Star Wars: If You’re Over 30 This Was Probably the First Star Wars Ship You Saw – The Blockade Runner Breakdown
They say you never forget your first. Flying through space amid the telltale crackle of VHS comes the CR-90 “Corellian” Corvette.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… It was a period of civil war, when Rebel Alliance spaceships, striking from a hidden base won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. One ship came to symbolize a new hope blossoming under the oppressive shadow of the Empire. The ship was the Tantive IV, and aboard it, Princess Leia Organa and a set of stolen plans that could save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy.
The Corellian Corvette
The CR90 corvette, commonly called a Corellian corvette or ‘blockade runner’ given its design, was a ship that rose to prominence as the Galactic Republic began to fall. Before the Clone Wars, these ships were designed as transports. But in particular, these were diplomatic ships. They served as consular vessels to carry diplomats to the furthest reaches of the Republic.
At least until war was beginning, which happened when the Confederate Independent Systems were manipulated by Darths Sidious and Tyrannous into going to war with the Republic. This conflict was known as the Clone Wars. And during the Clone Wars, the CR90 line saw heavy use to bring relief missions through Trade Federation and other Separatist blockades. This ensured that the civilians caught up in the military conflict could have vital supplies.
Of course, this often made them targets – but when the Corellian Engineering Corporation designs a ship, they don’t take half-measures. The CEC was no stranger to the risk or danger inherent in carrying high-profile personnel. And the CR90 Corvette was designed with speed and power in mind.
Blockade Runner Specs
CR90s typically ran 150 meters in length and featured a heavy complement of weapons. Even before “combat retrofitting” a line-standard CR90 Corvette came with both dorsal and ventral dual turbolaser turrets. It could mount up to four turbolaser cannons. As the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire began, many of these CR90s were retrofitted with heavier armaments.
Common configurations for combat-fitted Corvettes included mounting six dual turbolaser turrets. It could mount a dorsal quad laser cannon turret, a ventral dual turbolaser turret, port and starboard laser cannons, and four other turbolaser cannons. Or up to three dorsal and ventral dual turbolaser turrets and six turbolaser cannons.
The Ship’s Purpose
The ship’s armaments are impressive for a diplomatic vessel, but they don’t compare to capital ships. CR90s often carried an escort of three RZ-1 A-wing interceptors attached to docking rings. That makes it a small but skilled escort.
All of this was backed up by a battery of eleven CEC ion turbine drives. They could accelerate the corvette to 950kph in-atmosphere. And with a Class 2 hyperdrive system, it could reach up to 81 MGLT. That means it can outpace most other Empire ships of the line.
Throughout the Clone Wars, the CR90 line distinguished themselves as capable craft, noted for handling many important diplomatic missions. CR90s, often the vessels of senators who had since been disbanded, were often the most heavily armed ships that could be raised at a moment’s notice. This gave the burgeoning Rebel Alliance an actual fleet and with the CR90s as the backbone of it.
One craft in particular, the Tantive IV, stood out as Bail Organa’s personal craft. It helped end the blockade on Ryloth. The Tantive IV would pass into the ownership of Leia Organa, who used the Tantive IV for relief missions. But while recovering from battle aboard the Profundity, it was sent into a fateful battle above the planet Scarif. There, it came to carry both Princess and the secret plans for the Death Star.
The rest, as they say, is galactic history.
May the Force be with you.
