Biggs Darklighter (Rebel Pilot) - TAC - Basic (30 14)

As talented a pilot as his friend Luke Skywalker, Biggs joins the Imperial Academy, but what he sees there opens his eyes to the brutality of the Empire. He defects to the Rebel Alliance and serves heroically, but is blown out of the air by Darth Vader at the Battle of Yavin.

It can be said that Hasbro more than made up for the lack of decent Biggs Darklighter figures in the basic figure line the by the time the 30 (77-07) line came to fruition. Never a key action figure candidate, we got our first ever Biggs Darklighter action figure as part of the 1998 "Freeze Frame" phase of The Power Of The Force line. That 1998 figure actually wasn’t half bad for its time (OK, maybe a little), but time has definitely not been kind and it doesn’t hold up nearly as well today. But it took Hasbro nearly a decade to revisit Biggs in his X-wing pilot uniform. (They even gave us the famed A New Hope deleted scene Biggs Darklighter at Tosche Station outfit action figure in the same collection.) While the 2007 figure is a tremendous upgrade from the 1998 figure, it may not be as up to date as many of us had hoped. Hasbro dug out the 2004 Dutch Vander (Gold Leader) (‘04 #13) figure again (just like they did for the 2004 OTC Wedge Antilles exclusive figure) and gave it an all-new head faithful to Biggs Darklighter and repainted the helmet. So, we still need a Biggs with much better articulation. Other than that, there isn’t much to talk about with this figure other than it’s nice to get a more modern update to the POTF2 figure even if it's not definitive.

Limited to nine points of articulation, Biggs Darklighter won’t be able to be put into any pose you desire. And his available articulation is borderline frustrating. In fact, we think he has articulation that is rendered useless. One wrist turns, but the other one doesn’t. This is just one example. And why in the world did Hasbro waste the ball-jointed knee tolling when every other joint that does move is swivel articulation? We don’t know. (Hey, he can sit, we suppose that is reason enough. But it seems wasted nonetheless.) 2004 was another time and place and Hasbro had different ideas back then. This is why it’s important to make a mental note that the basic figure line is always evolving. And what’s probably more important than that is that action figures will continue to become better and better as times moves forward. This is hardly a complaint, but we wonder why in the interim Hasbro feels the need to give us imperfect action figures. Then again, we would rather get Biggs Darklighter as he was released in the 30 (77-07) line than to not be released at all and stuck with the 1998 figure had the line ended. So it’s a little bit bittersweet, but apparently there’s a method to Hasbro’s madness. We suppose we can look at Biggs Darklighter (Rebel Pilot) as a placeholder for a future better version!

The 30 (77-07) line focused a bulk of its action figures from A New Hope. And rightfully so, the line should have focused on characters from the first Star Wars film. We all know that the “30” represents 30 years of the Star Wars brand, but none of it would have happened without that first incredible film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Biggs Darklighter (Rebel Pilot) is an essential character to the basic figure line and it is nice to get an upgraded version of him in the line even if it isn’t the definitive version. Heck, Hasbro liked this version so much they carried him forward for the 2008 phase of the 30 (77-07) line and packaged him with a stand. There will undoubtedly be a superior X-wing pilot body to come in the future where this figure can be easily upgraded to definitive status. (Editor’s Note: The 2008 Evolutions line has provided the definitive X-wing pilot body.) We think that the second wave of the 30 (77-07) (which was intended to be one of the final waves of The Saga Collection) was one of the finest selection of characters in a long time in the basic figure line. And for the most part, Hasbro really did a spectacular job on the final action figure versions of them. Biggs Darklighter (Rebel Pilot) may not be one of the best aesthetically, but he was long overdue for an upgrade and we’re glad he’s here. It seems that Hasbro just needs one more chance to make him perfect. We’re waiting, Hasbro!