Top 10: Starfighter Edition

[Znieh]

So I was watching this show from the Military Channel called "Top 10", and the show takes a specific kind of military vehicle eg. tank, fighter, submarine, etc. and presents what they feel are the top 10 of that specific kind of vehicle. Well I was thinking this would be cool to do with Star Wars military vehicles on the forum using the same principles the show does; which is a set of scales that each vehicle is rated in.

I was thinking that the first one, if there are anymore, should be starfighters; I was thinking that using the same system of scales the show did when they looked at fighters would probably be the best idea, these are: Kill Ratio, Fear Factor, Innovation, Production Rating, Service Length.

So what are your guys opinion's as to the top 10 starfighters, and should any of the scales be changed, also should we regulate it to one era, war, or of all time? Personally I was thinking The New Republic era, since that's the time frame of the game, or possibly just The Galactic Civil War.

Either way I personally feel that #1 should go to the X-Wing, but I'm not so sure on the others as of yet.

[Corey]

Well the X-Wing would win for recognizability, but as far as functionality, the Clawcraft, E-Wing, K-Wing and TIE Defender would all beat it, at least.

[Lord Xizer]

I think the TIE Defender is the number one just from what I've read of it's arsenal and capabilities.
2 K Wing, for it's firepower and maneuverability.
3 X Wing for it's service record, ease of production and versatility.
4 TIE Phantom for it's original design and possibilities. It was undefeated in trial runs and showed great promise.
5 Chiss Clawcraft for it's fusion of Imp and Chiss tech that was better than both the originals in performance and reliability.
6 A Wing for it's speed and firepower without sacrificing shields as many TIE variants did
7 Syca Bomber for it's versatile and creative design which could be used for either bomber or Fighter as needed and it's speed and durability.
8 TIE Interceptor(Royal Guard version) was faster than originals, had shields and could be mass produced for the guard as needed.
9 B Wing packed a lot of firepower against capitol ships and fighters both but did not surrender maneuverability or shields.
10 TIE Avenger was the crucial link that led to the later much improved TIE varients and was lethal in it's own right.

[Znieh]

Well remember that each fighter has to be rated on all the scales, so just because one fighter is "better" than another in terms of performance and power, doesn't mean it will rate high on the other scales. In the Top 10 episode on tanks they rated the T-34 as the best tank of all time, not because it can take on an Abrahams or anything, but because for its time it was the best all around tank.  So for the X-wing I would think,

X-Wing

Kill Ratio: Very High (Actually through the roof if you count the death stars)
Fear Factor: Medium to High (I'm guessing the X-Wing wasn't scary looking like other craft, but still had a big reputation) 
Innovation: High (I'm guessing for the time it had high Innovation, right)
Production Rating: High
Service Length: Very High (Service length is like what 20-30 years?)

While with the TIE Defender
Kill Ratio: Medium to High (Not sure on this, the TIE Defender just wasn't used much, and the early ones were all lost except for one)
Fear Factor: High
Innovation: High
Production Rating: Very Low
Service Length: (This one is difficult though used over a long time it was barely used during that time)

[Slornie]

Yeah, the main reason the X-Wing has a higher Kill Ratio than other fighters is Red/Rogue Squadron (incl. Luke). Without them its probably about on par with the others

[Lord Xizer]

Yes I have seen the Top ten myself. I think they over rated the T-34 personally, it's only real advantage over the Germans after the Germans produced the Panther and Tiger tanks was overwhelming numbers and the fact the Germans had to fight a two front war with about half their tanks and material going to fight the western allies. I sincerely doubt that the Russians could have beaten the Germans on their own.(similar to the TIE Defenders predicament as it had high production cost and took a long time to build mass production was difficult in Remnant era compared with the NRs X Wings and such)
Though I suppose when you factor in all attributes Wedge's opinion comes to mind, X Wings are easy to learn to fly, they are well balanced, not too hard to produce and good all around fighters.
I ranked mine by actual battlefield effectiveness in combat situations. My top 3 could arguably be considered a tie for number 1 but after reading the TIE Defender's abilities in the X Wing novels I had to go with it, though I'd take an X or K wing in a pinch.

[Znieh]

Of course another reason why the TIE Defender wasn't heavily produced was it was never truly embraced by the Imperial Navy; seems the idea of a fighter that didn't require carrier ships made the brass fear funding being taken away from the capital ships. And with the whole T-34 analogy to the X-wing it goes a step further, the Panther and Tiger though very powerful tanks, and the Panther a very good one, they were also very high tech and not only hard to produce but hard to maintain in the field. Which I'm sure the TIE Defender would be in the same predicament, while the X-Wing looks like it was duct taped together most of the time.

But I like the scales of the top 10 because it puts into account the many factors that come into play when deciding what makes a great military vehicle. And I personally, though knowing the combat abilities of the Defender after playing Star Wars TIE Fighter, I would personally not choose it for the main starfigher craft of my navy, as an elite unit sure, but I'd rather have some upgraded TIE Interceptors and some Alpha-class Xg1 Star Wings mass produced any day.

[Senza]

I agree with that, the XG-1 may not have been as fast as the x-wing, but it was a good all around ship, that thing could take a beating. As for the TIE Defender, yes, they are ridiculously awesome, but like others have said they're too expensive. Personally for me the only real choice is the X-Wing, as much as I love flying Defenders, there just were never enough of them.

[Lord Xizer]

Also they didn't accept the TIE Defender as a whole because Grand Admiral Zaarin developed it and used it in his coup attempt so no one felt comfortable accepting a traitors design.

[Znieh]

Also they didn't accept the TIE Defender as a whole because Grand Admiral Zaarin developed it and used it in his coup attempt so no one felt comfortable accepting a traitors design.

TIE Defender? More like the TIE Defector  But yeah that makes since, since the did the same thing to the Howlrunner.

[Meyer]

Personally I think X-wing as a decent fighter but not the best. You have to remember that a lot of the books where it is killing everything encountered, describe some sort of elite squadron, like the Rogue squadron, against some noobs fresh from flight school. X-wings reputation is built on having the best pilots, not being the best fighter in service.

[Znieh]

Personally I think X-wing as a decent fighter but not the best. You have to remember that a lot of the books where it is killing everything encountered, describe some sort of elite squadron, like the Rogue squadron, against some noobs fresh from flight school. X-wings reputation is built on having the best pilots, not being the best fighter in service.

That is partially true, I do believe that the X-wing was not the best fighter in a one on one fight. If you had two fighters with the same skilled pilots one being a X-wing and the other being a TIE Defender, the Defender would most likely win. But the X-wing was more than just a decent fighter with good pilots, it was also good enough to be the backbone of the Rebel Alliance/New Republic for almost 40 years, and it was easy enough to mass produce, learn to fly, and maintenance that a ragtag group of freedom fighters were able to use it to beat an empire. But I guess the purpose of the Top10 show and the one I presented here is not to find the best performing vehicle but the vehicle that was the best all around and made the most historical impact both in regards of future innovations and actual changes in war. If you take that in regard I don't see how the X-wing can't be #1

[Slornie]

Rather than give a definitive top 10, im going to list which fighter i think comes out top in each of the factors:
Kill Ratio: As i said earlier, and largely due to the esteemed Rogue Squadron, this one goes to the X-Wing.
Fear Factor: Not really sure about this one, but im gonna go for the TIE Fighter for that scream.
Innovation: The B-Wing has a unique rotating cockpit, need i say more?
Production Rating: For obvious reasons this has to be the standard TIE Fighter, manufactured in the millions with a precisely engineered propulsion system.
Service Length: With a first in-service date of 22-18 BBY and still in use during the Second Galactic Civil War, the venerable Y-Wing has been in active service by some force or other for over 60 years.

[Senza]

Also they didn't accept the TIE Defender as a whole because Grand Admiral Zaarin developed it and used it in his coup attempt so no one felt comfortable accepting a traitors design.

It was also the TIE Defender that foiled his coup attempt, though. On the topic of Zaarin, I notice you always talk about being a loyal son of the Emperor, yet you use an image of Zaarin briefing his officers as your avatar, and your name is very similar to Xizor :p.

[Meyer]

I'll just copy Slornies idea and substitute it with my own.

Kill Ratio: X-wing does indeed win this one thanks to Rogue Squadron
Fear Factor: I think Tie Defender would be the most terrifying foe, even more so considering that it was only flown by elite pilots
Innovation: I think Bes'uliik with it's beskar armor and 0.4 hyperdrive is the winner in this category
Production Rating: Standard Tie fighter of course or maybe Vulture-class droid fighter
Service Length: Considering that Yuuzhan VOng didn't believe in developing something new I think Coralskipper could be a winner but not really knowing, I'll have to say Aurek-class fighter used by Old Republic for over a thousand years.

[Lord Xizer]

It was also the TIE Defender that foiled his coup attempt, though. On the topic of Zaarin, I notice you always talk about being a loyal son of the Emperor, yet you use an image of Zaarin briefing his officers as your avatar, and your name is very similar to Xizor :p.

This is true. I consider myself a loyal Imperial, but find Zaarin intriguing from a tactical standpoint. He out thought the Emperor and Vader both. Nearly pulled off the coup of the century that would have placed him on the Throne and was an equal opponent against Thrawn for months, I consider him to tactically be the second most brilliant Grand Admiral of the original twelve and Thrawn.  He's also fascinating in his character in that he was loyal to the idea of the Empire but not the Emperor, he never joined the Rebels or criminal factions to bolster his cause. I admire his daring and ambition as Thrawn really followed in his footsteps 5 years after Endor by assuming control of the Empire which according to Imperial Decree(which only recognized the Emperor or HIS designated heir, though there was not one) was just as treasonous as Zaarin's coup though it was best for the Empire. I find myself wondering if Zaarin might have been better than Palps at ruling the Empire at times. Thrawn certainly did better than the Emperor, maybe another Grand Admiral might have done well too.

As for my login name there's another bit of irony there, in that I despise Xizor and Black Sun lol. When I was a young kid I picked the name Xizer(Pronounced ZI-ZER unlike Xizor-SHE-ZOR) for my friends to call me because I didn't like my actual name since it felt far to common and I never cared for it. A few years later I read Shadows of the Empire and got a bit of a laugh when I saw how close to Xizor's name I had come. I added the Lord title for kicks and it complements the name.

[Senza]

This is true. I consider myself a loyal Imperial, but find Zaarin intriguing from a tactical standpoint. He out thought the Emperor and Vader both. Nearly pulled off the coup of the century that would have placed him on the Throne and was an equal opponent against Thrawn for months, I consider him to tactically be the second most brilliant Grand Admiral of the original twelve and Thrawn.  He's also fascinating in his character in that he was loyal to the idea of the Empire but not the Emperor, he never joined the Rebels or criminal factions to bolster his cause. I admire his daring and ambition as Thrawn really followed in his footsteps 5 years after Endor by assuming control of the Empire which according to Imperial Decree(which only recognized the Emperor or HIS designated heir, though there was not one) was just as treasonous as Zaarin's coup though it was best for the Empire. I find myself wondering if Zaarin might have been better than Palps at ruling the Empire at times. Thrawn certainly did better than the Emperor, maybe another Grand Admiral might have done well too.

As for my login name there's another bit of irony there, in that I despise Xizor and Black Sun lol. When I was a young kid I picked the name Xizer(Pronounced ZI-ZER unlike Xizor-SHE-ZOR) for my friends to call me because I didn't like my actual name since it felt far to common and I never cared for it. A few years later I read Shadows of the Empire and got a bit of a laugh when I saw how close to Xizor's name I had come. I added the Lord title for kicks and it complements the name.

Alright! Makes sense, I've just been wondering :p. Anyway, I kind of derailed the thread. Of course at this point its just us trying to justify something besides the X-Wing. For service length though it might be the Z-95.

[Znieh]

For service length though it might be the Z-95.

Service Length: Considering that Yuuzhan VOng didn't believe in developing something new I think Coralskipper could be a winner but not really knowing, I'll have to say Aurek-class fighter used by Old Republic for over a thousand years.

Yeah I'm pretty sure the Aurek-class fighter beats the Z-95 hands down on service length.

So far though thinking about what fighters should be in the top 10 besides the X-wing and in no particular order as of yet.

Aurek-class (over a 1000 years of service, got to be a good fighter)
TIE Line Fighter (Most mass produced Fighter and a symbol of the Empire)
TIE Avenger (Super high Innovation, was the father of the Interceptor and Defender)
TIE Defender (Innovation and Kill ratio High, and I'm sure I would be crucified if I didn't include it

Those are my thoughts at the moment, I like some of the other fighters on Lord Xizer's list, just got to do some research on em, I don't think the TIE Phantom should be on the list though, considering it was a prototype and barley used before being destroyed, so it would score very low on the scales.

[tlmiller]

I would thing others that should be considered for the list would be

A-Wing, was such a massive jump in overall performance from the X-Wing.
Skipray Blastboat, how many other fighter/bombers can lay claim to occasionally being classified as a capital ship?
XG-1 Star Wing, for the sole fact that at the time it came out, it was the only Imperial fighter that was often used that couldn't be destroyed by looking sternly at it.
Firespray, just because who doesn't love Slave 1?

[Slornie]

Firespray, just because who doesn't love Slave 1?

Hang on a minute. Does the Firespray count as a starfighter?