Sunday, July 5, 2020

Top 10 Star Wars Ships




#10 - Black One

Black One is the X-Wing flown by Poe Dameron in the Battle of Tokodana, the Battle of Starkiller Base, and the Evacuation of D'Qar.  Poe Dameron used Black One to fire the shot that destroyed Starkiller Base and led an attack on the Dreadnought Fulminatrix (singlehandedly taking out its defense canons).

Black One is a black and orange Resistance T-70 X-Wing Fighter and the command ship of Black Squadron. It's destruction is depicted in "The Last Jedi" when Kylo Ren launches torpedoes into a Resistance hanger.

Black One was released in Lego form in the 2015 set "Poe's X-Wing Starfighter". 



#9 - Razor Crest

The Razor Crest is the personal ship of bounty hunter Din Djarin (who is often known as The Mandalorian or Mando). The ship accompanied The Mandalorian to many planets including Maldo Kreis, Nevarro, Sorgan, Tatooine, and Arvala-7 where it was torn apart by Jawas.

The ship is chrome with large twin engines. It was designed by Doug Chiang and a practical model was built for filming purposes. A Lego set based on the design will release in the Fall of 2020.


#8 - The Ghost


Though The Ghost was first introduced to fans in the animated series "Rebels", it wasn't long before the ship gained a cult following among Star Wars fans. Hera Syndulla's cruiser became so popular that it garnered live action cameos in "Rogue One" and "The Rise of Skywalker".

Originally The Ghost was built to house an auxiliary starfighter known as The Phantom, however The Phantom was lost in battle during the Rebels third season premiere story. A new ship, The Phantom II, is obtained later in that same season.




#7 - The Devestator

The Devestator is the mile-long Imperial Class Star Destroyer depicted in the opening shots of 1977's "Star Wars". During the Battle of Scarif, The Devestator served as Darth Vader's flagship, although the command is it is Admiral Montferrat that is in command of the ship during the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor.  The Devestator was destroyed during the Battle of Endor.

The Devestator has been featured in at least 3 Lego sets and the 2019 Ultimate Collector Series set is the longest lego model ever produced at 110 cm in length.


#6 - Darth Vader's TIE Advanced


Vader's TIE Advanced was Darth Vader's personal ship, famously flown during the Battle of Yavin. The ship was distinct from other TIE fighters in that it had deflector shields, life support, hyperdrive, and had a large cockpit to accommodate Vader himself. 

The TIE Advanced was the leader of the elite imperial Black Squadron. It survived the Battle of Yavin. In the Expanded Universe Canon, Vader's TIE Advanced was destroyed when the second Death Star blew up, though its fate remains unknown in the new Disney Canon.

The TIE Advanced has been included in 9 Lego sets in the past 20 years.


#5 - Tantive IV


Leia's personal starship is introduced in the iconic opening shots of the first Star Wars film. It is the first ship seen onscreen. The ship's shape was originally to be used for the Millenium Falcon, until it was determined the long and linear design was too close to a ship called Eagle Transporter from the TV show "Space 1999". Eventually The Falcon was designed to be a rounder ship, while the long and linear design was give to the Tantive IV.

The ship reappears in "Rogue One" and "The Rise of Skywalker". In "The Rise of Skywalker" it is piloted by Nien Nunb  during the Battle of Exegol, but both the ship and Nunb were destroyed by Darth Sidious. 

Though the ship was originally intended to be included in the film "Revenge of the Sith", it is now stated in canon that that ship is actually the Tantive III.

Three Lego sets based on the Tantive IV have been released since in the past 20 years.

#4 - The Executor


The Executor is Vader's iconic Super Star Destroyer first introduced in the film "The Empire Strikes Back".  The ship is nearly 12 miles long (twelve times longer than an Imperial-Class Star Destroyer and twenty times longer than a Victory Class Star Destroyer). 

Joe Johnston designed and built the original Executor model, which was over 9 feet long. A honeycomb style lightweight aluminum was used in the model to ensure it would be both lightweight and durable. The $100,000 model was the most expensive built for the original trilogy.

The 2011 Lego model of this ship contains over 3,000 pieces.

#3 - Slave I



Slave I has only appeared in two Star Wars movies. Despite this fact, it is clearly ultra-popular among fans. As a testament to its popularity, Slave I has been released as a Lego set seven different times since 2002. 

Star Wars lore tells us that the ship was stolen by Jango Fett from a prison planet. His son Boba Fett inherited the ship after Jango's death. In Star Wars Legends canon- Boba Fett acquired a ship called Slave II, after escaping from the Sarlacc Pit, however Slave II looks nothing like Slave I.

Though Slave I resembles a street lamp, its designer Nilo Rodis-Jamero says he based the design off  of a radar dish. There isn't really an in-universe or out-of-universe explanation as to why it is called Slave I. 

#2 - Red Five


Red Five would be important enough if it was only associated with the destruction of the first Death Star, but Luke's X-Wing is also included in many other important Star Wars scenes. For example, in "The Empire Strikes Back" Yoda uses The Force to lift the ship from the swamps of Dagobah. 

Near the end of his life Luke submerged the ship near the temple island on Ahch-To and uses one of its wings as the door to his hut. In "The Rise of Skywalker" Rey flies Red Five to the Sith planet of Exegol.

#1 - The Millennium Falcon 


The Millennium Falcon appears in 8 Star Wars films and is the most iconic ship of the entire franchise. It has been released as a Lego set nine different times in the past 20 years and countless other models of the ship have been made available through Star Wars merchandise. The ship is famously piloted by the smuggler Han Solo, but it has also been owned by Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca. 

The Millennium Falcon design is said to have originated when George Lucas attached an olive to a hamburger with a toothpick. The design has remained largely unchanged over years, but it has gone through some modifications.

The Falcon has fought in almost every onscreen Star Wars battle and was instrumental in the destruction of both Death Stars. It can fly through some tight spaces, but tends to lose its radar dish in the process. The radar dish was knocked off during The Battle of Endor and The Battle of Crait. 


Bonus - The Outrider


The Outrider was the personal ship of the Smuggler Dash Rendar.  It's design is similar to the Millenium Falcon as both ships are YT-Frighters. Rendar sometimes claimed that his ship was almost as well-known as The Falcon, however that was before the Falcon became instrumental in several galactic battles.

The ship was designed by Doug Chiang for the "Shadows of the Empire" 1996 multimedia project. The Outrider's design and name may be inspired by an outrigger boat. The ship also appears in the Special Edition of "A New Hope" which first premiered in 1997. 

Though there has never been an official Lego version of The Outrider, Hasbro released an Outrider model in 1996.



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