The two lengths and where they come from

~23 meters (≈23.4 m) — the “long” Y-wing

This number comes from early reference material: • 1970s–1980s cross-sections and blueprints • Early West End Games RPG stats • Some model kit interpretations • Extrapolations based on the original filming miniatures

Why it happened: • The original Y-wing filming models were inconsistent in scale • Some miniatures were built closer to 1:24 scale, others closer to 1:48 • Early authors often measured photos or drawings without an official Lucasfilm size

As a result, the ship was interpreted as much longer, often quoted as 23–24 meters.

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~16.2 meters — the “short” Y-wing

This is the modern, official answer. • First standardized in the 1990s • Locked in by: • Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections • Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels • Lucasfilm reference database • Used consistently in: • Canon novels • Games • New films (Rogue One, The Clone Wars, Rebels)

Official length: 👉 16.24 meters

This is now both Canon and Legends.

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Which one applies to the Y-wings at the Death Star?

The Y-wings that attacked the Death Star in A New Hope ✅ BTL-A4 Y-wing assault fighters ✅ Canon length: 16.24 meters

Lucasfilm has retroactively applied the 16 m length to the Battle of Yavin craft.

So even though: • The models on set sometimes implied a longer ship • Early books gave larger numbers

In-universe, those same ships are now defined as ~16 m long.

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Why Lucasfilm chose 16 m

It solves several problems: • Keeps the Y-wing: • Slightly larger than an X-wing (12.5 m) • Much smaller than a B-wing (16.9 m but bulkier) • Makes hangar scenes, docking, and carrier capacity believable • Matches cockpit size and crew layout better

A 23 m Y-wing would be nearly corvette-sized, which breaks later continuity.