[[quoteright:309:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SW_Rogue_Squadron_01_7086.jpg]]

A series of ''StarWars'' flight simulators based on parts of the XWingSeries.

In 1996, at about the same time that the first novel of the XWingSeries was coming out, {{LucasArts}} decided to make a space combat game, similar to the Hoth level in ''ShadowsOfTheEmpire''. Factor 5, the company they contracted, wanted to make games that let people play though action scenes from the films. At that time, [=LucasFilm=] was not comfortable with video games drawing directly from the films. Then someone looked at the ''Rogue Squadron'' comics and realized that they could use similar settings, putting characters from the films into new missions. A series of three shooter games called ''[[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Rogue_Squadron Rogue Squadron]]'' (followed by ''Rogue Leader'' and ''Rebel Strike'') kicked off in 1998. The first game is set between Episodes IV and V, but several missions make use of events in the expanded universe, like the [[DarkEmpire Emperor's rebirth]]; the next two games were set between and during points of the movies.

The second game is widely recognized as the best -- for instance, they got the actor who played Wedge Antilles to voice him -- and the third is usually considered to be the weakest largely due to incorporating ground missions that had iffy controls (though it also has [[EmbeddedPrecursor the second game included in it]], albeit playable in a new co-op mode.) - however, depending on how important multiplayer is to you (the third one is the only one with such a feature.)

To tie in with ''ThePhantomMenace'', a cheat code was hidden in Rogue Squadron which allowed you to unlock a [[CoolShip Naboo Starfighter]] for play. Factor 5 later released ''Star Wars Episode I: Battle For Naboo'', which was very much in the vein of the Rogue Squadron series (albeit with new ground based vehicles as well as the flight combat), and was equally well received and successful.

Not to be confused with ''{{X-Wing}}'' and ''TIEFighter''.

After releasing the three games, Factor 5 went on to make ''{{Lair}}''. Reportedly they were [[CreatorBacklash sick of the series]]. Unfortunately, it didn't work out so well and ''Lair'' was critically and commercially panned, eventually leading to the closure of the studio.
----
''This series provides examples of:''
* AdaptationDistillation: The World Devastators in the first ''RogueSquadron'' are significantly weaker than how they were portrayed in ''DarkEmpire''. For starters, in the original source material of the mission, the World Devastators required a literal DeusExMachina to take down (courtesy of R2-D2 uploading the shutdown codes), whereas in this game, you had to take down the shields, and also shoot out two of its "legs" thus forcing it to crash in the water.
* AscendedExtra: ''Battle for Naboo'' focuses on Lt. Gavyn Sykes, A.K.A. Bravo Six, who only appeared in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' for little more than a few seconds as one of the pilots that was sent to attack the Droid Control Ship.
* BattleshipRaid: Various bosses in ''Rogue Leader'' and ''Rebel Strike''.
* BrokenRecord: A bug on the ''Rebel Strike'' version of "Battle of Endor" causes Lando's "WE GOTTA BUY MORE TIME" clip to [[MostAnnoyingSound play ad nauseum]].
* CallBack: During the first game's "Defection on Corellia" mission, Han Solo unexpectedly arrives in the Millenium Falcon, and saves a Rebel pilot from TIE bombers in a manner similar to when he saved Luke at [[Film/ANewHope the Battle of Yavin]]. For bonus points, he even shouts "Yee-haw!" as he shoots the bombers down.
* ContinueYourMissionDammit
* CoresAndTurretsBoss: The Star Destroyers and World Devastators.
* DistantFinale: The Battle of Calamari in the first game, which is set during the ''DarkEmpire'' ExpandedUniverse saga.
* DVDCommentary: While not on DVD, Battle for Naboo was one of, if not the very first video game to have audio commentaries. On a ''cartridge'', no less.
* DecoyProtagonist: ''Rogue Leader'' switches from having you play as Luke to having you play as Wedge fairly early on.
* DelayingAction: "Revenge of the Empire" in ''Rebel Strike'' consists of taking out Imperial reinforcements to buy more time for the evacuation of Yavin IV.
* EarlyBirdCameo: The [[{{ThePhantomMenace}} Naboo Starfighter]] was an unlockable in Rogue Squadron.
* EasterEgg: The original Rogue Squadron has a secret code which allows you to play a level as an AT-ST. It serves no purpose, it's self contained and gains you nothing, but hey, [[RuleOfFun you get to ride an AT-ST and blow stuff up]], so who's complaining?
** All three of the original Atari Star Wars arcade games are included on ''Rebel Strike'' as extras.
** The flying Buick (yes, a real Buick car) from Rogue Leader. There's also a cheat code to replace the V-wing with it in the first game. It's a development team in-joke.
* EscortMission: A few. One of these in the first game requires you to trip up three AT-[=ATs=].
** [[TheLoad The medical frigate captain]] in the second game. [[MostAnnoyingSound "Red Leader, this is the frigate Redemption! We're under attack!"]] [[CriticalAnnoyance "We've got to protect the frigate at all costs!" "Red Leader, we can't take much more!" "That frigate's not gonna last much longer!" "Red leader, WHERE ARE YOU?!"]]
* EvilBrit: Like in the movies, most of the Imperial officers have a british accent. The first game has a few exceptions, however, in that both [[TheLancer Wedge]] and [[HeelFaceTurn Kasan]] have the accent but are on the heroes' side (though Wedge does not have a british accent in the later games).
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Sarkli from Rebel Strike]]
** MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: [[spoiler: Sarkli's reasons for defecting to the Empire was due to not being recognized enough by his compatriots for his efforts in aiding the Rebellion.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Kasan Moore in the first game. Also Tycho Celchu in the third game.
** DefectorFromDecadence: The reason why Kasan Moore and Tycho Celchu defected to the Rebellion in the first and third game, respectively. They're both [[EarthShatteringKaboom Alderaanian]].
* KillerApp: ''Rogue Leader'' was a Gamecube launch title with stunningly good graphics.
* MarathonLevel: The Endurance mission in ''Rogue Leader'', which has you facing 100 waves of TIE fighters and interceptors, along with the ocassional shuttle for the breather waves. To give an idea of how ludicrously long it is, the minimum time requirement for a gold medal is three hours.
* {{Midquel}}: Segments of ''Rogue Leader'' and ''Rebel Strike'' serve to bridge events of the series not covered by the movies--for example, the first level of ''Rebel Strike'' "Revenge of the Empire" takes place ''immediately'' after the destruction of the Death Star (or rather, the most intense consequence of the immediate invasion from the Empire), in which Luke has to help with the evacuation of the rebel fleet as the empire invades Yavin IV. An alternate point of view version where you play as Vader destroying Rebel ships popped up earlier in ''Rogue Leader'' as an unlockable.
* MusicalNod: Both ''Rogue Leader'' and ''Rebel Strike'' have a reprise of the song played during the Jade Moon mission in the first game.
* LampshadeHanging + TakeThatPlayer: The Infinite Lives cheat code in the first game is [[spoiler: IGIVEUP]].
* LethalLavaLand: Sullust, in the first game.
* LogoJoke:
** ''Battle For Naboo'' features the {{Nintendo 64}} logo [[DeathFromAbove falling on top]] of Jar Jar Binks.
** ''Rogue Squadron II'' starts off with a platoon of Stormtroopers dancing to the Mos Eisley Cantina theme while flinging orange glowsticks--which then pans out far off to reveal the Lucasarts logo.
** ''Rogue Squadron III'' has the Lucasarts logo shaking its leg to the Disco Star Wars theme--which pans out to reveal the logo is planted on Darth Vader's armor.
* LostInTransmission: Wedge Antilles' SOS comm link ends in static as he is being shot down by an ambush of TIE Interceptors and captured shortly thereafter.
* NintendoHard: ''Rogue Leader'' is tough enough just trying to beat the game-but just TRY and get all of the medals, and you are in for absolute hell. Especially Endurance in ''Rogue Leader'' & ''Rebel Strike''.
* NonStandardGameOver: In the first game, if the player shoots down too many escorts or friendlies, Rieekan will contact Luke to return to base so he could "discuss [Skywalker's]... ''tactics''... in private."
* OldSchoolDogfight: It's a StarWars game about flying around fighters, so of course.
* PlayableMenu: The hangars in ''Rogue Leader''.
* RocksFallEveryoneDies: Sarkli deliberately invokes this trope on some Scout Troopers in "Defiance on Datooine" by using his blaster to cause a rockslide.
* ScriptBreaking: In "Battle of Endor", you can turn around right as the mission begins to summon the massive swarms of TIE Interceptors, instead of following the movie faithfully and only turning around when ordered to.
* ShoutOut: In Rogue Leader, the Death Star trench isn't barren like in the movie-it's loaded with lots of blocks which you have to swerve in and out of. This is a homage to the original Atari Star Wars arcade game.
** Each game has a Hoth level as homage to the movies and the ''ShadowsOfTheEmpire'' mission that spawned the trilogy.
** One entire level of ''Rebel Strike'' takes place on [[AttackOfTheClones Geonosis]], in which Wedge crash lands on the now abandoned planet, and has to fight his way through a legion of reactivated, decades old battle droids. Wedge gets to escape by reactivating Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter--which is equipped with [[NoKillLikeOverkill Seismic Charges.]]
* SpaceIsAnOcean: Star Destroyers literally sink when beaten. This is usually justified by gravity, most notably one in which the very next mission is going down to the planet and retrieving the data you wanted from it's ruins.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFe2kE4qhXw&playnext=1&list=PLC7201AE32AD1C18B&feature=results_video "Mystery" theme]] from Rogue Leader and Rebel Strike is a very blatant ersatz of the first few minutes of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESARBMvPJ4M Gustav Holst's "Saturn" suite.]]
* TimedMission: Several missions. The most obvious is the Hoth level in ''Rogue Leader'', where you must defeat all enemies before the [[GiantRobot AT-AT]]s reach the rebel base. However, none of the timed missions actually have a timer--you just have to pay attention the battlefield.
* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: In ''Rogue Leader'', if you destroy some of the ion turrets on the Star Destroyer in "Razor Rendevous", those turrets will remain destroyed in the next mission after the same Star Destroyer crash-lands, making it slightly easier to approach.
** In Rebel Strike, due to the Jedi Starfighter and Slave I both being unlockable ships and there being a versus mode that includes Geonosis space as a stage, players might consider playing as a Jedi Starfighter and the Slave I, and choosing the Geonosis stage as their battleground to reenact the battle in AttackOfTheClones. The developers had anticipated this possibility, and programmed in the Slave I being in Jango Fett's skin from the movie for specifically that purpose.
** Also, the "Imperial Academy Heist" mission (the mission where players have to infiltrate the Imperial Naval Academy at Prefsbelt IV to steal the ''Tydirium'' after the shuttle, according to WordOfGod, somehow managed to end up retrieved by the Empire after its first capture) actually has two different versions depending on the time the Gamecube clock is currently set at.
* VideoGameLives: You start each mission with three. When they run out, you get a game-over screen and have to start back from the very beginning of the mission.
* WhatTheHellPlayer: In the first game, Rieekan will call Luke back to base for what is implied to be strict dressing down if the player shoots down too many escorts/friendlies. See also NonStandardGameOver.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: A compilation disc would've been released for the Wii, but Factor 5 went bankrupt before it could be finished.

----