I’d like to take a moment with this short video to illustrate the role that General
Antoc Merrick and his Blue Squadron played in the Battle of Scarif, and why I think it’s
one of the most impressive performances by a single military unit in the entire Star
Wars fiction.
Upon arriving over Scarif, Blue squadron were separated from the rest of the fleet to rush
though the orbital shield gate before it was closed.
General Merrick, six of his wingmen and a single U-Wing were able to get though before
the gate closed, and the portion of Blue Squadron left in orbit suffered three casualties as
they withdrew from the gate.
In spite of the fact that they were now the smallest and weakest of the fighter groups
left in orbit, the three remaining Blue Squadron X-Wings led by Blue Three – Jaldine Gerams,
immediately began to engage the Imperial Star Destroyer Persecutor at point blank range,
inflicting serious damage on the destroyer’s fighter wings and suffering no further casualties
in spite of being hugely outnumbered and completely surrounded.
Having reached the surface of Scarif, General Merrick’s contingent of Blue Squadron began
to provide close air support for Alliance ground units, almost immediately rescuing
Rogue One and several Pathfinder Commandoes from an approaching AT-ACT.
The group’s U-Wing, piloted by Blue Eleven – Laren Joma, was able to quickly despatch
a second walker using their door gun, and by the time they had regrouped with the rest
of Merrick’s pilots, the squadron had eliminated three AT-ACT’s in a matter of seconds, drastically
altering the situation on the ground and freeing dozens of alliance soldiers from suppressive
fire.
In orbit, Red Squadron had suffered serious losses engaging the Shield Gate, while the
Blue Three and her two wingmen were still intact and still engaging the Persecutor,
even managing to destroy one of the capital ship’s shield generators whilst continuing
to fend off waves of TIE Fighters.
The opening provided by these three exceptionally skilled pilots would later allow the Y-Wings
of Gold Squadron to disable the Persecutor with Ion Torpedoes, in what would perhaps
the most crucial single attack of the entire battle.
Back on the beaches of Scarif, Merrick’s contingent had successfully escorted their
U-Wing to the surface, where they provided desperately needed reinforcements to the alliance
ground force.
The Blue Squadron pilots then continued to engage imperial forces in the air for as long
as possible, before finally beginning to suffer casualties when a second wave of TIE Strikers
were deployed.
This Imperial counterattack led to the death of General Merrick and the destruction of
Blue Eleven’s U-Wing, but despite the loss of their commanding officer and the apparent
impossibility of escape, the remaining Blue Squadron pilots continued to fight through
the growing swarm of imperial fighters.
Having now suffered over 75% squadron casualties as well as damage to their fighters, Jaldine
Gerams and her wingmen would have been forgiven for withdrawing into hyperspace or attempting
to dock for repairs, but they nevertheless continued to assist Red Squadron in protecting
the Profundity and her flotilla, keeping the larger ships safe long enough for the corvette
Lightmaker to perform it’s ramming maneuver and destroy both Imperial warships.
Even as Jyn Erso transmitted the Death Star plans, and the Battlestation targeted the
planet, Blue Squadron X-Wings continued to dogfight in the skies of Scarif, fighting
to the last pilot until the spreading fireball consumed X-Wing and TIE Fighter alike.
It is unclear whether Jaldine Gerams and the two remaining members of Blue Squadron were
able to jump to lightspeed before the Devastator tore the rebel fleet apart, but the casualties
suffered by the squadron were already far too great for it to continue service.
The bravery, sacrifice and sheer skill displayed by every member of Blue Squadron throughout
the Battle of Scarif is nothing short of astounding, both the fighters in orbit and those beneath
the shield were faced with impossible odds from the very start, but still managed to
inflict damage far in excess of what should be expected from a single squadron, I have
no doubt that without the actions of Antoc Merrick, Barion Raner, Jaldine Gerams, Laren
Joma and the rest of Blue Squadron, the Rebel Alliance would never have destroyed the first
Death Star.