Blue Squadron

Blue Squadron is a name used to designate different flight units across various Star Wars media, most commonly associated within the Alliance's Starfighter Corps. It first appeared in the novel "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope", written by Alan Dean Foster and officially published in 1976, a year before the original film's release. The squadron served in significant historical conflicts like the Galactic Civil War and the Battle of Yavin.

In the original Star Wars trilogy, Blue Squadron was initially scheduled to appear in the Battle of Yavin. However, due to the difficulty of matting blue spacecraft onto the blue-screen technology used for special effects at the time, the squadron was replaced by Red Squadron. That said, the decision to switch from Blue Squadron to Red Squadron was made so late in production that several references to Blue Squadron remain in the final film.

Blue Squadron's most notable appearance came in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" in which it is the primary starfighter squadron for the Rebel Alliance during the Battle of Scarif. Led by General Antoc Merrick, Blue Squadron played a crucial role in delivering the Death Star Plans to the Rebellion, despite suffering heavy losses, with most of the squadron all but wiped out during the battle.

The squadron is composed of various types of starfighters; it includes several X-wing, Y-wing, U-wing, and A-Wing fighters in its ranks. Notably, it's one of the few mixed starfighter units in the Star Wars franchise, with different models of fighters serving alongside each other. The diversity of starfighter types within the squadron underscores its adaptability and wide-ranging mission profile.

Throughout its operational history, Blue Squadron has featured several notable pilots, including Antoc Merrick, who served as Blue Leader during the Battle of Scarif, and Bodhi Rook, an ex-Imperial cargo pilot who defected to the Rebellion and flew as part of Blue Squadron during that same battle.

Blue Squadron, despite its limited screen time across Star Wars films, has made a notable impact in the scope of Star Wars lore. Its service to the Rebel Alliance during critical battle sequences places this squadron in the pantheon of the Star Wars universe's most important groups.