B-wing
| First appearance | Return of the Jedi |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Rebel Alliance New Republic |
| References | Starwars.com Databank[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Armaments | Laser cannons Ion cannons Proton torpedoes |
| Defenses | Deflector shields |
| Length | 16.9 meters |
B-wings are fictional Rebel Alliance and New Republic starfighters in the Star Wars universe. They first appear in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and subsequently in the Star Wars Expanded Universe's books, comics, and games. A variety of B-wing merchandise has been released by toy companies.
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[edit] Origin and design
Although initial plans called for B-wings to appear in several scenes, its narrow appearance from some angles made it difficult to see against the backdrop of space.[2] The ship's rotating cockpit stems from an initial design for the Millennium Falcon.[2]
[edit] Depiction
Expanded Universe material states that when the Galactic Empire designs the Nebulon-B frigate to protect its convoys from Rebel Alliance X-wings and Y-wings, the Rebels respond by constructing the B-wing.[3] The Verpine, supervised by Ackbar, design and arm the fighter to engage capital ships.[3] The B-wing's gyrostabilized cockpit allows the pilot to maintain a consistent horizon while the craft's body rotates around it.[3] The B-wing is the largest and most powerful fighter designed by the Rebel Alliance, and it is generally viewed as the successor to the older Y-wing fighter/bomber. B-wings have powerful shields which are considerably stronger than the shields featured on most Imperial or Rebel fighter designs, and they are armed with a greater variety of weapons. B-wings participate at the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi and in numerous other engagements throughout the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
[edit] Merchandise
Both Kenner and Hasbro released B-wing toys,[4][5] the B-wing is part of two Micro Machines three-packs,[6][7] and Lego has made two B-wing sets.[8][9] A Micro Machines Alpha Fleet package includes models both of the B-wing's film appearance and of an initial production design.[10] Decipher and Wizards of the Coast published B-wing cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game and Star Wars Trading Card Game, respectively.[11][12] The second expansion pack for the X-Wing flight simulator, B-Wing, introduces the B-wing as a playable starfighter; several other Lucasarts products also depict B-wings.
[edit] References
- ^ "B-wing starfighter". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. http://www.starwars.com/databank/starship/bwingstarfighter. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ a b "B-wing starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. http://www.starwars.com/databank/starship/bwingstarfighter/?id=bts. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ a b c "B-wing starfighter (Expanded Universe)". Star Wars Database. Lucasfilm. http://www.starwars.com/databank/starship/bwingstarfighter/?id=eu. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "B-Wing Fighter: Box Front". SirStevesGuide.com Photo Gallery. sirstevesguide.com. http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/showphoto.php?photo=11050&cat=3297. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "Dude, Where's my ship". Star Wars Collecting. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930024152/http://www.starwars.com/collecting/news/hasbro/news20010516.html. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "#IX: Executor, B-wing, A-wing (1995)". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/12983. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "#3: AT-ST, Jabba's Sail Barge, B-wing (1994)". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/11786. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "FBTB Lego Star Wars Set Guide - 7180 B-Wing Fighter". http://www.fbtb.net/sets/index.asp?set=7180. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
- ^ "LEGO Releases Obi-Wan's Starfighter in Target Exclusive Set This Fall". Star Wars Collecting. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 2007-03-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20070315201115/http://www.starwars.com/collecting/news/lego/news20050708.html. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "B-wing Fighter". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/11947. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ "Star Wars Customizable Card Game Complete Card List" (PDF). Decipher, Inc.. 2001-08-23. http://www.decipher.com/starwars/cardlists/swallcards.pdf. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
- ^ "B-wing". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/17126. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
[edit] External links
- B-wing starfighter in the Star Wars Databank
- B-wing starfighter on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars Wiki
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