By introducing a Legends-era bomber craft to canon, The Last Jedi’s opening space battle introduced the MG-100 StarFortress SF-17, nicknamed the “Resistance Bomber,” to the canon timeline, but the ship was a noticeable downgrade from the Y-Wings shown in the original trilogy era, making for an underwhelming sequence. The Legends-era K-Wing, however, would be an ideal replacement for the Y-Wing in Rogue Squadron if the film takes place in the New Republic era.
During the space battle above D'Qar in The Last Jedi, eight Resistance Bombers were shown attacking the First Order’s Mandator IV-class dreadnaught. The bombers were slow but didn’t make up for this weakness with powerful shielding, as a single TIE Fighter was shown destroying three of the ships by crashing into one. Visually, they were a far cry from the Rebellion-era Y-Wings, which were featured prominently in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was released the previous year.
Star Wars franchise that would allow Rogue Squadron to create far more exciting space battles.
Introduced in the Legends-era Black Fleet Crisis novel trilogy, the K-Wing was a New Republic bomber that was highly effective against Star Destroyers and land structures. The heavily-shielded vessel housed a crew of four (one pilot, one bombardier, and two gunners) and a significantly larger payload of ordnance than the Y-Wing or B-Wing, but retained the speed and maneuverability of the former, making it an incredibly effective ship. The K-Wing did, however, lack a hyperdrive, necessitating long-range transportation from a New Republic frigate or capital ship.
From a cinematic perspective, the Y-Wing has already been shown throughout the original Star Wars trilogy and Rogue One to be a dynamic craft that is right at home alongside the iconic X-Wings in space combat. The K-Wing would be able to keep up with the fast pace of the Star Wars franchise’s signature space battles while showing the New Republic’s improved technology. The K-Wing’s lack of hyperdrive also provides a weakness for the ship that would create fascinating limitations in space combat that the film could use to create tension if a carrier ship is disabled.
In many ways, The Last Jedi didn’t properly coincide with the rest of the Star Wars franchise, and its opening space battle felt out of place in a franchise that includes such satisfying sequences like the Battles of Yavin, Endor, or Scarif. Looking to the Legends continuity for inspiration is an effective way to better coincide with the original six Star Wars films, as has been the case in numerous canon properties. By bringing the K-Wing into the canon timeline, Rogue Squadron would give a classic Star Wars ship its live-action debut and avoid a pitfall of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
