| Wedge Antilles | |
|---|---|
| Star Wars character | |
| Portrayed by | Denis Lawson (Episodes IV, V, VI) David Ankrum (voice in Episode IV) Colin Higgins (Briefing scene in Episode IV) Meshach Taylor (radio dramatization) |
| Fictional profile | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Position | X-wing pilot, Rogue Squadron commander, Wraith Squadron commander, New Republic general, Supreme Commander of Corellia's armed forces |
| Homeworld | Corellia |
| Affiliation | Rebel Alliance, Rogue Squadron, New Republic, Galactic Alliance, Corellian Confederation |
Wedge Antilles is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original Star Wars trilogy.[1] Antilles, also called the "greatest ace" pilot in the Rebel Alliance, also appears in the Star Wars Expanded Universe and is the lead character in most of the X-wing novels. Wedge is also notable for being the only Rebel pilot to have survived both attack runs on the Death Stars at the battles of Yavin and Endor. [1]
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Antilles first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope during the Rebels' Death Star attack briefing. In this scene Wedge is portrayed by Colin Higgins and voiced by David Ankrum, who dubs the character throughout the film. Denis Lawson plays the character for the remaining scenes filmed in the X-wing cockpit.[1] Lawson also portrays Antilles in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi; his own voice is used in both these films. Coincidentally, Lawson is the maternal uncle of Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy.
Expanded Universe literature explains that Wedge's parents were killed when his parents' starship-refueling depot exploded.[1] He piloted a freighter before joining the Rebel Alliance as a starfighter pilot.[1] Michael A. Stackpole's and Aaron Allston's X-wing books and several Dark Horse Comics series focus on Antilles and the rest of Rogue Squadron after the events depicted in the films. Antilles also appears in other Expanded Universe works, including the New Jedi Order and Legacy of the Force novels. Antilles is the player's character in the Rogue Squadron and Rogue Leader video games (reprised by Denis Lawson in the latter) and is a playable character in Rebel Strike.[1]
Wedge appears towards the end of A New Hope as "Red Two," an X-Wing pilot and a member of Red Squadron along with Luke Skywalker. His considerable dogfighting prowess is shown in the Battle of Yavin when he saves Luke by shooting down a TIE Fighter that Luke had been unable to shake. Along with Luke, he is one of the only three X-Wing pilots to survive until the final attack run along the Death Star's trench. However, his X-Wing is damaged, and he is forced to retreat before the Death Star is destroyed. He and Luke are the only two X-Wing pilots to survive the battle, along with a Y-Wing and the Millennium Falcon.[2]
Wedge appears in The Empire Strikes Back as a member of the newly formed Rogue Squadron. He flies a Snowspeeder against the Empire's AT-AT ground assault with Wes Janson as his harpoon gunner. Their Snowspeeder inflicts the first casualty against the AT-AT attack group by firing a harpoon trailing a tow cable into one of the walker's legs and circling the walker several times, causing it to trip and fall and allowing Rebel forces to destroy the walker. After the battle, Wedge is seen and heard wishing Luke a safe trip.[3]
Wedge appears towards the end of Return of the Jedi as the leader of Red Squadron in the Battle of Endor. Along with Lando Calrissian, who pilots the Millennium Falcon with Nien Nunb, he leads the fighter attack on the second Death Star. His dogfighting prowess is shown again in this battle, as Wedge personally shoots down a number of Imperial TIE Fighters, and appears to easily navigate the narrow and treacherous flight spaces inside the Death Star that lead to its core. When he and Lando reach the Death Star's core, Wedge destroys the power regulator on the core's northwest tower, while Lando destroys the core itself. He later appears at the victory celebration at the Ewok village on Endor.[4]
Wedge is a popular and important character of the original Star Wars trilogy despite his short screen time. IGN named Wedge the 24th greatest Star Wars character of all time, claiming "Wedge Antilles may be the most important ancillary character in the Star Wars universe".
Wedge (almost always alongside another Red Squadron wingman, Biggs Darklighter) is a recurring character and a running gag in the Final Fantasy video game series (for example, Final Fantasy 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 and even games outside of the Final Fantasy Universe (but made by the same company, Squaresoft) such as Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts II). The worlds and characters of Final Fantasy are different in almost every game, and so there are many versions of Biggs and Wedge as Final Fantasy characters.[5]
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