List of Star Wars spacecraft
The following is a list of starships, cruisers, battleships, and other spacecraft in the Star Wars films, books, and video games.
Within the fictional universe of the Star Wars setting, there are a wide variety of different spacecraft defined by their role and type. Among the many civilian spacecraft are cargo freighters, passenger transports, diplomatic couriers, personal shuttles and escape pods. Warships likewise come in many shapes and sizes, from small patrol ships and troop transports to large capital ships like Star Destroyers and other battleships. Starfighters also feature prominently in the setting.
Many fictional technologies are incorporated into Star Wars starships, fantastical devices developed over the millennia of the setting's history. Hyperdrives provides for faster-than-light travel between stars at instantaneous speeds, though traveling uncharted routes can be dangerous. Sublight engines allow spacecraft to get clear of a planet's gravitational well in minutes and travel interplanetary distances easily. For travel within planetary atmospheres or for taking off and landing, anti-gravity devices known as repulsorlifts are used. Other gravity-manipulation technologies include tractor beams to grab onto objects and acceleration compensators to protect passengers from high g-forces. Protective barriers called deflector shields defend against threats, while many ships carry different types of weaponry.
Spacecraft appearing in the original trilogy
Death Star
The Death Star is the Empire's battle station which has the ability to use a kyber-crystal powered laser to destroy entire planets. It appears throughout the Star Wars franchise, particularly the original trilogy.''Executor'' (''Executor''-class Star Dreadnought)
The Executor serves as Darth Vader's flagship during the events of The Empire Strikes Back, leading the Death Squadron against the Rebel Alliance on Hoth and in pursuit of the Millennium Falcon. It features again in Return of the Jedi where, during the final space battle, it is destroyed after an RZ-1 A-wing crashes into the command bridge, causing the Executor to lose control and be destroyed as the second Death Star's gravity pulls the flagship into its surface.For The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas wanted the Executor to be so massive it made the previous Star Destroyers appear tiny. A six-foot model of the Executor was constructed which had over 150,000 individual lights in it. According to chief model maker Lorne Peterson, the ship was originally scaled to appear 16 miles long, though later sources would amend this figure to almost 12 miles.
According to in-universe Star Wars sources, the Executor is the lead ship of a new class of Star Dreadnoughts; the term "Super Star Destroyer" is a colloquialism applied to any ship larger than a standard Imperial Star Destroyer. At long, the ship bristles with thousands of turbolasers, ion cannons, missile launchers and tractor beams. It similarly carries more than a thousand ships, including TIE fighters.
''Home One'' (MC80A Mon Calamari Star Cruiser)
Home One made its theatrical appearance in Return of the Jedi as Admiral Ackbar's flagship during the Battle of Endor. According to the old Expanded Universe material, the Galactic Empire occupied the planet of Mon Cala. After the Empire destroyed three floating cities to pacify the planet, the peaceful Mon Calamari converted their passenger liners and deep space exploration cruisers into warships, driving the Imperials from their homeworld prior to the Battle of Yavin. In the current canon storyline, Darth Vader successfully subjugates Mon Cala, leading to a mass exodus of city-ships from Mon Cala. This fleet would later be commanded by Admiral Raddus and Admiral Ackbar and join the Rebel Alliance.The franchise's books, comics, and video games from Legends describe and depict other Mon Calamari cruisers and successor designs, such as the MC80B Mon Remonda in the Star Wars: X-wing novels, the MC90 star cruiser Galactic Voyager, the Mediator-class battle cruisers, and Viscount-class Star Defenders in R.A. Salvatore's Vector Prime. In the current Star Wars canon, other Mon Calamari cruiser designs include the MC75 Profundity and the MC85 Raddus.
;Design and concept
Industrial Light and Magic created two Mon Calamari cruiser designs: the cylindrical "flying cigar" Home One command ship and a "winged" model identified in the Expanded Universe as the Liberty. The "winged" model would have its wings removed and thrusters modified to portray another subtype. The ships were designed to be as aesthetically different from the Imperial Star Destroyers as possible, although the filming crew disliked the "pickle ships" due to the models' unflattering angles. Internal neon lights provided lighting, and detail was painted on by using the second Death Star model's exposed framework as a makeshift frisket. The model's design, as well as that of other Mon Calamari cruisers to appear in the film, was a collaborative effort between George Lucas, Nilo Rodis-Jamero, and Joe Johnston.
;Depiction
As described in Star Wars reference material, the in-universe origin of Home One is as a deep space exploration ship constructed on Mon Cala, part of the MC80 line of Star Cruisers. Although no two Mon Calamari ships look exactly alike, all share the same elongated, bulbous form which makes them appear to have been grown rather than constructed. When the Mon Calamari join the Rebel Alliance, these ships are extensively modified with increased armoring, stronger shields, and more powerful weapons, such that they become a match for Imperial Star Destroyers.
With its heavy armor plates, triple-strength shields, and twenty hangar bays, Home One functions as both a battleship and carrier in addition to its role as flagship. Like other Mon Calamari cruisers, Home One originally included numerous water-filled passageways, but these are drained and modified so that non-amphibious species could make use of them. However, the ship's controls and displays are designed specifically for Mon Calamari physiology, requiring the command crew to be entirely Mon Calamari. The blisters that cover the ship in a seemingly haphazard manner contain various equipment such as sensor arrays or recessed weapon batteries. Some are actually detachable ships in their own right which can be used to attack or escape, although Admiral Ackbar prefers to keep them docked.
In Return of the Jedi, Admiral Ackbar leads the Rebels during the Battle of Endor from the flagship, earning it the moniker Headquarters Frigate. While other Mon Calamari cruisers like the Liberty are destroyed by the second Death Star's superlaser, Home One survives. Home One again acts as Ackbar's command vessel a year later when the Empire makes its last stand in orbit above Jakku and will, decades later, continue to serve as part of the Resistance fleet.
;Cultural influence
A 1994 Micro Machines three-pack included a winged Mon Calamari cruiser toy, and a 1996 three-pack included the other variety. Hasbro in 2003 planned to release a Mon Calamari cruiser as part of its Action Fleet collection but they cancelled the line before producing it. Decipher and Wizards of the Coast published Mon Calamari cruiser cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game and Star Wars Trading Card Game, respectively. In 2006, Wizards of the Coast created a Mon Calamari Star Defender miniature as part of its Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game. Mon Calamari cruisers are player-controllable units in LucasArts' Empire at War real-time strategy. Fantasy Flight Games's Star Wars: Armada, a table top miniatures game released on March 27, 2015, adds several Mon Calamari cruisers to the Rebel side in the expansions, including the MC80 Home One, MC80 Liberty, MC75 Profundity, and MC30c Frigate.
Imperial landing craft (''Sentinel''-class landing craft)
Imperial landing craft were designed for the Special Edition release of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and created entirely with CGI. However, they first appeared in products of the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire multimedia campaign. According to in-universe sources, the primary mission for Sentinel-class craft is deploying Imperial military forces from orbit onto a planet, though it can be used for other missions including short-range scouting, cargo transport and close air support. Heavily armored and equipped with powerful deflector shields, Imperial landers carry eight laser cannons, two concussion missile launchers, two blaster cannons and an ion cannon turret. As a troop transport it can carry 54 stormtroopers into battle, or carry vehicles via cargo pod installed on its underside.Imperial shuttle (''Lambda''-class shuttle)
Lambda-class T4a shuttles first appeared in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, and were later added to the Special Edition release of The Empire Strikes Back. Joe Johnston, Ralph McQuarrie, and Nilo Rodis-Jamero borrowed elements from the skyhopper designed by Colin Cantwell for A New Hope when refining the shuttle's appearance. Earlier versions were boxy, boat-like, or had TIE fighter-like components. Industrial Light and Magic's modelmakers made two shooting models, although CGI versions were used for the craft's Special Edition appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. The Theta-class shuttle in Revenge of the Sith was designed to appear like a predecessor to the Lambda class. A Lambda-class shuttle makes a cameo appearance during the docking sequence of Inara Serra's shuttle in "Serenity", the pilot episode of Joss Whedon's Firefly.According to reference material, Lambda-class shuttles are one of the most common vessels in the Imperial navy and can be configured for a number of roles, including cargo transport, troop carrier, or diplomatic courier. It is a popular personal transport for high-ranking Imperial officials as its armament, reinforced hull and deflector shielding allow it to travel safely even without an escort. It was also rumored by Imperial officials that the Emperor himself used a highly modified Lambda-class shuttle, which was allegedly equipped with a cloaking device. The shuttle is propelled by two ion engines while a hyperdrive allows for long-distance journeys. At long, the shuttle can carry up to 20 passengers in standard configuration or up to 80 metric tons of cargo. A crew of two to six pilot the shuttle in a forward cockpit, which in an emergency can jettison from the main body of the vehicle; not all 20 passengers can fit in the cockpit however, so the most senior personnel are given priority to escape. For armament the Lambda-class shuttle is equipped with two Taim & Bak KX5 double blaster cannons on the folding wings, two forward-mounted Taim & Bak GA-60s double laser cannons, and a rear-mounted ArMek R-Z0 retractable double blaster cannon.