Oh, I know the mechanics of how the canopy opens. It just struck me as something that probably wouldn't have been designed that way if it was being made as a miniature or a full sized mockup. The art department as well as the model shop at ILM always took a lot of cues from current and classic aviation in terms of design. And that cannon just would never have been something that aircraft designers would incorporate in that particular position because it could have a negative affect on crew survival in the event of a bailout.
Ejecting would be a bit of a problem.
Just a bit!
Not to go off on too much of a tangent, but the whole reference to older aircraft as inspiration for new ships made me realize that another recent ship seems to have been inspired by some WW2 era fighter planes. The fighters flown by Shin Hati and her squadron are really a lot line some of the radial engine fighters of the second world war - the FW-190, the P-47 Thunderbolt and the F-4U Corsair all have some similar lines to that new fighter seen in AHSOKA.
Looking at the old (and rare) Galoob Star Wars Action Fleet E-Wing vehicle from the late 1990s, Galoob designed the canopy with a larger rear portion to which the 3rd gun was mounted and which allowed the canopy to open in a manner similar to the X-Wing (the gun was in essence part of the canopy). Not sure how accurate that was per the old EU, but it’s a practical solution on the Galoob model. See here:
(Photo Credit - Rebel Scale:
https://www.rebelscale.com/action-fleet/classic/e-wing/ )
Nevertheless, I also really like the omission of the 3rd gun on the Ashoka version of the E-Wing as well as the sliding forward canopy…
And the influence of WWII era uniforms, vehicles, and equipment on Star Wars is without question! And I’m glad to see Dave Filoni and others continuing that tradition in the various new series…
