List of Star Wars starfighters

The following is a list of fictional Star Wars starfighters. In addition to appearing in the saga's movies and TV series, several LucasArts games depict the player as a starfighter pilot.

A-wing

Main article: A-wing

A-wings appear at the climactic Battle of Endor in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

ARC-170 starfighter

ARC-170 starfighters appear in the opening sequence of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The fighter's name stems from "ART 170", the file name of the art that established the ship's appearance—deliberately reminiscent of the X-wing.[1]

B-wing

Main article: B-wing

B-wings participate at the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi.

Vulture Droid

Automated Trade Federation "Vulture-droid" starfighters appear in space battles in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith. Original designs depicted the droid starfighter not as a droid itself, but instead piloted by a battle droid.[2]

Droid Tri-Fighter

A pair of Droid Tri-Fighters during the Battle of Coruscant.

Tri-fighters are part of the droid forces in the opening battle of Revenge of the Sith. Original plans to equip the fighters with boosters were abandoned when Lucas decided they were an unnecessary distraction in the already chaotic scene.[3] Its curved braces are reminiscent of the Trade Federation's circular battleship.[3]

E-wing

The improved successor to the X-wing, E-wings first appear in Dark Horse Comics' Dark Empire series. They are one of few Expanded Universe vehicles to be a part of Micro Machines' Action Fleet line.[4]

General Grievous' starfighter

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) escapes Utapau in Grievous' starfighter in Revenge of the Sith. The starfighter, "both sleek and aggressive", was one of few ships to be physically built for the production.[5]

Geonosian fanblade starfighter

Asajj Ventress flies the fanblade in the animated Star Wars: Clone Wars series. Just as Ventress' appearance was inspired by a Samurai stance, the ship itself has Asian influences: its design is based on a sensu folding fan.[6]

Geonosian starfighter

Two Geonosian starfighters in the Battle of Geonosis

Geonosian starfighters appear in the climactic Battle of Geonosis in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The craft was set to appear in an air battle and a scene in which a Republic attack gunship attack a Geonosian airstrip—scenes that were ultimately cut.[7]

Hornet Interceptor

Hornets are small starfighters built for sale on the black market by the Tenloss Syndicate.

Jedi starfighter and Jedi interceptor

Eta-2 Actis "Jedi" Interceptors appear in Revenge of the Sith. Jedi starfighters appear in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi travels via Jedi starfighter to Kamino to investigate the attempted assassination of Padmé Amidala; he also flies a Jedi starfighter to Geonosis in an attempt to track down the bounty hunter Jango Fett.[8] Lacking a hyperdrive, the starfighter relies on an external sled to propel it through hyperspace.[8] Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) fly updated Jedi starfighters (called Jedi Interceptors) in the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith.[8] Later, Plo Koon (Matt Sloan) flies an Attack of the Clones-era starfighter when he is shot down by clone troopers carrying out Emperor Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) Order 66.[8]

The Jedi starfighter's triangular shape in Attack of the Clones stems from the shape of Imperial Star Destroyers in the original Star Wars trilogy.[9] Industrial Light & Magic designer Doug Chiang identified the Jedi starfighter as one of the first designs that bridges the aesthetic between the prequel and original trilogies.[10] Chiang noted that viewers' familiarity with the Star Destroyer's appearance and Imperial affiliation gives added symbolism to the Jedi craft's appearance and foreshadows the Empire's rise to power.[10] The starfighter seen in Revenge of the Sith is a cross between the previous film's vessel and the Empire's TIE fighters from the original trilogy.[9] Hasbro's expanding wings in the Attack of the Clones Jedi starfighter toy inspired the opening wings in the Revenge of the Sith vessel.[9] The starfighter in the Revenge of the Sith is called a Jedi Interceptor Starfighter.

Naboo N-1 starfighter

The N-1 Starfighter first appeared during the space battle period of the Battle of Naboo in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace where a squadron of the fighters attacked the orbiting Droid Control Ship. During the Battle of Naboo, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) pilots a Naboo N-1 Starfighter into the Droid Control Ship's docking bay. N-1 Starfighters also appear in the beginning of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones escorting senator Padmé Amidala's (Natalie Portman) Naboo Royal Cruiser upon its arrival to Coruscant. The N-1 appears at the end of the DVD version of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. This ship is available to the player in the Nintendo 64 and PC video game Star Wars: Battle for Naboo. The starfighter is also an unlockable vehicle in the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series.

The N-1 initially had the same angular design as craft in the original Star Wars trilogy; only in later designs did it take on a streamlined appearance.[11] A life-size model of a Naboo Starfighter hangs suspended from the ceiling of the Blue Wing at the Boston Museum of Science, in Boston, Massachusetts.[12] This 1:1 scale model was unveiled at the museum in April 2004, as a prelude to the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit.[12] The model was previously used as a prop during the filming of The Phantom Menace.[12] The starfighter is also in the Star Wars Star Fighter game on Xbox.

P-38 starfighter

The Porax-38 appears in Revenge of the Sith. Although featured in a full two-page spread in the Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections book, the fighter's role was significantly reduced in the final film; it is visible mostly as a background craft. George Lucas obviously designed the craft after the P-38 Lightning, a high-performance WWII fighter plane.[13]

TIE fighter (and variants)

Main article: TIE fighter

TIE fighters—and variants such as TIE interceptors and TIE bombers—appear throughout the original trilogy. They are not equipped with shields or a hyperdrive, which makes them mass-producible and allows for considerable weapon payloads, or alternatively, for high speed and agility. The pilot has to wear a pressurized suit, as TIE fighters also lack life support systems.

V-19 Torrent starfighter

The V-19 appears in the Clone Wars animated series. LucasArts' art director Chris Williams and concept artist Greg Knight developed the craft as a faster, more maneuverable counterpart to the Republic assault gunship.[14] The ship's engines are based on those of an F4U Corsair.[14]

Vulture Droid starfighter

The vulture droid fighter is a ship commonly used by the Trade Federation and the CIS. It is a work of art, built by the cathedral factories of Xi Char. The Xi Charrians don't care about the purpose of their craft, so the CIS are their biggest customers.

V-wing

V-wings appear in the Revenge of the Sith and are playable craft in Battlefront II. Its design combines elements of the original trilogy's A-wing and TIE starfighters.[15] It is the first prequel trilogy vehicle to use a letter to identify its class.[15] There is also a V-Wing in the video game Star Wars Rogue Squadron, which bears no resemblance to the Revenge of the Sith V-Wing. The Rogue Squadron V-Wing is a speeder that is incapable of space flight, and it has a wide flat design.

X-wing

Main article: X-wing

X-wing fighters appear in all three of the original Star Wars films, and main character Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) flies one at the climactic Battle of Yavin in A New Hope. Full name: Incom T-65 X-wing starfighter

Y-wing

Main article: Y-wing

Y-wings appear in all three of the original Star Wars films. An earlier variant of the Y-wing is depicted as a Republic bomber in several episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Z-95 Headhunter

Z-95s are first described in the Brian Daley's 1979 novella Han Solo at Star's End, where it is described as having swing-wings and a bubble cockpit.[16] Later Expanded Universe material, based on an early Joe Johnston X-wing sketch, depict the Z-95 as a precursor to the X-wing, but with only two wings.[16]

The Headhunter is now appearing in season four of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

References

  1. ↑ "ARC-170 starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  2. ↑ "droid starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "droid tri-fighter (Behind the Scenes)". Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  4. ↑ "E-wing starfighter". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  5. ↑ "starfighter, General Grievous' (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  6. ↑ "Geonosian fanblade starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  7. ↑ "Geonosian starfighter". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Jedi starfighter (The Movies)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Jedi starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Wedgie 'Em Out" (QuickTime video). Making Episode II Webdocs. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  11. ↑ "Naboo N-1 Starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Naboo Starfighter Unveiled for Museum Exhibit". StarWars.com: Community News. Lucas Online. 2004-04-14. Archived from the original on 2006-12-30. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  13. ↑ "P-38 starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "V-19 Torrent starfighter". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "V-wing starfighter (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Z-95 Headhunter". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-14.

External links