‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’: Where Were All The B-Wings When The Resistance Needed Them?

So much about Star Wars: The Last Jedi is being picked apart by fans, but those who are big on space battles have been thinking about one glaring absence.

In the film, there was no sight of any B-wing fighters, which would have allowed the Resistance to fare better in their fight against the First Order.

General Leia’s (Carrie Fisher) crew used MG-100 StarFortress bombers as they tried to fend off Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) forces in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The well-known Star Wars watcher and YouTuber Star Wars Explained believes that there is a reason there wasn’t a single B-wing starfighter in sight in the sequel.

A B-wing was made during the Galactic Civil War for the sole purpose of destroying Imperial capital ships. It was updated before the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens as it is revealed in the official Star Wars: The Last Jedi visual dictionary that B-wing Mark 2 cockpits were used on the Resistance transports that brought Leia’s camp to Crait.

Seeing that they are fairly new and have received upgrades, the B-wings would have been a better choice for the heroes to use in taking on the First Order.

Star Wars Explained speculates that even though the Resistance would have wanted to use these starfighters in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, they wouldn’t have been able to since they likely were not available to them at that point anyway.

It is clear that the Resistance does not have plentiful resources. The YouTuber posits that their alliances from interplanetary governments would not have provided them the weaponry they needed to deal with the First Order anyway because they did not believe Leia when they said they were a threat until of course, they saw it for themselves.

In fact, most of the fighters and ships the Resistance had in Star Wars: The Last Jedi including the Raddus, which had new technology that helped them escape albeit barely, are just those that New Republic planned to retire, but thought of giving to Leia should she want them.

So from the get-go, the camp is already at a disadvantage, especially since they are going up against an enemy that has every highly-advanced weapon and ship money can buy.

As to why the transports they used to escape to Crait in Star Wars: The Last Jedi had the newer B-wing cockpits, it is possibly because they are spare parts that the New Republic did not mind doling out.

That being said, it all comes down to availability. The Resistance worked with what they had in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and until the First Order reared its ugly head enough for their potential alliances to notice, B-wing fighters likely weren’t just accessible to them.

Star Wars Explained adds that even if the First Order was able to finance weapons and new ships, they likely would have invested on more versatile fighters like the X-wings or even A-wings. The latter were used for reconnaissance missions, which were what the Resistance was mostly up to before Snoke showed up.

At the moment, there is no official information from Disney yet with regards to the lack of B-wing starfighters in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but the popular YouTuber’s explanation might be the next best thing.