By George & Josh Bate
Only Star Wars could encroach on its 50th anniversary and forever change fans’ understanding of a pivotal event from nearly five decades ago.
It has long been assumed that Luke Skywalker was capable of making the impossible shot that destroyed the Death Star, because of his connection to the Force. However, a recently released book offers an entirely different explanation for how Skywalker was able to pull off such a feat.
Star Wars: Star Pilots by Dr. Chris Kempshall is a recently released novel published by DK Books and Lucasfilm Publishing. Kempshall’s novel offers an in-universe account of how star pilots fought against the Empire, told from the perspective of Wedge Antilles.
In Chapter 2 of the novel, Antilles states that Luke’s knowledge of a specific starfighter ultimately made the difference in the fateful Battle of Yavin. Prior to joining the Rebel Alliance, Luke was familiar with a T-16 Skyhopper, a ship manufactured by the Incom Corporation. Incom is also responsible for manufacturing the X-Wing, meaning that Luke had prior exposure to the kind of ship he was tasked with flying in before daringly trying to destroy the Death Star.
Here is what Antilles says about Luke’s impossible feat below:
“Luke was also fortunate in that he had some flying skill and experience already, though he was lucky that both the T-16 Skyhopper and the X-wing fighter were manufactured by Incom and, as a result, had similar control systems. If we’d made the attack against the Death Star in A-wings, Luke may not have been able to operate the fighter in combat to the degree necessary to ensure victory.”
While Antilles’ explanation does not discount the role the Force played in Luke’s ability to destroy the Death Star, it points out that Luke would likely not have succeeded had he been piloting a craft he was somewhat familiar with.
While Luke’s backstory between Episodes III and IV has been depicted here and there across canon stories, Antilles’ revelation suggests that there is plenty of room to further explore Luke’s childhood and adventures before A New Hope, perhaps in an animated series or comic book.
Star Wars: Star Pilots is out now, courtesy of Lucasfilm Publishing and DK Books.