Rogue Squadron Is Top Gun Meets Star Wars, So Why Can't Disney Get It Off The Ground?

A Missed Opportunity

In late 2020, Patty Jenkins, the visionary director behind "Wonder Woman," made a grand entrance donning the iconic Rebel flight suit. She strode across the tarmac toward an X-Wing, ready to announce "Star Wars Rogue Squadron," a movie that was supposed to release in December 2023. But since then, little has been seen or heard about it, leading to speculation that it may have quietly been canceled. However, Lucasfilm's president, Kathleen Kennedy, insists that it could still happen. She boldly claims, "That's definitely something we still talk about, whether it's a movie or whether it ends up being in the series space."

But what no one realized was that we actually got a Rogue Squadron movie last year. Yes, you heard that right! The movie that captured the hearts of audiences around the world, setting IMAX theaters ablaze with its incredible aerial stunts and grossing over a billion and a half dollars in the international box office. I'm talking about "Top Gun: Maverick." Now, you might be scratching your head, wondering how "Top Gun" relates to "Star Wars." Well, let me explain.

A Secret Star Wars Film

"Maverick" was billed as a sequel to Tony Scott's pan to fighter jets and beach volleyball. But it bore far more in common with George Lucas's space opera than real-life fighter combat. Just replace Tom Cruise's F-14 with an X-Wing, and voila! You can easily imagine "Maverick" as a Star Wars film. With a veteran like Wedge Antilles as the star, it begs the question: was "Top Gun: Maverick" the perfect Rogue Squadron movie? And if so, what's Disney's excuse for not capitalizing on it?

Starfighters Taking a Back Seat

In recent years, starfighters have increasingly taken a back seat to lightsabers, bounty hunters, and grim and gritty political drama in the Star Wars universe. There seems to be a lack of incentive to feature truly memorable space battles. Sure, we've had a few great moments, like the Mandalorian's battle with a gang of space pirates in Season 3. But for the most part, starfighters like Captain Tevis's X-Wing are mostly around to play traffic cop.

However, with Star Wars increasingly willing to embrace the old expanded universe, there's plenty of room to bolster one of the most underserved areas of the Star Wars fandom. After all, great space combat is one of Star Wars' birthrights.

The Rich Tradition of Star Wars Space Battles

Close your eyes, and you can probably imagine Red Squadron rising toward the Death Star or Admiral Ackbar yelling, "It's a trap!" as waves of TIE Interceptors crash toward the Rebel Fleet. Even the prequels had their moments, with epic battles like the Battle of Naboo. Star Wars has a rich tradition of games, novels, and toys that tap into the fandom's love of space battles and starships.

Old-school fans will remember the lengthy debates over the Super Star Destroyer and the Five Mile Fallacy. And let's not forget about the tabletop community that enjoyed Star Wars miniatures games recreating space battles in the '80s and '90s. Game developers treated recreating the trench run as a kind of Holy Grail, with LucasArts' X-Wing and TIE Fighter series leading the way. These games mixed arcade-style shoot 'em up combat with light flight simulator mechanics, giving Star Wars' familiar fighters a sense of weight and realism.

Among their contributions to the Star Wars canon were an early glimpse of Coruscant, the first depiction of Grand Admiral Thrawn outside of the novels, and the TIE Defender, which featured in a terrific episode of Star Wars Rebels.

The Legacy of Rogue Squadron

LucasArts' X-Wing games would go on to inspire Michael Stackpole to launch his fantastic run with Rogue Squadron, a series of novels that followed the adventures of famous ace Wedge Antilles and his new squadron of pilots. These novels, some of the best in the old expanded universe, captured a different side of George Lucas's setting. They sidelined Jedi in favor of the high adventure of piloting an X-Wing against waves of TIE fighters.

In a 2021 interview, Patty Jenkins named Stackpole's work as one of her influences for the potential Rogue Squadron movie, emphasizing the importance of honoring the incredible history of these stories. The appeal of the Rogue Squadron novels lies in the way they ground the setting, featuring highly skilled but otherwise fairly normal pilots in extraordinary circumstances. Characters like Wedge and Poe Dameron are easier to relate to than Jedi like Luke Skywalker or Ahsoka Tano, who are essentially superheroes. Their adventures lend the Star Wars universe a sense of texture it otherwise lacks.

The Secret Hero of the Original Trilogy

You could even say that Wedge Antilles is a secret hero of the original trilogy. He played a key role in all three major battles, including taking down the second Death Star alongside Lando Calrissian while Luke was occupied with the Emperor. Wedge may be a one-dimensional character at best, but his recurring appearances in the movies offer all sorts of creative opportunities. Especially given Rogue Squadron's prominence in the lore, there's so much potential to explore Wedge's character. Who is this ace pilot who survived the original Trench Run? What did he do after the war?

On the Imperial side, there's Soontir Fel, the leader of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing and another creation of Stackpole's. With their distinctive black helmets and dark cockpits, these pilots have long captured the imaginations of Star Wars fans. In fact, one team of fans went so far as to create a truly astonishing seven-minute anime movie featuring the Empire's pilots.

A Reminder of Star Wars' True Potential

It's no coincidence that "Rogue One" received praise for its more grounded depiction of the Rebellion and its Battle of Scarif, which is considered one of the best Star Wars space battles since "Return of the Jedi." In 2016, The Verge wrote, "Rogue One reminded me of why I love Stackpole's X-Wing novels so much. They're a reminder that the Star Wars universe doesn't need to be exclusively carried on the backs of the Skywalker family." "Rogue Squadron" introduced us to a rich cast of characters that felt right at home in the world, just as "Rogue One" did with the likes of Jyn Erso, Captain Cassian, and K-2SO.

Knowing all this, it's curious that Lucasfilm hasn't done more to leverage this part of the Star Wars universe. Just take a look at the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Theme Park, which is dotted with X-Wings and A-Wings alongside the Millennium Falcon. It's proof that we associate the silhouette of the X-Wing and the roar of the TIE Fighter with Star Wars as much as we do the hiss of the lightsaber. Luke Skywalker's most triumphant moment was behind the stick of an X-Wing. Even Darth Vader was arguably at his most impressive in the cockpit of his TIE Advanced.

A Missed Opportunity

And yet, despite all the potential, Rogue Squadron seems to have been lost in Lucasfilm's messy pivot following the sequel trilogy. It was temporarily abandoned in theaters in favor of Disney's streaming service. A little more than a year after its reveal, Rogue Squadron was delayed indefinitely amid rumors of creative differences between Jenkins and Lucasfilm.

But now, we find ourselves well into 2023, and "Top Gun: Maverick's" staggering success is