Garven Dreis

Garven Dreis, born on the Inner Rim planet of Virujansi, homeworld, spent his formative years piloting through the intricate borecrawler caves, gaining intimate familiarity with his family's farm. During the three-year span of the Clone Wars (22 BBY to 19 BBY), a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Alliance, Dreis was drafted into the Rarefied Air Cavalry to defend Virujansi against Separatist droid infiltrators. At this time, Dreis, known as "Dave," was a young man who had recently transitioned from flying T-16 skyhoppers to Z-95 Headhunters, yet he was recognized as Virujansi's premier and most celebrated pilot—second only to the Republic's "Hero With No Fear," the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.

When Skywalker arrived on Virujansi in a Delta-7 interceptor to command the defense against the Separatists, Dreis piloted the lead position during Skywalker's initial foray into the caverns, maintaining a position just a meter off Dreis' left wing for two minutes. While Dreis pondered how long Skywalker could sustain this, the Jedi abruptly executed a snap-roll with his interceptor and seized the lead. Dreis struggled to keep pace, and his awe at Skywalker's skill was met with a knowing grin from the Jedi back at base. Ultimately, Virujansi was liberated through the combined efforts of the Rarefied Air Cavalry and the Republic Navy, and Dreis held Anakin Skywalker in high regard throughout his later life.

Following the rise of the Galactic Empire after the conclusion of the Clone Wars, Dreis remained on Virujansi and witnessed numerous Imperial atrocities: his own fields and village were set ablaze by the Empire, and TIE fighters destroyed transports with minimal justification, leaving helpless passengers stranded in space with their mouths agape in futile gasps. Eventually, Dreis resolved to oppose the Empire and joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic, serving as a starfighter pilot. He participated in numerous campaigns, piloting X-wings, Y-wings, and R-22 Spearheads, outliving hundreds of pilots who perished in the fight against the Empire, recruiting and sending many of them to their deaths.

As part of his duties, Dreis was involved in recruiting new pilots for squadrons beyond his own, such as Ryle Torsyn from Gold Squadron. In addition to his experience with the T-65, Dreis accumulated over a thousand hours flying an Incom skyhopper, which had similar controls to the X-wing. He was at one point assigned to the Alliance base on Dantooine, where he commanded Dantooine Squadron. On Dantooine, Dreis undertook numerous missions with Theron Nett, a former smuggler from Ord Mantell, as his wingman, and was joined by Davish Krail of Gold Squadron, an old comrade. The Rebels were compelled to abandon the base when Torsyn discovered a concealed Imperial tracking device in 0 BBY, resulting in all personnel relocating to the Great Temple on the moon of Yavin 4.

On Yavin 4, Red Squadron was rapidly formed from pilots originating from Dantooine Squadron, the Tierfon Yellow Aces, and the Griffon Flight Wing. Dreis was designated to lead the new squadron, piloting the lead X-wing starfighter under the call sign "Red 1," or "Red Leader." Most squadron pilots had been trained by the experienced Dreis, who, along with his pilots, was charged with protecting Alliance High Command. When leading Red Squadron—or his "Red Boys," as he called them—he exhibited a nearly fatherly demeanor, earning him significant respect. He was also addressed as "Boss" or "Chief" by his squadron, although the younger pilots were unaware of his real name.

Shortly thereafter, when Princess Leia Organa delivered the plans for the Empire's planet-destroying Death Star battle station to General Jan Dodonna of Alliance High Command on Yavin 4, preparations were initiated for a decisive assault on the superweapon to completely destroy it. Accompanying Organa was Luke Skywalker—the son of Dreis' former Clone Wars comrade, Anakin Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker participated in a flight simulator exercise, and his results were presented by "Red Three" Biggs Darklighter to Dreis and Commander Vanden Willard. Red Leader approached Skywalker, who was accompanied by Darklighter and Princess Organa, and expressed his admiration that the boy had only been shot down twice, despite facing an entire starfleet. Subsequently, the squadron leader welcomed him into Red Squadron under the call sign "Red Five."

After leaving Organa, Red Leader and his team attended Dodonna's briefing at the Rebel base a few minutes later. The strategy involved launching snubfighters against the massive weapon and then firing proton torpedoes down a two-meter-wide thermal exhaust port located at the end of the long, narrow meridian trench. The torpedoes would then travel down the port, initiating a chain reaction that would destroy the Death Star's primary reactor, and thus the entire station.

To that end, Gold Squadron would aim to deploy the fateful shot while Red Squadron flew interference, keeping any Imperial resistance at bay during the run. To distract the Imperials from the exhaust port strikes, Blue and Green Squadrons would mount attacks on the Death Star superlaser. Adding to the urgency was the fact that the Death Star had entered the Yavin system and was already moving against the fourth moon itself. Following the briefing, the pilots began their final preparations, with Red Leader instructing Skywalker and Darklighter to don their flight suits before convening in the hangar of the Great Temple.

As Red Leader moved through the hangar, helmet and gloves in hand, he noticed anxiety and fear among the pilots, but neither panic nor hopelessness. Reminded of his own Clone Wars Virujansi missions with Anakin Skywalker by the name of his squadron's newest member, Luke Skywalker, Dreis approached the young man, who was paired with Biggs Darklighter beside his new X-wing. Even after the simulator run, Dreis was not entirely convinced that Skywalker was ready for the task. However, Darklighter, a childhood friend of Skywalker's, vouched for the newcomer's abilities; the claim that Skywalker was the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim Territories, combined with Skywalker's name, made Dreis realize that he had met the boy's father, Anakin, which he took as a good omen.

Expressing his belief that the young Skywalker would perform well as a pilot, Dreis suggested that the galaxy would improve with the return to action of a son of the original Jedi Knights. As they examined the youth's new craft, Dreis patted Luke Skywalker on the back, reassuring him that skyhoppers and T-65 X-wings operated similarly, besides the obvious difference in their payloads. With a fierce smile, Dreis then left Skywalker and Darklighter's company and hurried toward his own ship, leaving Skywalker with many unanswered questions.

As Luke Skywalker entered his own craft, the novice observed Red Leader signaling his ground crew from the seat of his X-wing, which also housed Dreis' astromech droid, R5-K6. Without further delay, Red Squadron, signaled for liftoff by Dreis via comm-unit, launched from Yavin 4's hidden fortress alongside Gold Leader Jon "Dutch" Vander's Y-wing Gold Squadron. The Rebel ships gradually formed attack formations and circled the gas giant Yavin Prime as the Death Star came into view.

With only about fifteen minutes remaining before the Rebel moon entered the battlestation's range, Red Leader lowered his glare visor, adjusted his targeting computer, and instructed his pilots to adjust their selectors and report in. Observing the looming Death Star, the man recalled the suffering and injustices perpetuated by the Imperial government, noted that they were approaching the battlestation at 1.3 parsecs, and declared that the situation was do or die. When Red Leader noticed that Wedge Antilles, operating as "Red Two," had strayed from the group, he instructed the pilot to tighten formation. As he did so, the wayward Antilles noted an issue with his targeting computer, which Dreis acknowledged, advising Red Two to proceed with caution. After all members of his squadron had reported in, Dreis called for them to lock S-foils in attack position and execute their assault.

As Red Squadron flew through the station's magnetic field, Dreis advised his men to lock down their control units and set their deflector shields to double front, and he then reprimanded a particularly informal Antilles for extraneous chatter. Leading the assault, Dreis ordered Red Squadron to keep their comm channels quiet until they reached the surface and accelerate to attack velocity. Soon afterward, Red Leader received word from Vander that Gold Squadron was moving to make their run on the Death Star's trench, and Dreis expressed his wish that the Force would be with them.

To draw the station's defensive fire away from the Y-wings, Dreis and three other X-wing pilots, including his wingman, "Red Twelve" Puck Naeco, flew across the Death Star's axis. The remaining members of Red Squadron followed suit, prompting Imperial laser cannons and turbolasers to open fire, initiating the first exchange of the Battle of Yavin. Enduring crossfire, Dreis instructed his men to stay low, and when Luke Skywalker's craft was seared by his own nose dive attack attempt, the veteran sternly warned him to give himself more lead time.

Under Dreis' command, Red Squadron targeted the Death Star's deflection towers, with the squadron leader smoothly maneuvering close to the station's superstructure and through a rain of heavy flak and fire while requesting Skywalker to destroy one of them, alerting to heavy fire originating from the tower's right side. Red Squadron sustained its first casualty when "Red Six" Jek Tono Porkins perished after striking a deflection tower. Soon afterward, they were contacted by the Rebel Del Goren, who was at the Great Temple monitoring the battle alongside Rebel leaders including General Dodonna, Commander Willard, and Princess Organa. Goren advised squadron leaders that enemy fighters were moving to intercept them.

When Skywalker protested, claiming that there was no indication of enemy fighters on his scope, Dreis quickly directed his men to pick up their visual scanning. The squadron leader was the first to observe TIE/LN starfighters of Black Squadron entering the fray, proceeding to engage Red Squadron in dogfights.

Dreis congratulated "Red Four" John D. Branon for successfully shooting down one of the TIE fighters, but he then looked down toward his own port side and promptly warned about another TIE behind Branon. The Rebel was soon gunned down far above and to one side of Red Leader, who remained largely stoic and focused on the task at hand. Dreis told Antilles to tighten up and beware of towers and called for the X-wings to pull in. When he lost track of Skywalker, Red Leader, under the strain of combat, requested Red Six to locate Red Five. "Red Ten" Theron Nett observed that Skywalker was in a heavy fire zone; indeed, he was being chased by a TIE fighter until Antilles came to his rescue.

The Gold Squadron trio, in which Gold Leader Vander and Tiree served as the wingmen of Dreis' old friend Davish Krail, started their trench run with little more than five minutes to spare. Red Leader acknowledged the Y-wings' attack run, commanding Red Squadron to provide cover, but the Y-wings were pursued inside the trench by an unexpected guest: the Sith Lord Darth Vader, who arrived in his prototype TIE Advanced x1 with two TIE/LN wingmen.

In quick succession, Vader vanquished Vander, Tiree, and Krail—as Krail plummeted to the Death Star's surface, he explained to Red Leader that TIE fighters had come from the rear and that there was no room to maneuver. Red Leader acknowledged the new Gold Leader, who apologized for Gold Squadron's failure and, stating that the mission fell to Dreis, bade farewell using his nickname, Dave.

Following the demise of his longtime comrade, Dreis summoned his squadron; they had under 180 seconds before the Yavin IV moon faced total annihilation by the Death Star. Subsequently, he was given directives from General Dodonna to maintain half of his team in reserve while initiating an assault on the trench. With just a handful of six pilots remaining at the designated meeting spot, Dreis commanded Skywalker to hold back Darklighter and Antilles until they received the go-ahead to commence their own attack, should he fail. After confirming his wingmen were correctly positioned and spotting no sign of the TIE trench formation, Dreis, accompanied by Theron Nett on his left and Puck Naeco on his right, plunged into the trench. As per the instructions of both Dodonna and Dreis, the wingmen remained at a distance, awaiting the appearance of any incoming TIE fighters.

The Rebels initially felt uneasy due to the lack of defensive fire, prompting Dreis to scrutinize his instruments. He suspected they were malfunctioning because of the intense signal interference within the trench, leading him to question whether they had indeed entered the correct trench. Suddenly, they were nearly struck by turbolaser blasts, particularly those emanating from a tower situated at the trench's end. Dreis intended to call his wingmen to the fore, but the firing ceased as suddenly as it had started. Consequently, Dreis advised his wingmen to be vigilant for Imperial fighters.

Predictably, Skywalker informed Dreis' group that the trio of TIEs was moving to intercept. Before the Imperials could begin their assault on the advancing half of Red Squadron, Dreis closed the distance and activated his targeting computer as he aimed for the exhaust port. As they sped down the trench, Vader swiftly eliminated Naeco, while another Imperial shot down Nett. The sacrifice made by Red Leader's pilots afforded him the necessary time to launch his proton torpedoes at the exhaust port before swiftly ascending from the trench.

Dreis proudly announced the launch of the torpedoes, and "Red Nine" Nozzo Naytaan celebrated the hit as the Death Star's corridors shook from the massive explosion Dreis initiated within the trench. However, Dreis soon realized that the torpedoes had only impacted the surface of the battlestation and had failed to penetrate the exhaust port. As TIE fighters continued to pursue Red Leader out of the trench, the news deeply affected the Rebels at the Great Temple. Princess Organa, though somber, remained defiant, wishing that Dreis' shot had at least dislodged the presiding battlestation commander, Grand Moff Tarkin, from his feet. The blast reverberated through the corridors, affecting numerous Death Star troopers and stormtroopers within the station.

Skywalker spotted Dreis and offered to provide cover, but the squadron leader reported the failure of his starboard engine. R5-K6's attempts to repair the damaged machinery proved futile. Dreis insisted that the remaining pilots prepare for their own attack run. Pursued by the lead TIE craft, Red Leader accepted his fate as his starfighter was ensnared in a barrage of laser fire and crashed onto the battlestation's surface. Unbeknownst to Dreis, the Imperial who had downed him, Darth Vader, was once his comrade from the Clone Wars and the father of Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker.

Despite being harassed by Vader and with barely a minute remaining, Luke Skywalker opted to bypass the targeting device that had failed Red Leader and, trusting in the Force, launched the shot that successfully destroyed the Death Star. With the Rebellion secured, the Rebels who perished in the battle were the first to be awarded the Kenobi Medallion, posthumously bestowed for their heroic sacrifice and displayed in the pilot's lounge at the Rebel base on the planet Tierfon. A holographic memorial commemorating the fallen pilots was also erected at the Great Temple. Commander Arhul Narra of Renegade Flight filled the void left by Dreis' death, and leadership of the squadron eventually passed to Skywalker and Antilles—the sole Red Squadron survivors of the Battle of Yavin—who reorganized it into the elite Rogue Squadron. Skywalker and Leia Organa later documented their experiences of the Battle of Yavin, including the actions of the late Red Leader, in their personal journals.

For the majority of the time following the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY, Antilles would lead Rogue Squadron. However, for the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, during which the Rebellion destroyed the Death Star II, Rogue Squadron was renamed "Red Squadron" in honor of those who had died at Yavin. Rebel pilot "Green Four" Nichos Panib, a noble hailing from Dreis' home planet, was stationed at Echo Base on Hoth before the battle there. Panib had been close to the family of the fallen pilot's mother, and he painted his helmet to resemble Dreis' as a tribute.

Dreis was a light-skinned Human male, distinguished by his brown hair and resonant voice, and by the time of the Battle of Yavin, his face was marked with wrinkles. Garven Dreis's motivation to oppose the Empire stemmed from a profound passion, fueled by the injustices he had witnessed and endured. Although he was dedicated to the Alliance's cause, his past experiences served as a more immediate impetus for his actions, surpassing the mere zeal of rebellion. In contrast to his former associate, Gold Leader Jon Vander, Garven Dreis exuded confidence and possessed a robust, tall physique.

As he prepared for the Battle of Yavin, Dreis felt an intense eagerness to engage, yet he concealed it from his pilots. Red Leader maintained his composure as he and his squadron attacked the Death Star and engaged in dogfights with TIEs. Although Dreis was visibly tense and perspiring as he began his trench run, he was surprised by his own sense of calm as he awaited the alignment of the two lines on his targeting computer, which would indicate the precise moment to strike the port. His focus on the small, abstract images on the display helped him to block out the perilous environment.

Red Leader was wary of the possibility of Imperials eavesdropping on Rebel transmissions during battle. When "Gold Five" Davish Krail hailed him and reported Gold Leader's death by using the latter's nickname, "Dutch," Red Leader considered the implications of the Empire learning about the death of a squadron leader. In conjunction with Krail's automatic promotion, Dreis was quick to address Krail as "Gold Leader." Dreis proudly declared that he had launched his proton torpedoes as he exited the Death Star trench, but he expressed bitter disappointment when he realized they had merely struck the station's surface. When he was shot down, Red Leader emitted a roar as he perished in flames.

Garven Dreis and Rebel pilot Davish Krail, nicknamed "Pops," were longtime friends. Krail addressed Dreis as "Dave" in his final moments at the Battle of Yavin, and Dreis struggled to maintain a neutral tone upon Krail's death. While Krail enforced strict discipline, Dreis believed that the intensity of combat was sufficient to correct his own pilots. Indeed, Red Leader adopted an affectionate, almost paternal approach to leading his "Red Boys." Before his final battle, Dreis forced a smile to reassure the Red Squadron newcomer, Luke Skywalker. The avuncular Dreis served as a stabilizing influence on his "boys," and he refused to allow them to risk their lives for him when he was in mortal danger at the Death Star.

When Red Squadron entered the Death Star's magnetic field, Dreis's calming voice eased Skywalker's anxiety. Dreis encouraged John D. Branon when the pilot shot down a TIE fighter and quickly announced another approaching TIE, but the subsequent loss of the Rebel had only a minor impact on the squadron leader, who remained focused on their mission. Dreis continued to watch over his pilots, warning them of potential threats and expressing concern for the more impetuous Luke Skywalker in particular.

Like General Dodonna, the squadron commander admired his subordinate Wedge Antilles's adaptability and piloting skills, but he considered Antilles to be lacking in experience. Both Dreis and Dodonna regarded Nozzo Naytaan as the squadron's most promising member, but they were wary of his recklessness. Dreis also mentored the younger Theron Nett, who served as his longtime wingman.

In his youth, Garven Dreis was among Virujansi's most skilled fighter pilots, adept at navigating its caverns. He later became a capable and respected veteran pilot within the Rebellion. Between his service in Virujansi's Rarefied Air Cavalry and the Rebel Alliance, Dreis gained experience piloting T-16 skyhoppers, Z-95 Headhunters, X-wings, Y-wings, and R-22 Spearheads.

As the commander of the X-wing Red Squadron and a mentor to some of its members, Dreis was capable of assessing his pilots' conditions and offering guidance during dogfights. General Dodonna trusted that the seasoned pilot, as the leader of first flight's, would maintain his composure despite the heavy fire in the Death Star's narrow trenches. While Red and Gold Leaders were equally skilled and dedicated, the general, even considering the potential of Gold Squadron's Y-wings in carrying out the attack run, placed his hopes on Dreis. Indeed, Red Leader was able to concentrate on his targeting computer's display while simultaneously maneuvering his craft through the canyon for his attack run.

During the Battle of Yavin, Garven Dreis wore an orange flight suit with a white flak vest and piloted a T-65 X-wing starfighter equipped with his personal R5-series astromech droid, R5-K6. He also carried a DL-44 heavy blaster pistol and wore black gloves.

The Rebel's worn white flight helmet, which incorporated a headset communication unit, featured gold paint adorned with curving black lines and round red symbols. A red line ran along the helmet's reinforced midrib, and the forehead protectors on both sides were decorated with a cluster of black and grey stripes lined with irregular red patterns, which served as pre-Rebellion squadron insignia. Each of the helmet's bulbous sides displayed a Rebel unit marking—a black circle with thin lines of the same color streaking through it—and were crested with numerous black-and-gold "V"-shaped symbols.

Garven Dreis, created for George Lucas' May 1977 original trilogy film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, first appeared visually in the film and was credited as "Red Leader." However, the character debuted in Alan Dean Foster's November 1976 novelization of the film, where he is named "Dave." Both Foster's novelization and the fifth issue of Roy Thomas' Star Wars comic adaptation, published by Marvel Comics on August 10, 1977, identify the film's Red Squadron as "Blue Squadron," and consequently, Dreis's character was also known as "Blue Leader." A New Hope's May 1974 rough draft names the pilot leading the starfighter attack on the Death Star Mace, and the second issue of Jonathan W. Rinzler's comic adaptation of the rough draft, published on October 2, 2013, elaborates on the attack, designating Mace as "Devil Leader."

Raymond L. Velasco's 1984 reference title A Guide to the Star Wars Universe established "Dave" as the character's first name and erroneously identified his nom de guerre as "Blue Leader" as well. However, the character was identified as "Garven Dreis" by the Premiere Limited set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game later in 1995, with the 1998 reference book Star Wars Encyclopedia clarifying that "Dave" was a nickname. 2009's Rebellion Era Campaign Guide, a Wizards of the Coast supplement to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition Core Rulebook, misspells the name as "Garvin Dreis."

Initially designated "Blue Leader" as the commander of "Blue Squadron," Dreis's designation and squadron were changed to "Red Leader" and "Red Squadron," respectively, because the use of bluescreens for the X-wing models prevented them from being painted blue as originally planned. The climactic Death Star assault was inspired by documentaries and war films based on World War II. Lucas compiled a 16 mm eight-minute reel of dogfights from these sources for storyboard artist Joe Johnston and the Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) visual effects crew to use as reference in the making of Star Wars. Lucas himself drew inspiration from the reel while writing the end battle in the fourth draft of A New Hope in December 1975.

Notably, Red Leader's dialogue and actions in battle mirror those of Wing Commander Guy Gibson in the 1955 film The Dam Busters and Wing Commander "Blue Leader" Roy Grant in the 1964 film 633 Squadron. Footage from The Dam Busters was intercut with footage of Drewe Henley as Garven Dreis in the rough cut that Lucas screened to his filmmaking friends in mid-February 1977 because the special effects had not yet been completed. In fact, the distributor of A New Hope, 20th Century Fox, initially wanted to remove the entire battle sequence, but the efforts of ILM and film editors Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and George Lucas himself convinced Fox otherwise.

As with all Rebel pilots at the Battle of Yavin, the film's conceptual sketches, created by Joe Johnston for the fourth draft, depict the character wearing a helmet and breath mask that completely covered the head. The storyboards also show Y-wings leading the X-wings of "Blue Leader" on the initial approach to the Death Star's surface, whereas both the revised fourth draft and the film itself depict him and his X-wings diving down across the battlestation's axis while the Y-wings remained at high altitude. For Dreis' X-wing trench run, the boards show two of them leading the formation, while another one is flying further back, while the film shows Dreis' starfighter in the lead, flanked by two other X-wings.

Another storyboard depicts an "R-2 unit" attempting to repair the pilot's X-wing after it was damaged by Vader's fire, but the board was crossed out. The scene is included in the 1976 novelization but not in the revised fourth draft, dated to January 1976. Later boards detail "Blue Leader" crashing into a tower on the Death Star but remaining semi-intact, before continuing to fly into the Death Star's surface and exploding. The scene initially features only an X-wing model, but the tower scene was changed to a point-of-view shot on December 22, with the combined crash being scheduled to take just under six and a half seconds of screentime. A process plate shows a close-up of "Red Leader" in his X-wing in the lead-up to the battle, with the cockpit exterior bearing kill markings of three TIE fighters and an airplane.

The revised fourth draft describes "Red Leader" as a burly and good-looking natural-born leader in his forties. Both it and the 1981 Star Wars radio drama attribute a warning about a tailing TIE during the dogfights to Biggs Darklighter, whereas both the film and its novelization attribute the line to Luke Skywalker instead.

The character was brought to life by British actor Drewe Henley, who was mistakenly credited as "Drewe Hemley." The cockpit scenes were filmed on Stage 8 at Elstree Studios over two weeks, beginning on June 28, 1976. Henley interpreted the character as experienced, so he decided to portray Red Leader as someone who did not betray excitement in his voice. However, Lucas wanted the character to convey more excitement, leading the actor and director to agree on a compromise: Red Leader would initially be relaxed and confident, speaking like John Wayne, and then become increasingly enthusiastic as the battle progressed.

Henley realized that his performance would rely almost entirely on his voice, as he would have limited physical movement due to the confined space of the cockpit. Henley found acting in the "cockpit" scenes challenging because he was isolated from the other actors and unable to interact with them. Unlike many of the actors in A New Hope, Henley's performance was not dubbed over by another actor in post-production, and he performed with an American accent.

This performance would be Henley's last on film, as he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder shortly after filming concluded and chose to retire from acting. Henley later reflected on A New Hope as the most engaging film he had ever been involved with. Archived film of Henley as Red Leader that was not used in the 1977 film was kept at Lucasfilm's Skywalker Ranch, including the line "Stay close, Red Five! Where are you going?"

The 1997 Special Edition release of A New Hope included several scenes that had been removed from the original theatrical version. Henley was pleased by the inclusion of the scene where he, as Red Leader, briefly converses with Luke Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter, played by Mark Hamill and Garrick Hagon, respectively. Another take of the scene, in which Red Leader mentions knowing Anakin Skywalker, was not included in any release of the film, but the line was featured and expanded upon in both Foster's A New Hope novelization and the Marvel Comics adaptation.

Dreis's helmet used in A New Hope was worn by the pilot Nichos Panib on Hoth in 1980's Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and by another pilot on the cruiser Home One in 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The film prop was also reused for the character Ina Rece and an unnamed female pilot in the 1995 video game Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire.

Among the discrepancies between Foster's 1976 novelization of the 1977 film A New Hope are variations in dialogue throughout the span of the entire story, which are not documented in this article. There are, however, several factual contradictions between the two sources.

In the film, Red Leader asks Red Six if he could see the missing Red Five, Luke Skywalker, after the death of Jek Porkins, who served as Red Six. While the 1976 novelization shows Dreis asking Red Two Wedge Antilles instead if he could see Red Five, Ryder Windham's 2004 junior novelization of A New Hope clarifies that Red Leader was under the strain of combat when directing a question to the fallen Red Six. The film also shows Luke Skywalker being chased by a TIE fighter in the same sequence, which contradicts the novel, in which Red Squadron pilots urge an unresponsive Skywalker to break off his pursuit of a target. This article assumes that Skywalker was being pursued, as shown in the film.

The book also depicts Skywalker halting his pursuit and reappearing later. Dreis then urges him to remain nearby and cautions him about intense enemy fire. However, Red Five disregards this advice, declaring to Dreis his plan to destroy a lateral stabilizer. He succeeds in destroying one before Antilles saves him from a TIE fighter. The film only portrays Antilles rescuing Skywalker from the same TIE fighter that was chasing him, after Dreis asks if anyone can spot the missing Red Five. Therefore, this article does not include the novel's version of this part of the battle.

Furthermore, the novelization of A New Hope presents certain events in a different sequence compared to the final version of the film—the film's sequence is considered definitive in this article. In the novel, Dreis instructs his pilots to engage their S-foils into attack mode before they check in, but the film reverses the order of these two actions. Again, in contrast to the film, the novel places Antilles' additional chatter after Dreis' command to maintain quiet comm channels. Likewise, Antilles' warning about heavy fire at twenty-three degrees happens after John D. Branon's death in the novel, but in the film, this warning occurs immediately after the Imperials begin firing back at Red Squadron.

While Garven Dreis calls Gold Five Davish Krail "Gold Leader" just before Krail's death in A New Hope, Dreis refers to him as "Gold Five" in the 1981 radio drama. Conversely, the 1976 novelization has Dreis calling him "Red Five." Similar to how the novelization refers to Red Squadron as Blue Squadron, the film's Gold Squadron is called Red Squadron, leading to adjustments in call signs for each squadron. This article regards both the radio drama and the novelization as incorrect because the 2004 A New Hope junior novelization explains that Dreis intentionally used the title "Gold Leader" when addressing Krail.

The sixth edition of the 1977 Marvel Comics Star Wars adaptation clarifies that Vader killed Dreis immediately after he launched his proton torpedoes, not sometime after the Rebel reports his missed shots, as depicted in the film. The comic's narrator implies that it might be a blessing that the pilot never knew his payload narrowly missed its target.

The February 1, 1997 issue ½ of the Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron comic series, co-authored by Michael A. Stackpole and Mike W. Barr, shows Dreis welcoming pilots Wedge Antilles, Biggs Darklighter, and Jek Porkins in the Great Temple hangar on Yavin 4. These pilots had just returned from a mission in time for the Death Star assault, and Dreis immediately introduced them to their new squadron members: Luke Skywalker and his droid, R2-D2. Considering that both the Star Wars radio drama and the 1998 junior novel Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice establish that Dreis inducted Skywalker into Red Squadron after Darklighter introduced them, this article considers the X-Wing Rogue Squadron meeting as non-canonical within the Star Wars Legends continuity.

The April 2, 1997 fourth edition of the Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition comic series, illustrated by Eduardo Barreto, presents a different design for Dreis' helmet. The red line along its center is absent, and each side of the helmet's front features two black lines framing a single red line, which has red spokes near its bottom. Furthermore, the numerous "V"-shaped symbols along the helmet's sides are colored red instead of black and gold.

In the Death Star Trench Run bonus level of the 1998 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron video game, where Luke Skywalker leads Rogue Squadron in attacking the Death Star, Skywalker utters Dreis' line from A New Hope in response to Wedge Antilles' irrelevant chatter. Because the level can be played separately from the game's main story, its events are considered non-canonical within the Star Wars Legends continuity.

Likewise, Dreis is featured in his X-wing in both the 2001 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, voiced by Bob Machray, and the 2006 video game Star Wars: Empire at War, as part of the Red Squadron unit. Since the unit appears independently of the games' narratives, Dreis' presence is non-canonical within the Star Wars Legends continuity.

Abel G. Peña detailed Dreis' encounter with Anakin Skywalker before his transformation into Darth Vader in the article "Vader Tech," featured in the 2005 magazine Vader: The Ultimate Guide. Jason Fry, as co-author, further elaborated on this in the 2012 reference book The Essential Guide to Warfare. For the book, Fry composed a war portrait as if it were a missing page from Foster's A New Hope novelization, and he particularly enjoyed detailing Dreis' meeting with Anakin Skywalker and his friendship with Davish Krail.