Bret Devereaux

Getting military hardware from another major power, a la Contras or Mujahideen doesn't count.

So, we actually see a bit in SW: Rebels of how the rebels get their fighters - mostly they are craft commissioned for planetary defense forces which are then stolen or secretly delivered to the rebels.

So it might actually be close to something like arming the Mujahideen. Or at the least, like Catholic European powers quietly supporting German protestants against the emperor.

Back in the old EU, there was also a doctrine-based explanation for it, that the Empire *had* better designs - the TIE-Advanced and the TIE-Defender, but chose to mass produce cheaper, expendable designs (Fighter/Interceptor) instead.

Also, it's not like all of the rebel fighters were secret gems. The Y-Wing is hot garbage, even in the lore, a Clone Wars era design - and not a particularly good one - that the rebels use because it is cheap and available.

Which...well, I've been playing a lot of SW: Squadrons, and let me tell you...f*** Y-Wings. It's like trying to drive a school bus through No Man's Land at the Somme.

At some point, I need to write this up, but I actually thing the decentralized nature of the Empire actually makes a lot of sense but also explains why the Rebellion could work. It's not a 'people's rebellion, but a prince's rebellion - Palpatine's vassals ganging up on him.