B-wing

This article is about the fictional spacecraft. For the expansion pack for the X-Wing flight simulator, see Star Wars: X-Wing. For the Data East game, see B-Wings.
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 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.

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]

Depiction

Expanded universe material states that when the Galactic Empire designs the Nebulon-B frigate to protect its convoys from Rebel Alliance X-wing fighters 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.

The B-wing's canonical origin is depicted in the Star Wars Rebels, second season episode "Wings of the Master".

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 several B-wing sets.[8][9][10] A Micro Machines Alpha Fleet package includes models both of the B-wing's film appearance and of an initial production design.[11] Decipher and Wizards of the Coast published B-wing cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game and Star Wars Trading Card Game, respectively.[12][13] 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.

References

  1. ↑ "B-wing starfighter". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  2. 1 2 "B-wing starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  3. 1 2 3 "B-wing starfighter (Expanded Universe)". Star Wars Database. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  4. ↑ "B-Wing Fighter: Box Front". SirStevesGuide.com Photo Gallery. sirstevesguide.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  5. ↑ "Dude, Where's my ship". Star Wars Collecting. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  6. ↑ "#IX: Executor, B-wing, A-wing (1995)". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  7. ↑ "#3: AT-ST, Jabba's Sail Barge, B-wing (1994)". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  8. ↑ "FBTB Lego Star Wars Set Guide - 7180 B-Wing Fighter". Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  9. ↑ "LEGO Releases Obi-Wan's Starfighter in Target Exclusive Set This Fall". Star Wars Collecting. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 2007-03-15. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  10. ↑ "UCS B-Wing revealed today at Brick Fiesta in Houston, TX". Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  11. ↑ "B-wing Fighter". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  12. ↑ "Star Wars Customizable Card Game Complete Card List" (PDF). Decipher, Inc. 2001-08-23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  13. ↑ "B-wing". Star Wars Cargo Bay. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-25.

External links

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