Star Wars may continue to divide fans on a number of fronts, but if everyone agrees on one thing, it’s that the ships and vehicles are still great, even the new ones. For example, The Mandalorian introduced the instant classic “Razor Crest,” which was the equivalent of an Airstream RV for Mando and ‘lil Grogu to tour the galaxy’s hot spots. When the Crest suffered an accident that seriously compromised its resale value, Mando came into possession of a midlife crisis upgrade: a tricked-out chrome Naboo N1 starfighter that was so stylish it accomplished the near-impossible feat of making something out of The Phantom Menace cool.
If one ship embodies Star Wars above all others, it continues to appear in updated and classic form in nearly every new expansion (currently they can be seen in both Obi-Wan Kenobi and a trailer for Andorra), is a TIE fighter, a twin-ion engine starfighter used by the Empire and later the First Order. Designed for a single pilot (wearing the coolest flight suit ever designed) TIE fighters are used for combat and patrol, their speed and maneuverability making them a perfect match for rebel ships like the X-Wing (though never, alas, the Millennium Falcon). Here we rank the top 10 TIE fighter styles (yes, there are even more!), in order of sheer coolness.
10. Classic TIE fighter
Disney
There is none uncool entry on our list, but something has to go in place no. 10, so we’re going to put the iconic classic TIE fighter here. The ship was introduced in A new hope when the Millennium Falcon drops out of hyperspace into the freshly forged asteroid field of Alderaan. Luke thinks he’s followed them through hyperspace, but Obi-Wan correctly recognizes him as a “short-range fighter”, which means… the “small moon” must be lurking somewhere nearby for him to land.
The TIEs later chase the Falcon in the famous gun port sequence (“Awesome, kid! Don’t be cocky!”), then engage the Rebel ships during a climactic space battle. Despite its poor performance on the Death Star, the classic TIE appeared in almost every Star Wars film and television show during or after the time shown in the first film. The force is awakening introduced a slightly modified version of the ship with an extra antenna and a splash of red paint — apparently part of the upgraded TIE sports package available at a First Order dealer near you for an extra 17k credits, which, yes, I know, you could almost buy your own ship for.
9. Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x-1
Disney
One thing Star Wars has always been good at is introducing new ships and environments in successive installments (“the better to sell more toys, beauties!”). This happens even before the first movie ends, when Darth Vader hops into a TIE to join the fray outside the Death Star (and conveniently be somewhere else when it booms) only to discover he has his own private model! Of course, Darth wouldn’t be caught dead in anything that sent his cannon fodder flying, so he had a special version designed to advertise his alpha status.
It was never clear exactly what Vader was doing inside his TIE Advanced. The close-ups seem to show him popping and uncorking a bottle of whiskey – which, let’s face it, if anyone could fight back a bit and still take down a few Y-wings, it’s a guy who remains highly functional after losing most of his limbs in an accident at a working place. On the other hand, the Empire works lose the battle. Just saying…
8. Major Vonreg’s TIE interceptor
Disney
Few are probably familiar with this TIE, because few have looked Star Wars Resistance animated series, which Wikipedia assures me somehow ran for 40 episodes without anyone noticing, and apparently chronicled the development of the First Order and the Resistance in the years before the sequel trilogy was set.
The First Order officer, “Major Vonreg,” sounds like a German WWI flying ace, and would he be racking up kills by buzzing this thing over the Somme! TIE Interceptors are the Lamborghini of the TIE fleet: sleek, fast, and do amazing things for your ego. This one comes in red (Major has a matching flight suit!) and, come on, who doesn’t want their Lamborghini in red? The ship earns bonus points if it becomes a killer Lego set.
7. TIE Fighter Mining Guild
Disney
Is the mining guild TIE from Star Wars Rebels really cooler than Major Vonreg’s TIE interceptor? In Transformers talk, it’s like comparing a Volkswagen version of Bumblebee to a fifth generation Starscream fighter jet. You’ll be putting that fighter to the test all day. But, like the Volkswagen, this TIE has a hippie feel and will undoubtedly better introduce you to the cool kids.
The Mining Guild’s TIE has the distinction of being the only known “private” TIE fighter in the galaxy — one not in the service of the Empire or the First Order. The Guild uses them to protect their operations and has painted them Herbie Yellow to distinguish them from Imperial TIEs, which tend to run into a lot of enemy missiles (literally). According to the Star Wars Rebels Wiki, “They also had notches in their stabilizers, which allowed for improved visibility at the cost of their maneuverability.” So yeah, that’s a thing too.
6. TIE advanced v-1 prototype
Disney
One of the great things about Star Wars Rebels – and there are many great things about it – is that the series absolutely fetishizes TIE Fighters, depicting them in all sorts of inventive ways. One of the rebel heroes, Sabine Wren, an artist and former Imperial cadet, even steals a classic TIE and turns it into an art project, painting it with floral yellow and orange graffiti that neutralizes the Imperial’s toxic masculinity right out of the thing.
The TIE Advanced prototype has a sleek design with curved wings that can be folded over the cockpit when landing. It will also forever be associated with the emergence of the Inquisitors, skilled Jedi-hunting villains who are so awesome they deserve their own prototype.
5. TIE Striker
StarWars.com (Disney)
Rogue One it was famously stitched together in post-production, which explains why the absolutely incredible shot of Rebel hero Jyn Erso facing off against a TIE fighter on the runway at the top of the tower was in the trailer but not in the finished film. Let me just offer a little advice to future Star Wars filmmakerswith projects: NEVER PROMISE YOUR HERO TO FIGHT A FIGHTER AT THE TOP OF THE TOWER AND THEN NOT INCLUDE IT IN THE FINAL FILM. Sheesh, that seems to go without saying.
Rogue One it makes up for it with the inclusion of great new ships, including not one but two new TIEs: the TIE Reaper, which moves around the Death Troopers, which obviously they won’t just take any old transport; and the sleek and slim TIE Striker, pictured above. Used against rebel attacks at the Battle of Scarif, the Reaper has wings that fold up and down over its body like a Mynocks settling down for a Millennium Falcon meal.
4. Bomber with a TIE
Disney
Speaking of Mynocks, The Empire Strikes Back upped the cool quotient of Star Wars by about a trillion over the already excellent first film, including many of the characters, ships, and environments that made Star Wars famous: AT-AT Walkers, Yoda, Lando Calrissian, Cloud City, Boba Fett, et. al. One of the fun things about the film is the way it only offers snippets of some of its best material: a brief shot of the back of Vader’s scarred turret, bounty hunters on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, Scout Walker (AT-ST) escaping during the Battle of Hoth . This approach had us kids leaning forward in our seats, drooling for more, which of course we would get…at the toy store.
One of the coolest attractions that is barely seen Empire are TIE bombers trying to find the Millennium Falcon by dropping bombs on asteroids where it might be hiding. The dual body and curved Vader TIE fighter wings were a great addition, but even more so was how the ship contributed to the idea that the Star Wars world contained untapped multitudes. (How TIE bombers drop bombs in zero gravity is a topic for another article.)
3. Kylo Ren’s TIE silencer
Disney
Otherwise known as the ship he used to almost destroy his own mother (General Leia), Kylo Ren’s TIE silencer is surely the best named of all the TIEs. Of course, a fan of the hero Ren had to follow in Grandfather Vader’s footsteps and have his own TIE design. One could argue how it just goes with this beauty, an Interceptor with a dominant nose and long, lean wings with sharp edges, like, well, old Kyle himself.
The mentioned scene in the last jedi, when Ren joins his First Order comrades in their mission to destroy the remaining Resistance fleet, it showcases some of the worst TIE piloting to date. The infatuated prince takes his ship on a high-speed spin through a canyon of rebel frigates like a man who eats G-forces for breakfast and then complains that they’re not full enough.
2. TIE Defender
Disney
The TIE Defender first appeared in Immortal TIE Fighter a home computer game from the mid-1990s, a dark time for Star Wars when no new movies loomed on the lit horizon and TV was still the domain of shows like Murder, she wrote and Walker, Texas Ranger. Fortunately, video games, comics, and novels satisfied the thirst of Star Wars fans until Special Editions and prequels made everyone long for the days of video games, comics, and novels again.
The three-arm, six-wing TIE Defender is also featured Star Wars Rebels (0f of course!), which showcases its immense tactical advantages and the sheer geometric beauty of the thing. The ship even got its own episode called “Defender Flight”.
1. TIE interceptor
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
The TIE Fighter the video game not only also includes the TIE Interceptor, but mostly features it on the cover for obvious reasons: it’s the coolest TIE fighter! The TIE Interceptor couldn’t have asked for a better entrance, ushering in what remains the best shot in all of Star Wars House. IN Return of the Jedi, after Admiral Ackbar utters his immortal warning, “It’s a trap!” Rebel ships retreat straight ahead of a phalanx of interceptors chasing them like piranhas unleashed on a bloodbath. It’s a stunning moment, and no digital FX shot has ever been better than its sheer intricate dazzle.
Lucas knew that Return of the Jedi would be the last Star Wars film for a while, so it introduced approximately 37,400 new characters, ships and environments that became toys before the Big Star Wars Christmas of 1983 (yes, I made that up). After nearly 40 years, the TIE Interceptor is still the coolest of them all.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn