The Horrible Reality of the Tie Fighter Pilot

The TIE Fighter program is full of contradictions. It's fueled by one of the most expensive and efficient pilot training programs in galactic history, yet the ships they operate are barebones and clearly built with cost savings in mind. We take a look at how difficult it was for these pilots to make it into the Imperial Star Fighter Corps and what their mindset was when they flew these mass-produced TIEs.

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[QuantitativeMethods]

18:29 well put. The TIE fighter corps truly was the only part of the empire that had any real aspect of merit-based advancement at all. It’s just one more reason why Thrawn saw so much more benefit to a TIE Advanced program v. Death Star. Not only would the empire get much more “effectiveness” for every credit spent, but those who operated the machines built by the project would be, on average, of a much higher caliber.

[sergeipohkerova]

TIE fighter looks cool and sounds even better, but flying one in combat seems equivalent to a medieval knight NOT wearing armor but instead a super advanced computer suit with sensors at every part of his body leading to his groin that allows every contact whether weak or strong to feel like a Jean Claude Van Damm spin kick to the nuts.

[QuantitativeMethods]

Alan, Alan, and the rest of the Generation Tech team just pumps out top-tier Star Wars analysis and commentary day after freaking day. I know their approach may not be everyone’s favorite, but I absolutely love it! I’m roughly the same age as Alan and my undergrad is in Econ, so this channel was practically made for me personally.

[PK-Radio]

The empire has psyop’d its pilots into thinking the Tie fighter isn’t a death trap

[Celestial_Reach]

Some of the best rebel pilots were trained by the imperial system, then when they defected they were given superior vehicle's of war. Suddenly they were in ships with shields and hyperdrives, but with the training of an imperial school that had made them fearless and and prescise. Wedge is just one example of this, alphabet squadron was another neat story discussing this

[casbot]

The cost of replacing a Tie Fighter pilot with all that training cost already invested would be _far more_ than even the price of replacing a standard Tie Fighter.
And just a little more expense spent on shields and other survivability features would have far more than paid for itself.

A more robust Tie Fighter would have also increased its lethality by allowing the Fighter to tank hits and so go on to kill the target, complete the mission, or just live to fly for the Empire another day, as a more experienced pilot.

Forget the Tie Defender with its expensive hyperdrive, that could potentially jump away from the fleet.
Just 20, 000 credits extra spent on a shield system, tougher hull, and perhaps a ordinance launcher would have resulted in a more effective and efficient _and deadly_ Tie Fighter core.
All at the bargain cost of a extra ⅓ added to the cost of each Tie Fighter.

[weldonwin]

Then there were pilots like Soontir Fel, commander of the elite 181st Interceptor Wing, a man who not only earned the rank of Colonel and command of the Empire's best fighter unit, but also a noble title as a Baron. He stayed loyal to the Empire well past Endor, out of his sheer sense of honour and it was only after he and his whole unit were hung out to dry and used as pawns that he finally defected to the New Republic. Incidentally, his son would later marry Princess Leia and Han Solo's daughter Jaina Solo and they would found a new Imperial Dynasty and their own Grey Jedi Order.

[viperson]

The tie fighter pilots also had slightly more freedom when they become aces. Which no other imperial have. Many aces had custom equipment or straight up custom markings for their fighters.
It’s probably the one thing that doesn’t come up enough the freedom of aces in the imperial military. Which puts more valor and honor in a tie fighter pilots you’re unique and special compared to everyone else.

[nathananderson]

At long last, someone else recognizing the existence of Lost Stars!

[danielwolf]

Tie fighters were basically mobile point-defence batteries, which might have been more effective if they'd bothered to add shields of any kind. They're fast and maneuverable, but that's all they've got. Once their opponents engage them they're pretty much doomed, and there goes their ISD's starfighter defences. They're ridiculously easy to take out in a dogfight, and once they lose their numerical advantage the battle's all but over.

[robertagu]

Being a TIE pilot in cockpit... So peaceful, so serene indeed .. just before you get blown up, sometimes just cuz since your doing the space fighter equivalent of snoopy sitting on top of his dog house an might as well be flying a futuristic version of a cardboard box with some barely appropriate space add ons.

[sundragon]

On some level, the TIE fighter corps were a fictionalized Soviet air force, which came complete with political officers. The ideology (but I prefer the term: dogma) of the TIE soldier was a throwback to conscripts of the WW 2 Imperial Japanese naval pilots. With respect to ships, there were quite a few similarities to Soviet design philosophy. Back in the 1980s to 1990s, Warsaw Pact planes toured the North American air show circuit. Attendees were allowed to take a peek inside the cockpit of MiG-29 or a Su-27, which were new airframes at the time. The controls were surprisingly basic with a "no-frills" seat. Meanwhile, F-15 and F-16 control displays met the expectation of a 4th gen fighter with all the "bells & whistles". The Russian Swift & Knight were very proud of their professions and their machines despite the almost primitive controls. (There were a few patches of rust on the Soviet airframes.)

[Luci_]

couldnt have asked for more perfect timing i just started rereading lost stars

[rexlumontad]

0:07 Looks like Alan who served as a TIE Fighter pilot.

[thorpeaaron]

Why the Empire would deploy their best pilots in fighters that weren't designed for galaxy wide warfare is beyond me.

[andreykuzmin]

Just earlier today my TTRPG character tried to sneak six ace TIE pilots and their birds aboard our "Acclamator" (post-Endor sheenanigans and Imperial Intelligence being itself), and now this video comes out!

[illusionclan]

Love ur content. Been watching forever. Always enjoy learning new things about a galaxy far away instead of my own world😭🤣

[hollywoodguy]

These videos are going to be a great guide for when we achieve a Class II civilization

[rustybeskar]

Shields and hyperdrives aside, the biggest problem that most TIE Fighters would face is the fact that you can't properly see your surroundings while inside. The cockpit restricts a pilot's view to whatever's in front of it. The wings and cockpit block literally everything. The TIE Interceptor has better visibility because of it's pronged wing design but the cockpit window still limits vision.

Props to every TIE Pilot that has won a dogfight without being able to see left or right.

[chriswandell]

your theory about why they lack Hypedrives....how do you explain the use of the assault gunboat, and Tie Advanced having them?