WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Storms of Crait

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The official Star Wars comics are making sure every fan knows that Wedge Antilles is the real heart of the Rebellion. Sure, he may not get the same amount of screen time as the more well-known leaders of the Rebel Alliance, but the Corellian is one of the only combat pilots to fight in the Battles of Yavin, Hoth, and Endor and, canonically, live to tell about it. So it's only right that a new Star Wars comic reveal one of his most impressive, crowd pleasing moments came on the planet Crait, the Last Jedi movie location where the Rebel Alliance was reborn in the face of the First Order.

And we really do mean "impressive," as Wedge's role in the first issue of Star Wars: The Storms of Crait is guaranteed to have fans of the underrated hero cheering. For those who missed the announcement of the Marvel Comics series, The Storms of Crait tells the secrets of Last Jedi's last line of retreat. The small, desolate world of red crystals covered in a salt crust hosted the final fight of Luke Skywalker on film.

But decades earlier, when Luke and his squadron first came to Crait... it was Wedge who earned the spotlight.

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Looking at the facts, it's not even necessary to make a case for Wedge Antilles (played be actor Denis Lawson in the Star Warws films) being one of the most unsung of Star Wars extended universe heroes. It would be fair to say that if even casual Star Wars fans around the world have gone to the trouble of memorizing Admiral Akbar's name, rank, species, and catchphrase, Wedge is the victim of some cosmic-level injustice.

A point driven home in Star Wars: The Storms of Crait. And driven home with gusto, showing Wedge may live on the fringes of the main Star Wars saga. But then, that's where some of the best moments have always taken place.

Wedge Antilles Keeps The Legend of Red Squadron Alive

The films may feature Wedge in marquee sequences, but it was the extended universe that emphasized his value to the Rebellion. Unlike the movie heroes, Wedge began his piloting career in the Imperial Academy, training to become what would certainly have been the most fearsome and legendary TIE Fighter pilot in the galaxy. Instead, his heroism and sense of right and wrong drove him to leave behind the Empire to join the Rebels with scores of insider intel - the same path young Luke Skywalker hoped to follow when begging his aunt and uncle to attend the Academy in the first Star Wars.

That was long before he had crossed paths with Luke in the lead-up to the famous assault on the first Death Star. Even then, he was distinguishing himself as a star pilot - a fact briefly explored when his defection was featured in Star Wars: Rebels. And as the only member of Red Squadron to survive the battle with Luke, eventually becoming his Rogue Squadron second-in-command, he was just as gifted behind his own X-wing's controls - without help from The Force.

Well, fans can now add Crait's unarmed salt skiffs to the list of machinery Wedge has piloted into glory. But his bare hands, as the above artwork shows, are just as deadly as a blaster or proton torpedo. Maybe more so, since those aren't normal Stormtroopers he's defeating.

Wedge Antilles Defeats The Empire's Best Stormtroopers

To make sure casual Star Wars fans can appreciate the actual badassery on display in these panels from Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, and artist Mike Mayhew, it's important to know these aren't your everyday Stormtroopers that the Rebels are opposing on their first trip to The Last Jedi's Crait. As their assorted armor and weapons attest, the standard uniformity and 'quantity over quality' mentality of the Empire's forces doesn't apply here. This is the SCAR Squadron (also known as Task Force 99), an elite unit introduced during Jason Aaron's run on the main Star Wars comic series, specifically to defy stereotypes.

Where most Stormtroopers are seen as laughable cannon fodder, every member of Task Force 99 is handpicked and specialized. And they're led by Sergeant Kreel, a fearsome warrior from Darth Vader's personal 501st Legion - and who wields a lightsaber with serious skill. The arrival of SCAR Squadron is treated with the appropriate levels of gravity, pursuing Leia and Han on speeder bikes until Wedge and his pilots intervene. The goal is to distract the Imperials so Leia can escape to freedom, providing Luke with his own 'hero' moment squaring off against Kreel, lightsaber to lightsaber. Which makes it all the more satisfying when the action returns to Wedge and the Rebels. The fight is over, and has been won decisively.

A point driven home by Wedge as he is shown towering over Zuke - the most physically imposing heavy trooper in ARC Squadron - and loosing a war cry as the sole survivor of the original Red Squadron, smashing his enemy's helmet off-panel. Considering just how many of Wedge's adventures and significance to the Alliance and New Republic was wiped out of canon, this may be a small comfort. Fans can only hope that this undeniably epic moment of personal glory is a sign that Wedge's role in the Rebellion - both before, during, and after its victory - is one future writers and artists are determined to explore.

Small as it may be, it's further proof that the supremely epic heroes of the Rebellion extend well beyond the film's existing heroes. And if future films or adaptations are looking for a fearsome hero... Wedge just made his name known to the entire galaxy. And for more than just a Rogue Squadron movie, although we're still shocked that's a movie pitch that needs to be made.

Star Wars: The Storms of Crait #1 is available now.

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