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DESTROY THE DEATH STAR



                                                                                        07    The Death Star
                                                                                          trench as played in
                                                                                          X-wing (1993).
                                                                                        08    LucasArts’ space
                                                                                          combat simulator
                                                                                          X-wing spawned
                                                                                          many imitators.
                                                                                        09    TIE Fighter was
                                                                                          the sequel to the
                                                                                          orginal X-wing
                                                                                          game.
                                                                                        10   Rebel Assault was
                                                                                          released in the
                                                                                          same year as
                                                                                          X-wing, and strayed
                                                                                          somewhat from
                                                                                          movie continuity.








                                                                                       07


        “Now let’s blow this               08                   09                   10
        thing and go home!”


          In LucasArts’ Star Wars Rebel Assault,
        released in 1993, players took on the
        role of “Rookie One,” another hotshot
        pilot from Tatooine facing down the
        Empire in place of Luke Skywalker. The
        somewhat muddled premise of the game
        had players helping evacuate Rebel
        Alliance forces from their base on Hoth   Death Star. The game spawned several   Star attacks, with the player able to issue
        before the Death Star could obliterate   sequels before X-Wing: Alliance fi nally   commands to other squadron members
        the planet. Rookie One then joined Blue   concluded the original trilogy storyline   and engage the targeting computer to
        Squadron in an attack on the Death Star   in 1998, with a tunnel run mission to   help highlight enemy turrets. Rogue
        as it approached their new base on Yavin   destroy the second Death Star.  Squadron III: Rebel Strike added a two-
        4! It was a somewhat unorthodox take   In 1993, Sega and LucasArts   player, cooperative Death Star mission,
        on the events of the saga.        combined forces to bring the saga back   and included an emulated version of
           Where Rebel Assault may have   into arcades, with the suitably entitled   Atari’s original Star Wars arcade game
        taken a few liberties with the Star Wars  Star Wars Arcade. Using the same 3D   as a bonus unlockable feature.
        timeline, 1993’s PC game X-wing aimed   rendering technology as Sega’s Virtua   X-wing fighters even went mobile in

        to be the ultimate starfi ghter fl ight   Racing and Virtua Fighter games, Star   Trench Run, published by THQ Wireless
        simulation game. George Lucas had   Wars Arcade had a mix of battle scenarios   in 2009, in an intuitive game for the
        based his starfi ghter dogfi ght scenes   from the original trilogy, including   iPhone and iPod Touch controlled by
        on actual World War II aerial combat   separate attacks on both Death Stars.  tilting the screen to steer your starfi ghter
        footage, so there was nobody better to   Meanwhile, couch pilots had their   through the trench.
        capture that same feeling in a computer   chance to take on the Empire thanks   In 2016, a Death Star DLC expansion
        game than Larry Holland, who had   to Nintendo, developer Factor 5, and   for Star Wars Battlefront added new
        already created several hit World War   LucasArts. Rogue Squadron for the N64   maps and a “Battle Station” mode to
        II flight simulator games including   featured “The Death Star Trench Run” as   the multiplayer console and PC game,

        Battlehawks 1942 and Secret Weapons   an unlockable level, adding numerous   becoming the most recent way for
        of the Luftwaffe. X-wing was a huge   90 degree turns to the famously   players to undertake the Death Star
        success, telling the story of rebel pilots   straight trench. The 2001 sequel,   trench run—or to stop the rebel scum
        prior to the events of A New Hope  Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader for   in their tracks, if you happened to be
        and up to the attack on the original   GameCube, began and ended with Death   playing as an Imperial.




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