Wedge Antilles
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Wedge Antilles |
| Occupation: | pilot, starfighter pilot |
| Relationships: | Norra Wexley (wife), Temmin "Snap" Wexley (step-son), Derek "Hobbie" Klivian (squadmate), Wes Janson (squadmate) |
| Fandom: | Star Wars, Star Wars Expanded Universe, Star Wars Legends |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Wedge Antilles is a popular character who appeared briefly in all three original trilogy Star Wars films as a rebel starfighter pilot, and a cameo appearance in The Rise of Skywalker), as the gunner of the Millennium Falcon.
As one of the few characters outside the main cast to appear in all three films of the original trilogy, and the only non-main character to be involved in the destruction of both Death Stars, Wedge was frequently featured as a supporting character in the Legends-era spin-offs; in particular, he was one of the central characters of the Star Wars: X-Wing novels, comics, and games.
A popular fan-given nickname for Wedge is "Weginald". The long-running Nicholasname is canonically acknowledged in "The Buy-In", a Norra Wexley short story by Suzanne Walker in FACPOV: ROTJ.
Common slash pairings for Wedge include Wedge/Luke Skywalker and Wedge/Tycho Celchu (Legends). In canon, he marries Norra Wexley, the mother of Black Squadron member Temmin "Snap" Wexley, becoming Snap's stepfather after the Battle of Jakku. This makes it especially heartbreaking that Wedge and the rest of the backup force, organized by Lando Calrissian, arrive only moments after Snap's death during the Battle of Exogol in TRoS.
Wedge also canonically taught at the New Republic Flight Academy on Hosnian Prime, which was destroyed by General Armitage Hux, Kylo Ren, and the First Order in The Force Awakens.
Fan Reactions
Wedge's actions during the Battle of Yavin are not without controversy.
It has really started to bother me how Wedge Antilles gets lightly clipped by a blast and then both he and Luke decide that he should leave the trench. “You can’t do any good back there” my arse! It’s true, the X-Wing guns point forwards, giving them little choice but to dodge bullets… but that is precisely the purpose (in my opinion) of the two wing men assigned to each attack run. They were there essentially to assist in suppressing turbo laser cannon fire, but also part of their responsibility not only to the wing leader but to the entire rebel cause and the galaxy itself, is to destroy the Death Star and save the moon of Yavin IV. What I’m saying is that attack runs one and two demonstrated that the wingmen were there to sacrifice their lives if necessary by slowing down Vader and his Imperial counterparts from getting to the leader. So, telling Wedge to head home early after getting bruised (while there is less than one minute remaining before the Death Star is in range) strikes me as a little shortsighted and bad prioritizing. Biggs, however, sticks it out, buying Luke precious seconds at the heroic cost of his own life. Wedge Antilles is adored by fans. I admit, he’s okay, but I think it’s time for this particular moment to be reassessed objectively.[1]
Common Tropes and Fanon
Fanfiction written post-TFA and pre-TRoS often speculated that Wedge either had died during the genocide of the Hosnian System, giving Snap and other pilots more motivation to continue fighting. Alternatively other works speculated that Wedge was in hiding with Luke Skywalker, depending on the needs of the fic's main ship. And other post-TFA fanworks, depicted Luke and Wedge reconnecting as Luke returned to the Resistance.
Post-canon fics following the sequel trilogy focus on Wedge's grief and/or survivor's guilt for being one of the few characters from previous films to survive The Rise of Skywalker.
Fanworks
Fanfic
- What is a Legacy? by yunmin.After the Battle of Crait and the death of Luke Skywalker, Rey struggles to work out what to do next. There's so much about the Jedi she still doesn't know. She knows she has to rebuild, fix the Lightsaber and burn the First Order to the ground, but where does she start? The answer, it turns out, is on a quiet mid-rim planet, with a man named Wedge Antilles.
- Raise a Glass by hinerdsitscat. While the Resistance celebrates the end of the First Order, four unlikely survivors (Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and Wedge Antilles) gather to remember the ones that they lost.
Fanart
from The Ormand Factor #1, artist is Gerald Crotty
from The Ormand Factor #1, artist is Gerald Crotty
from Imperium #5, artist is Melea Fisher (1995)
Meta/Further Reading
- DR. EVAZAN: Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love Wedge Antilles, Archived version "Resident certified Wedge Antilles lunatic Jim Fisher explains the psychology of fans whose hero had, what, like five lines in the whole trilogy?" (1998)
Fannish Resources
- Wookieepedia entry
- fanworks tagged Wedge Antilles at Archive of Our Own
- Wedge A. at Fanfiction.net
- Rogue Podron, a podcast and associated online fan community centered on the X-Wing novels
References
- ^ Good-bye Biggs... at Blue Milk Special, February 26, 2010.