Mechanic Breaks Down Why The TIE Fighter and X-Wing Are Terrible Vehicles

I have to give Popular Mechanics some major props right now. For years I always wondered why the TIE Fighter is a good vehicle, and they confirmed what I always thought...it's not! If the TIE Fighter were a real vehicle, it would be awful to use!

The biggest drawback of the TIE fighter are the flat panels on both sides that make it look like an eyeball suspended between two playing cards. This is a large vertical surface area that seemingly serves no purpose—except to be a large aiming point for Rebel Alliance fighters. 

So in addition to not being able to see ANYTHING from left to right, you're giving yourself two giant targets to be shot down for no real tactical advantage. That being said, I always kind of thought the large wings on the TIE Fighter were meant to serve as protection from side attacks...then again, they blow up pretty easy.

While I do agree heavily about the Empire being dissed on for its mechanics, it was a little hard for me to swallow that one of the Star Wars series' most beloved vehicles was also named one of its worst:

The control systems of Star Wars space ships make no sense. How, for example, do they slow down? Without gravity, the X-Wing would need reverse thrusters to slow itself, or turn itself around and fire its engines in the opposite direction—and yet we know it does neither. 

I really tried to argue this one...but I can't. X-Wings can't fly in reverse, and I kind of already knew that from all the video games I played. That's a real problem when space gives minimal drag for a loss of momentum.

One ship that didn't make their list (which you can check out here) that I would add, and you can hate me for it? The Millennium Falcon. It looks super cool, can hold its own in a battle, but it's also a smuggling ship! Don't smugglers try to fly with a little more discretion? Also, I always thought that ship was wayyyyyy too big for two people to operate! I still love it...but if I was a smuggler, I wouldn't use it in a million years.

GeekTyrant Homepage