The idea that “history is written by the victors” has been said to the point of cliche. But it is
true, and with the collapse of the Galactic Empire and the rise of the New Republic
a narrative began to form. In the battles of the Galactic Civil War,
bold and innovative Rebel pilots would face down swarms of Tie-Fighters flown by
suicidal pilots whose fanaticism masked their ineptitude. Alliance,
and later Republic propaganda would extol the fantastic kill ratios of X-Wing squadrons,
and mock the blind obedience of the TIE Pilots whose only strategy was overwhelming numbers.
Not publicized were the reports that contradicted this story.
Accounts of battles where elite groups of Imperial pilots cut through their opposition, not through
blind fanaticism or vast numbers, but intense discipline, honed cunning and extraordinary skill.
But no matter how much Rebel, Republic or Alliance pilots trusted their own narrative,
no matter how much they believed in their own superiority, the sight of a Tie Interceptor
emblazoned with red stripes would always inspire a tinge of fear. For it meant they were flying
against the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing, and their chances of survival had just dropped calamitously.
And yet, ironically enough, during the Fighter Wing’s early history, the 181st was the very
model of how Imperial squadrons were seen by the Rebel Alliance. Its pilots were undisciplined
and lazy, regulations were ignored, equipment left to rot, and drunkenness more common than
pride. It was a unit where careers were sent to die, and the wing’s Commander,
Evir Derricote, spent most of his time gardening. Pilots, both from within and outside the unit,
referred to it, as the One-Eighty-Worst. All that changed with the arrival of Soontir Fel.
One of the Empire’s rising pilots and flight instructors, Fel’s ascent through the ranks was
cut short when several of his most promising students defected shortly after graduating.
While Fel himself was not to blame, the incident reflected poorly on his reputation,
and his career was left to rot with the 181st. During this ignominious era of the Wing’s history,
the unit was stationed on the floating city of Dac and part of the local Imperial occupation forces.
It flew constant patrols, but aimed to attract as little attention as possible.
Composed of six squadrons of TIE/LN starfighters, the standard for Imperial Wings of the era,
Soontir Fel was assigned command of the wing’s 2nd squadron. With the blessing of the complacent
Commander Derricote, Fel began reshaping the 2nd Squadron of the 181st into a highly regimented,
drilled, and high performance unit. His highly competent style garnered the attention of his
superiors, and the 2nd Squadron was given the assignment of retaking the world of Ord Biniir.
Only weeks earlier, an entire wing of Imperial pilots had lost the world,
and the allocation of only a squadron to take it back, made the mission more of a
token effort then genuine counter-attack. But in what was supposed to be a suicidal attack,
the 2nd Squadron of 181st performed uncharacteristically well. It decimated
the opposing Rebel pilots and Ord Biniir was quickly retaken.
In a strange coincidence, this victory occurred on the same day as the Battle of Yavin
and the destruction of the Death Star. Eager to exploit Fel’s achievement and downplay the
disaster at Yavin, Fel was promoted to major and decorated on Coruscant. The wing was relocated to
the Throne World, and recognized as an elite unit within the Imperial Starfighter Corps.
While Derricotte remained in command, Fel was granted
complete freedom of action to reform the squadron in whichever way he saw fit.
As part of this process, the wing’s squadrons were reduced from six to three,
as befit its elite status. Fel personally saw the recruitment of new pilots, prioritizing
those with not only the raw talent, but a personal belief in the glory of the Imperial cause.
Hard work, not glory seeking, would be valued in the new 181st.
Three years after the wing’s assignment to Coruscant, it had become celebrated within
the Imperial Navy, feared by the Rebel Alliance, and generally regarded as the finest TIE unit
in the galactic empire. It became a regular fixture of Lord Vader’s personal command,
fighting alongside his similarly renowned Death Squadron. It participated in the crushing defeat
of Crime Lord Prince Xizor (Sche-Zor) , and was decorated by the Emperor himself.
Fel was named a Baron of the Empire, placing him in the elite of the Imperial Aristocracy.
The squadron’s fortunes changed, along with that of the rest of the Empire during the Battle of
Endor. While the presence of the 181st inflicted terrible losses on Rebel squadrons, as the
battle progressed, the decaying Imperial Command Structure began issuing contradictory orders. As
the Imperial fleet fell apart around them, 181st was increasingly out of position, and outnumbered.
With the death of the Emperor, Darth Vader, and much of the Empire’s leadership,
the 181st was reduced to a pawn in the ambitions of rival Imperial warlords.
Soontir Fel himself would be captured, and defect to the New Republic, having lost faith in the
Empire’s successors. Leadership of the 181st passed to Turr Phennir, Fel’s own executive
officer, and fought to maintain its status as an elite unit within the crumbling Imperial military.
While units bearing the 181st’s name would serve during the Yuuzhan Vong (Yuu-Zon Vong) War
and the Second Galactic Civil War, it would never again match the victories it achieved
under Soontir Fel. Even when Jagged Fel, son of the wing’s former commander became Emperor of a
reborn Empire, and the 181st was restored to a place of prominence, its achievements paled in
comparison to those that had come before. When the Fel dynasty was overthrown by the Sith, and
the Fel’s cast into exile, the 181st did not join them, choosing instead to support their usurpors.
The 181st was gone, if not in name, than in spirit.
While the 181st existed in many forms across Galactic History, the unit’s prime was under
the command of Soontir Fel and it is this incarnation that is most remembered and studied.
It became famous and infamous for its use of the TIE Interceptor, and in particular, the
red bloodstripes that adorned their wings. Meant to signify that a pilot had achieved 10 kills,
the nature of the unit meant that nearly every craft was adorned with them.
Even when TIE Defenders became more readily available, the 181st resisted adopting them,
instead keeping their reputation as the deadliest Interceptor pilots in the galaxy.
But for all their exploits and triumphs, it is not the bloodstripes or interceptors
of the 181st that is most remembered. Rather, it is the courage of their pilots,
and the honor they brought to a regime that did not deserve the devotion of such men and women.
The 181st proved that even within an Empire built on a foundation of evil, heroes can be found,
willing their compatriots to become greater than the caricatures their enemies thought them to be.