## # ####### ###### ## # # # # # # # # # ## # # # # # #### # # # # # ######## # # # ######## # ## # # ###### # ## # # # # # ## ## ## ######### ####### ####### ######### ## ## ######### ######## ######### ######### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ##### ## ## ## ###### ## #### ## ##### ## ## ## #### ###### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #### #### ######### ######## ######### ######### ## ## ######### ####### ####### ######### ########## ####### ########### ########## ######### ############# ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ####### ############# ### ### ####### ############# ### ### ### ### ### ### #### ### ### ### ############# ### ### ### ############# #### ############################ ########################## alt.fan.wedge FAQ v1.3 ########################## ############################ The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) all about Wedge Antilles, unsung hero of the Rebellion. It isn't a FAQ in the truest sense...its not in question/answer format, but it still gives the answers to Freqently Asked Questions. Do you have a question about Wedge that you'd like answered? Wedge info not included here? Monetary Donations? Email the current editor, Matt Hilliard, at: hilliard@ix.netcom.com -------------------- Table of Contents: So much was changed in this version in the way of format and other corrections that I have discarded the + and * system for this version. Instead, refer to this version's entry in the FAQ History, as most of the changes have been recorded there. Part 1 - Introduction A: FAQ History B: Acknowledgments C: Common Star Wars Abbreviations Part 2 - Wedge Sightings: His appearances in the films and the books A: THE MOVIES i) Star Wars: ANH ii) Star Wars: TESB iii) Star Wars: ROTJ iv) Differences between Movies & Novels v) Wedge in future movies B: THE BOOKS i) The Truce at Bakura ii) The Zahn Trilogy iii) Dark Empire (1-6) iv) Dark Empire II (1-6) v) The Jedi Academy Trilogy vi) The Corellian Trilogy C: WEDGE ON THE TELEVISION D: WEDGE ON THE RADIO i) Star Wars: A New Hope Radio Drama ii) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama E: WEDGE ON THE COMPUTER F: STAR WARS: THE RPG G: WEDGE MERCHANDISE i) Pictures ii) Sounds iii) Trading Cards iv) World Wide Web Part 3 - The "Captain Antilles" Controversy Part 4 - Denis Lawson: The Man, The Myth, The Legend A: MOVIES B: BRITISH TELEVISION C: BRITISH THEATRE D: LAWSON OVER THE AIRWAVES E: LAWSON INTERVIEW F: LAWSON ENCOUNTERS i) Mike Weintraub ii) GM G: CONTACTING DENIS LAWSON Part 5 - The Wedge Timeline Part 6 - Rogue Squadron A: The History of Rogue Squadron B: Known members i) Renegade Flight ii) Hoth iii) Cilpar iv) Bilbringi C: Credits/Summaries of the comics (**SPOILERS**) i) Rogue Squadron #1 ii) Rogue Squadron #2 iii) Rogue Squadron #3 iv) Rogue Squadron #4 Part 7 - Miscellaneous A: WEDGE BOOKS B: WEDGE FANFIC C: THE MYSTERY OF WEDGE'S ACCENT -------------------- Part 1 - Introduction This is version 1.3 of the alt.fan.wedge FAQ, by Matt Hilliard [hilliard@ix.netcom.com]. The FAQ has been given an overhaul. Format is now constant, and organization has been improved. Unproven or ridiculous information deleted, while established information has been added. The largest addition is that of Part 6, which is about Rogue Squadron. Although this is not strictly about Wedge, the editor feels that Wedge and RS go hand in hand (after all, he has commanded it for what, 6 years at least?). A: FAQ HISTORY [0.0] Dec 93 (?) The start of it all. Shortly after the newsgroup was created, a list of potential FAQs was posted to the group, with a request for answers to them. From the follow-up posts and email replies came... [0.3] Jan 94 First real version of the FAQ. Very sketchy, but nevertheless a semi- formal FAQ, in question-answer format. A flood of new follow-ups and emails were the result of this. The version number has no particular significance other than being a number less than 1.0. [0.7] around Feb-Apr 94 Mostly vaporware. Never completed, as the self-appointed editor [Keith Lim] found himself overwhelmed with the volume of contributions at the same time that all kinds of other things in his life popped up and demanded his attention. Exists only as a slightly-improved 0.3, with all the unsorted and unedited contributions tacked on at the end. Posted once to the group on an as-is basis. [0.9] Apr 94 The uncompleted 0.7, plus everything else that trickled in after the first flood, edited, sorted, summarized. Completely new table of contents and indexing system. History of FAQ added. Because of much duplicate information received, contributors acknowledged only once at the beginning, and not for every piece of info in the FAQ (with some exceptions). Questions replaced by keywords/general topic descriptions. Still not very complete. [1.0] May 94 FAQ taken over by Kenneth Soper. More complete information on Wedge's lines added. More information on Wedge's role in the various post ANH-ROTJ Star Wars novels added. Other general reorganizations, mostly of existing information. [1.1] June 94 FAQ passed on to Mark Veaudry. Minor changes made to the TOC, Wedge "character" stuff consolidated in part 2, Lawson "actor" stuff in part 4. Wedge's lines from the movies were inserted in place of previous FAQ's lines from the novels. Some novel lines moved to part 2:A:iv. [1.2] May 95 FAQ moves again, this time to Matt Hilliard. Many things changed to account for the one year in which the FAQ has not been updated. Parts 5 and 6 are added. Part 2:A and B overhauled. [1.22] August 95 The FAQ is given another much needed update. Comics, Fanfic, and Timeline Sections added to. [1.3] November 95 Comic sections are updated, various formating and spelling errors corrected. "Lust" added to Part 4:C. Some of 4:G is moved to 7:C, while 4:H is moved back to occupy 4:G's spot. List of common Star Wars abbreviations added. Non comic sections of Part 6 moved to Part 7, while Part 6 is now devoted to Rogue Squadron. Subdivisions added to 2:D and G. 4:F changed from "LAWSON ENCOUNTER" to "LAWSON ENCOUNTERS" as another has been added. B: CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Becht [forwarded; no email address given] Jeremy T. Coffey JC3952A@auvm.american.edu Preston Crawford prestonc@lclark.edu Robert Cuyegkeng rcuyegke@jupiter.scs.Ryerson.CA Dogbert nedblake@parsifal.umkc.edu Rebecca Drayer drayer@minerva.cis.yale.edu Robert Fentiman rfentima@ub.d.umn.edu Gallandro dkemper@hacks.arizona.edu John Greenawalt ashen@access.digex.net The Harvester of Sorrow gloverr@ucsu.Colorado.EDU Heather Henderson hhenderson@vax.clarku.edu jfickus3rd tolly@access3.digex.net Karlis Kalnins kkalnins@malibu.sfu.ca Keith Lim keithlim@pobox.com Scott Livingston cubman@delphi.com Don Lowe [email address unknown] Craig Teruo Matsumoto wedge@shell.portal.com Iaine McCafferty imm2@leicester.ac.uk Doktor Mojo wookiee@vax1.mankato.msus.edu Miguel Padilla mpadilla@girtab.usc.edu GM SemiDiv@aol.com dgsmith dgsmith@cats.ucsc.edu Kenneth Soper [currently no email address] C. Mark Veaudry mveaudry@turing.acs.ryerson.ca Andy Walker awalker@aisun4.ai.uga.edu Jason Weiler weilej@vccsouth22.its.rpi.edu Mike Weintraub MWEINTR@auvm.american.edu If I missed anybody, please tell me! You'll be in release 1.3. C: COMMON ABBREVIATIONS With the recent expansion of available Star Wars materials, fans have been using more and more abbreviations. To keep newbies from being confused by this, here is a fairly comphrehensive list of abbreviations. Most of these aren't used in the FAQ, but might be found on alt.fan.wedge or other Star Wars groups. AAC/AC -- Star Wars: Ambush at Corellia (Corellian Trilogy) AAS/AS -- Star Wars: Assault at Selonia (Corellian Trilogy) afw -- alt.fan.wedge ANH -- Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope TCoPL/CPL -- Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia COTF/CF -- Star Wars: Champions of the Force (Jedi Academy Trilogy) COTJ/CJ -- Star Wars: Children of the Jedi CS -- Star Wars: The Crystal Star DA -- Star Wars: Dark Apprentice (Jedi Academy Trilogy) DE:# -- Star Wars: Dark Empire:DE2:# -- Star Wars: Dark Empire 2: DF -- Dark Forces DFR -- Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (Zahn Trilogy) DLOTS:# -- Star Wars: Dark Lords of the Sith: DS -- Star Wars: Darksaber, or more commonly the Death Star ESB -- Star Wars: Episode V -- Empire Strikes Back FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions GL -- George Lucas HTTE/HE -- Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (Zahn Trilogy) JA -- Jedi Academy Trilogy JS -- Star Wars: Jedi Search (Jedi Academy Trilogy) LA -- LucasArts LC -- Star Wars: The Last Command (Zahn Trilogy) NPR -- National Public Radio rass -- rec.arts.sf.starwars (doesn't exist anymore) rassc -- rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting rassg -- rec.arts.sf.starwars.games rassi -- rec.arts.sf.starwars.info (moderated) rassm -- rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc (replaces rass) ROTJ/ROJ -- Star Wars: Episode VI -- Return of the Jedi RPG -- Star Wars: The Role Playing Game (when in SW context) RS:# -- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron: SAC/SC -- Star Wars: Showdown at Centerpoint (Corellian Trilogy) TaB -- Star Wars: Truce at Bakura TftMEC/TMEC -- Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina TOTJ/TJ:# -- Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: YJK -- Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights -------------------- PART 2 - Wedge Sightings A: THE MOVIES {There is controversy surrounding some of The Great One's lines in ANH and ESB. Therefore, any line which might be The Great One's, but might not be, is included in [brackets.] References to the novels are taken from the new Del Rey reissue of the trilogy. The dialogue from the movies are taken from the special collector's widescreen edition boxed set.} In the movies, Wedge is portrayed by Denis Lawson. More on him later. Item i - Star Wars: A New Hope Red Leader: All wings report in. {assorted reporting in} Wedge: Red two, standing by. and then... Wedge: Look at the SIZE of that thing! Red Leader: Cut the chatter, Red Two! And, in the dogfight which follows... Biggs: Pull in, Luke. Pull in. Wedge: Watch your back, Luke. Watch your back! Biggs: Fighter above you. Comming in. Farm Boy: I can't shake him! Wedge: I'm on him Luke, hold on. Farm Boy: Blast it, Biggs! Where are you? {Front view of X-Wing firing. Tie fighter go boom} Farm Boy: WHEW! Thanks Wedge! (The novel's dialogue is quite different from the movie's. See item iv, below.) Other lines from the dogfight and trench run. Red Leader: Red boys, this is Red Leader. Rendezvous at mark six point one. Wedge: This is red two, flying point. Biggs: This is red three, standing by. Farm Boy: Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in full throttle, that should keep the fighters off our back. Wedge: Right with you, boss. Biggs: Luke, at that speed are we going to be able to pull out in time? Farm Boy: It'll be just like Beggars Canyon back home. Biggs: We'll stay back far enough to cover you. Wedge: My scope shows the tower, but can't see the exhaust port. Are you sure the computer can hit it? Farm Boy: Watch yourselves. Increase speed full throttle. Wedge: What about that tower? Farm Boy: You worry about those fighters. I'll worry about that tower! later... Wedge: Fighters coming in, point three. and finally... Wedge: I'm hit! I can't stay with you. Farm Boy: Get clear Wedge, you can't do any more good back there. Wedge: Sorry. Item ii - STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back Wedge appears in one scene, the Hoth Speeder Battle. It has been mentioned that there are people who think the Speeder pilot who found Han and Luke after their night on Hoth's surface was Wedge. In fact it was Rogue 2, a pilot named Zev. Wedge's true dialogue is as follows: Farm Boy: Rogue Three? Wedge: Copy, Rogue Leader. Farm Boy: Wedge, i've lost my gunner. You're going to have to take the shot. I'll cover for you. Set your harpoon, follow me on the next pass. Wedge: Coming around, Rogue Leader. Wedge: Activate harpoon! {thunk} Wedge: Good shot, Jansen! {circling around legs} Wedge: One more pass... Jansen: Cable out...let her go! Wedge: Detach cable! Jansen: Cable detached! {Crash. Wedge circles and hits the exposed neck joint. Boom.} Wedge: Whoa! That got him! And finally, when the battle is over and the Speeder pilots are changing to their X-Wings... Wedge: Good luck, Luke! See you at the rendezvous. Item iii - Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Our first view of Wedge is during the Mission briefing. He doesn't have any lines. Approaching the Second Death Star... Admiral Ackbar: All wings report in. Wedge: Red leader standing by. {other random reportings in} Wedge: Lock S-Foils in attack positions. Lando: Break off the attack! The shield is still up! Wedge: I get no reading, are you sure? Lando: Pull up! All craft pull up! Lando: Accellerate to attack speed. Draw their fire away from the cruisers. Wedge: Copy, gold leader. Lando: Watch yourself, Wedge. Three from above. Wedge: Red three, red two, pull in. Red 2 or 3: Got it. Three of them coming in from 20 degrees! Wedge: Cut to the left, I'll take the leader. {space battle footage} Wedge: They're heading for the medical frigate. {more space battle footage} Much later on... Wedge: Good shot, red two! And then, after the shield goes down... Wedge: I'm going in. {Wedge is the first one in. Exterior shot of X-wings and the Falcon in the Death Star} Wedge: Form up and stay alert. We could run out of space real fast. Upon finding the central reactor... Wedge: There it is. Lando: Alright, Wedge, go for the Power Regulator on the north tower. Wedge: Copy, gold leader, I'm already on my way out. We then see Wedge clear the Death Star. Our final look is when he shows up at the Ewok celebration. Item iv - Differences between the movies and the novels In the novel version of Star Wars (A New Hope), Red Squadron is Blue Squadron, and Gold Squadron is Red Squadron. Therefore, Wedge is Blue Two instead of Red Two. Wedge as a character is not developed much more than in the movies. He is identified as a Corellian (same as Han Solo). In general, he does have a few more lines when he appears, but he doesn't appear any more often. There are, however, some major differences between the dialogue in the novels, and the dialogue in the movies. Here, below, is the novel's version of the space battle in ANH. (for comparison to the movie's version, check item i, above.) Biggs: Watch your back, Luke. Farm Boy: I can't see him! Where is he? Wedge: I'm on him Luke. hold on. Far Boy: Dammit, Biggs! Where are you? {Front view of X-Wing firing. Tie Fighter go boom} Farm Boy: WHEW! Thanks Wedge! In the above example, Biggs has lost both his lines from the movie, but takes one of Wedge's, and two out of three of the weenie's lines are different than the dialogue from the movie. This is just a small example, but it is a good indication of the amount of difference that exists between the print and film media versions. Item v - Wedge in future movies Based on current information, it seems that Wedge (the character) is not very likely to appear in future movies in the Star Wars universe (though there may be roles that the actor Denis Lawson might be suitable for.) The new movies will be Episodes 1-3, and will be prequels set back during or immediately after the Clone Wars. For more information, get the rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc FAQ. B: THE BOOKS For more detailed information about Wedge's exploits, see Part 5. Item i - Truce at Bakura (Kathy Tyers) Time: It begins a day after Return of the Jedi Wedge is in his usual supporting role. At the beginning of the book he heroically risks his life to keep information valuable to the Alliance intact. Unfortunately, he needs rescuing by the Farm Boy, so he only owes Wedge his life about 36 times over now. During the rest of the novel, Wedge commands all of the Rebel Fighters in their forays against both the Ssi-ruuk and the Empire. Item ii - The Zahn Trilogy (Timothy Zahn) Time: Five years after Return of the Jedi Wedge plays a large role during the three books. He commands Rogue Squadron. Wedge and his fellow pilots in Rogue Squadron are almost the only reason for the New Republic victory at the shipyards at Bilbringi. Wedge has too many lines for them to be quoted here. Item iii - Dark Empire, Issues 1-6 (Tom Veitch) Time: Six years after Return of the Jedi Wedge assists Lando in commanding the Star Destroyer Emancipator. He has accepted the promotion to General and doesn't fly starfighters anymore. Griggs: General Calrissian, we've intercepted a new hyperspace communications channel...beamed between Calamari's orbit and the Galactic Core. They're transmitting images of the destruction on Calamari... Wedge: Look at the size of those war machines, Lando! Lando: They're doing us a real favor by beaming those images, Wedge...Griggs! Recalculate our exit from hyperspace at two degrees from their point of transmission. Wedge: Are you crazy? If we leave hyperspace at those coordinates we'll smash into whatever's sending this signal! Lando: That's the idea, Wedge! {some battle scenes go by; Lando lines} Griggs: Imperial Devestator on ascent trajectory, sir. Lando: I've got a bad feeling about this... Wedge: Me too, boss. Gunners--target all weapon systems on approaching devastator--fire all forward torpedoes! Unnamed Rebel: I'm trying, sir! Our forward firing systems won't respond! Wedge: It's no use, Lando--the Emancipator is going to be nothing but scrap! Lando: That's two Star Destroyers we've lost! Man the escape pods! Things haven't been this bad since Vader was alive! {some more stuff cut; Lando and Wedge are brought about the Frigate Antares Six} Wedge: This is excellent! Those new E-wings have found the Devestators' weak spot! Lando: Not the way I saw it, Wedge...that Devastator self- destructed! Whoever's in charge of those monsters is an idiot! You'd almost think he wants to lose! Item iv - Dark Empire II, Issues 1-6 (Tom Veitch) Time: Six years after Return of the Jedi (?) Wedge wants to intercept a shipment of X-1 Viper Automadons headed for Byss, put troops in them, then sneak into Byss. Farm Boy is against the idea, but everyone else likes it. The plan fails, but the troops get out okay. If anyone can give me the exact quotes I'd appreciate it. Item v - The Jedi Academy Trilogy (Kevin Anderson) Time: Seven years after Return of the Jedi A lot of Wedge. Most interesting is that he isn't Force sensitive (probably why he isn't a weenie like Farm Boy), and that he now has a love interest in the form of the alien scientist, Qwi Xux. Item vi - The Corellian Trilogy (Roger MacBride Allen) Time: Forteeen Years after Return of the Jedi Wedge is flying an Enhanced X-wing and runabouts (Allen's word, not mine) in the evacuation of Thanta Zilbra. B: WEDGE ON THE TELEVISION On MuchMusic, Canada's answer to MTV, there is a video show entitled "Wedge." There is no known connection between the show's title and Wedge, the greatest fighter pilot in the alliance. (Although I wouldn't be surprised if there was a link between the two.) Does anyone have more information? C: WEDGE ON THE RADIO Wedge was portrayed on the NPR radio darmas by Mesach Taylor (Designing Women). Brian Daley wrote the dramas. Item i - Star Wars: A New Hope Radio Drama In the ANH drama, nothing new. The most notable occurance is that Wedge was beginning to lose control in the trench, justifying him leaving. Item ii - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Radio Drama In the ESB drama, Wedge has a much bigger part. He is used to narrate Farm Boy's crash and following since it was radio. Wedge tells the control center about Farm Boy destroying the AT-AT with a bomb (a trick taught to him, no doubt, by Wedge) and other adventures. Then he and Farm Boy escort the last transport in their X-wings. Wedge disables a Star Destroyer on the way out, with no help from Farm Boy (further illustrating Wedge's piloting skill). Basically, Farm Boy told Wedge that they should damage the Destroyer to keep it from getting the transport, and then sat there while Wedge did all the work. NOTE: To date, no drama has been made of Return of the Jedi. D: WEDGE ON THE COMPUTER In X-wing, a game available for both IBMs (and compatibles) and Macs, Wedge makes an appearance, sort of. In one mission, the goal is to destroy an Imperial base being used as the testing ground for the Empire's new/upgraded TIE fighters. During the briefing session, it is revealed that the location of the base was discovered by none other than Wedge. F: STAR WARS: THE RPG Wedge does appear as a player character in Star Wars: The Role Playing Game. As preposterous as it sounds, Luke and Han are given higher skills in piloting and gunnery than Wedge is. G: WEDGE MERCHANDISE Item i - Pictures Photos of Lawson as Wedge are in the Starlog issue where he was interviewed. (Starlog #93, April 1985, see "Lawson Interview" (part 4:sec. E) below.) A beautiful jpg of Wedge's X-wing flying in between a Frigate and Star Destroyer is located at: http://weber.u.washington.edu/milhous/gif/battle03.jpg Item ii - Sounds A .wav file of The Great One saying "I'm going in!" is available at: http://force.stwing.upenn.edu:8001/~jruspini/multi/sounds/goingin.wav Item iii - Trading Cards Wedge does have his own ROTJ trading card, #127 of the O-pee-chee set (Canadian release.) The card is called "Congratulating Wedge", and has a picture of the Great One shaking Han Solo's hand at the victory party on the forest moon, after the defeat of the Empire. The back of the card reads: "HAN SOLO takes time to congratulate WEDGE, a courageous REBEL pilot, during the victory celebration on the Moon of ENDOR. This is truly a glorious day for the forces of freedom." Item iv - The World Wide Web There is a WWW site devoted to the Great One: http://vax1.mankato.msus.edu/~wookiee/wdg.html An HTMLized version of the FAQ (version 1.3) will be put up at: http://www.pobox.com/~keithlim/wedge/ -------------------- PART 3 - The Captain Antilles Controversy In A New Hope, C3PO mentions being in the ownership of Captain Antilles. The radio series clearly identifies the captain of the ship Leia was on (at the beginning of ANH) as being Captain Antilles. This would very likely make him the owner of the droids, tying in with C3PO's comment. (The character has a larger role in the radio series than in the movie.) However, it is never made clear, at any time, what exactly is the relationship, if any, between Captain Antilles and Wedge. The corvette (Captain Antilles's ship) Leia was on is identified in the novel as being of Corellian origin, as is Wedge. The similarity of both last name and origin suggest some relationship, but this is never clearly established. Of course, it was supposed to be a counselor ship of an Alderaanian (Leia). The question remains open. Opinions differ. One common opinion is that Captain Antilles is Wedge's father; another possibility is that Captain Antilles was an older brother or cousin of Wedge. On the other hand, "Antilles" could be a very common name in the Corellian system, and two people having the same name could be a coincidence of no great significance. Another idea is that the best way for Wedge to enter the Rebellion would be if his father went with him. Since it is fairly certain that Captain Antilles is a Rebel, this is plausible. West End Games, makers of the Star Wars Role Playing Game (which is not really canon) says that Wedge's parents were killed when he was young (if anyone has an exact quote, I'd like to put it in). Another common explanation is that George Lucas liked the name Antilles and simply forgot he had already used it when naming either Captain Antilles or Wedge Antilles, which explains why Alan Dean Foster, who ghostwrote the novelization of ANH, changed Captain Antilles to Captain Colton. In any case, until more information is released, any explanation would be just speculation, and non-canon. -------------------- PART 4 - Denis Lawson: The Man, The Myth, The Legend Wedge is played by the Scottish actor Denis (not Dennis) Lawson. Most of the information in this section is from Heather Henderson and GM. Summaries are given when available, as are dates. A: MOVIES Local Hero (1983? 84?) (starring role, w/ Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster) The Zip (1987) (starring role) Providence (small role) Claude in "The Man in the Iron Mask" - Lawson has a minor role as a young tailor's assistant in the King of France's court (or something like this). He helps Richard Chamberlin, Sir Ralph Richardson and Louis Jourdan overthrow the the man who imprisoned Chamberlin (rightful heir to the throne) in the notorious iron mask. Look for him in the latter part of the film nervously b.s.-ing Patrick McGoohan. The Chain (small role) Local Hero is recommended by more than one person. Excerpt of a review by Craig Teruo Matsumoto: "...it can probably be thought of as a Northern Exposure in Scotland." The Zip is a short film, about 20 minutes. A short review by Cynthia Becht: "It's about a man who wakes up one day to find he has a zipper on his body from belly to chest. Very weird, funny and quite moving -- and no one ever speaks a word amongst a handful of actors." B: BRITISH TELEVISION Lancelot Gobbo in "Merchant of Venice" - The role of Lancelot, servant and comic commentator to Shylock, the money lender, played by Lord Laurence Olivier. Available on video in the States, but he's not in it very much. The Kit Curran Radio Show The Girl Who Walked Quickly Eddie Cass in "Dead Head" - A mini-series. Eddie is a small time hood who is framed by the British for a decapitation murder done by one of their own officials. Notorious in Britain for rampant nudity during somewhat graphic sex scenes (viewers get a good look at most of Wedge and the women he beds). James Towne in "Natural Lies" - A diatribe against the meat packing industry (it will put you off hamburger, that's for sure). Lawson plays the slick, flippant murderer who gets chucked off a balcony and lands on a buffet. Dominic Rossi in "The Justice Game" - Rossi is a streetsmart lawyer in Glasgow who uncovers a conspiracy to manipulate and control the commercial interests of the city. Interesting fight sequence between the diminutive Lawson and a humongous hit man. "Lover After Lunch" - Lawson plays opposite "his lady," as he refers to her, Sheila Gish. He is a shy man who works in a bookshop and has a fling with a beautiful sophisticate...something like that. Sheila Gish was the secretary and confidante to McCleod in the first "Highlander" movie. That Uncertain Feeling Bergerac (one episode--Lawson plays a hired killer) Born Kicking (Lawson plays a bearded (!) soccer coach who discovers a young female soccer whiz) "Flip Side of Dominic Hide" - A BBC movie, reportedly science fiction. Supposedly it has not only Denis "Wedge" Lawson, but Jeremy "Boba Fett" Bulloch and the guy who played "Bib Fortuna." This would be an interesting one to see. C: BRITISH THEATRE Mosca in "Volpone" at the Almeida Theatre--This is a production from a couple years ago. He played Mosca, the slimy, parasite who is the servant/assistant to Volpone, a rich man who pretends to be dying so his friends, enemies and family will kiss up to him. Volpone was played by Ian McDiarmid, who played the Emperor in Jedi. (The "Almeida" is a fringe theatre in London owned and run by McDiarmid.) John in "Oleanna" - A 1994 production directed by Harold Pinter. Mamet's play about a professor who is charged with sexual harrassment by a female student. Lenny Bruce (bit parts) Pal Joey in "Pal Joey" - The classic American musical. Joey is a nightclub singer who woos a rich woman in the hopes of opening his own nightclub. He won a Drama Award for "Most Promising Actor." The cast album is available on CD, but it's expensive as an import. I've heard that a CD of highlights is available (it was spotted in New York) for $8.00 or something. Jim Lancaster in "Mr. Cinders" - A veddy British musical. It's a male Cinderella story about a humble young man who mingles with sophisticates in 1920s England. This cast album is also available in England on CD. It co-starred Steven Pacey, who was Tarrant in Blake's Seven. Lawson won an Olivier Award for this one. This is the equivalent of a Tony. Max in "Lend Me a Tenor" - A rousing comedy farce often performed in regional theatre. He originated the role of Max (it premiered in London before Broadway), a gofer at a Cleveland opera company in the 1920s who runs into trouble trying to keep a visiting Italian star tenor from drinking, wenching and dying before the gala premiere. The Lucky Chance (???) Horner in "Lust" - 1993, London; 1995 Philadelphia and New York City D: LAWSON OVER THE AIRWAVES Lawson narrated the audio version of "Heir to the Empire", one of Zahn's novels. Anthony Daniels (C3PO) narrated the other two. E: WEDGE INTERVIEW Starlog #93 (April 1985) Lawson talks about his experiences filming the Star Wars movies. Photos accompanying the article include: Lawson as Wedge Head shot with helmet on Lawson shaking hands with Harrison Ford (Han Solo) F: WEDGE ENCOUNTERS Item i - Mike Weintraub Mike Weintraub (MWEINTR@auvm.american.edu) posted the following in alt.fan.wedge: "My ex-roommate from last year is currently in London for the semester. And, somewhere on his search for the internship he's supposed to get in London, he met Mr. Denis "Wedge" Lawson. He hasn't told me all the details yet, but he said that Mr. Lawson did not quite enjoy making the Greatest Movies of All Time, and that he did it only for the money." Item ii - G.M. GM (SemiDiv@aol.com) mailed the following to the editor: "...when I met Lawson in NYC last month he mentioned this question [did he play Wedge in all three movies]. We were discussing the fact that someone had declared him dead on the Internet. He replied something to the effect that someone who used the Internet had written to him asking if he was the same person in all three films because of the differences in spelling of "Denis." He'd written back that surely the writer could find more productive things to do with the technology of the Internet than this. Lawson's conclusion went something like: "I think it might have made him angry. Perhaps he was the one who put out the rumor that I had died." G: CONTACTING DENIS LAWSON The Starlog article (Starlog #93, April 1985, see "Lawson Interview" above) reported that Lawson got a lot of mail and tried to reply personally to every person. No address for contacting Lawson was given. -------------------- PART 5 - The Wedge Timeline ************************************************************************ Before serving in the Rebellion.... --Unknown-- ************************************************************************ During service in the Rebellion.... [Age: 16] - Joined the Rebel Alliance [Age: 17] - Fought in the Battle of Yavin; callsign: Red 2 [Age: 20] - Fought in the Battle of Hoth; callsign: Rogue 3 - Accepted promotion to Wing Commander [Age: 21] - Fought in the Battle of Endor; commanded Red Wing - Was responsible for capturing an Imperial Probe Droid - Fought in the Ssi-ruuk campaign near Bakura; commanded by Luke Skywalker ************************************************************************ During service in the New Republic... [Age: 23] - Fought in the Cilpar Campaign, commanded Rogue Squadron [Age: 24] - Declined promotion to General [Age: 25] - Declined promotion to General [Age: 26] - Aided resigned Han Solo on a contact mission - Escorted Han Solo and Princess Leia; commanded Rogue Squadron - Escorted the Escort Frigate Larkess to Sluis Van; commanded Rogue Squadron - Fought in the Battle of Sluis Van; commanded Rogue Squadron - Assisted Luke Skywalker at the Sluis Van shipyards - Assisted Han Solo on Abregado-rae Spaceport - Escorted a scouting mission led by Han Solo and Luke Skywalker - Fought in the Katana Fleet Battle; commanded Rouge Squadron, commanded by Bel Iblis - Fought in a battle with Imperial forces near Qat Chrystac; commanded Rogue Squadron, commanded by Bel Iblis - Planted information to Imperial spies on Mumbri Storve - Fought in the Battle of Bilbringi; commanded Rogue Squadron, commanded by Admiral Ackbar [Age: 27] - Accepted promotion to General - Commanded the Star Destroyer Emancipator with Lando Calrissian. - Led with Lando Calrissian a failed attack on Byss in X-1 Viper Automadons [Age: 28] - Coordinated one of several groups repairing damage in and around Coruscant - Coordinated the relocation of the Noghri - Coordinated a resupply mission to Yavin 4 - Escorted Qwi Xux to Ithor - Commanded the Maw Installation strike force [Age: 35] - Commanded Rogue Squadron and assisted with the evacuation of Thanta Zilbra ************************************************************************ -------------------- PART 6 - Rogue Squadron This section is about Rogue Squadron, the elite pilots of the Rebel Alliance and later the New Republic. Why? Because they're cool. Why are they cool? Because for the majority of their existence, Wedge has been the commander. Rogue Squadron is also the title of a comic series. That's right! Wedge has his own comic series from Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse has done several other Star Wars comic books in the past, Dark Empire and its sequels most notebly. The comic is a continuing series of miniseries. In other words, each comic is part of a miniseries. For instance, RS #1-4 are "The Rebel Opposition". Then #5 will start a new series. The comics will feature a rotating group of authors. A: THE HISTORY OF ROGUE SQUADRON This was taken from a wide variety of sources, some of them more dependable than others. Rogue Squadron was originally part of Renegade Flight, the starfighter group assigned to the Alliance forces at Hoth. Most of Renegade Flight was destroyed in an Imperial ambush while escorting a vital supply convoy to the icy planet. All that was left were the Rogue Squadron pilots at Hoth. Luke Skywalker replaced the deceased Narra as Wing Commander. However, he did not hold this job very long before the Imperials located the Hoth base. In the Battle of Hoth, the squadron fought...and died...heroically to delay the invasion force while the Rebels escaped. Over half the squadron was killed. After the campaigns against the Ssi-ruuk at Bakura, the New Republic formed a new, elite squadron. The best pilots were chosen to man this legendary starfight unit. The squadron was named Rogue Squadron in honor o f the fallen heros of Hoth. Wedge Antilles, as the highest ranking survivor of the original squadron (Skywalker had resigned) and hero of the Battle of Endor, was a natural choice as the squadron's Wing Commander. Ever since then, the squadron has played a critical role in many major battles and campaigns, such as the Battle of Bilbringi, where the battle was won due to the squadron's initative. Additionally, Rogue Squadron has had extrordinarily low losses of life, the best in the New Republic. B: KNOWN MEMBERS This is divided up into times at which we have data. Item i - Renegade Flight: - Commander Narra - Ketku Both KIA...perished in an Imperial ambush Item ii - Hoth - Commander Luke Skywalker; gunner: Dack Luke: Shot down while attacking AT-AT attack force, later escaped the planet in his X-wing Dack: KIA...the gunner section was hit by AT-AT cannon fire - Zev KIA...was hit by AT-AT cannon fire - Wedge Antilles; gunner: Janson - Hobbie KIA...crashed his damaged speeder into the head of an AT-AT Item iii - Cilpar - Commander Wedge Antilles - Plourr - Dllr - Tycho - Janson Item iv - Bilbringi - Commander Wedge Antilles - Janson - Hobbie C: CREDITS/SUMMARIES (** SPOILERS**) Item i - STAR WARS: Rogue Squadron #1 The comic is Issue 1 of a 4 book cycle, "The Rebel Opposition". ISSUE #1 Authors and Summary Story: Michael A. Stackpole Script: Mike Baron Pencils: Allen Nunis Inks: Andy Mushynsky Colorist: Dave Nestelle Letterer: Steve Dutro Cover Artist: Dave Dorman Design: Scott Tice Editor: Ryder Windham Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron are on a planet called Cilpar, fighting off TIE Fighters. The Rebels are suppose to talk to either the Rebel Underground or Targeter, the Alliance contact. During the battle Wedge's wingman, Janson, is shot down, and another Rogue Squadron pilot, Tycho, lands to help them. The two find shelter in a cave, but are captured by a woman who looks like Princess Leia. Meanwhile, the rest of the squadron land at their base and discuss the possibility of an Imperial spy. However, they are captured by rebels who believe the Alliance and the Empire are "in cahoots". Their leader, a woman named Elscol Loro, who refuses to trust the pilots, takes the pilots to Tamarack, a destroyed city. Wedge and Loro talk, and in flashbacks it is revealed that Loro has a Wookiee named Groznik serving a life debt and that it was Wedge, not Lando, who destroyed the second Death Star (this is in Wedge's opinion, of course), but the conversation is interrupted as Imperial AT-STs arrive on the scene... Comments: The writing is a bit under par. Targeter was completely messed up. The Zahn Trilogy, from which the character was taken, indicates that Targeter went by that name only while operating with resistence groups in the pre-Yavin (ie, seven plus years before the events when take place in the comic. Another, much more blatant error is that Wedge says "...but I dropped a photon torpedo on the coxial when I split..." while discussing the destruction of the second Death Star with Loro. Throughout the comic slang is used to try to make it more SW-ish, but it mostly gets in the way. However, beyond nitpicking, the comic wasn't that bad. Item ii - STAR WARS: Rogue Squadron #2 The comic is Issue 2 of a 4 book cycle, "The Rebel Opposition". ISSUE #2 Authors and Summary Story: Michael A. Stackpole Script: Mike Baron Pencils: Allen Nunis Inks: Andy Mushynsky Colorist: Dave Nestelle Letterer: Steve Dutro Cover Artist: Dave Dorman Design: Scott Tice Editor: Ryder Windham Wedge comes up with a plan which helps them get to cover. Rogue Squadron's X-wings arrive, thanks to prototype slave circuits, which allow the X-wings to be remote controlled. The pilots take off and make attack runs on the Imperials until they scatter. Back at their base, Loro promises to re-arm them if they help her group take down the Moff. The pilots agree. Using captured Imperial speeders, they fly to an arms cache hidden in some ancient ruins. Inside, they are attacked by a spacetrooper suit, which Groznik takes out. It turns out the suit shorted out and attacked, even though it was empty. Back at the cave, "Princess Leia" identifies herself as Dame Winter, aka Targeter. Targeter wants Tycho to disguise himself as an Imperial Captain and infiltrate the Moff's forces. He agrees. He is sucessful, but now is forced to fly against his own squadron... Comments: Thankfully, the dialogue isn't flooded with slang, nor are there major errors. The only problems worth mentioning are a Wookiee (Groznik) keeping up with speeder bikes by leaping through the trees and some strange comments about Alderaanians in the Imperial base. All in all, an improvement. Item iii - STAR WARS: Rogue Squadron #3 The comic is Issue 3 of a 4 book cycle, "The Rebel Opposition". Issue #3 Authors and Summary Story: Michael A. Stackpole Script: Mike Baron Pencils: Allen Nunis Inks: Andy Mushynsky Colorist: Dave Nestelle Letterer: Steve Dutro Cover Artist: Dave Dorman Design: Scott Tice Editor: Ryder Windham Item iv - STAR WARS: Rogue Squadron #4 The comic is Issue 4 of a 4 book cycle, "The Rebel Opposition". Issue #4 Authors and Summary Story: Michael A. Stackpole Script: Mike Baron Pencils: Allen Nunis Inks: Andy Mushynsky Colorist: Dave Nestelle Letterer: Steve Dutro Cover Artist: Dave Dorman Design: Scott Tice Editor: Ryder Windham -------------------- PART 7 - Miscellaneous A: WEDGE BOOKS Bantam will be publishing a book or series of several books about Wedge. Although details are still sketchy, the author is Mike Stackpole, who will also be writing the first miniseries of Wedge comics. This raises some questions as whether the book(s) and comics will be connected in some way. B: WEDGE FANFIC The Adventures of Wedge Antilles: Gray Squadron, by Matt Hilliard, is available at: ftp.wpi.edu/starwars/Stories/AWA_Gray If you are writing a fanfic about Wedge or Rogue Squadron, please mail the editor of the FAQ so it can be included. C. THE MYSTERY OF WEDGE'S ACCENT One confusing aspect about Wedge's character in the trilogy is the way Wedge's accent changes over the course of the trilogy. Starting off as a nondescript North American accent Wedge later develops an English accent (Lawson's natural accent). Two different explanations for this have been put forward. Neither has been confirmed so far. #1: Lawson's original voice was overdubbed. #2: Lawson was putting on a fake accent. [more info. would be appreciated] **********