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

A-wings appear at the climactic Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. It is also a vehicle found in both Battlefront II and 2015 Battlefront games.

ARC-170

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

The B-wing starfighter is a fictional Rebel Alliance and New Republic starfighter. They first appear in Return of the Jedi and subsequently in the Star Wars expanded universe's books, comics, and games. A variety of B-wing merchandise has been released by toy companies.

Origin and design

Although initial plans called for B-wings to appear in several scenes, its narrow appearance from some angles made it difficult to see against the backdrop of space.^[3] The ship's rotating cockpit stems from an initial design for the Millennium Falcon.^[3]

Depiction

Expanded universe material states that when the Galactic Empire designs the Nebulon-B frigate to protect its convoys from Rebel Alliance X-wing fighters and Y-wings, the Rebels respond by constructing the B-wing.^[4] The Verpine, supervised by Ackbar, design and arm the fighter to engage capital ships.^[4] The B-wing's gyrostabilized cockpit allows the pilot to maintain a consistent horizon while the craft's body rotates around it.^[4] The B-wing is the largest and most powerful fighter designed by the Rebel Alliance, and it is generally viewed as the successor to the older Y-wing fighter/bomber. B-wings have powerful shields which are considerably stronger than the shields featured on most Imperial or Rebel fighter designs, and they are armed with a greater variety of weapons. B-wings participate at the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi and in numerous other engagements throughout the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

The B-wing's canonical origin (as the Blade Wing), as-designed by the Mon Calamari engineer Quarrie,^[5] is depicted in the Star Wars Rebels, second season episode "Wings of the Master".

Merchandise

Both Kenner and Hasbro released B-wing toys,^[6][7] the B-wing is part of two Micro Machines three-packs,^[8][9] and Lego has made several B-wing sets.^[10][11][12] A Micro Machines Alpha Fleet package includes models both of the B-wing's film appearance and of an initial production design.^[13] Decipher and Wizards of the Coast published B-wing cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game and Star Wars Trading Card Game, respectively.^[14][15] The second expansion pack for the X-Wing flight simulator, B-Wing, introduces the B-wing as a playable starfighter; several other LucasArts products also depict B-wings.

Vulture Droid

Automated Trade Federation "Vulture-droid" starfighters appear in space battles in 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.^[16]

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.^[17] Its curved braces are reminiscent of the Trade Federation's circular battleship.^[17]

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.^[18] Armed with three Taim & Bak IX9 Medium Laser Cannons and 2 Proton Torpedo launchers. The E-wing's aerodynamic frame made the fighter highly maneuverable and exceptional in atmospheric flight. It's Class 1 Hyperdrive allowed for extended reconnaissance missions and rapid strategic redeployment. As part of a larger force, the E-wing fills a versatile mid-range multirole combat aircraft or light torpedo bomber

General Grievous' starfighter

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) escapes Utapau in Grievous' starfighter in Revenge of the Sith. The starfighter, named the "Soulless one" "both sleek and aggressive", was one of few ships to be physically built for the production.^[19]

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.^[20]

Geonosian starfighter

Two Geonosian starfighters in the First 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.^[21]

Hornet Interceptor

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

Jedi starfighter and Jedi interceptor

Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptors (better known as "Jedi starfighters") and Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptors ("Jedi interceptors") 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.^[22] Lacking a hyperdrive, the starfighter relies on an external sled to propel it through hyperspace.^[22] Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) fly Jedi interceptors in the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith.^[22] 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.^[22]

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.^[23] 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.^[24] 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.^[24] 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.^[23] Hasbro's expanding wings in the Attack of the Clones Jedi starfighter toy inspired the opening wings in the Revenge of the Sith vessel.^[23] The starfighter in the Revenge of the Sith is called a Jedi Interceptor Starfighter.

Naboo N-1

The N-1 starfighter first appeared as an unlockable vehicle in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, which was released approximately six months before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the latter of which made its first film appearance.

During the space battle period of the Battle of Naboo where a squadron of the fighters attacked the orbiting Trade Federation Droid Control Ship Saak'ak, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) accidentally steals a Naboo N-1 starfighter and pilots it 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 also appears at the end of the edited and remastered 2004 "Special Edition" DVD version of Return of the Jedi. The fighter is available to the player in the Nintendo 64 and PC video game Star Wars: Battle for Naboo.

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.^[25] 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.^[26] 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.^[26] The model was previously used as a prop during the filming of The Phantom Menace.^[26] The N-1 is also one of the three main starfighters in the Star Wars: Starfighter game, the others being the Havoc and Guardian Mantis.

P-38

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. The craft shares its name with the P-38 Lightning.^[27]

TIE fighter (and variants)

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.

U-wing starfighter/support craft

Rebel troop transport/gunship model manufactured by Incom Corporation^[28]. Used to penetrate enemy zones to drop off Rebel infantry, provide close air support, and extract them upon mission completion. U-wings first appeared in the movie Rogue One. U-wings were pivotal in transport and protection of the Rebel Alliance's ground forces during the Battle of Scarif.^[29] Length is 24.98 meters (82 feet) with S-foils forward. Maximum atmospheric speed 950 km/hr (590 miles/hr). Hyperdrive system is Income GB-k585 hyper-drive motivators.

V-19 Torrent

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.^[30]

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.^[31] It is the first prequel trilogy vehicle to use a letter to identify its class.^[31] 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

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. In the Star Wars canon continuity exists three X-wing models (the T-65B, the T-70 and the T-85), in the Legends one, exists two lines of starfighters (the T-65 series and the XJ series) and two independent fighter models (the StealthX and the X-83 Twin Tail starfighter).

Y-wing assault starfighter/bomber

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 novel Han Solo at Star's End, where it is described as having swing-wings and a bubble cockpit.^[32] 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.^[32]

The Headhunter has appeared in the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

See also

• List of Star Wars spacecraft
• Star Wars planetary vehicles
• Weapons in science fiction

References

External links

• Index of Starship section of the Star Wars Encyclopedia - Includes several starfighters
• Category:Starfighters on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
• Intricate Illustrations of Star Wars Spacecraft Cutouts Reveal Their Inner Mechanics by Leah Pellegrini April 23, 2016