Let's talk Mandalorian Era New Republic Flight Jackets

[Mara Jade's Father]

This is basically a repost of earlier info by other members here, but I found this online article that sort of sums up all the info especially for new thread viewres who did not go back into older posts.

‘Mandalorian’ Actor Played a Big Part In Designing His Own Costume

And he did a fantastic job!

insidethemagic.net

The actor, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, was able to flex his creative muscle not only in front of the camera but off-screen as well! On his personal Twitter, Lee responded to a comment about the flight jacket he was wearing in the last episode of The Mandalorian. In addition to being the same cut as an Indiana Jones jacket, the actor also sported some Rebellion division insignia patches, the classic Rebel Alliance Starbird on the left shoulder, as well as two unique designs on the front.

After crediting costume designer, Shawna Trpcic for creating such an inspired look, Lee revealed that Trpcic actually let him design the division insignia patches on the front of the jacket! Not only is that something that Star Wars fans and cosplayers will look at for inspiration for years to come, but it’s an honor for the actor himself to take a little more ownership over his role and costume:

@bitterasiandude said:

The incredible @trpcic slays it with this look. I’m honoured to be able to wear it! She even let me design the patches you see on it!!! #thisistheway.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1641410173808914432

 

[Gee2]

So here are some shots of the ribbed shoulder/arm jacket. It's an XL, I'm just over 5' 8", 190 with a 48" chest and 22" shoulders. Plenty of room but not baggy. And fits over a flight suit (Blue Squadron) with a little snugness in the shoulders/arms.

 

[breen2057]

Very nice, looks great.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

I am honored to have the Dewback Wing patch on your jacket.

 

[Gee2]

I am honored to have the Dewback Wing patch on your jacket.

Easy decision brother, I've been hanging on to your patches forever, finally have something to put them on! I did get the New Republic "chit" patch in that I special ordered. Not feeling it though, so I think maybe a few more smaller ones and then maybe one of the nose art suggestions Division 6 posted, airbrushed on the back. Maybe the Bespin Belle?

 

[enterprise0216]

The jacket looks very cool Gee2 thanks for posting pics.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

Easy decision brother, I've been hanging on to your patches forever, finally have something to put them on! I did get the New Republic "chit" patch in that I special ordered. Not feeling it though, so I think maybe a few more smaller ones and then maybe one of the nose art suggestions Division 6 posted, airbrushed on the back. Maybe the Bespin Belle?

I think I read that sometimes pilots had the blood chits sewn into their lining as well. So maybe put it inside the jacket.

 

[Gee2]

I think I read that sometimes pilots had the blood chits sewn into their lining as well. So maybe put it inside the jacket.

Ahhh, there's a thought! Maybe center of the back, on the lining.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

So I think whoever made this jacket pulled in a lot of different existing jacket elements to make Teva’s jacket.

The statement that the jacket is the same cut as the Indy jacket isn’t exactly correct. It think that might have been a starting point. It looks like they utilized the gusset design on the sleeves from the vintage G8 leather flight jacket and the fitted back elements of the G1 leather flight jacket.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

Ahhh, there's a thought! Maybe center of the back, on the lining.

That’s what I was thinking.

 

[division 6]

Yeah they would sew in the chit or escape maps or both.

 

[TK41434]

These flight jackets looking fantastic ... but I am an IMP.
We need some similar Imperial flight jackets

 

[Vagabond Elf]

These flight jackets looking fantastic ... but I am an IMP.
We need some similar Imperial flight jackets

Honestly, a highly decorated Imperial flight jacket wouldn't fit the visual language of Star Wars.

The Empire has basically no individual markings. The closest they get is different branches of the military wearing different colour uniforms. But there are no unit markings on those uniforms - the Army doesn't have Regimental flashes, the Navy doesn't have ship tallies. Arguably the Death Star crew had a unit badge, but by ESB that symbol had come to represent the Empire as a whole. Heck, they don't even have nametags!

If an Imperial flight jacket existed, it would be just a black leather jacket with the pilots rank bar and maybe the Imperial Cog on the shoulders. Anything else would be far to individualistic to be part of the actual Star Wars setting.

And I'd argue there shouldn't be any Imperial flight jackets at all. In the real world, flight jackets started out as an essential part of an aircrew's working uniform but has since evolved to be a symbol. On the downside, it highlights the wearer as an "elite" - it says "I am a pilot, and you are not." On the upside, it promotes individual confidence and ties it to small-group identity - important for a person who mostly fights by themselves. Yes, there would normally be multiple fighter planes on a mission but the pilots can't see each other in the sky, so their lizard brains are screaming "We're all alone!" So air forces and naval air arms do things like "all the pilots get these jackets to show that you are all badasses who belong to the same team" to help reassure the pilots, on an unconscious level, both that they are in fact part of a "tribe" and that they're good enough to be up there in harm's way. And, of course, this ethos fits in well with the Rebelion's/New Republic's role in the storytelling.

And sure, the Imperial pilots would want such reassurance too. But they don't get it because the Empire is faceless, uncaring, and evil. There's no room in the storytelling for an Empire that gives two hoots about their fighter pilots, and the costuming needs to reflect that. Rebel pilots get flight jackets because they are a group of individuals working as a team. Imperial Pilots only get the minimum kit to do their job (ie, flight suits), because they are a faceless mass who are entirely interchangeable.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

Honestly, a highly decorated Imperial flight jacket wouldn't fit the visual language of Star Wars.

The Empire has basically no individual markings. The closest they get is different branches of the military wearing different colour uniforms. But there are no unit markings on those uniforms - the Army doesn't have Regimental flashes, the Navy doesn't have ship tallies. Arguably the Death Star crew had a unit badge, but by ESB that symbol had come to represent the Empire as a whole. Heck, they don't even have nametags!

If an Imperial flight jacket existed, it would be just a black leather jacket with the pilots rank bar and maybe the Imperial Cog on the shoulders. Anything else would be far to individualistic to be part of the actual Star Wars setting.

And I'd argue there shouldn't be any Imperial flight jackets at all. In the real world, flight jackets started out as an essential part of an aircrew's working uniform but has since evolved to be a symbol. On the downside, it highlights the wearer as an "elite" - it says "I am a pilot, and you are not." On the upside, it promotes individual confidence and ties it to small-group identity - important for a person who mostly fights by themselves. Yes, there would normally be multiple fighter planes on a mission but the pilots can't see each other in the sky, so their lizard brains are screaming "We're all alone!" So air forces and naval air arms do things like "all the pilots get these jackets to show that you are all badasses who belong to the same team" to help reassure the pilots, on an unconscious level, both that they are in fact part of a "tribe" and that they're good enough to be up there in harm's way. And, of course, this ethos fits in well with the Rebelion's/New Republic's role in the storytelling.

And sure, the Imperial pilots would want such reassurance too. But they don't get it because the Empire is faceless, uncaring, and evil. There's no room in the storytelling for an Empire that gives two hoots about their fighter pilots, and the costuming needs to reflect that. Rebel pilots get flight jackets because they are a group of individuals working as a team. Imperial Pilots only get the minimum kit to do their job (ie, flight suits), because they are a faceless mass who are entirely interchangeable.

I pretty much agree with you. However I could see that it might be something that could happen if the empire had a squadron of elite pilots and they wanted them to standout. Or I could see it in a high ranking officer that was a full of himself, especially after the fall of the empire when you had all these splintered leadership cells.

I could see something black but more stylized than the rebel jacket with touches of red. Maybe a cog and a unit marking. Better fit and complimentary to the look of the flight suit and other imperial uniforms. I’m thinking something similar to this but of course detailed to SWU standards.

Amazon.com

 

[division 6]

181st, Inferno Sq.
Yes EU but still Imperial with custom group markings.

ANH TIE fighters did have kill markings and other icons on them.

 

[Rawktrooper]

Baron Fel is a good example of an Imperial pilot the EU had to call out for specfic accolades. Granted he only modded his paint job on his Tie Interceptor.. while also adding a blood stripe to his uniform, as well as a slight mod to other aspects of his uniform equipment. Not OT canon, but universe canon.

 

[Gil_JediXXL]

Here's mine based on the Cassian Andor parka:

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy using a hacked pirate satellite in a decaying orbit

 

[TK41434]

181st, Inferno Sq.
Yes EU but still Imperial with custom group markings.

ANH TIE fighters did have kill markings and other icons on them.

Please, can you provide pictures as examples? Thank you.

 

[Vagabond Elf]

181st, Inferno Sq.
Yes EU but still Imperial with custom group markings.

ANH TIE fighters did have kill markings and other icons on them.

In my opinion, the 181st is a perfect example of writers losing the point of the Empire - mostly because it does make storytelling more difficult when the enemy is a faceless mass; and also because the OT is very much 1940s style storytelling, which doesn't really appeal to a modern audience. And I get it, and I get why folks would want to costume things like Imperial flight jackets. Heck, when I was playing FFG's X-Wing routinely I ended up marking my TIEs in a similar manner, down to a full squadron that was inspired by the early camera-test model that was half grey, half red. Partly because it was cool and partly so I could tell which TIEs were mine. But that sort of thing carries the risk of making it possible to empathise with the Empire, and when one is talking about something as large as Star Wars, that can have real (and probably not desirable) impacts on society's views on authority in general.

I do concede the precedent, however; though I don't believe there's any on-screen support for special uniforms for the elite fighter squadrons. The ANH TIE fighters, though, is something I didn't know about and will now go research further.

 

[4str0m3ch]

In my opinion, the 181st is a perfect example of writers losing the point of the Empire - mostly because it does make storytelling more difficult when the enemy is a faceless mass; and also because the OT is very much 1940s style storytelling, which doesn't really appeal to a modern audience. And I get it, and I get why folks would want to costume things like Imperial flight jackets. Heck, when I was playing FFG's X-Wing routinely I ended up marking my TIEs in a similar manner, down to a full squadron that was inspired by the early camera-test model that was half grey, half red. Partly because it was cool and partly so I could tell which TIEs were mine. But that sort of thing carries the risk of making it possible to empathise with the Empire, and when one is talking about something as large as Star Wars, that can have real (and probably not desirable) impacts on society's views on authority in general.

I do concede the precedent, however; though I don't believe there's any on-screen support for special uniforms for the elite fighter squadrons. The ANH TIE fighters, though, is something I didn't know about and will now go research further.

This is why i get twitchy when people are demanding nuance or "why can't we have stories from Imperial perspective?". I appreciate that Rocue One and Andor did well with making the methods of the good guys more nuanced, but ultimately, the Empire are (and should always be) moustache twirling baddies. they have a specific aesthetic, both visual and in storytelling.

Otherwise you get people missing the point, like they do with Joker, Punisher, etc.