Ahsoka's Ingenious Starfighters: Unveiling Enhanced Tactics without Sacrificing the TIE Fighter's Strengths

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 3.

Summary

In episode 3 of Ahsoka, a new starship is introduced which mirrors the renowned weakness of a TIE Fighter - the absence of shields. These fresh enemy starfighters are easily obliterated by a single blast, exposing their vulnerability due to the absence of deflector shields, much like the Imperial TIE Fighters.

TIE Fighters make up for their lack of shields with their speed, maneuverability, powerful blaster cannons, and highly skilled pilots. However, in Ahsoka, episode 3 introduces a new starship that has all the weaknesses of the iconic TIE Fighter without any of its advantages. Ahsoka Tano finds herself in the Denab system, where her old Jedi T-6 shuttle becomes a target for Morgan Elsbeth's agents. Without the ability to call for reinforcements, Ahsoka and Sabine must find a way to survive against the overwhelming force that is against them.

Content revision:

The action-packed scenes in episode 3 of Ahsoka feature an exciting dogfight where Imperial fighters launch an attack on them. The powerful combination of the fighter squadron and the turbolaser batteries of the Eye of Sion successfully penetrate the deflector shields of the T-6, resulting in significant damage. However, Ahsoka and Sabine surprisingly manage to put up a strong fight against their opponents, mainly due to a major flaw in the starfighters of their enemies.

Note: Please be advised that the revised content is a suggestion for improvement and may require further editing.

The Empire's New Starships Have The TIE's Big Weakness - No Shields

The dofight is an exhilarating action sequence, featuring Ahsoka at the helm of the T-6 shuttle while Sabine expertly operates the tail gun. Surprisingly, the enemy fighters are swiftly vanquished with just one precise hit, hinting at their lack of deflector shields. This significant vulnerability mirrors that of the obsolete Imperial TIE Fighters, notorious for overwhelming rebel forces through sheer numbers but ultimately falling victim to even the slightest graze of blaster bolts.

TIEs Compensate For Their Lack Of Shields - The New Ships Don't

Despite lacking shielding, advanced life support systems, and explosive ordnance, TIE Fighters (including Tie Interceptors) remain highly effective due to their exceptional speed and maneuverability. These attributes make it challenging for even skilled pilots to attack them. Additionally, their blaster cannons pack a significant punch, enabling them to effectively engage starfighters and larger Rebel ships, despite the absence of torpedoes. Moreover, TIE Pilots are elite individuals within the Imperial Military, as only 10% of applicants are accepted into the Imperial Starfighter Corps. This limited selection ensures that these pilots possess the necessary skills to mitigate the weaknesses of the TIE Fighter.

The advantages of the new ships seen in Ahsoka episode 3 were non-existent. While Ahsoka's modified ship may not be as fast or maneuverable as a starfighter, it should have posed a challenge for her to position her opponents in Sabine's crosshairs, indicating that their opponents lacked the speed of TIE Fighters. Additionally, it took multiple shots to damage the T-6 shuttle, suggesting that their blasters were not as powerful. Only Shin Hati and Marrok survived, implying that these new ships can only be effectively used by Force-sensitives. Ahsoka's new starfighters truly lack any advantages of TIE Fighters.

Catch new episodes of Ahsoka on Disney+ every Tuesday at 6pm PT / 9pm ET.