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Just reading "Skywalker Strikes" it seemed strange that you would choose a X-Wing as means of transport. I mean I get that Luke kinda ended up with one in Ep 5. But in the Marvel comics it became his standard transport. I think there were more pilots in comics and books. In Force Awakens also Poe travels with a X-Wing.

It strikes me strange. The X-Wing doesn't seem to offer much - mostly very little space and no room for passengers. Also in combat a singular X-Wing doesn't seem much of a threat. Especially being a signature rebel craft it seems strange to take this for undercover trips.

Was this ever addressed? And is there a rationale?

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    Is it a signature rebel craft? I though it was just a comercially available craft (unlike for example tie fighters which are not for sale)
    – user20310
    Mar 4, 2018 at 13:27
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    Considering that they let some kid fly one of the like, nine x-wings they had in their darkest hour, they must be a little short on pilots. So they buy the best single-seater fighter available. Xwing: 4 guns, a "complement of proton torpedoes", shields, hyperdive, plus an astronomic droid slot. TIE fighter: 2 guns (full stop). X-Wings don't seem much of a threat against what now?
    – Mazura
    Mar 4, 2018 at 16:00
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    @Mazura I know the X-Wing is a decent craft - but most star fighters are deployed in number. I don't recall a X-Wing holding its ground like something heavier - like the Falcon would.
    – bdecaf
    Mar 4, 2018 at 16:47
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    @bdecaf - If you have to fight a Star Destroyer, your covert mission has probably failed in its covertness.
    – Valorum
    Mar 4, 2018 at 18:06
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    Why do people travel in their own, small, uncomfortable car when they could as well take the bus, or better yet train or plane? Easy: Independence and cost.
    – Polygnome
    Mar 4, 2018 at 18:51

2 Answers 2

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Poe wasn't expecting his ship to be seen and it's small enough that he can conceal it entirely (at least in the script and novel, in the film it's just sitting out in the open like a gigantic "come kill me" beacon).

So far, the mission had gone by the book. He had slipped into Jakku’s atmosphere under cover of darkness and concealed his X-wing under a dense outcropping of rock.

The Force Awakens: Junior Novelisation

Additionally, we learn in the Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded edition that Poe's X-Wing has been sprayed with a special paint that makes it difficult to detect on sensors.

HOW IS POE'S CUSTOM X-WING DESIGNED FOR STEALTH MISSIONS?

The orange and black ferrosphere paint scatters First Order scanners!

As a small, fast, stealthy and highly reliable ship that can run blockades with relative ease and that has an independent hyperdrive capability, it makes a pretty decent vessel to use for a covert insertion mission.

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    For me this begs the question - why don't we see the other star fighter models used in similar fashion. Say the A-Wing with its higher speed and smaller size would be a good option as well. On the other hand Han manages to conceal the falcon in several occasions so I wonder if small size is that important.
    – bdecaf
    Mar 4, 2018 at 17:08
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    @bdecaf - Poe likes X-wings. So he uses an X-Wing.
    – Valorum
    Mar 4, 2018 at 18:05
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    That comment is the right answer. They like their x-wing, so they fly their x-wing
    – Edlothiad
    Mar 4, 2018 at 18:29
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    @bdecaf - it's highly unlikely that Poe's attachment to his X-Wing is unusual. The X-Wing is manufactured by the same company as, and is apparently very similar to, the T-16, which is the ship that many pilots (including Luke) first learn to fly in -- that familiarity may well make them more comfortable in it than other ships that are less similar.
    – Jules
    Mar 4, 2018 at 21:02
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    On the F18 comparison... first F18s are Navy, not AF. Second, not really, this is more like a Pilot dispatched on a diplomatic mission behind enemy lines, where going in fast and small is the best defense. The X-Wing provides that, along with challenging threats if the mission goes hot. Why would he take a shuttle (Helicopter analogous?) for the same job when it's only him? These space fighters also seem to require less maintenance than Earth planes, and don't need specialized runways.
    – Wraith Leader
    Mar 8, 2018 at 16:17
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The advantage of traveling in an X-Wing versus being on a transport and then hopping into an X-Wing is that when exiting hyperspace, the pilot is already ready to go and fight without having to prepare to launch. This gives hyperspace-capable starfighters like the X-Wing a level of tactical flexibility that other starfighters can't match. The Last Jedi supports this, since Poe's X-Wing is destroyed, along with the rest of the Resistance's fighter corps, before being able to launch. Since travel in Star Wars doesn't seem to take that long (<1 day for many distances, like the Raddus to Canto Bight, which Finn thought was a far away destination), so comfort wouldn't be too big of an issue.

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