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So I got my RZ-2 A-wing the other day. I thought I'd share a picture of LEGO's interpretations of the three generations of interceptors. And a little bit of in-universe history. (from Wookiepedia)

Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor
The Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor was a starfighter model designed by Kuat Systems Engineering and used by the Jedi Order before and during the Clone War. It was designed specifically with the Jedi in mind. The Delta-7's designers worked with the Jedi Order to create a starfighter with fewer internal systems than other starships and focused on making the controls as responsive as possible due to the Jedi's Force-sensitive capabilities. It contained an astromech droid, but unlike later starfighter models, the wings were too thin for a full astromech socket. Instead, a modified astromech was hardwired into a socket on the vessel's wing, with its dome remaining intact but its components plugged directly into the ship's computer. The droid, therefore, would play an important part in assisting the pilot with navigation, damage control, and hyperspace travel coordinates. Unlike most ships in the galaxy, the Delta-7 Jedi starfighter did not feature a built-in hyperdrive but instead relied on external hyperspace transport rings that attached to the starship, allowing it to enter hyperspace. Despite this, the ship could still attain speeds of 1,260 kph in realspace.

Behind the scenes
The starfighter was originally conceived as a "Stormtrooper Fighter", which would have linked both the Prequel and Original trilogies together. If I had to guess it's a nod the original "Stardestroyer", which was fighter craft in an early draft of 'The Star Wars', and the not the large ship we know.

RZ-1 A-wing interceptor
The RZ-1 A-wing starfighter was manufactured by Kuat Systems Engineering, of Kuat. The RZ-1 was based off the original R-22 prototype developed by Kuat as a replacement for the Republic's Aethersprite starfighter. Rejected by the Empire, Rebel cells acquired several R-22s and stripped them down to boost the fighter's speed and acceleration to counter the Empire's new TIE/IN interceptor, making the first RZ-1. the RZ-1 was equipped with dual Novaldex J-77 Event Horizon sublight engines mounted on the stern and unlike its predecessor came equipped with a hyperdrive. The fighters were armed with two Borstel RG-9 laser cannons and Dymek HM-6 Concussion Missile Launchers with six concussion missiles each.

Behind the scenes
The A-wing appears in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Designed by Ralph McQuarrie, they were originally colored blue but had to be changed due to the limited bluescreen technology at the time. The original coloration of the A-wings makes its first appearance on the A-wings of Phoenix Group in the second season of Star Wars Rebels.

RZ-2 A-wing interceptor
The RZ-2 A-wing starfighter rose out of the stunning performance of the Rebel RZ-1 during the Galactic Civil War. With the original RZ-1 based on Kuat Systems Engineering's original R-22 Spearhead, the company resurrected its forgotten prototype to create the RZ-2. The RZ-2 incorporated and standardized years of Rebel field modifications made the chassis slimmer for more speed and featured generations of improvements to its many systems. The RZ-2 was part of the demilitarized New Republic Defense Fleet by seven years after the Battle of Yavin. By the time the RZ-2 was used by the Resistance during their war with the First Order, it was already decades-old, With the New Republic cutting A-wing production to a minimum, the Resistance acquired several fighters to be used for everything from reconnaissance patrols to bomber escort missions. As with the previous generation of Rebels, Resistance pilots took pride in proving they had the skills and daring to master the ultra-fast, yet temperamental, starfighter.

Behind the scenes
Much like it's in-universe history. The RZ-2 seems to have come about as a more literal interpretation of Ralph Mcquarrie's concept art.
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It's just as lazy as the superweapon of the week that plagued the EU, though far from the worst offender in the writing.
My take on it is that it was likely started almost the same time as the Death Star, and what that station was a small-scale tech demonstrator for (I ignore Death Star II for George-wrote-himself-into-a-corner reasons). Basically, the Starkiller was what the ultimate goal was, rather than it just being "another Death Star, only bigger". I could almost believe that was the goal of the writers, from all the tidbits dropped in various places... But it needed to have been conveyed better, if so.
 
My take on it is that it was likely started almost the same time as the Death Star, and what that station was a small-scale tech demonstrator for (I ignore Death Star II for George-wrote-himself-into-a-corner reasons). Basically, the Starkiller was what the ultimate goal was, rather than it just being "another Death Star, only bigger". I could almost believe that was the goal of the writers, from all the tidbits dropped in various places... But it needed to have been conveyed better, if so.

We know via Resistance, that the Empire and/or the First Order made a few iterations before getting right.
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I would’ve been okay w Starkiller base had the movie’s climax not been a desperate attack of starfighters on its thermal outlet...that’s literally where the movie lost me when I first saw it and took a while until I came around to liking it. It hits the excitement/emotional/fun chords pretty well for me despite being sloppy in many places.
 
I never thought I'd ever appreciate the Prequels, but I agree with this article & video


J
Oh gosh, I could write pages and pages about this video...
The nutshell version: breaking my leg won't make me appreciate my haemorrhoids more...

I agree that on a filmmaking and technical level it was much more ambitious and innovative. The caveat is that currently the technology allows filmmakers to do whatever they want. Where else to expand? The last big huzzah was Avatar with the 3D, that's why it became no 1 movie, people wanted to experience a full feature 3D movie. Not because it was a good film by any standards. Similarly it's really ironic that yes, the prequels are groundbreaking in terms of visual effects and at the same time they are the one of the most cinematically unimaginatve movies.
I can't fathom how this guy can say that plot armor in the ST takes out the tension while praising the PT...when it's a prequel so we know where it's gonna end up.
There's a lot of apology for Lucas from people who disliked the sequels but I just don't get it. I bet you anything that a large chunk of the people praising him for his "I don't care about your public opinion and I'll make a movie whatever way I want" attitude were wawing torches and pitchforks for every re-edit of the OT. Bottom line is that the prequels for me are just bad movies that look dull, have extremely dodgy plots, lack any real emotional connection and feel like a demo reel for ILM. No amount of contextualizing will make them work on that level for me.
 
Ha,....while I agree with you, the point I take from the video, is that back then each film pushed the boundaries,...the only significant breakthrough in the new Star Wars is the use of LED videowalls for use in reflections & projecting light onto actors & sets, giving a background that actors can react to rather than filling it in in post

Rogue One brought back Peter Cushing also.....but Star Wars isn't exceptional anymore, just another movie

J
 
Ha,....while I agree with you, the point I take from the video, is that back then each film pushed the boundaries,...the only significant breakthrough in the new Star Wars is the use of LED videowalls for use in reflections & projecting light onto actors & sets, giving a background that actors can react to rather than filling it in in post

Rogue One brought back Peter Cushing also.....but Star Wars isn't exceptional anymore, just another movie

J
Oh yea on that front I’m with you it just doesn’t amount to a satisfactory end product. The biggest takeaway from that vid is that the Marvel formula doesn’t seem to work with other franchises. I keep saying that people think I’m the Grinch cuz I just don’t want sequels and stuff but there’s only so much you can creatively churn out from a story. For the life of me I don’t understand why so many people want Back to the Future 4...similarly I’m fine with the 2.5 movies of the OT that I love and if something drops with a SW logo that I like then great but otherwise meh.
 
Ha,....while I agree with you, the point I take from the video, is that back then each film pushed the boundaries,...the only significant breakthrough in the new Star Wars is the use of LED videowalls for use in reflections & projecting light onto actors & sets, giving a background that actors can react to rather than filling it in in post

Rogue One brought back Peter Cushing also.....but Star Wars isn't exceptional anymore, just another movie

J

They have taken puppetry and animatronics to the next level with these films.
 
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