On Ahch-To, there's a brief shot of what appears to be a crashed X-wing, which is presumably how Luke got there, as depicted in this apparent promo image:
What model of X-wing is it - is it one of the newer split-wing models, or a "classic" X-wing?
-
3In the picture, more or less in the centre, does it look like one of the port-side wings has broken off the ship and is resting under the other one? Or am I seeing too much in the pattern of the waves?– PhilPursgloveJan 29, 2018 at 15:56
-
@PhilPursglove No, I think you're right.– DarrenJan 29, 2018 at 16:34
-
3It certainly looks like a T-70 model in the image above, however, I remember it as the T-65 style X-Wing in the movie but it's been a while since I saw it. The source of this image appears to be a virtual trading card from "The Star Wars Card Trader" app. It looks like a montage of production stills and concept art to me, which means it may not be the definitive end-result.– vynsaneJan 29, 2018 at 17:40
-
Doesn't luke use part of the wing for his door– NaibJan 29, 2018 at 19:16
-
1Zoomed and enhanced version of the ship seen in the film from a *cough* questionable *cough* copy– EdlothiadJan 29, 2018 at 22:48
|
Show 1 more comment
4 Answers
Based on my memory of the movie and these excerpts from "The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi" I'm inclined to argue that it is, in fact a T-65 X-Wing Starfighter, and not the updated T-70 model. My daughter just received the book as a present, so I'll have to take a look when I get home to verify.
"In February 2013, Doug Chiang painted Luke Skywalker's X-wing starfighter sunk beneath a tropical turquoise sea for The Force Awakens development," the book reads. "The idea would finally bear fruit in July 2014, when Kevin Jenkins returned to the concept in early pitch art. "
"'I wanted to tell a slightly different story: As Rey finds Luke on the island, maybe she stumbles into these caves and upon the X-wing, rather than seeing it from a distance,' Jenkins says," the books reads. "In 2014, he wrote, 'Rey explores the island, trying to understand Luke's self-imposed exile from the universe. She comes across a cave, sunk at high tide within the base of the island. Here she discovers Luke's scuttled T-65 X-wing, rusted and rotting away in the water. It was set alight before it sank. It shows Luke's commitment to his exile, as he destroyed his only means of leaving the planet.' In the end Rian Johnson chose designs more similar to Chiang's initial painting of the sunken starfighter just off the coast of the island." [1]
Another page regarding Luke's hut on Ahch-To states that
"Door made from salvaged foil of Luke’s T-65 X-wing." [2]
The image clearly shows the red striped pattern from the wing of Luke's original T-65.
-
1Hmm. Food for thought. My own answer was purely based on the OP’s picture which, as someone pointed out, isn’t from the film itself. I guess we’ll have to wait for the DVD release to be sure.– DarrenJan 29, 2018 at 18:45
-
1That was me ;) Yeah, absolutely, based solely on the image presented, it's clear to see that it is a T-70. My conjecture is that the image in question from the OP is, in fact, the Doug Chiang concept art mentioned in "TAoSW:TLJ" per above, but that the decision was made to go with the T-65 model instead of the T-70 to visually connect it more solidly with Luke (since we've only ever seen him fly that model). It's also more emotional - it's not AN X-Wing, it's HIS X-Wing!– vynsaneJan 29, 2018 at 18:53
-
-
Confirmed it is Luke’s original T-65 after watching The Rise of Skywalker.– DarrenDec 22, 2019 at 22:02
Although I stand by my analysis below, after watching the Rise of Skywalker, it is clearly Luke’s original T-65.
This is purely addressing the picture in the question. It appears the actual ship in the film is at least intended to be an old style T-65 based on reference materials.
If you look at this comparison image of the toy models, and compare the engine nacelles to the one in your picture, it would appear to be a new style T-70 X-Wing where there is a single cylindrical nacelle separated by a horizontal partition where the wings deploy.
Furthermore, you can see the step shape between the nacelle and the wing which the T-65 does not have.
Zoom & Enhance:
-
1For the second, stepped wing, part. this is due to inaccuracy in the toy. Inspection of better source material reveals this difference is too close to call from the watery image. A better indication is the angle of attack for the foils. The older T-65 X-Wing has a flat 90 degree angle of attack, while the new T-70 X-Wing foils do sweep back some, more like a typical airplane. To me, these look like the flat T-65 foils. Jan 29, 2018 at 20:09
-
1
-
1
-
2Huh. The screenshot from the film is clearly different from the OP (it's murkier, but you can tell that the wings are different levels of damaged). Besides that, I'm just now noticing that the OP image's engines seem like they're pretty obviously T-70 engines (size, quantity). I think the right answer on this one is looking like "the promo image in the OP is a T-70 but in the film it's a T-65".– Milo PJan 30, 2018 at 1:33
-
1
Its a T-65 X-wing starfighter
While the paint job is a bit different from ship to ship, in Canon, it is the only model that the rebellion had access to when they gave Luke an X-Wing or when he went into self-imposed exile. This is the model he flew in the Death Star trench run, and the same ship he took to Dagobah. When Luke left the Jedi Academy, he took his X-Wing with him, leaving it where you see it in the image in the question.
-
4I just posted an answer stating the opposite. What canon sources are there? I've only gone on the appearance of the nacelles. Although the wing shape does look more like the old model now I look at it again.– DarrenJan 29, 2018 at 15:39
-
4There is also the problem that Luke apparently left the X-Wing that he took to Dagobah at Bespin. He was granted clearance to land at Bespin, but then was injured and evacuated on the Millennium Falcon. Did he come back to Bespin and retrieve it? It's possible, but I figured that the one he has in ROTJ is a new one. Jan 29, 2018 at 15:59
-
4I'm not sure about "in Canon, it is the only model that the rebellion had access to when they gave Luke an X-Wing or when he went into self-imposed exile." Wookiepedia states the first T-70 prototype was available before the battle of Jaku at the end of the Rebellion/Empire period.– DarrenJan 29, 2018 at 16:07
-
4@MarkRogers: Arguably, they didn't, unless it's addressed in a novel. In Empire, he just takes off along with everyone else who's evacuating and meant to meet up at the new base, but then casually tells R2D2 that they're not meeting up with "the others." So from the films, he seems to have just...appropriated it. When he gets back without it, you'd think they'd be at least a little cross. :-) Jan 29, 2018 at 17:18
-
5I'm guessing that a hero of the rebellion who blew up the Death Star has a little leeway.– Mason240Jan 29, 2018 at 21:09
With material now available from Rise of Skywalker, we can clearly see this is a T-65 rather than the newer T-70.
