system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] Why do the ill-equipped Rebels have superior Starfighters such as the X-wing?

The Republic had the Arc-170, which seems to be the precursor to the X-wing. So why didn't the empire use starfighters which have shields, hyperdrive, life support, better firepower, etc. In real life, the 5th gen fighters seem to belong to the countries with the biggest wallets. Surely the empire could afford these things if the rebels could.
gpt
The empire's strategy was to overwhelm with sheer numbers from one large transport ship.  The average star destroyer could only carry so many ships.  They preferred light cheap tie fighers so they could field a LOT of them.

The rebellion didn't have as much funds or transport options, so they needed the most bang for their buck, hence investing in the X-Wings.