Borsk Fey'lya & Wedge Antilles

Once the convenience of having a mutual enemy in Emperor Palpatine was gone, the Rebel Allience had some hard facts to face: namely, they didn't necessarily all like each other. Wedge Antiles and the rest of Rogue Squadron are enjoying some R&R, but trouble soon ends their break. Acting-Emperor Sate Pestage is captured when the Empire discovers he's made a deal with the Rebel Alliance. Rogue Squadron is tapped to rescue Pestage, but Provisional Council member Borsk Fey'lya is hostile to the plan. Of course Borsk Fey'lya is hostile to the plan - he's always hostile to the plans. Every plan. No matter what it is, Borsk Fey'lya is there to complain about it. He resented the popularity of Admiral Ackbar, the Jedi and the military, and would actively undermine all three of them at any opportunity. He's a good guy, sure, but he's also a power-hungry dick whose self-serving nature makes him believe that what's best for him is best for the galaxy as a whole. He also used the memory of the deaths of his people as a political tool. Sound like any politicians you know? George W. Borsk is wearing glossy black boots, cream-colored pants and a blue jacket with dark bands over the shoulders. He has a thick belt, with a pouch on one side and a holster on the other. Articulation isn't bad, with balljointed ankles, knees and shoulders, swivel hips, waist, wrists and elbows, and a ball and socket head. I really don't get the swivel elbows - they never work as well as even a plain hinge would, and don't do anything for the look of the figure, either. Fey'lya is a Bothan - as in, "many Bothans died to bring us this information." The species was first mentioned by name in Return of the Jedi, but no one knew anything about them until they got a physical description in Heir to the Empire. They've been depicted many different ways over the years, but the general idea is something like a horse crossed with a lion. Borsk's snout is a bit flatter than it should be, perhaps, but the detailing is good overall, and he looks better from the side than head-on. The holster on his belt is perfectly sized for his little blaster, though it is bit farther back on his hip than I would have expected. He can hold the gun in either hand, but only his right hand has the trigger finger extended. It's okay: he's a lover complainer, not a fighter. One of the military men Borsk hated so much was Wedge Antilles, because the pilot was, in his estimation, way too popular. Wedge is the only minor character to not only appear in all three Star Wars movies, but to survive. That, coupled with his unusual name (yes, even by Star Wars standards) meant that he was pretty well-known by the fans, which is why he became one of the two main characters in the Rogue Squadron videogames, and from there the lead in the X-Wing Rogue Squadron comics and any number of novels. Not bad for a guy who thought hitting a six-foot-wide shaft was too difficult for a targeting computer. Wedge is wearing his dress uniform - something we've never had on an action figure before. It's basically a white jacket with a red stripe on one side, worn over a black shirt and brown pants. The wearer's rank insignia is in a golden patch on the red stripe, and there's a belt around the waist. It's a sharp look, no doubt, and theoretically you could put any rebel pilot's head on there and have it be correct. In (most of) his film appearances, Wedge was played by Denis Lawson - who also happens to be the uncle of Ewan McGregor. Since this set is taken from right after the end of RotJ, it's easy to judge the likeness. Wedge looks just like Lawson did in the film (he takes off his helmet and dances around with Ewoks at the end of the movie). His hair is black, rather than dark brown, though. Marines, in their dress blues, get a saber to carry. Wedge gets a standard rebel blaster, because there's a better than average chance they'll be attacked even during moments of ceremony. The holster hanging from his belt has the Rebel Alliance logo sculpted on it in red. The figure has most of the same joints as Borsk, but he's traded in his ankles for the benefit of balljointed elbows. This comic pack, which is apparently #35 in the series, includes a reprint of X-Wing Rogue Squadron #32, part one of the "Mandatory Retirement" storyarc. Basically, we get a bunch of scenes of Rogue Squadron between missions - apparently when they're not blowing up TIE Fighters, all they do is hit on each other. How professional. And of course, Borsk is in here, too, forwarding his own agenda and basically being an a-hole. With two new figures, this set has a lot to offer. Yes, there have been figures of Wedge Antilles before, and he's got reused legs, but this is still new - the costume makes a difference. And as for Borsk Fey'lya, he's a central figure in the post-rebellion era, and we've never had any Bothans before. I wasn't too sure about this set, but I'm really glad I got it. -- 04/12/09

Tweet