Banking Clan Frigate (Munificent-class Star Frigate) Also known as
Separatist Frigates, these vessels made their theatrical appearance in
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and feature in
Clone Wars-related media. The design of these and other Separatist vessels was done specifically to reverse the visual iconography of the original
Star Wars trilogy by having "good guy" ships be triangular and "bad guy" ships be smoother and more organic. Unused
Joe Johnston designs of Rebel ships from
Return of the Jedi were used as inspiration by
Revenge of the Sith concept artists in creating the Banking Clan frigate and other vessels. According to in-universe material, these
Munificent-class Star Frigates are built by Hoersch-Kessel Drive Inc. on behalf of the InterGalactic Banking Clan for the Separatist cause. Forming the bulk of the Separatist fleet during the war, these frigates fill the dual role of combat and communications ships, using powerful antennae to coordinate fleet actions utilizing
faster-than-light hyperwaves to communicate anywhere within the galaxy or jam enemy sensors and communications. Official sources give their length as , a width of and height of . However they require only a small crew of 200
battle droids to operate, with a storage capacity of up to 150,000 additional battle droids for boarding actions or ground assaults. Officially referred to as
Recusant-class light destroyers in background material, their in-universe origin comes from
Mon Calamari plans that were stolen by
Quarren Separatists and jointly manufactured by the Commerce Guild and Techno Union. These ships measure long, wide and high. Because they are primarily controlled via
droid brain, they require a crew of only 300 battle droids to operate, with storage space for an additional 40,000 battle droids. Originally it was to have separate pilot and passenger compartments, but during production this was altered and a forward cockpit bubble was added when it was determined there was a need for a shot of Dooku sitting next to his pilot. It is somewhat similar to the private
Antonov An-2 plane in real life.
Invisible Hand (Providence-class carrier/destroyer) General Grievous's flagship in
Revenge of the Sith is the
Invisible Hand, appearing in the film's opening space battle above the planet
Coruscant. With
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (
Ian McDiarmid) held prisoner aboard the ship,
Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi (
Ewan McGregor) and
Anakin Skywalker (
Hayden Christensen) launch a rescue mission to save him, boarding the ship where they confront and ultimately defeat
Count Dooku (
Christopher Lee). With the
Invisible Hand crippled in the battle,
General Grievous flees aboard an escape pod as
Anakin and
Obi Wan successfully guide half the ship to an
emergency landing on Coruscant.
George Lucas had a personal hand in the design of the ship, including the addition of the raised spire in which Obi-Wan, Anakin and Count Dooku have their duel. The raised spire also helped differentiate the command ship from the other capital ships over Coruscant. While the ship was completely
CGI, unlike similarly modeled ships for the film it needed a complex interior that was fully mapped out for the various set pieces which take place during the movie. Once the floor plans were approved, they were constructed as both CG and actual rooms, with multiple large-scale sets for the actors to perform in. More sets of rooms aboard the ship were built than seen in the final film; several "serial-type escapades" were cut from the final release. Other sets, built inside a mount that could rotate them, were used to depict the vessel's collapse. The
Invisible Hand is described according to in-universe references as a
Providence-class carrier/destroyer, a classification representing the dreadnought's dual roles in planetary domination. Manufactured by the Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps, the vessel is long, wide and high. Given its size the
Invisible Hand can store up to 1.5 million
battle droids but only requires a crew of 600 to operate. The
Invisible Hand can unleash tremendous damage with 14 quad
turbolaser cannons, each of which at maximum output is equivalent to a
magnitude-10 earthquake; 2 heavy
ion cannons; 34 dual laser cannons; 12 point-defense ion cannons, and 102
proton torpedo launchers. but on the
Invisible Hand the main communication/sensor pod is refitted into a lofty sanctum for Count Dooku from which he broadcasts spiritual propaganda to divide the galaxy. While the cruiser was entirely
CGI, for filming purposes a full-size set of the landing pad was built for the actors with a
digital matte painting inserted to create the background. Pyrotechnics were used in the filming of the scene, though the majority of the explosion was created with CGI by visual effects art director
Alex Jaeger. Background material on the Diplomatic Cruiser state that it was designed in the wake of the
Invasion of Naboo to address shortcomings in the previous
J-type 327 starship. Still unarmed and covered in shiny
chromium plating, it is nevertheless faster and better shielded, with additional back-up drives in case the main Class 0.7
hyperdrive fails. At long, the vessel's spacious interiors are designed with comfort in mind for four
VIPs, six bodyguards and a crew of five. The leading edge of its wing also feature four recharging sockets for N-1 starfighters to dock with the ship.
Naboo Royal Starship The Naboo Royal Starship features prominently in
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as the ship that Queen
Padmé Amidala (
Natalie Portman),
Obi-Wan Kenobi (
Ewan McGregor) and
Qui-Gon Jinn (
Liam Neeson) use to escape from the
Trade Federation blockade of
Naboo. After arriving on
Tatooine where they free young
Anakin Skywalker (
Jake Lloyd), the heroes continue aboard the Royal Starship to
Coruscant, before finally using it to return to Naboo and free the planet from the Trade Federation's occupation in a climactic battle. An early design depicted the ship powered by a solar sail; when Lucas called for a sleeker look, designer
Doug Chiang drew inspiration from 1950s hood ornaments. According to Chiang, the design of the queen's ship was to exemplify Theedian technology the same way the
Space Shuttle exemplified the power of technology in America. A thirty-inch, highly detailed model of the ship was built, then sliced into one-inch sections and scanned in order to create a digital model. To reduce the amount of
CGI work on the film and get more realistic footage of the ship under natural lighting, a larger ten-foot model was also created for filming scenes of the ship when landed. According to in-universe material, the Naboo Royal Starship was meant to be a visual representation of the glory of Naboo. A modified J-type 327 Nubian starship, the vessel's unique spaceframe was handcrafted by the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corp. and its decorative plating of royal
chromium – reserved only for Naboo's monarch – was hand-polished and crafted by artisans. Lacking weaponry, the -long ship featured state-of-the-art
deflector shields and a cohort of
astromech droids to make emergency repairs. One drawback was that its high-performance T-14
hyperdrive, while easy to acquire on many civilized worlds, could be harder to find on more remote planets. After Senator Amidala's death, the ship is taken by Darth Sidious and given to Darth Vader to use as he sees fit. Vader retrofits the starship with an armament of ion charges and uses it following the destruction of the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin.
Naboo Star Skiff Padmé Amidala travels to Mustafar aboard a Naboo star skiff in
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith to confront Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (
Hayden Christensen) after he turns to the
dark side. Designer Ryan Church sketched the ship to appear "supercharged". Only the ship's boarding ramp was built full scale; some footage was altered from material used in
Attack of the Clones.
Neimoidian Shuttle (Sheathipede-class transport shuttle) Neimoidian shuttles first appear in
The Phantom Menace and are seen throughout the prequel trilogy and
Clone Wars television series. Their design is based on a Trade Federation landing ship, turned vertically and altered to be more insectoid and less symmetrical. They are also used by the other
Separatist leaders, such as Nuvo Vindi and Wat Tambor.
Star Wars lore refers to these vessels as
Sheathipede-class transport shuttles built by the insect-like Charrian species, especially popular with the Neimoidians but used by many worlds associated with the Separatist cause. Intended for short-range diplomatic missions, these -long shuttles feature powerful communication arrays and are unarmed but can be modified for combat. Some also incorporate an automatic pilot, allowing for a more expansive passenger compartment. A heavily modified
Sheathipede-class shuttle named the
Phantom II was obtained by the Spectres during a mission to Agamar, as a replacement for the original
Phantom following its destruction.
Republic Assault Ship (Acclamator-class assault ship) Republic assault ships of the
Acclamator-class first appear in
Attack of the Clones. These ships, originally called "
Jedi troop transports ", demonstrate a connection to the original trilogy's
Star Destroyers through their triangular hulls. According to
Star Wars reference material, these assault ships were built by Rothana Heavy Engineering to serve as the
Republic's primary troop transport at the start of the
Clone Wars, with a secondary offensive role in space battles. Their secret construction was initiated by
Darth Sidious (
Ian McDiarmid) under false orders from the
Jedi High Council as part his plan to take control of the galaxy. Republic assault ships measure at long, wide and in depth. With a crew of 700, they can carry up to 16,000
clone troopers and support personnel, along with heavy vehicles including
LAAT gunships,
AT-TE walkers and
SPHA artillery.
Republic Cruiser (Consular-class cruiser) The
Consular-class Republic Cruiser
Radiant VII is the first vessel seen in
The Phantom Menace.
Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn (
Liam Neeson) and
Obi-Wan Kenobi (
Ewan McGregor) travel aboard the
Radiant VII on their mission to end the
Trade Federation's blockade of the planet
Naboo. After docking with the Federation's Droid Control Ship, the
Radiant VII is destroyed to prevent the Jedi from escaping. Originally, the
Radiant VII was going to be sleek like most
Old Republic ships depicted in the
Star Wars prequel trilogy. However, Lucas suggested a design similar to the ships in the original trilogy;
Doug Chiang and the
Lucasfilm art department responded with a design similar to the
Tantive IV model created for
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Several antennae were added to focus attention to the cockpit during the opening sequence of
The Phantom Menace. For filming the destruction of the
Radiant VII, the crew built a gigantic seven-foot model and rigged it with pyrotechnics, around which was constructed a to-scale hangar. This use of practical special effects allowed for pieces of the exploding model to interact with the surrounding environment without having to utilize
CGI resources.
Consular-class Republic Cruisers like the
Radiant VII are "instantly recognizable throughout the galaxy" according to the
Star Wars Databank. At long, their features include strong
deflector shields, three powerful Dyne 577 radial atomizer engines and a Longe Voltrans tri-arc CD-3.2
hyperdrive for
faster-than-light travel. Underneath the bridge is an interchangeable diplomatic salon pod which can eject from the cruiser in an emergency.
Scimitar (Sith Infiltrator) Darth Maul pilots a
Sith infiltrator, named
Scimitar, in
The Phantom Menace. Its design includes elements of the
TIE interceptor and
Lambda-class shuttle. The vehicle has been made into toys by
Hasbro and
Galoob and models kits by
Lego and
Ertl. The
Scimitar is identified by in-universe sources as a heavily modified Star Courier manufactured by Republic Sienar Systems, supposedly designed by Raith Sienar himself under orders from
Darth Sidious. Following Maul's presumed death during the Battle of Naboo, it was appropriated by Sidious and used during the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War. The ship's distinctively long prow, giving it a length of , houses an experimental full-effect
cloaking device that can make it invisible on command. Beneath the invisibility field generator are storage compartments for
probe droids, a
speeder bike and other equipment. The
Scimitar also incorporates an experimental high-temperature
ion engine system which necessitates large radiator panels that fold inward for landings, and is well-armed with six low-profile
laser cannons and a
proton torpedo launcher.
Techno Union Starship (Hardcell-class Interstellar Transport) Techno Union Starships made their theatrical appearance in
Attack of the Clones during the
Battle of Geonosis as the
Separatist droid army attempts to hold off the
clone troopers of the
Galactic Republic. Background material on the ship class describes it as a common sight in the
Star Wars universe, long with a Class 1
hyperdrive and six large rocket thrusters, but ineffective as a combatant with only two laser cannon batteries. Its lack of
repulsorlifts gives it limited maneuverability within a planet's atmosphere and the large fuel stores for its rockets are a glaring weakness that can be exploited during the battle. Of the 286 Techno Union starships at the Battle of Geonosis, 169 escape.
Theta-class Shuttle Emperor
Palpatine (
Ian McDiarmid) travels aboard a
Theta-class shuttle in
Revenge of the Sith. The ship was designed to appear like a predecessor to the
Lambda-class shuttle. Only the shuttle's boarding ramp was built for filming.
Trade Federation battleship (Lucrehulk-class battleship) Trade Federation
Lucrehulk-class battleships appear in the
Prequel trilogy and various other Star Wars media. Lucas called for these ships to have a "saucer" look with a distinct front and rear, achieved by placing the engines on one side of the ship and the antennae and docking bays on the other. In
The Phantom Menace a fleet of these ships enforces a blockade of the planet
Naboo, one of which (identified in background material as the
Vuutun Palaa) serves as the Droid Control Ship at the center of the movie's climactic battle. To capture the Droid Control Ship's destruction, a 1/800 scale model was created and blown up using specially designed
pyrotechnic material to simulate a believably massive explosion, and filmed at 340 frames per second to get enough frames for the cut. A second scale model of the ship's hangar was created and mapped out for the scene where
Anakin Skywalker (
Jake Lloyd) accidentally flies his
starfighter inside the ship. In-universe, these vessels were originally
Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighters manufactured by Hoersch-Kessel Drive Inc. that the Trade Federation secretly modified into warships to build up their armed forces. At in diameter, each massive battleship can carry an entire army: 6,250
Armored Assault Tanks, 550
Multi-Troop Transports, 1,500 troop carriers, 50
C-9979 Landing Craft, 1,500
Vulture droids and over 329,000 B1
Battle Droids. The crew is similarly large with 60 supervisors, 3,000 droid crew and 200,000 maintenance droids. George Lucas likened the ship's similarity to a
biplane. Deploying a full load of vehicles is a complex process which can take up to 45 minutes to complete as they exit the vessel via large deployment doors. These doors include perimeter field sensors which detect
land mines and other hazards. Powerful tensor field generators bind the removable wings to the vessel while "
repulsorlifts" keep them from sagging under their own weight. Manufactured for the Trade Federation by Haor Chall Engineering, the -long craft has a crew of 88
battle droids. In addition to piloting the landing craft and manning its weaponry, these droids also run maintenance and repair shops which service the onboard attack force. Another 361 battle droids can also be carried on board in storage. For self-defense the landing craft is equipped with
deflector shields and is armed with two pairs of wingtip laser cannons and four turret-mounted laser cannons. ==Spacecraft appearing in the sequel trilogy==