Top 15 Ships In The Star Wars Universe

So Many Unique Designs!

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 11 min read

To say there is a myriad of ships in the Star Wars universe is accurate but also, somehow, an extreme understatement. The expanse and variety of ships are tremendous. However, if you include ships now a part of Legends, the type illustrates incredible creativity that has been consistent throughout the history of Star Wars media. In this list, I will attempt to narrow down that expanse a bit to some examples of truly extraordinary, impactful design. To do this, we will narrow them down into three categories and an additional “curious case” category.

The definition of “ship” that I will be operating with is a “vehicle designed to travel mechanically, meaning independent of gravitational pull or other natural forces.” We will consider the three categories:

Mass carriers (ships intended to carry 26 or more people)
Small carriers (ships intended to carry 25 or fewer
Single-pilot ships

The “curious cases” include vehicles that were not exactly designed for travel in the same way as those mentioned above. These include my single favorite land speeder, underwater vehicle, and space station.

Let’s start with the curious cases. In the case of the space station, these function apart from their mobile abilities. In that, the space station performs its primary functions from anywhere. It is not deployed for a particular battle; it floats in space subject to the gravity of the heavenly bodies around it. Only when a target is selected do these specific ships move independently of gravitational pull, and only those with offensive capabilities. The two most famous space stations are Death Star I and Death Star II. I prefer the Death Star I for some reasons apart from the actual ship itself.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is my favorite Disney-era Star Wars film. The film did many things, but perhaps most notably, it built up the mythology of Death Star I in the films. Of course, the cartoons did this as well, but it was very cool to see this treatment extended to the films. In the movie, there are several instances where it is spoken about in fear-filled phrases like “planet destroyer.” Much like Darth Vader, it is carried in part by its reputation. Adding to its famous weapon, this makes the first Death Star my favorite space station.

The competition is pretty light regarding what we see in the cinematic canon, but we are exposed to more underwater vehicles in the cartoons. For example, in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode 'ARC Troopers,' we see a few more designs when an invasion of Kamino is attempted by Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, and General Grievous. However, my choice must be the Gungan Bongo Submarine. I have a lot of affection for the design because the toys were a piece of my childhood. However, I hope to see more underwater designs in the future, but there is a special place in my heart for the “there’s always a bigger fish” sequence.

My personal favorite land speeder is the BARC Speeder. We see numerous examples of this design throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As such, its design became synonymous with Star Wars for me. The next closest was Luke Skywalker’s speeder from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This speeder is iconic, and preferring that one to the BARC is perfectly understandable. I love that we see the BARC in many different scenarios: in chases, carrying wounded soldiers, flying to high altitudes, and many other scenarios. It really is a fully realized tool of the Republic.

Now onto our first category: mass carriers. This category brings us ships of significant sizes, like Republic Cruisers and Imperial Star Destroyers. Many of these ships function as command vessels for battle. However, like any other ship class, these have various functions like medical (medical frigates) and luxury (awe-inspiring yachts). However, the first one on our list is a bit smaller than those: the Tantive IV.

The Tantive IV has created an indelible image in many Star Wars fans’ heads. The initial shot of it juxtaposed against a Star Destroyer in the first moments of A New Hope marked the beginning of our collective relationship with this incredible universe. Its subsequent inclusions in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker pay tribute to the ship’s importance to the Star Wars universe and to the fans who love it.

The next ship in this category is the Fulminatrix. This ship is a Siege Dreadnought we first got to see in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Its design was very innovative; notably, included red lighting that assisted the crew in seeing in darkness. In the context of the film, this vehicle functioned more like a story device, but we did get to see its incredible power before it was ultimately destroyed by the payload of an MG-100 StarFortress SF-17 piloted by Paige Tico.

The next mass carrier is the Raddus. The Raddus is an MC85 Star Cruiser and is an important ship in the Resistance fleet, featured heavily in The Last Jedi. One of the reasons I enjoy this ship is that we get to see General Leia Organa’s leadership on it. We glimpse her leadership style in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, but she is quickly taken away from the Rebellion on an adventure with Han Solo. People familiar with Rogue One would have taken note of the name as it is named after Admiral Raddus, who perished in the Battle of Scarif.

The next ship in this category is the Finalizer. This Resurgent-class Star Destroyer functioned as the flagship for Kylo Ren and General Hux. It can be seen numerous times throughout the sequel trilogy. It is distinct as it is marked by straight lines with very harsh corners. It seems as if it’s a streamlined and even more severe take on an Imperial Star Destroyer. This is an excellent case of a ship exuding a particular character or attitude, like Death Star I did. This ship looks and is dangerous and is just very cool. Just a side note, you can explore a good portion of a version of it in the video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

The last mass carrier is the Executor. This ship is an icon of Star Wars films. It is inseparable from Darth Vader, and it is as gigantic as it is menacing. It is seen overlooking the famous battles of Yavin, Hoth, and Endor and is the looming symbol of death to the Rebellion throughout the entirety of the original trilogy of films. It is covered in a livery of grey and a darker smoke. Specklings of bluish light are the only indicators of life aboard the hulking mass of destruction. I love the Executor, and I think many other people do too.

Our next category is small carriers. The first small carrier I would like to recognize is the TIE Reaper. I first glimpsed the TIE Reaper in Rogue One; however, I got to really experience it in the video game Star Wars: Squadrons. In multi-player video games, I have always favored support characters: meaning those intended to assist other characters by means of giving them supplies like health and ammunition. The TIE Reaper served that function in this particular game (despite being noted to be primarily a troop carrier outside of it). I fell in love with the design, whereas others thought it was heavy and slow. I got accustomed to its eccentricities and function. It looks awesome and serves an essential purpose in a battle scenario.

The following small carrier is the Corvus. The Corvus is a Raider II-class corvette and is the primary ship utilized by Inferno Squad in both the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II and the novel Battlefront II: Inferno Squad. Despite its smaller size, it is outfitted with a hyperdrive, making it capable of both surprise drops and quick escapes. I love the subtle take on the design of this ship. It brings to mind the triangular designs of Imperial Star Destroyers with shots of crimson along its edges, bringing to mind the liveries of the Republic. It is like a marriage of Republic and Imperial design.

The next ship in this category is Boba Fett’s Slave I. Despite being very cool on the outside, its interior design is a good part of what makes this ship incredible. The Mandalorian television series treated us to some content involving Boba Fett. We see how the interior stays stationary as the rest of the ship tilts forward. It is a cool design. It also gave us one of the great Star Wars sounds in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones: seismic charges.

The following small carrier is Kylo Ren’s command shuttle. This ship has one of the most impactful entrances in Star Wars media as it comes through the smoky night over Jakku like a demon. It is perfectly paired with Kylo Ren’s ominous aesthetic and voice. Its wings fold up and down like a bat, and when the viewer sees it in film, it is always joined with music akin to old monster films. It is a brilliant marriage. This ship and the air it exudes contributed to Kylo Ren’s introduction.

The last small carrier is probably the single most famous example of a Star Wars ship: the Millenium Falcon. This Corellian YT-1300f light freighter is consistently operated by two people (typically by Han Solo and Chewbacca), but it is designed to hold many more. We see the ship carry many members of The Resistance in the closing moments of The Last Jedi. The Millenium Falcon is as much an icon of Star Wars as any character. It keeps making appearances in Star Wars films because of what it makes people feel. It is easily understated and constantly punches above its weight, which is pretty cool.

Our final main category is single-pilot ships. This was the single, most challenging category for me to whittle down. This is due to the immense volume and variety of ships that this category encompasses. The first ship I’d like to discuss is the N-1 Naboo Starfighter. We get our initial look at this spacecraft in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. A young Anakin Skywalker pilots the yellow and silver starfighter with R2-D2’s assistance. However, we see a tremendous, reimagined version of the ship in The Book of Boba Fett 'Chapter 5: The Return of the Mandalorian', which takes the design to another level.

The next single-pilot ship is Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing. This ship is the focal point of the trench run in A New Hope and the primary object in Yoda’s famous Force sequence in The Empire Strikes Back. Just like I pretended to drive pod-racers when I was young, my father’s generation pretended to do the trench run in Luke’s X-Wing. Red Five is the callsign of many in their imagination, and this X-Wing is their ship of choice.

The next ship in this category is the Soulless One. This ship is piloted by General Grievous and has such a remarkable design that despite functioning as little more than a set piece in Revenge of the Sith, it still made a lasting impact on Star Wars fans. Its clean lines and sleek design brings to my mind a classic car. It is beautiful and one of my favorite ship designs of all time.

The next ship is the TIE Fighter. There are very few sounds more iconic than the noise of a TIE Fighter zooming past in the Star Wars universe. The original trilogy of films is decorated in the swoops of this amazing ship carving through space. The design is simple and efficient. The video game Star Wars: Squadrons gives you the incredible experience of piloting one of these is the only way fans can. The window is iconic, the sound is unforgettable, and it all makes for one of the best single-pilot ships in all of Star Wars, in my opinion.

My final and favorite single-pilot ship is Poe Dameron’s X-Wing, known as Black One. Before the release of The Force Awakens, I remember seeing this ship and was floored; it was essentially one of the coolest things I had ever seen. It is amazing how much color can affect your perception of an overall design. I think the incredible image of Black One will stand the test of time, like Luke Skywalkers X-Wing and the Millenium Falcon.

To round out the list, some ships barely missed out on the top five in their respective category. For the mass-carrier category, this is Dryden Vos’ yacht, known as First Light. We get a few striking images of this ship in Solo: A Star Wars Story. It is as massive as it is luxurious and seems perfectly matched with the eccentricities of its owner. For the small carrier category, my choice is The Ghost. It is the iconic ship of Captain Hera Syndulla and the rest of the Star Wars: Rebels crew. For the single-pilot category, my choice is the TIE Bomber. It is one of my favorite TIE designs ever, but I could not put it above the TIE Fighter. Darth Maul’s Scimitar was very close. Also, Kylo Ren’s Silencer and Whisper were considered as well!

Thank you for going on this journey with us! I hope you had fun exploring some of the incredible vehicles that travel the Star Wars universe. May the Force be with you!

Written by Ash Aranda

Source(s): IGN, Star Wars, Vanity Fair, Wookieepedia

Syndicated from Culture Slate

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