Jon 'Dutch' Vander, also known as Gold Leader, was a Rebel pilot given that callsign during the attack on the Death Star over Yavin 4.
Description
Dutch Vander features a typical technician head as seen in Space Port sets and the like. His legs and body are orange, with the print of a Rebel pilot as seen in related Star Wars sets. His helmet features an exclusive print.
Background
Jon Vander, commonly known as Dutch, was a Rebel pilot. He was trained at the Imperial Academy as a fighter pilot, but during one of his missions as a TIE Bomber pilot, he discovered the true nature of the Galactic Empire's ideals. He was ordered to bomb his home planet. He simulated a failure in his bomber and aborted the mission. He managed to escape the Imperials and joined the Rebel Alliance. Jon got the nickname "Dutch" from his Rebel friends. He became Gold Leader and was assigned to a Y-wing, flying several campaigns for the Alliance with Gold Squadron.
Prior to the Battle of Yavin, he flew Leia Organa to the Belassar system for a Rebel mission.
During the Battle of Yavin, he was one of the first groups who flew into the Death Star trench. Vander was on point, followed by Tiree (Gold Two) and Davish Krail (Gold Five), who formed a buffer against enemy fighters. Vander chose an extremely close formation for his pilots; this was typical for the much faster TIE Fighters, but the veteran Krail believed this to be a mistake. As Tiree was locking his target computer, Darth Vader shot him down. This caused Vander to panic; Krail tried to keep Vander calm but to no avail. A second later Vader fired into Vander's Y-wing, killing him instantly.
He had the emblem of the Specter Squadron on his helmet at the Battle of Yavin.
Notes
- His first three sets are all exactly the same.
- His face is the same as the technicians, but his helmet print is unique.
Appearances
- 7150 TIE Fighter & Y-Wing
- 7152 TIE Fighter & Y-Wing
- 7262 TIE Fighter & Y-Wing
- 7658 Y-Wing Fighter
- 9495 Gold Leader's Y-wing Starfighter (called as Gold Leader)
- 75181 Y-Wing Starfighter
- 65145 X-Wing Fighter/TIE Fighter & Y-Wing Collectors Set
Variations
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| Version 1, 1999 | Version 2, 2007 | 2012 Redesign | 2018 Redesign |
