Star Wars: The Only Ship You Could Fly Around the Galaxy In – The StarSpeeder Breakdown
The StarSpeeder 3000, and its predecessor the 1000, have played a surprisingly important role in galactic history.
From a humble travel speeder used for entertaining tours to the galaxy-defining Battle of Exegol, the Star Tours Speeder, or StarSpeeder as it was more commonly known, was a space-capable commuter ship that gained notoriety for its use by the Star Tours travel agency.
This simple, boxy ship might not look like much. But it’s seen the destruction of at least two different Death Stars, and seen the galaxy’s course altered forever more times than some Jedi have. This is saying something, considering that the ship only really rose to prominence four years after the Battle of Yavin. But how does a craft go from joyride cruises to epic battles for the fate of the galaxy? It all begins with the ship that boasted a Hyperdrive range of “one billion lightyears.”
Star Tours StarSpeeder – The Only Way to Tour
The StarSpeeder, or as it was first known, the StarSpeeder 1000, was originally designed by Sacul Aerospace. Classified as a “commuter ship” marking it as a starship used for commercial travel between planets, the StarSpeeder, like most others of its kind, was mostly droid piloted. In fact, Industrial Automaton developed a whole line of droids specifically used for commuter-class vessels: the RX-Series pilot droid.
These droids were noted for their perky, “talkative” personalities in addition to their capable piloting software suite.
A single Star Tours Speeder measured 9.36 meters in length and boasted four engines that were said to purr like a sleeping Bantha under optimum conditions. These ships developed a reputation for being surprisingly resilient and maneuverable.
The downwardly angled, boxy shape was said to give it a more defensive profile. Though this may have been more due to marketing exaggeration than anything else. As the StarSpeeder was equipped with minimal deflector shields, and a few simple laser cannons, and boasted a “highly advanced” hyperdrive that advertised a range of “one billion lightyears” if the copy was to be believed. The Star Tours travel agency, however, was known for their enthusiastic estimations which often put more weight in hope than actual facts.
This may be why some models were outfitted by the travel agency with plasma cannons to serve as a backup weapons system when the T-14 hyperdrive generator inevitably malfunctioned in the presence of hostile ships.
Star Tours – From Endor to Exegol
The Star Tours travel agency served myriad destinations with its fleet of StarSpeeders. During the Clone Wars, Star Tours offered vacation travel to Glee Anselm, the oceanic homeworld of the Nautolan species.
In the year leading up to the Battle of Yavin, Star Tours worked with the Galactic Tourist Bureay to offer safe travel through a galaxy torn by civil war. But despite their best efforts, Star Tours ships, in particular, seemed drawn into conflict. One flight, piloted by RX-24, a particularly bumbling pilot droid, accidentally sent the ship careening into a pitched battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire, joining a flight of X-Wings making a trench run to destroy one of the Empire’s fearsome Death Stars:
Another Star Tour, flight 1401 was taken over by the masterful intelligence operative and rogue protocol droid known as C-3PO, in a clever ruse disguised as a “last-minute mix up” took control of Flight 1401, delivering the agent to safety away from the Empire.
Years later, a Star Tours Speeder was left parked at Niima Outpost on the desert planet Jakku, and could be seen as Rey fled the First Order. Not one year later, after the Sith Eternal emerged from secrecy, a Star Tours Speeder joined the fleet assembled by General Lando Calrissian for an assault on Exegol.
And so continues the tale of a legendary ship
