X-Wing (Book 1): Rogue Squadron by Michael Stackpole (1996)

 X-Wing (Book 1): Rogue Squadron by Michael Stackpole (1996)

These covers are such an upgrade.

Summary: Wedge recruits a bunch of new hotshots to kick ass. This is technically a prequel most of the rest of the EU . (Except the comics. I'll get around to those at some point.)

What it introduces:

All the Rogue Squadron Characters (copied from the Dramatis Personae at the start of the book):

CAPTAIN TYCHO CELCHU (human male from Alderaan): Retconned into Return of the Jedi. Maybe a double agent?

LIEUTENANT CORRAN HORN (human male from Corellia): Totally not obviously a Jedi by the end of chapter 18.

OORYL QRYGG (Gand male from Gand): One of the better examples of writing a "vaguely weird alien" buddy. Not yet badass enough for pronouns.

NAWARA VEN (Twi’lek male from Ryloth): The galaxy's most badass lawyer.

RHYSATI YNR (human female from Bespin): The friendly one? Not a ton of characterization yet.

BROR JACE (human male from Thyferra): The asshole. Totally dead at the end of the book.

ERISI DLARIT (human female from Thyferra): Obviously non-evil, and very horny.

PESHK VRI’SYK (Bothan male from Bothawui): Manny Bothans dies again.

GAVIN DARKLIGHTER (human male from Tatooine): Bigg's kid cousin.

RIV SHIEL (Shistavanen male from Uvena III): Not Chewbacca. A werewolf with a deathmark for a good reason.

LUJAYNE FORGE (human female from Kessel): Gets Corran to hang out with everyone else. Dies.

ANDOORNI HUI (Rodian female from Rodia)

ZRAII (Verpine male from Roche G42): Requisite mechanic character. Fixes stuff good!

M-3PO (Emtrey; protocol and regulations droid): Is C-3P0 until you say, "scrounge."

WHISTLER (Corran’s R2-D2 astromech) and MYNOCK (Wedge’s R5-D2 astromech: The first non-R2D2 astromechs with actual personalities? (Whistler helps Warren solve crimes, Mynock screeches like one.)

GENERAL HORTON SALM (human male from Norvall II): Does not trust Tycho. Does trust Y-Wings.

GENERAL LARYN KRE’FEY (Bothan male from Bothawui): Manny Bothans died.

MIRAX TERRIK (human female from Corellia): Gender flipped Han Solo and Corran's eventual love interest. Saves the day at the last second.

LIAT TSAYV (Sullustan male from Sullust): Also not Chewbacca. (Or Nien Nunb.)

YSANNE ISARD, DIRECTOR OF IMPERIAL INTELLIGENCE (human female from Coruscant): Most effective Imperial not named Thrawn. (Arguably more effective than him?)

KIRTAN LOOR, INTELLIGENCE AGENT (human male from Churba): Photographic memory helps him remember what a loser he is.

GENERAL EVIR DERRICOTE (human male from Kalla): I think he was briefly in YJK? Nazi Imperial bioweapons guy.

I don't think there's actually a ton of non-character introductions. Lusankya gets mentioned, but it's not really a thing yet. The Pulsar Skate is Mirax's ship, and it's weirdly non-Corellian.

Black Asp is honestly probably the biggest one. It's an Interdictor that'll pop up a bunch of times through the series. Currently yanking Rogues out of the hyperspace on behalf of Isard.

Commentary/Review: My annotation exporters isn't working, so this is kind of a pain.

Let's go more big picture. Stackpole's writing is generally decent. I think he plays a bit better in Star Wars than he does in Battletech (the other big franchise he was working with around this time). He wants a lighter, more swashbuckly, touch that fits better here. He also recycles a lot of the subplots, characters, etc. (Justin Allard Tycho Celcu is a (maybe) brainwashed!) 

We're introduced to Corran Horn, who is probably the most successfully integrated EU character without Solo or Skywalker in their name. His characterization is kind of messy here. Sometimes he's a by the book X-Cop. Sometimes he's hotheaded. Sometimes he's a nice guy. Sometimes he's kind of an asshole.

The biggest issue with this series as a whole (I think less so in the Wraiths and later Rogue books) is that Wedge is forced to share the spotlight. He's who we're here for, Corran is just a distraction at this point. (I think he gets better?) Stackpole is the author most responsible for "modern" Wedge, and smoothing out the weird contrasts we see between Episode IV (kind of whiny, back out of the trench run) and Episode V (certified hotshot). The final character is more of the latter, but he hangs onto some survivor's guilt and reluctance to fully step up. I don't think we ever get a "full" reconciliation (the closest is splitting "Fake Wedge" into his own character in the new canon, but that doesn't account for the very Un-Wedge pull out on the trench).

As noted before, this is a very action heavy book. I'm curious to see if things calm down a bit as series progressed. I wasn't very impressed with Kirtan Loor chapters. He's mostly there to get chewed out by Isard and vaguely narrate Corran doing stuff. Again, maybe he'll get better. 

Dead Rogues: 2 (Peshk and Lujayne) [3 if you suspend disbelief hard enough to count Bror.] 

All in all, solid book, fun start to the series. 4/5 Lock S-foils in attack position for book 2! This whole series is an easy recommend for any Sci-Fi, Star Wars, or general military fiction fan.