Ace pilot Wedge Antilles is one of Star Wars' key supporting characters, and aside from what's shown on-screen, he had a big part to play in the battle against the Empire between Return of the Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Wedge may not be as well known as Luke Skywalker or Han Solo, but he played an important role in not only all of the major battles of the original trilogy, but also the Battle of Exegol, appearing as part of the volunteer starship fleet that turned the tide during the climax of The Rise of Skywalker.
Wedge would first join the Galactic Civil War not as a Rebel, but as an Imperial cadet. Recruited at a young age to pilot a TIE Fighter in the Navy, he abandoned the Empire after growing increasingly concerned with its unethical behavior, defecting directly into the Rebel Alliance. Wedge would eventually advance to a position of leadership in the organization, while still maintaining a hands-on role in Red Squadron, with whom he contributed to the destruction of both Death Stars, as seen in the original Star Wars trilogy.
The Empire was effectively vanquished after the Battle of Endor at the end of Return of the Jedi, but Captain Antilles was among the most diligent members of the New Republic in tracking down and rooting out any remaining Imperial loyalists. In doing so, he once found himself captured by the forces of Admiral Rae Sloane, enduring imprisonment and torture until fellow Republic pilot Norra Wexley and her son, Temmin, were able to rescue him. While recovering from the injures sustained during his arrest, Wedge fell in love with Norra and became something of a surrogate father to her son, although this was complicated by the return of her long-missing husband, Brentin.
As he regained his strength, Wedge continued to be driven to action, as when he aided Leia in searching the galaxy for Han Solo following his disappearance. Wedge also personally formed a handpicked unit of pilots called Phantom Squadron, which would participate in the liberation of Kashyyyk from Imperial aggression. While the unsanctioned mission was a success, the group's disregard of the New Republic chain of command resulted in Phantom Squadron being dissolved and Wedge being removed from active combat duty. He remained on the sidelines until Temmin convinced him to return to the fray during the Battle of Jakku alongside his old Squadron. In the end, the New Republic prevailed, but the fight was costly, leaving behind the massive wreckage seen at the beginning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and resulting in the death of, among many others, Brentin Wexley.
With their defeat on Jakku putting the final nail into the coffin of the Empire, Wedge again stepped back from the fore (this time willingly), taking a teaching position at the flight academy on Hosnian Prime where he trained a new generation of pilots, including a young Poe Dameron. After Hosnian Prime was destroyed by the First Order's Starkiller Base, the newlywed Wedge and Norra settled into a secluded life on Akiva, which was interrupted only when Wedge joined Lando Calrissian in the Millennium Falcon during the Battle of Exegol in The Rise of Skywalker. Although Temmin, now Wedge's son-in-law, was tragically killed in the conflict, the Resistance forces were ultimately victorious, bringing Wedge Antilles a crowning achievement in his long history of standing against evil.