Princess Leia has returned to the Alliance, with the valuable technical readouts of the Death Star, but the freighter she was rescued on carried a homing signal, allowing the Death Star to track them to the Rebel base on Yavin 4. General Dodonna has devised an incredibly farfetched plan, yet one that's just crazy enough to work. A group of thirty starfighters is to be sent past the outer defensive shield and assault the station, whereby they will manuever down the equatorial trench and fire proton torpedoes at a vulnerable exhaust port. Only a direct hit will set off a chain reaction that will destroy the station.

Available Starting Craft: X-Wing, Y-Wing (after Prisons of Maw) (will have Torpdoes instead of Bombs)

Enemies: Death Star (Laser Turrets), TIE Fighter, TIE Advanced

Survival Walkthrough: The first part of the mission has you, Biggs, and Wedge taking out several Deflection Towers on the surface. You don't need to deal with the guns, just the towers. They take a lot of hits, so just brake and keep pounding them.

Once they're all taken out, you'll switch to another part of the Death Star's surface to take down about thirty or so TIEs. For the most part, they won't actively attack, so just use the radar, line up your shots, and take them out. Obviously, they just woke up and haven't had their morning cup of coffee. Once they're all gone, you'll head into the trench.

BONUS ALERT: Before you finish off all the TIEs, there's a bonus to be found in this area. The only problem is it's really tough to find, because the item is a whitish cone, and the entire Death Star is gray. Okay. Know how the terrain markers on the Death Star are different shades when you look at them on the map? The spot you're looking for consists of two squares of solid dark grey surrounded by complete black, and it has one red dot on it. This spot is approximately 15-20 degrees to the left of your starting point. Once you reach the patch, fly low near the gun turret there and you'll eventually spot the cone. That's about as descriptive as I can be on it. Good luck. Pick it up, and you'll have Advanced Shields.

In the trench, you'll have to adjust your height so as not to slam into the crossbars that pop up. There are several turrets dotting the trench, which you can take out if you wish. At some point, Wedge will be hit and will duck out, and Biggs will be shot down (just like the movie!). After that, pay attention for R2-D2 making noises, because that signals some TIEs coming up behind you. Brake hard so that they overtake you and shoot them down. Soon, you'll hear Vader speak. You know, the classic "The Force is strong with this one" line. He'll make two passes at you (in the middle of this, Obi-Wan Kenobi will tell you to "use the Force", no, there are no buttons on the controller to use the Force). You can't shoot him down, so just brake so he flies by you. For the third run, he'll come behind you with wingmen. Gun the throttle, and Han Solo, who you originally presumed to be on the other side of the galaxy, will swoop in with his trademark "Yahoo!" and take out the TIEs and send Vader spinning.

Once you're all clear, keep going and you'll eventually see gray at the end of the trench. Once you get close, shoot a proton torpedo in the general direction of the exhaust port (on the floor) and watch the fireworks. (If you keep missing, use your Targeting Computer to spot the exhaust port)

Gold Medal Strategies:

Time: 6:05
Enemies: 91
Accuracy: 39%
Friendlies Lost: 0
Lives Lost: 0
Computer Efficiency: 100%

Naturally, take the X-Wing. You'll want Advanced Lasers and Shields, and Homing Proton Torps couldn't hurt.

This is, on paper, the hardest Gold Medal in the game. The key to getting the Gold in this medal is four major things.

One (Time): Don't go too far out of your way to get extra targets. You must also be a master TIE destroyer. Whenever you get a break from the guns in the trench, close your S-foils to gain a second or two.

Two (Kills): In the first two areas, if there's a turret between you and your essential targets, use a quad burst on it. This is especially useful in the first area, since you're low to the surface. In the trench, this has less weight, since, of course, they're all in your way.

Three (Accuracy): Again, you must be a master TIE destroyer. Line up behind groups and take out all other craft before you take out the one in the lead. Once you take out the one in the lead, the formation breaks up and they're harder to find again. Use single quad bursts or Laser Turrets if at all possible.

Four (Lives Lost): Don't die in the trench. It's very easy to go so fast that you hit a crossbar. Slow down if you have to.

In the first section, immediately open fire on the first tower. Once it's blown, fly to the left to the rest of the towers. It may not matter, but I like to move in a counter-clockwise direction around the towers. Take the nearest one, then the one to the right of it, etc. Stay low to the surface. If at all possible, try to line yourself up so that a Laser Turret is between you and a tower so that you can hit it while hitting the tower. Take out as many towers as you can in about a 45 degree arc in front of you. That is to say, if there's a gun in your sights somewhere near the tower, blow it. If you pass a gun and don't destroy it, forget it. So, make the rounds blowing towers. You'll need between 15-20 Laser Turrets here.

Next come the TIEs. Immediately tell your wingmen to flee so they don't take your kills. Head towards the first visible group of TIEs and take them out as described in the Accuracy section above. If the next TIE group is far away, dip down and take out a nearby gun or two on the surface. I suggest about 5-10 guns in this area. Finish all the TIEs and take out some more guns as the voice goes on.

In the trench, I suggest taking out about two thirds of the guns, which is about 20-25. Close your S-foils for the first few seconds of the run, and close them again as the crossbars start becoming few and far between. Once the TIEs come up behind your back, slam on the brakes and let them past. Shoot them down each time to get some easy kills. After they're all gone, close the S-foils until Darth Vader speaks. Open them and shoot turrets, and shoot him when he passes. You can't down him, but hitting him will boost your Accuracy. When he passes the second time, let him pass, but ignore him and just close the S-foils. Keep them closed until the very end. If you have the speed correct, the music for the last part (brass orchestra hits) will be your cue to fire the Proton Torpedo of Destiny.

Good luck.

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