The Star Wars original trilogy’s iconic X-wing starfighter has a variant in the Legends continuity that only a Jedi could use effectively. Star Wars Legends ceased to be the official Star Wars canon in 2014, though it remains a beloved era of the franchise for many viewers. While Legends is often used as a source of inspiration for the modern Star Wars canon’s lore, many elements of the bygone timeline remain exclusive to the original continuity, with a stealthy successor to the T-65 X-wing being one such element.
In both Star Wars continuities, the old Jedi Order frequently utilized specialized starfighter craft nicknamed Jedi Starfighters. The most famous models are the Delta-7 Aethersprite, made famous by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Adi Gallia, and the more battle-ready Eta-2 Actis, which was notably used by both Anakin Skywalker as both a Jedi Knight and the Sith Lord Darth Vader. While Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order initially did not have an official Jedi Starfighter model – with Luke and his Knights often using New Republic fighters like Z-95 Headhunters and T-65 X-wings – the advanced StealthX fighter eventually filled this role.
Star Wars: 10 Things You Never Knew About X-Wings
X-wings might be the most recognizable spaceships in all of Star Wars, but what do even fans not know about Luke Skywalker’s iconic spacecraft?
The Stealth X-Wing Was A Specialized Starfighter Like No Other
The StealthX was designed specifically for the New Jedi Order. The ship had a similar appearance to the T-65XJ3 X-Wing (a newer variant of the famous T-65), only its hull was a black hue with small white spots, helping it blend in with space. The StealthX was equipped with advanced cloaking technology that made it extremely difficult to detect with both scanners and the naked eye, though this came at the cost of blaster firepower and shielding. Moreover, the StealthX’s cloaking technology also rendered it nearly impossible to use for non-Force users.
Why Only Jedi Could Pilot A Stealth-X
For a StealthX’s cloaking technology to work properly, the pilot could not use its comlink without giving away the ship’s position. While this made coordination and communication between StealthX pilots almost impossible for most pilots, Jedi could communicate their intentions and coordinate attacks through the Force, allowing the ship to make effective precision strikes while remaining unseen by enemies. Moreover, Jedi with particularly close bonds could communicate even more effectively through the Force, allowing groups of Jedi pilots to execute advanced flight and combat maneuvers with perfect synchronization.
While StealthX’s are intrinsically all but impossible to use effectively by anyone other than Force-sensitives, Aaron Allston’s novel, X-Wing: Mercy Kill, proved that non-Force sensitives could work around the craft’s limitations. Wedge Antilles and Tycho Celchu each flew a StealthX on an extraction mission, but both pilots eschewed the StealthX’s cloaking features, instead opting to pose as Jedi, which effectively discouraged their enemies. What their deception shows is how the StealthX became the starfighter symbol of the New Jedi Order in the Star Wars Legends timeline.
