.com/images/wedge_hrs.jpg)



all hail wedge! the best fighter pilot in the galaxy!
 Lynk Former
04-25-2003, 9:56 AM
#6
THAT is true... he got some great experience back in the days before the Alliance and his Imperial Academy days. I mean Booster Terrik knew how much damage Wedge coulda done if he had lent him that Z95 (lol haven't read the books in ages so correct me if i got any of that wrong)

I like the rivalry between Wedge and Fel though... I mean how pissed off would you be if your biggest rival was married to your sister lol...
 benTantilles
04-25-2003, 10:24 AM
#7
THAT is true... he got some great experience back in the days before the Alliance and his Imperial Academy days. I mean Booster Terrik knew how much damage Wedge coulda done if he had lent him that Z95 (lol haven't read the books in ages so correct me if i got any of that wrong)

heyman...wedge never attended the imperial academy. his downing of hask's buzzzer was the first time he participated in combat (and he did a good job at that, too...downing an armed freighter with hiz z-95). he was pretty much a raw recruit when he signed on for the alliance.
 Lynk Former
04-25-2003, 10:27 AM
#8
wait yeah that's right wasn't he with Biggs when they switched sides just before they actually WENT there? Or should I really go back and read all my books again cause it's been years since i last read em :lol:
 benTantilles
04-25-2003, 10:34 AM
#9
no...biggs was with hobbie & the crew of the rand ecliptic (sp?) when he defected. and yes....u shud go back & reread the rogue material ;)
 Wraith 8
04-25-2003, 12:11 PM
#10
to be honest... i think Han has a good chance.....
i mean come on.. he is the best with the falcon.. he could fly it on the side of a stardetroyer. and flew a bit of the trench with taht thing.....

Wedge may be good.. but dont count out Han...
 SE_Vader_536
04-25-2003, 12:31 PM
#11
what about luke?!?!?! WHAT ABOUT LUKE!?!?!?!? How can you leave him out of this!!!!????
 benTantilles
04-25-2003, 2:15 PM
#12
wraith-
yeah, han's a good pilot. that's why i included him in the poll.


he is the best with the falcon

of course....it is his ship, after all. but let's not 4get that wedge's the best with the x-wing

he could fly it on the side of a stardetroyer.

anyone could.

and flew a bit of the trench with taht thing.....

and wedge flew thru the whole thing. and the dsII.

all things considered, i think wedge'd win. i mean cmon, the x-wing's a more manoeuvrable fighter than the falcon. their speed & armament are roughly equal, and the falcon is better shielded, but still...dogfights are wedge's forte. han's a good flyer, sure, but he's more proficient at escaping & running away then dogfighting. he would, however, take a lota killing.

vader-
luke doesn't have the proficiency or skills to match wedge....his only saving grace is that damn Force of his. wedge's talent for flying far outweighs luke's. the only way luke could even be considered 2b on par with wedge was coz his instincts were good...thx to the Force. like what jacen said in explication of his sister's better performance in the asteroid belt- jacen had the Force, but jaina had the Force AND piloting skills to complement. wedge lacks the Force, but he compensates for this to surpass luke's competence thru sheer piltong skill. farmboy doesn't stand a chance against wedge.

ok...i needed to vent that somehow. awaiting rational thought to take over =D...ok..good point, vader. luke's a great pilot with excellent instincts & reflexes (owing to his mastery of the Force) who might be able to match wedge's skills. so i take it you're of the opinion that luke could best wedge in a dogfight?
 SE_Vader_536
04-25-2003, 2:21 PM
#13
still he is one of the top pilots. which means he should be in the poll. hey and what about mara jade?
 swphreak
04-25-2003, 2:22 PM
#14
ooh ooh, I know who the best Pilot is!

Anakin Skywalker :p

I still think Fel would win. He's had mre experience, he flies an unshielded ships ans survives a lot, and he's flown X-Wings too. And Fel was sorta self-taught/learned from his dad before going to the Acadamy.
 Lynk Former
04-25-2003, 2:28 PM
#15
no Force sensitives are banned from this poll sorry :D


plus Phreak you're forgetting Wedge's time as Kettch when flying an Interceptor, and besides, judging from the movies you can tell sheilds really do jack all unless you're on a capital ship and even then...
 benTantilles
04-26-2003, 4:17 AM
#16
great points, lynk. :) wedge kicked raptor ass in the interceptor.

i think it's pretty much universally acknowledged that force sensitives have some amount of skill in flying. however, some Force sensitives-eg jaina- are superior to others thanx to their natural talent. jacen admitted so himself. wedge may not have the Force, but he has more than enough talent to make up for it.

ANAKIN SKYWALKER?!?!?!
that runt? he was, according to obi1, a 'great pilot' when they met. what the hell did he do to warrant such a comment? he had to rely on some droid to get him outa autopilot. his twisting of the joystick was, to him, such a momentous event that he announced it excitedly to r2 ("let's go left!"). the only reason why he managed to destroy the control ship was coz he got shot down and, by some trick of fate, managed to land in the ship's hangar. he fired his torpedoes, intending to burn some droids to scrap metal....but he MISSED and hit the reactor instead. it was an ACCIDENT that he destroyed the control ship! then he flies out of the hangar in a FRIGGIN STRAIGHT LINE and calls it podracing. what superb piloting skills! what incredible accuracy! if that's greatness, then i'd better come up with a new word to describe wedge.

still he is one of the top pilots. which means he should be in the poll.
good point, vader. ok...so we'll start of a new poll: should wedge & luke engage in a dogfight against each other, with ships of equal calibre & all, starting in fair positions...who would win?


:luke: vs :wedge:

wedge would! george lucas himself seemed to think so!
case in point #1
luke was bested @ yavin by some TIE fighter and had to rely on the incarnation of piloting talent-that's rite, wedge- to save his tatooine-hailing ass. wedge was never seen to be in a situation with a tie on his tail. why? coz he was too good for them! some farmboy fans might argue that that battle of yavin was centered around luke, and wedge might've had a tie on his tail...it's just that the movie didn't show it. plausible, but unlikely. the fact that wedge was free enough to tackle luke's problem when inferiors like darklighter (no offence, biggs-jus stating a fact) had their hands full just goes to show that wedge was on top of things in the battle- which can be attributed to his superior piloting skills.

case in point #2
also occurs @ yavin. wedge was the ONLY pilot with the evasive skills to manoeuvre thru that restrictive trench outa vader's way. everyone else- garven, dutch, biggs (who was equal to or better than -albeit marginally- luke)- got fragged. luke wouldve been so too had it not been for the timely intervention of han solo (vader's "i have u now" implies that he was within mere moments of flaming his son). luke needed han to get him out of the trench alive. wedge didn't- he had the skills to do so himself.

case in point #3
hoth. wedge was the first guy to trip an ATAT, testament to his skill. some dissidents may claim that the kill should be attributed to wes janson-wedge's gunner- which is true, to a certain extent. wes did make that great shot, after all...but let's not 4get that one needs a pilot skilled enough to actually fly close enuf to the walker for the gunner to shoot it & to fly around it to wrap the ATAT's legs in the tow cable. a significant part-if not the majority- of the kill should be ascribed to wedge. dissidents whine again: "but dack was killed before luke had a chance to trip the ATAT!" true, but even HAD dack survived, they would've still been downed by that ATAT. wedge has the skills necessary to weave thru the walkers' crossfire...luke (and zev and whole lota other pilots) didn't. so there.

case in point #4
wedge chose to fly at endor, but luke opted to go the forest moon instead. why wazzat? he wanted to be with his friends? he wanted to meet vader? EXCUSES! he didn't have the guts to participate in a space battle of the death star's scale again, for he was aware of the high casualty rate that the reds & golds sustained @ yavin. wedge flew @ endor AND he survived.
okk...that's a pretty poor point. but still, wedge distinguished himself well @ endor, blowing up hapless TIEs and manoeuvring skillfully thru the death star's infrastructure to deliver the killing shot to the North Tower.

see! even the movies imply that wedge is a superior pilot! don't even get me started on the eu...
a lota people just assume that luke's the better pilot coz he blew up the first Death Star. Carbon flush! (that's a pretty cool euphimism for bullsht that was mentioned in edge of victory I) luke blew up the death star while red leader missed coz the former received the intuition to do so from the Force. garven dreis missed coz he couldn't get the torpedo spot on as indicated by the targeting computer- a fault in piloting on his part. WEDGE WOULD HAVE....he has the skills.

in conclusion, should a dogfight occur between the 2, wedge'd fly rings around Luke.
ok..seriously...i think luke's a great pilot, but i honestly think that wedge is better. wedge would've won...but he would've done so just marginally.
 ckcsaber
04-26-2003, 5:06 PM
#17
Han Solo can blast all those pilots to shreds! Not only is he more experianced, but he is flying a freighter. Less manouverable, and the Falcon just ROXS!
 benTantilles
04-27-2003, 4:54 AM
#18
han's good, and he CAN compare to wedge....but wedge is just better. i've read n eu movie & eu sources describing how they deal with situations involving combat n dogfights, and i've concluded that wedge's the better among the 2. that's why he's my favourite:D
seriously...han really IS good, but as i said previously, his forte is in outmanoevring other craft- which is, obviously, a boon in a dogfight...but there's more to dogfighting then just outflying someone. u have to outfight your opponent...in terms of pure flying & manoeuvring, han would probably be on par with wedge*** ....but wedge has superior command of the x-wing's weaponry. besides, most of the falcon's armament lies in her quad guns...which han won't have access to if he's flying the falcon. couple that with the x-wing's superior manoevrability....and u get one less bounty for boba fett.

***that's to satisfy all u han lovers...i still think wedge is superior in this aspect
 Jedi_Duck1138
04-28-2003, 5:54 PM
#19
I think, of the pilots flying there respective ships, han solo would win. But you can't really compare an interceptor against a fire spray. Now, of the four pilots listed, i think baron soontir fel is by far the best, he just has an inferior starfighter
 dark jedi 8
04-28-2003, 8:42 PM
#20
definately solo when he was younger, aka ep.IV.

but i do think wedge is really good and he would give up a great fight. IMO:)
 Pnut_Man
04-28-2003, 9:36 PM
#21
Sure, you can read things from the books and notice things from the movie...

But can we really, truly say who the best pilot is? I'd like to see them in person to decide ;) (what a geek I am..*sigh*)
 benTantilles
04-29-2003, 9:50 AM
#22
i've already stated several points on why wedge'd beat han in a dogfight....if u dont wanna believe them, well then, that's your error...;)



i think baron soontir fel is by far the best
what makes u say that, duck?
fel got bested by wedge in the battle of brentaal IV. yeah, i know wedge had some help, but still....why do i think wedge's a better pilot, u might ask? good question...since there isn't any basis for direct comparison other than the dogfight above brentaal, i'm relying on 2 things: my personal evaluation of each pilot's performance at the battles depicted in star wars sources (be it the movies or eu material) AND, more importantly, a reference from 'the making of baron fel' (real cool comic. good job, cresp & stackpole :). there was one scene in particular where fel stated that he was almost downed by tycho celchu during a sim run, but that fel somehow managed to evade him, resulting in a stalemate. note that this occurred when tycho was training. during that point of time, fel had been flying for about 3 years. from then on, tho he continued to advance in his grasp of military strategy, his piloting skills kinda remained stagnant -a peak is usually reached after a couple of years of flying, where it stays constant for a while until middle age is reached, where one's reflexes (and hence one's piloting skills) go downhill from there. tycho, however, had plenty of time to improve on his skills between that point and the point of time 1 or 2 years down the road. it's thus safe to say that at the peaks of their respective careers , tycho was on par with soontir--at least, in terms of piloting ability:i'm sure fel was a significantly better strategist.
now for the wedge-tycho comparison. it's granted that wedge is a superior tactician & strategist...but how do u compare their piloting skills? whenever comix/books've shown them simming against each other, the resulting dogfight is constantly shown as a stalemate or a narrow win (the latter of which is usually in wedge's favour). we can infer, however, that wedge is a better pilot in terms of reflexes & pure talent, however, by comparing how the 2 have fared against the real enemy. there are numerous examples of tycho making out worse than wedge when they were pitted against the same foes. eg. starfighters of adumar, tycho's x-wing gets disabled by the same TIE defender which wedge eventually frags. wedge bests turr phennir, the same guy whose dogfight with tycho @ brentaal was a stalemate. these are only the tip of the iceberg...the examples i can think of which are at the top of my mind. i'm sure u'll be able to find many more examples if u delve deeper into the books & comics. as such, we can assume that wedge is a better pilot- not only in tactical ability, but in technical, too. which implies that wedge's technical skills (reflexes, dexterity & such) are better than fel. don't u agree?
well then...now on to the comparison of their tactical/strategic skills. once again, we can't really compare them directly...but i've seen wedge do things which i don't think anyone could compare to. check out starfighters of adumar, where he garners a victory for the outnumbered United Adumari forces, or the enemy lines duology, where he devises all these brilliant plots to keep the Vong @ bay. read the novels, where he captures an entire friggin planet (thyferra in the Bacta War) or where he builds Wraith Squadron (wraith 8...gimme some support here! :p). these are, of course, a lake of the VAST sea of things which've contributed to my opinion of wedge as a superb tactician & strategist, superior to all-including baron fel. i really haven't seen fel do as much.
in conclusion, wedge is superior in both technical & tactical skills and would be able to defeat fel in a one-on-one.
 swphreak
04-29-2003, 1:05 PM
#23
How about we just say Fel and Wedge would kick everybody's ass?

:lol: Boba Fett got 0 votes. Why'd you put him in anyways? :lol:
 benTantilles
04-30-2003, 8:27 AM
#24
y'd you put him in anyways?
i was under the assumption that there WERE actually some misguided folks who perceived fett to be the best of the lot...fortunately, i was wrong :D
 benTantilles
04-30-2003, 8:33 AM
#25
How about we just say Fel and Wedge would kick everybody's ass?
hear, hear! :p
but still, han ain't so bad...
 Lynk Former
04-30-2003, 9:40 AM
#26
Yeah the Alliance has Wedge the Imps have Fel the two best... Han is aright but he's more of a racer pilot than a fighter pilot
 benTantilles
04-30-2003, 11:01 AM
#27
he's more of a racer pilot than a fighter pilot
precisely my point :)
 ckcsaber
04-30-2003, 7:27 PM
#28
Well........just going by the movies, Han would kick Wedges ass. Wedge had to pull out of the Death Star run, while Han had a major impact upon it.

Authors can write all they want, but nobody is a better pilot than Han Solo. Nobody.
 boinga1
05-01-2003, 12:23 AM
#29
not slave 1....not fel, unless he was in a tie defender or X1, which I see he is not....han or wedge....han or wedge....well.....let's rule out proton torps here.....(the falcon's got concussion missles anyway...better for anit-fighter fighting)....based on the movies, han (if he had 2 gunners). based on the books....eh...han. (I don't know much of the extent of fel's skillzz....haven't read comics or books of him, but oh well.)
 Dradle
05-01-2003, 3:06 AM
#30
Remember Fel doesn't use shields on this TIE. Everyone else is shielded. That makes Fel the best pilot of them all.
 benTantilles
05-01-2003, 3:25 AM
#31
WHAT??!?!?! NO!!! WEDGE HAS BEEN OUSTED!!
ok...let me chill a bit...

Wedge had to pull out of the Death Star run, while Han had a major impact upon it.
what sort of logic izzat? wedge was being gunned after by vader and his 2 wingmen (and the fact that he ACTUALLY survived while the others didn't is testament to his superior skill)...han was just a guy who shot down ONE tie fighter (hardly a feat worthy of recognition- but the fact that he did come back WAS) which anyone could do. the thing was that han's destruction of that ONE tie fighter distracted the other tie pilot to crash into vader's ship. End result: luke's tail is cleared so he can proceed to destroy the DS...so yes, han's presence DID save the day, but it should be attributed to his moral character rather than his flying skill. :D

look, i think han's great, but i really AM of the opinion that han would get fried should he battle with wedge in a one-on-one. why do i say so?

1) see my out-manoeuvring vs out-fighting reply a few posts up..and don't forget thatt we ARE NOT considering the extra gunners in the falcon. it's just han and wedge.

2) han was widely regarded as fel's equal-their stint in masquerade and the hand of thrawn trilogy verified this. and i've already shown u y wedge is superior to fel...check out my reply to duck's vote of support for fel....something along the lines of the piloting skills comparison between wedge, tycho & fel.

dardle- jus coz soontir was in a squint and managed to survive in NO WAY means he's a better pilot than wedge, who spent most of his career in shielded-craft. the squint has its merits, including FAR SUPERIOR manoeuvrability and speed...and also, let's not forget that wedge spent a fair deal of time in a squint as well....he survived AND he kicked zsinj ass with it. ANOTHER REASON why wedge's better than fel: kills. it's a fact that fel has been serving longer than wedge...yet, fel manages to secure only a miniscule TWENTY kills (see cover, in the empire's service I) by the time of the battle of brentaal...but wedge managed to frag an amazing ONE-HUNDRED AND TEN TIES ALONE (ITES 2 cover) by the same battle. and this is all in spite of the fact that fel served longer than wedge. EDIT-yes, this can be attributed to the fact that x-wings & y-wings are harded to kill...but still 110:20....the ration is a bit too high to convince me that's the chief reason why fel scored so low. also, wedge managed to rack up more kills during his short stint as kettch (in an "inferior" squint) then fel did in 7-odd years. that's sad, and speaks voumes of wedge's superiority.



based on the movies, han
...how'd u come to that conclusion? there isn't really a direct basis for comparison. both of em did superbly well in the trilogy, with han flying thru that asteroid field and wedge in the battles of hith & endor. u can't really come to a conclusive conclusion (:D) based on the movies alone...no, u haf to refer to the eu. and when eu comes into play, wedge really IS the better pilot.

to wedge!
 Lynk Former
05-01-2003, 2:04 PM
#32
lol XD Wedge stuck through the whole battle, han just suddenly came out of nowhere. It's not that hard to take out TIEs in a suprise attack u nogs lol. plus manning the turrets isn't piloting. Han can race but he's not much of a fighter pilot.
 benTantilles
05-02-2003, 7:50 AM
#33
that pretty much sums up everything...:)
 dark jedi 8
05-03-2003, 7:23 PM
#34
one on one would depend on the ships each other has.

if they both had the same ship, depending on what it was, (lets say an x-wing) wedge would probably skim out a victory. thats probably because han is used to flying a bualky cargo ship, and still does damn fine with that!

if each pilot , wedge and han, flew their respectable ships i think han would win because the falcon and han's knowledge of how to fly it to its best would give him the upper hand. the falcon has heavier shields and better weapons, but the x-wing is faster and more manuverable. though han is a very good pilot at evading and racing. that is why i think han would win, given that scenario.

as for the other 2 choices, i dont think they would stand a chance. IMO.:)
 benTantilles
05-04-2003, 7:48 AM
#35
wedge would probably skim out a victory.
'skim out'? wedge would TRASH han's ass in an x-wing duel! it's been his mainstay craft for as long as he's been with the rebellion-yes, that long-and he's grown accustomed to the general feel of the ship, among other things. the x-wing would be relatively new to han. no, wedge would definitely win this one.

han's knowledge of how to fly it to its best
like i said, the falcon is to han like the x-wing is to wedge.

falcon has heavier shields and better weapons
yeah, but han won't have access to most of them, by which i mean the 2 quad lasers, if he's flying. by contrast, wedge'll have the x-wing's entire array of armament at hand in the cockpit.
 benTantilles
05-22-2003, 7:03 AM
#36
damn.....han's still in the lead.
 Wraith 8
05-22-2003, 7:55 AM
#37
you really cant take it if wedge comes short somewhere do you? :D
 benTantilles
05-22-2003, 10:12 AM
#38
well...i think i'm a pretty objective guy....the only reason why i'm complaining now is coz i honestly believe that wedge would win this dogfight...if i were to put up, say, a marksman poll with wedge, wes, han & luke in it, i wouldn't expect wedge to come out tops at all. i wouldn't even vote for him.... i only go for him in pilot-affiliated things, where he truly is tops. i mean, that's why i like him so. well, one of the reasons anyway.
 Wraith 8
05-22-2003, 3:24 PM
#39
I see :D btw.. i would vote for luke or wes in that one... Wes is a crack shot with fire arms.. but luke has the force at his side so :D
 Lynk Former
05-22-2003, 4:05 PM
#40
Originally posted by Wraith 8
but luke has the force at his side so :D

Luke without the force is just a tryhard farmboy who can't do jack...
 Wraith 8
05-22-2003, 6:49 PM
#41
Originally posted by Lynk Former
Luke without the force is just a tryhard farmboy who can't do jack... Agreed.. the only thing he could do is whine like the best :D
 Lynk Former
05-22-2003, 8:23 PM
#42
"But I was going to Toshe Station to pick up some power convertors!!"

XD

*kicks the crap out of skywalker* damn geek... lol
 Wraith 8
05-22-2003, 8:28 PM
#43
"Bigs was right... im never going to get of this planet"

"But we gotta rescue her. a minute ago you didnt want stay here"
 benTantilles
05-23-2003, 9:31 AM
#44
lol...yeah, luke's such a whiner. wedge's been a pretty cool guy from the very start. he only let loose when his parents were dieing (but hey, who wouldn't?)...but he regained his edge after booster told him that their deaths were no accident
(booster, feeling very apprehensive:"sorry wedge...but it seems....the (pirate) freighter deliberately set fire to your parents' station to stall CorSec" to which wedge responds, with narrowed eyes and a cool demeanour: "i see. isn't there a functional z-95 in your cargo compartment?" booster:"yes" wedge:"will u try and stop me?" booster:"no" and then he went to blow the huge pirate freighter up in his borrowed z-95. and all this when he was 16)
 Gideon_Duthuras
06-16-2003, 9:42 PM
#45
Wedge....without a doubt......well....in a fair fight...maybe Han if he was allowed to fight dirty.
 Lynk Former
06-30-2003, 2:41 AM
#46
Originally posted by Gideon_Duthuras
Wedge....without a doubt......well....in a fair fight...maybe Han if he was allowed to fight dirty.

No, Wedge would still be able to overcome Han's dirty tricks
 benTantilles
07-03-2003, 2:36 AM
#47
No, Wedge would still be able to overcome Han's dirty tricks
i'll second that... it would be a close fight, but wedge would most definetely come out tops here. as I've been saying for the last 100 threads or so.... :p
 Lynk Former
07-03-2003, 12:54 PM
#48
btw, ben... do you like the Wedge, Will you marry me? title STTCT and I put under your name? ;) ehehehehe lol
 benTantilles
07-04-2003, 8:49 AM
#49
whatever compelled u to do such an act?! :D

did u get the reply i sent to STTCT?
 Lynk Former
07-04-2003, 3:18 PM
#50
nope, PM me (i came up with the title btw) :joy:
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