Rand Ecliptic

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A squadron of TIE Fighters return to the Rand Ecliptic

"Of course I got it. Signed aboard the Rand Ecliptic last week. First mate Biggs Darklighter at your service... I just came to say good-bye to all you unfortunate landlocked simpletons." ~Biggs Darklighter in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

In the Star Wars saga, the Rand Ecliptic was a large warship with a design reminiscent of the Acclamator-class Assault Ship. It was supposedly a "Class II Frigate" (whether this is a designation of its type or simply of its role in the fleet is unclear), and was first commanded by Captain Heliesk, serving the Galactic Empire.

Upon the graduation of pilots Biggs Darklighter, Derek Klivian, as well as their classmates from the Imperial Academy, they were assigned to the Rand Ecliptic as part of its complement of TIE Fighter squadrons. Both Darklighter and Klivian were recruited to different Rebel cells on the ship, although neither group knew the existence of other cells aboard the ship.

While Darklighter and his cell were having a secret meeting in order to discuss how they should pull off a defection, they were interrupted by Klivian - this subsequently caused a scuffle between Klivian and Darklighter which caused Darklighter and his cell to defect from the Empire sooner than they had originally planned. Unaware to Darklighter, Klivian, who also had to push his plans ahead, began his own insurrection with his Rebel cell with the help of the other Rebel cell aboard the Rand Ecliptic. Klivian was able to lead the mutiny to success, taking over the Rand Ecliptic.

Meanwhile, Darklighter and his group escaped the Rand Ecliptic during the chaos aboard theirTIE fighters - which were absent of hyperdrives. While hiding out in deep space for hours with few supplies and air, they decided to return to the Rand Ecliptic to raid the ship's fuel and food supplies. Darklighter was surprised to find that Klivian had commandeered the vessel. Under the command of Klivian, with Darklighter as his first mate, the Rand Ecliptic was taken to a Rebel base on Yavin IV.

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The Rand Ecliptic was mentioned by Biggs Darklighter in a deleted scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and has appeared several times in various RPG and reading material, each time as a different kind of ship, leading to severe inconsistencies in its history. The last incarnation, described in this article, is an effort to link the ship back to the prequel trilogy of films, by making it an off-shoot of the Acclamator-class.