Red Squadron is an incredibly important team of pilots in the Star Wars franchise, but who were they and why should you be familiar with them?

The climax of Star Wars: A New Hope is one of the most classic scenes in cinematic history as the ragtag team of Rebel pilots desperately try to destroy the battle station known as the Death Star. On the front lines of this epic space battle, Luke Skywalker joins a group of X-Wing pilots known as the Red Squadron.

The members of Red Squadron are little known among the Star Wars fandom, yet each pilot therein deserves far more credit. While many of these characters did not survive the Battle of Yavin, there is plenty to know about each member of the historic Red Squadron.

A Clone Wars veteran hailing from the planet of Virujansi, Garven Dreis, portrayed by Drewe Henly, joined the Rebel Alliance after witnessing the evils following the formation of the Galactic Empire. He would quickly rise through the ranks of the Alliance, flying under the callsign of "Red Leader" during the battle over the immensely important moon, Yavin 4.

It was Dreis who gave Luke Skywalker the green light to join the assault against the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin, a move that would ultimately lead to the Rebels' victory. Unfortunately, Dreis's ship was mortally damaged by Darth Vader after a botched trench run, crashing into the side of the Death Star and killing the Red Leader in a fiery explosion.

Wedge Antilles, played by Denis Lawson, was a Corellian fighter pilot and a former cadet at the Imperial Academy. Wedge joined the Rebel Alliance after becoming disillusioned by the Empire, eventually flying under the callsign of "Red Two" during the Battle of Yavin.

Wedge was one of only two surviving X-Wing pilots in the battle after being forced to retreat after suffering extensive damage to his ship. Wedge would go on to become a famed hero of the Rebellion, fighting on Hoth and over Endor during the Galactic Civil War. He would also later join Lando Calrissian in the surprise assault against the First Order on Exegol in The Rise of Skywalker.

Biggs Darklighter was a young Rebel recruit from Tatooine and a childhood friend of Luke Skywalker. Played by Garrick Hagon, Biggs was meant to have a larger role to play in the early scenes of A New Hope, though his scenes prior to Luke's arrival on Yavin 4 were all cut.

Using the piloting skills he'd picked up from racing through Tatooine's rough terrain, Biggs was one of the final pilots remaining during Luke's fateful trench run. Resolving to buy Luke as much time as possible to blow up the looming space station, Biggs took the brunt of the fire from Darth Vader's TIE Advanced fighter, eventually being shot out of the sky. Though he would go on to win the day, Biggs's death was one of the worst things that ever happened to Luke Skywalker.

"Red Four" was the designation of Rebel pilot John D. Branon, who was played by Jack Klaff in A New Hope. Branon was assigned as one of Major Surrel's two wingmen during the battle against the Imperials over Yavin 4.

Branon was the first of the Red Squadron to be shot down during the Battle of Yavin after intercepting heavy Imperial fire. The Rebel pilot was only able to shout "I'm hit!" in panic before his ship exploded under the TIE fighter fire, marking the first of many Rebel heroes that would die during the fateful battle.

Luke Skywalker was the newest addition to the Red Squadron prior to the Battle of Yavin, serving under the callsign of "Red Five" after his predecessor, Pedrin Gaul, perished during the Battle of Scarif. Only hours after joining the Rebellion, Luke was cleared for battle by Red Leader Garven Dreis, joining the assault against the Death Star.

After the decimation of the rest of his fleet, Luke was left with only two wingmen, Wedge Antilles and Biggs Darklighter, to accompany him in his own trench run. After Biggs was killed and Wedge was forced to retreat, Luke would use the power of the Force to evade Darth Vader's relentless attack and fire his torpedos directly into the Death Star's exhaust port, destroying the space station and winning the battle. In the aftermath of this major victory, Luke would go on to become one of the most powerful Jedi of all time and a hero among the Rebel alliance.

Jek Porkins served as "Red Six" during the battle over Yavin 4, accompanied by his fellow Rebel pilots in what was fated to be his final mission. Played by William Hootkins, the pilot hailed from the Imperial-overrun Bestine IV, eventually joining the Rebellion to fight in the Battles of Scarif and Yavin 4.

Porkins managed a positive start to the battle, assisting in the destruction of one of the Death Star's cannon towers. However, he was unable to avoid debris from the tower's explosion, gravely handicapping his ship. Seeing the damage to Porkins's ship, Biggs Darklighter suggested he retreat, but Porkins refused, only to be shot out of the sky moments later.

Elyhek Rue was one of many unsung heroes from the Rebel Alliance, who often flew under the callsign of "Red Seven." Unlike the rest of the squadron, Rue was not cleared to fly in the Battle of Yavin, but was instead grounded by his superior officer, with an unidentified pilot taking his place as "Red Seven."

Because he did not fight in the Battle of Yavin, Elyhek Rue became one of the few typical fighters in the Red Squadron to survive the events of A New Hope. The unidentified pilot who took his place, however, is assumed to have died at some point during the events of the battle. Rue is documented vowing to avenge his fallen comrades, specifically Jek Porkins, after they are shot down by Imperial fire.

Zal Dinnes is just one of many unsung heroes of the Rebel Alliance, who flew under the callsign "Red Eight" during the Battle of Yavin. She was the lone female pilot among the Red Squadron at this phase of the Rebellion's history and was portrayed by Zarene Dallas in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story after being mentioned, but not seen, in A New Hope.

Zal Dinnes, a veteran of the Battle of Scarif, was given the leadership role in the Third Flight against the Death Star, with backup from Red Nine and Red Six. However, after her fellow pilots were shot down by Imperial fire, she too succumbed to the enemy barrage and died before she was able to engage in a trench run.

Nozzo Naytaan was a Rebel lieutenant at the time of the Battle of Yavin, who accompanied Zal Dinnes and Jek Porkins during the space battle. Frank Stone portrayed the character in Rogue One after Naytaan's voice-only role in A New Hope, in which he announces himself as "Red Nine."

Comprising the Third Flight with Red Eight and Red Six, Naytaan evidently suffers a critical hit to his ship at some point during the battle. Though his death is never explicitly shown, since Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles are the only surviving members of the Red Squadron, it can be concluded that Naytaan perished during the skirmish.

Theron Nett, portrayed by Robert O'Mahoney, was the pilot designated as "Red Ten" during the battle of Yavin. Nett would then accompany Red Leader Garven Dreis in his run through the Death Star's meridian trench in a desperate attempt to destroy the battle station before it had the chance to destroy Yavin 4, and the Rebel leaders along with it.

While on their run through the Death Star trench, the First Flight was confronted by Darth Vader and his two wingmen in TIE fighters. Distracted by the volley of fire, their attempt to blow up the battle station failed, and, before they could circle for another attempt, the three X-Wing pilots would be killed, with Nett suffering a fatal blow from the TIE fighter known as "Backstabber."

Unseen in A New Hope, the X-Wing pilot Ralo Surrel is portrayed by Russell Balogh in Rogue One. Nevertheless, Surrel is certainly present during the events of the Battle of Yavin 4, flying under the callsign "Red Eleven."

Surrel was killed during the battle after his wingmen were killed by enemy ships. Left alone against their barrage of fire, it was all Surrel could do to distract the enemy long enough for Luke Skywalker to enter the meridian trench before being killed, unable to see the fruits of his heroic sacrifice.

Puck Naeco was a "double-ace" pilot by the time of the Battle of Yavin, flying under the title of "Red Twelve." The character's origin actually stems from a continuity error in the original film in which Theron Nett's death is accompanied by a shot of another pilot, played by Chris Matthews, crashing. This secondary pilot was later identified as Naeco by extraneous Star Wars content.

Naeco accompanied Red Leader Garven Dreis in the meridian trench run, wherein they very nearly managed to destroy the Death Star. However, they would soon be intercepted by Darth Vader's defensive attack, which resulted in the unceremonious end of Naeco's impressive career in the Rebel fleet.

NEXT: The 10 Most Frequently Appearing Star Wars Characters In Live-Action

Jordan Iacobucci is an avid reader and movie fan and has been since childhood. Jordan is known among his friends as the Marvel and Star Wars nerd, and even wrote a thirty-page college dissertation about Spider-Man! He obtained an English degree from Dominican University and lives outside Raleigh, North Carolina with his family. His other interests include working with children, reading, and music.