This original model of the Y-wing, as depicted in the Clone Wars 2008 television series, features a forward module seating a pilot in the cockpit and a gunner in a bubble turret.
[3] In the Star Wars Rebels 2014 animated series, the crew of the Ghost are shown stealing decommissioned Old Republic Y-wings, in the process of being dismantled by the Galactic Empire, for use by the Rebellion.
The resulting modification made these Rebel Y-wings faster and more lethal than their original version, and they soon became the most readily available starfighters to the Rebellion during the Galactic Civil War.
Here the Y-wings of Gold Squadron are shown playing a pivotal role during the Battle of Scarif in disabling an Imperial Star Destroyer with ion torpedoes.
(The pilot of the surviving Y-Wing was identified in Star Wars Legends sources as Keyan Farlander[5] but was later revised to be Evaan Verlaine following the acquisition by Disney[6]).
These poor results were rationalized with the in-universe explanations that drag coefficient plays no role in space travel and that Star Wars fighters can use repulsorlifts and deflector shields to give themselves better flight profiles.
[7] Ken Napzok in Why We Love Star Wars: The Great Moments That Built a Galaxy Far, Far Away argues that the Y-wing is the true workhorse of the Rebellion but it that gets unfairly overshadowed by the classic X-wing and other starfighters.
Admitting that it is a slower, bulkier and clunky design, he nevertheless points out the critical role it played in the Rogue One movie proved its worth as a vital Rebel asset for softening Imperial defenses.
[8] In July 2024, a miniature of the Y-wing, used in the filming of the original Star Wars movie and identified as the model flown by Gold Leader, was sold at auction for $1.55 million USD.