Star Wars: The Coolest New Ship Wasn’t Designed By Disney- The Raider Breakdown
The Raider is one of the coolest looking ships to join Star Wars in a while, yet it has a very interesting origin.
The Raider-class corvette is a sleek, roomy vessel. It’s one of the more well-designed ships in the new fleet. Only this ship doesn’t come from the usual swath of new designs. Instead the Raider-class corvette’s unique design comes from a galaxy far, far away: the tabletop.
The (Fantasy) Flight of the Raider-class Corvette
Behind the scenes, the Raider-class corvette originates in the popular tabletop game, X-Wing. Designed from the ground up by Fantasy Flight Games to fill in gaps in the X-Wing line, the Raider-class corvette started its life as a miniature. And perhaps that’s why it looks so interesting.
Like the original trilogy ships that came before it, the Raider was first realized as an actual model. Its construction comes from the necessities of putting together something that can actually exist. And the talented Ben Zweifel was more than up to the task.
But where does the ship fit in within the world of Star Wars? Let’s take a look.
Raider-class design
First things first, the Raider-class corvette was designed with luxury in mind. Kuat Drive Yards had been dabbling with luxury craft for a while. And with the Raider-class, KDY’s engineering team had a chance to flex their creative muscles. The result was a vessel, 150 meters in length and roomy beyond compare.
These ships could contain a sizable crew, comfortably. As well, a Raider could also contain its on starfighter escort, with snubfighters operating out of the small hangar on the starboard side.
In addition, the Raider-class bore the trademark “concentrated firepower” of Kuat Drive Yards. The typical Raider-class vessel was outfitted with the finest the First Oder :
Dual ion cannons, dual heavy laser cannons, concussion missiles, and a battery of turbolasers capable of repelling smaller craft–these are the standard weapons of the Raider-class corvette.
History and Origins
The Raider-class was designed during the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin. Their first actions on record are participating in anti-insurgency actions in the Umbara system. And shortly after Yavin redefined political power in the galaxy, the Raider II-class corvette was unveiled.
This ship fell into the hands of Inferno Squad, led by Captain Iden Versio, and carried them throughout the Galactic Civil War, leading to its participation in the Battle of Endor as well as the Battle of Var-Shaa.
Though it was designed with luxury in mind, the Raider-class corvette has left a long mark on galactic history.
Not bad for a ship that got its start in a miniatures game
