During the years between the Battle of Yavin and the death of the Emperor, Sienar Fleet Systems was testing many new TIE prototypes . One of these prototypes, and probably the most successful, was the TIE Advanced x1 Prototype. Darth Vader flew of the Advanced TIEs during the battle of Yavin, but the actual model itslef was not used extensively; instead, some of the design models were taken and used for the cheaper and more widely used TIE Interceptor.

The Advanced has a more carefully designed spaceframe that is made with a strong, reinforced durasteel alloy. The wings extend back farther and it has bent wings covered with solar panels that were traditional of the regular TIE Fighters. It carries a SFS 1-S3a solar ionization reactor and dual SFS P-s5.6 twin ion engines which make for a very strong drive system, although this does not cause a significant increase in speed over earlier models, mainly because the spaceframe is considerably heavier, and that extra power is used to charge the shield generators. This means that the ship is far less maneuverable, but this was made up for by the fact that the shields enable the TIE Advanced to take far more damage than the TIE Fighter.

The TIE Advanced has twin heavy blaster cannons in a fixed, forward-firing position. It also carries a shield generator for more protection, although this is extremely unusual for Imperial starfighters. In another exception to strict Imperial policy, the TIE Advanced is equipped with a hyperdrive, which can carry ten sets of jump coordinates (but no navigation computer). Like most other TIEs, the Advanced has no life support system, so the pilot must wear a self-contained life-support suit that carries an internal oxygen supply.

The Empire ordered the construction of only a very few TIE Advanced ships, which were deployed to only the most elite Fighter squadrons. One was also given to Darth Vader, which he used on his personal missions, including the Battle of Yavin. By about the time of the Battle of Hoth, the Advanced ships were being used in a handful of Imperial fleets, including the Star Destroyer Squadron that guarded Darth Vader's Executor. The Empire decided against buying the TIE Advanced in large numbers because of the excessive cost. There were rumors, however, that some Imperial leaders feared that buying a ship with a hyperdrive would make an excuse to cancel orders for larger capital ships.

Imperial designers instead decided to use the TIE Advanced's drive system in the lighter TIE Interceptor, which had no shields and no hyperdrive. The Interceptor was considerably lighter, which made it blindingly fast and far more maneuverable. The Interceptor had a price the Empire could handle, which meant the end of production for the TIE Advanced.