A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, there was Star Wars: Rebellion. Or Star Wars: Supremacy, if you were British like me. While the Star Wars IP has never really leant itself to the Serious Business™ of waging war, here was a game that represented the closest many of us would ever get within our favourite sci-fi IP.

Picture if you will – the Death Star has just been destroyed, the Galaxy has divided itself between those declaring for the Alliance, those still loyal to the Empire, and the neutral worlds who are opting to wait and see. The Rebellion cowers on Yavin 4, unsure whether to hang-on to their now infamous base or disperse amongst the stars. The Empire, reeling from such a sudden blow, still manages to maintain order through deft diplomacy and – when called for – sheer military might.

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The stage is set. It’s time for Star Wars to enter the age of Total War.

** Warning: Mild Spoilers for The Last Jedi **

Not to turn this into another rant, but I find that as my tastes have developed within the wargaming realm, my tolerance for bad decision-making (as a plot driver, at least) gets lower. If you’ve ever seen the anime film Evangelion 3.3 You Can (Not) Undo, rest assured I feel exactly the same way about that. Also, the good guys should not have won the climactic battle in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

But what does total war look like in the Star Wars universe? Newer films, games and EU media have tried to give us glimpses or slices. Star Wars: Rebellion, by a company called Coolhand Interactive (who seemed to have only done this and then vanished,) is an attempt to show how the wider battle for the fate of the galaxy might have been waged. It was originally released nearly 20 years ago on February 28^th, 1998 and occupied the unique position of being both ahead of, and behind the times.

Officially listed as part of the ‘4X’ sub-genre, you could easily describe it as a real-time grand-strategy wargame similar to Hearts of Iron 1. It’s funny to think that Rebellion pre-dates even the first Europa Universalis by a couple of years, with the first Hearts of Iron not turning up for another 4 or 5. You either played as the Rebellion, or the Empire itself, and your goal was to maintain and expand your control of the galaxy while crushing your opponent.

As the Rebels, this meant you had to abduct Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vadar, and then capture Coruscant. As the Empire, you had to capture Mon Mothma and Luke Skywalker and then find and destroy the mobile Rebel Base (represented by a floating city icon that looks like Bespin).

There was a very bare-bones economic model to support your war effort: Mines were used to collect raw material, and every planet only had a limited amount of slots. Refineries converted that raw material into Maintenance Points, which you’d then use to buy ships or personnel. You could build as many mines, planetary defences and infrastructure (like Shipyards to build ships, etc…) as the planet’s energy grid could support. In all the time I’ve played this game though, I don’t think I’ve ever run out of points to maintain stuff. The economy just seemed to always work, so concepts like ‘economic warfare’ really only applied to blowing up buildings.

Rebellion gave off the impression of asymmetrical play – and the modern table-top game of the same name is well known for this style of gameplay. The Empire starts off in a stronger military position, and generally have access to better ships and hardware. The Rebels need to build up their power in secret – preferably in the Outer-Rim – and use agents and subterfuge to keep the Empire on the back foot until they are strong enough. But eventually, the two sides will meet in the middle, as they both wind up doing the exact same thing.

The Empire will end up employing more soft tactics like subterfuge and diplomacy, in order to avoid expensive occupations, while even the Rebellion will shift into fighting a war of out-right conquest.

Fighting the Good Fight

So, the war. There were two key dimensions – the hearts and minds of the planets you were fighting over, and then the actual nitty gritty ground & space wars.

Ground combat was abstracted away to a number-crunching resolution that you’ll have seen in Paradox Grand-Strategy games. You take the troops you’re attacking with, put them against the defending troops, add in any other influencing factors, like General stats, defences, etc, and then the game will tell you how things went. Taking over a planet by force will cause the planet itself to hate you, which will also have a knock-on effect with planets in the rest of the sector.

Space battles could work the same way, but the team put some effort into making a 3D combat engine where you could fight them out in real-time. I mean yeah, looking at it now… they’re kind of horrific. I thought it was revolutionary back in the day, but then I was fairly ignorant as to when exactly the game released and what the standards were at the time. It’d certainly been the first time I’d seen a 3D battle engine showing space combat.

Nevertheless, it was a rudimentary entry into three dimensional tactics. Ships gave out differing amounts of firepower depending on which side was facing the enemy. Ships had stats ranging from shields and hull, to engines and the hyperdrive. You could give flanking move orders that took into account up, down left and right. Fighters squadrons buzzed around you, although you could only give orders to an entire type of fighter.

If you can get past the very ugly graphics (which aren’t helped by the game’s poor scaling on modern monitors), these engagements could be quite fun. It’s hardly Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, or the more cerebral Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, but it works.

In terms of 'hearts and minds', you can maintain control of a planet that hates you provided you have enough troops. The game will tell you the minimum amount you need. Fall below this number and the planet falls into unrest, which stops you being able to use any of its infrastructure. You can use agents to spark unrest on planets, although realistically this is very hard to achieve. Neutral planets can be won over to your side via diplomacy, and you can also use diplomat agents to both subdue uprisings and win them over to your side fully, which lessens the need for a military garrison.

Maximum Nostalgia

Coming back to it after all these years, it’s funny how quickly it all falls back into place. The benefit of a career professional reviewing strategy games has also instilled some innate sense of skill, in the sense that things I used to struggle with in the game seem to make sense now. I’m genuinely worried that I’ll get to a point where I’ll optimise this game past the point of credibility, but hey, it was fun while it lasted.

I personally look back on Rebellion as one of the best Star War strategy games in existence. There was nothing like this game at the time, and few since, although Petroglyph’s spiritual successor in Empire at War runs a close second. It’s easy to see why this game may have not done well – it certainly wasn’t well received by the press of the day. Graphically, it wasn’t keeping pace with the 3D revolution that was sweeping the industry at the time, and if we’re being honest the UI could do some serious quality of life improvements.

I mainly went back and played Rebellion for this article because I could – being unavailable for many years (and I lost my own copy), it’s now appeared on both GOG.com as well as Steam. You should also listen to this excellent episode of the 3MA Podcast where Rob, Rich & Nick reminisce about this highly unique game. Warts and all, this occupies a pretty special place in my heart and within the pantheon of Star Wars titles; there are worst ways to spend an evening than waging total war in a galaxy far, far away…

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Star Wars: Squadrons, the new flight simulator game from EA, is turning a lot of heads. With its VR interface, it puts you in control of one of eight different ships from the Star Wars universe. In order to know how these ships perform, each has been classified into one of four classes: fighter, interceptor, bomber, and support.

Want to know more about them? We’ve broken down the history, origins, and capabilities for each of them.

Which will be your favorite to fly? Only time will tell.

The New Republic

X-Wing (Fighter Class): The X-Wing might be the most recognizable ship in the Republic fleet. Known by their unique crossed-X S-foil configuration, these ships were integral to the destruction of both Death Stars. Manufactured by Incom and Subpro, X-Wings are the latest in an evolution of ships that began with the Z-95 Headhunter. The Z-95 was a nimble snub-nosed fighter that first went into use during the Clone Wars. By the end of the war, the Z-95 had evolved into the ARC-170 fighter that saw use at the Battle of Coruscant. As the Empire took control and TIE fighters became commonplace for their fleet, ARC-170s went out of service. The Alliance to Restore the Republic eventually contracted with Incom-FreiTek to put them to use against the Empire.

In order to ensure new recruits to the rebellion were familiar with the X-Wing, Alliance Intelligence leaked a training manual onto the holonet, written by Barion Raner, who served as Blue Four in Blue Squadron. With the manual out in the open, new pilots would arrive to the Rebellion ready to fly.

X-Wings were used prominently in engagements over Lothal, Scarif, Yavin, Endor, and Jakku. With built-in hyperdrives and shields, they were a force to be reckoned with in the hit and run attacks the Alliance to Restore the Republic often had to employ.

Star Wars Rebellion Ship Stats List

A-Wing (Interceptor Class): A-Wings have been a part of the rebel fleet since the days before there even was a fleet. Bail Organa used these fast, sleek fighters in early engagements against the Empire and they gained a reputation over the years. With their lightning speed, faster even than TIE Interceptors, A-Wings made excellent strike ships and reconnaissance vessels for the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

Kuat systems developed the easily identifiable arrowhead shape and pivoting laser cannons of the A-Wing early in the war and they evolved and advanced as the war went on. There were a few variations of course, and the trainer version boasted a two-seat cockpit. One thing remained the same through every iteration: their lightning speed and excellent maneuverability. This makes them hard targets for the forces of the Empire.

These nimble crafts served with distinction at a number of engagements including the evacuation of Raada, the key Battle of Atollon against Thrawn, and the Battle of Endor.

Y-Wing (Bomber Class): Y-Wings might be the oldest and most lumbering ships in the Alliance fleet, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable or important than any others, despite what you might hear.

These ships have a long history and were commissioned originally by the Galactic Republic for use during the Clone Wars. These heavy, shielded bomber ships were cumbersome and slow, but they packed a big punch with a massive payload. The Rebel Alliance got their hands on a number of them in the days before the Battle of Yavin that had been scheduled for demolition by the Empire. This new fleet transformed into Gold Squadron, who took part in the battles of Atollon and Scariff, though they were decimated in the battle to destroy the first Death Star.

Y-Wings were originally commissioned to be a combination starfighter and long-range bomber and that’s exactly what Koensayr Manufacturing delivered. Heavily shielded and heavily armed, they’re a vital part of any well-balanced starfighter compliment.

U-Wing (Support Class): One of the last ships that Incom developed and manufactured before being nationalized by the Galactic Empire. Senator Bail Organa was able to play a shell game with Senate records to make sure lost shipments of U-Wings made their way to the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

These ships were developed to be incredibly versatile, serving as both starfighter and troop transport, depending on the configuration. Their S-foil wings fold back or forth depending on the atmospheric conditions they’re dealing with and they’re heavily armored. U-Wings took on many jobs for the Republic, ranging from cargo haulers to medical evacuations. They offered a wide-range of support on a variety of Alliance missions, but their most high-profile use might have been at the Battle of Scariff.

The Empire

TIE/In Fighter (Fighter Class): The screeching roar of a TIE Fighter’s twin ion engines are unmistakable and strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of the Empire. Commissioned at the behest of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Sienar Fleet Systems developed the striking craft.

Boasting no life-support system, no hyperdrive, and no shields, Imperial TIE Fighter pilots knew they had to be the best in order to survive. But, because of their stripped-down profile, they are, perhaps, one of the most maneuverable starfighters ever designed, even if they are expendable.

The original TIE/In starfighter served as the prototype for all future Imperial starfighters and gave birth to numerous iterations.

TIE Interceptor (Interceptor Class): As the rebels incorporated faster starships into their fighter fleet, the Empire knew they needed to create a better TIE Fighter. The first prototype for the TIE Interceptor was Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced Fighter, but Sienar Fleet Systems knew they couldn’t mass produce that ship effectively. They went back to the drawing board, lengthened the solar wings to offer a power boost, and installed a life support system. Because of the dagger-like design of the wings, pilots are able to have a better field of vision and allowed them to respond better to enemy fighters. When the Empire decided to crew these ships with their most elite fighters, they became an even more lethal tool in the Empire’s fight to maintain order in the galaxy.

By the time the Empire took one of their last stands at the Battle of Endor, TIE Interceptors made up a full fifth of their starfighter fleet, making them a deadly force to be reckoned with in any battle.

TIE/sa Bomber (Bomber Class): The TIE Surface Assault Bomber is a powerful ship in the Empire’s complement of TIES. They were used by the Empire to soften up targets, whether they were on the ground or in space. TIE Bombers could be flown in-atmosphere to bomb rebel cells hiding in their caves or be deployed by Star Destroyer captains to soften up the hulls of enemy capital ships. During one engagement after the Battle of Hoth, TIE Bombers were utilized to try to flush out the Millennium Falcon from its hiding place in a belt of asteroids. Bombers also took part in the bombings of Operation: Cinder and other notable conflicts.

Lacking shields and the maneuverability of other TIEs made them tantalizing targets for rebel fighter pilots.

TIE/rp Reaper (Support Class): The TIE/rp Reaper attack lander was the variant in the TIE line designed to ferry troops into battle. They were similar to the TIE Striker models, with the solar wings on the top of the ship, rather than the sides like most TIE Fighters. The flight deck accommodated three pilots and the cargo area was spacious enough to drop elite troops right into the thick of things.

TIE Reapers saw most of their action in atmospheric conditions but saw their fair share of space combat as well. Unlike most other ships in the TIE line, TIE Reapers were equipped with shields and hyperdrives. Losing one pilot in an unshielded fighter made sense to the Empire, losing an entire squad of troopers didn’t. And being able to insert small strike teams without the fanfare of a capital ship made great tactical sense for them to be lightspeed capable. No matter how you cut it, they’re deadly additions to the Imperial fighter arsenal.

Star Wars Rebellion Ship Stats 2019

Star Wars: Squadrons is available October 2, 2020.