Hey anyone remember the reason classic tie fighters were so useless?
One was it had no shielding.
Another?

Well apart from the lack of shielding there was no hyperdrive capability or any life support, it was the suit they wore that kept them alive. Plus, the pod they actually sat in was very cramped and I can’t imagine its particularly easy to see with the two large radiators on either side of It. They were also meant for swarm tactics, hundreds of them were a sizable threat but one verses one, I don’t see them doing very well.

I wouldn't say TIEs were completely useless. They may of not had shields or hyperdrives like rebel fighters, but their fast speed, decent firepower (I assume seeing how it doesn't take much for their weapons to blast apart shielded X-wings) as well as their pilots training makes up for their flaws.

Plus they're relatively cheap and easy to mass-produce, essential in a galaxy-spanning Empire.

Chinpoko117 wrote:

I wouldn't say TIEs were completely useless. They may of not had shields or hyperdrives like rebel fighters, but their fast speed, decent firepower (I assume seeing how it doesn't take much for their weapons to blast apart shielded X-wings) as well as their pilots training makes up for their flaws.

Plus they're relatively cheap and easy to mass-produce, essential in a galaxy-spanning Empire.

That is a good point. But can't forget that even their admirals saw them as cannon fodder. Which is why they had no shields so I can't exactly think they were trained much by anything but by the field. Another problem though was their power was drawn from the two solar panels that were its' wings so without shields even an idiot with a pistol could kill the classic ties. Usually the only good pilots survived and they got upgraded ties as they became more respected.

@Wishbone452!?

I'm not saying their pilots are the best out there, but it has to count for something when you consider there's quite a bit of Rebel pilots that were ex-Imperial.

I will admit however that the classic TIEs did have poor armor and energy management. A shame the civil war raging on cut into their resources, the Interceptor fixed every thing wrong and was suppose to be fielded with proper shields and a hyperdrive that was sadly cut for budget reasons. Even then, they still couldn't field them on a large scale.

The 181st had such systems though iirc. I could be wrong on that since I haven't read the EU books in awhile, but I'm pretty sure they did.

well tie fighters didn't use shields because they wanted to have extreme speed, some of them althought had a light shield.

Based on the books (mainly Rogue Squadron), TIEs lacked in deflector shields, hyperdrive capability, docking peculiarities, field of view, and atmospheric performance.

Obviously, ability to take a few shots and keep on flying is what made the X-Wing such a great fighter and gave it such an edge in dogfights, not to mention that it had quad lasers to the TIE's dual. The ability to jump also gave the X-Wing the edge in tactics, as they could deploy without the need for carrier to be in system; TIEs needed their carriers to be present to be transported and deployed to and from various fronts. This also ties into their unique storage and docking feature: they needed special docking clamps in order to land anywhere. While TIEs could, in theory, land on their solar panels, it was not recommended unless in emergencies due to rather delicate nature of them. When it comes to dogfighting, pilot situational awareness is crucial for survival; even in space they would visually acquire targets while engaging and not rely completely on sensors. While other fighters such as X-Wings and especially A-Wings had high visibility cockpits, the TIE series did not. They offered a rather narrow view of directly in front of them, relying on their sensor packages to see pretty much everywhere else. To compound on this, they did not have the ability to secure on board an astromech droid; these helped X-Wing pilots be being the proverbial "eyes on the back of their head" and gave them warnings and updates on enemies and ship statuses, leaving the pilots to focus on flying. Finally, not all dogfights took place in space; the inherent nature of the TIE design made it less than ideal for fighting in any atmosphere. The solar panel wings severely reduced their maneuverability, putting them at a disadvantage against most Alliance fighters they faced. The various models of TIEs had the same issue, although to some extent reduced for ones like the Interceptor.

All that said, TIEs were not, by far, terrible fighters. They actually could outmaneuver the X-Wing in space, and their lack of hyperdrive and full life support systems made them cheaper and easier to produce, as well as field and maintain on the front lines. They also were relatively easy to train on, so they could pump out pilots rather quickly (not with ace skills or long lifespans, but enough).

Everyone has made good points classic ties were weak by nature but held up their purpose adequately. Thx everyone for broadening my perspective and if anyone else has things to add good or bad feel free just don't fight about it.