In season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, we were reintroduced to Grand Admiral Thrawn, a Legends fan favorite. With Thrawn back in canon, fans have speculated who Pablo Hidalgo and his team will reintroduce us to next. The answer may come in this week’s episode of Rebels.
On Saturday night, the Ghost Crew has to stop a young pilot and his mates from attacking imperial freighters. There are two trailers out for this particular episode and one of them has me speculating. In the following trailer, there’s a bit of a dialogue that leads me to believe that die-hard fans already know the identity of the pilot and the name of the ship.
Did you catch it? When Hera called to the other rebel ship, did you catch the ship’s model number? At about .55 seconds in, Hera reaches out the freighter…the YT-2400 Freighter. So why is the ship’s model number important? For those of you who don’t want the episode potentially ruined by spoilers, you should stop reading now.
If you’re still with me, let’s continue.
The YT-2400 Light Freighter is the Outrider
What is the Outrider and, more importantly, who pilots her? The Outrider is a Corellian freighter modified with a SoroSuub Griffyn hyperdrive, military-grade shield generators, Sienar Fleet Systems combat computer, and countermeasures and armaments that can hold its own against nearly any other ship in the galaxy. For those of you who don’t speak Star Wars, those are some pretty sweet mods.
Piloted by Dash Rendar, the Outrider and her crew were present at many of the galaxies most intense battles: Hoth, Gall, Coruscant, and the raid on Suprosa. The important take away from this is that the Millennium Falcon is not the only cool Corellian freighter out there.
Who is Dash Rendar?
Dash was a Corellian smuggler and expert pilot. As a young man, he enlisted in the Imperial Academy until sabotage took his family and his place in the academy from him. He developed a reputation as a smuggler on the outer rim and eventually joined the rebellion.
Why Should you Care?
Dash Rendar and the Outrider were introduced in the story Shadow of the Empire. The story takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It’s a time when multiple entities are vying for the Emperor’s favor. It’s also a time the new canon hasn’t really explored yet.
The story introduces us to villains like Prince Xizor, his bodyguard Guri, and the Black Sun. Many fan favorites also make an appearance, such as IG-88 and Boba Fett, and of course Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia.
The real question is, does the appearance of Dash Rendar in the Star Wars canon mean we might see some of the rest of his Legends story incorporated into canon as well? Shadow of the Empire saw Dash in various key roles. Not only did he fly with Rogue Squadron in an attempt to hold off the imperial assault on Hoth and attempt to rescue Han Solo from Boba Fett, but he saved Luke from a swoop gang hired by Jabba the Hutt, and played a major role in the recovery of the plans that aided the rebels in preparing for the Battle of Endor.
We’ll find out if Dash really is the leader of the Iron Squadron on Saturday night. If he is, what do you think this means for canon? Leave a comment in the section below.
I am a man-child in my early 30s who is looking to explore the nerdy side of life. I am a former English teacher, a current copywriter, and a future who-knows-what. I love movies, literature, video games, TV, and music.
Nov 18 2016
Will Iron Squadron Add another Character from Legends to Canon?
In season 3 of Star Wars Rebels, we were reintroduced to Grand Admiral Thrawn, a Legends fan favorite. With Thrawn back in canon, fans have speculated who Pablo Hidalgo and his team will reintroduce us to next. The answer may come in this week’s episode of Rebels.
On Saturday night, the Ghost Crew has to stop a young pilot and his mates from attacking imperial freighters. There are two trailers out for this particular episode and one of them has me speculating. In the following trailer, there’s a bit of a dialogue that leads me to believe that die-hard fans already know the identity of the pilot and the name of the ship.
Did you catch it? When Hera called to the other rebel ship, did you catch the ship’s model number? At about .55 seconds in, Hera reaches out the freighter…the YT-2400 Freighter. So why is the ship’s model number important? For those of you who don’t want the episode potentially ruined by spoilers, you should stop reading now.
If you’re still with me, let’s continue.
The YT-2400 Light Freighter is the Outrider
What is the Outrider and, more importantly, who pilots her? The Outrider is a Corellian freighter modified with a SoroSuub Griffyn hyperdrive, military-grade shield generators, Sienar Fleet Systems combat computer, and countermeasures and armaments that can hold its own against nearly any other ship in the galaxy. For those of you who don’t speak Star Wars, those are some pretty sweet mods.
Piloted by Dash Rendar, the Outrider and her crew were present at many of the galaxies most intense battles: Hoth, Gall, Coruscant, and the raid on Suprosa. The important take away from this is that the Millennium Falcon is not the only cool Corellian freighter out there.
Who is Dash Rendar?
Dash was a Corellian smuggler and expert pilot. As a young man, he enlisted in the Imperial Academy until sabotage took his family and his place in the academy from him. He developed a reputation as a smuggler on the outer rim and eventually joined the rebellion.
Why Should you Care?
Dash Rendar and the Outrider were introduced in the story Shadow of the Empire. The story takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It’s a time when multiple entities are vying for the Emperor’s favor. It’s also a time the new canon hasn’t really explored yet.
The story introduces us to villains like Prince Xizor, his bodyguard Guri, and the Black Sun. Many fan favorites also make an appearance, such as IG-88 and Boba Fett, and of course Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia.
The real question is, does the appearance of Dash Rendar in the Star Wars canon mean we might see some of the rest of his Legends story incorporated into canon as well? Shadow of the Empire saw Dash in various key roles. Not only did he fly with Rogue Squadron in an attempt to hold off the imperial assault on Hoth and attempt to rescue Han Solo from Boba Fett, but he saved Luke from a swoop gang hired by Jabba the Hutt, and played a major role in the recovery of the plans that aided the rebels in preparing for the Battle of Endor.
We’ll find out if Dash really is the leader of the Iron Squadron on Saturday night. If he is, what do you think this means for canon? Leave a comment in the section below.
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By Thaddaeus Brodrick • TV • • Tags: Dash Rendar, Iron Squadron, Star wars rebels, The Outrider