Grand Marshal fanonical craft
From Jalassociatecomics
The craft(s) that appear during the Grand Marshal continuity. They appear nowhere else in Star Wars canon and should not be taken as such. These ships are wholly original designs, built out of Lego by J and L and designed to fit into canon. However, while it is entirely possible for this story to happen between 6.25 ABY to 8.25 ABY, it should not be assumed as such.
Spoiler warning: Plot AND ending details follow. If you're the type who LOVES revealing the ending ten seconds into a movie, and ruin the experience for all, read on. Read on, you selfish <insert insult directed at your mother here>.
Contents |
Protagonist craft
Duneskimmer
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Sorosuub Corporation |
| Class | Landspeeder |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 3 metres |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 615.24 kph |
| Engine units |
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| Armament |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affiliation |
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Sorosuub Corporation, a massive producer of varied crafts, was well-known for its landspeeders, particularly the X-34 Landspeeder, owned by Luke skywalker when he lived on his foster parents' Tatooine moisture farm. A lesser-known repulsor-lift craft produced by the corporation was the Duneskimmer.
The Duneskimmer went into mainstream production in 2 ABY, aiming to serve the niche consisting of Tatooine businessmen in a hurry. The craft is extremely small, a sleek one-seater. The craft also has basic armanents consisting of two dual-linked standard blasters, to fend off the desert planet's harsh natives, including Tusken Raiders.
The Duneskimmer, as its name suggests, was aimed mainly at the average desert-planet dweller. However, this nifty landspeeder proved extremely versatile, reasonably popular across the galaxy. Perhaps the most analagous real-life vehicle comprable is a motorcycle of sorts, as opposed to larger speeders.
The Duneskimmer has no direct predecessor, and a landspeeder of its type was almost unheard of though swoops like it were common, it usually longer. It is one of the the smallest landspeeders to date, though its size and capabilities are almost matched by the Desert Swoop Speeder (see below), an antagonist craft produced by rival Aratech Repulsorlift Company.
Sorosuub pledged particular allegiance to the Empire, but quickly switched loyalties to the New Republic right after the Battle of Endor. As such, a Sorosuub official on Tatooine practically gave the craft away to a young female Jedi, unwittingly letting it into the hallowed halls of Grand Marshal-era history.
In Wrath of the Marshal, Luke Skywalker had been rendered unconscious on Tatooine and lay in the back of Jedi Padawan Deuv Ni'lag's custom-made landspeeder. As such, Deuv's companion and fellow Jedi Padawan Fys Yarn'xa was given a Duneskimmer for her own transportation. The landspeeder's armanents came into handy when the landspeeders were chased by a tag-team of Desert Swoop Speeders across the desert sands. It is strongly hinted that Deuv used a customised duneskimmer, though Sorosuub has no comment on this point.
Altogether nifty and versatile, the Duneskimmer remains a little-known yet significant Sorosuub innovation.
Republic Strike Fighter
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Koensayr Manafacturing |
| Class | Assault interceptor/snubfighter |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | ~6m |
| Maxiummum acceleration | 4711.1 G |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 1412 kph |
| Engine units | Three Sienar Flight systems engines |
| Hyperdrive rating | Class 1.618 |
| Power source | MPS Bpr-99 fusion reactor |
| Armament |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation | |
The Republic Strike Fighter was developed by Koensayr towards the end of the Galactic Civil War. It was an attempt to create a small fighter capable of hyperdrive. The result was a success built on several earlier designs, namely the Naboo Flash speeder and the Y-wing. The speed of the craft ranged between normal snubfighter and interceptor speeds.
This enabled it to be an all-purpose light starfighter, as opposed to the sprawling X-wing. However, the parts of the RSF Mark I, used many parts that had functions in many of the other mainstream Rebel starfighters. While the developers believed this would be a major plus, the Alliance leaders decided it would be more safe to invest in tried and tested starfighters, and production was incredibly slow.
It all changed in 5 ABY, when Alliance SpecForces raided a Sienar Flight Systems factory. Koensayr was quick to loot the factory, and the RSF was quickly converted into a SFS engine-driven strike fighter. From this point on, the RSF became a mainstay of most fighter wings of the New Republic.
It is featured as a Jedi Strike fighter in the cartoon drama Grand Marshal Trilogy: The Remnant Threat, and is flown exclusively by the members of the fledgling New Jedi Order, due to certain control issues, only allowing those in supreme self-control to pilot the craft. This changes during Wrath of the Marshal, where more Rebel pilots take to the new craft, after certain upgrades, birthing the BTL RSF Mark II.
In its appearances, it easily takes on TIE Assaulters in speed, and is a worthy challenger to the TIE interceptors seen frequently in the maleovent Grand Marshal's fleet. It eventually becomes a venerable fighter and plays an essential part in the downfall of the Marshal.
Their primary role was escort, destroying attacking enemy fighters that attempted to shake or eliminate the bombers. However, if this did not work, the heavy armament of the RSFs was enough to take on capital ships without aid. Nevertheless, this was placed as a worst case scenario, and the tactic was very rarely used, if at all.
Dyst-class Light Troop Transport
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Rothana Heavy Engineering |
| Class | Assault interceptor/Troop Transport |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 20~ m |
| Maxiummum acceleration | 1500 G |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 831 kph |
| Engine units | Four Incom 4L4 fusial thrust engine |
| Hyperdrive rating | Class 3 |
| Armament |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation | |
The Dyst-class Light Troop Transport has become a relatively commonplace New Republic support ship and troop carrier. Though its main purpose is troop transport, the craft functions as well if not even better as a armoured fighting vehicle, complete with heavy armaments of energized shell projectiles and reinforced with tough cruiser-class armour.
The craft requires a pilot crew of three, though it can carry roughly 14 troops comfortably. The craft is completely versatile and is the favoured light troop transport on most New Republic strongholds, as seen in Wrath of the Marshal. It has been appropriated as an escape craft in the unlikely but possible event that Republic forces have to retreat.
The interior of the ship is sparsely outfitted, though includes a holographic briefing screen to give mission outlines. Weapon storage is included too, though most troops prefer to have their arms with them when they board and disembark. For greater ease, technical readout are also given at the rear to the engineers in order to pin down possible hull problems.
The Dyst Class originated - though not exactly - from scrapped Mon Calamarian plans found in an abandoned shipyard. Rothana Heavy Engineering thought much of the design, though was unable to contact the Mon Calamari corporations for permission to further develop the design, so made an almost completely different prototype under Rebellion supervision. The project was slow to progress for two years, only going into mass-production shortly after the defeat of the Emperor.
The ship is comprable to a LAAT/i gunship with spatial capabilities, as it is definitely seen having massive stiking power during its escape. The presence of a hyperdrive is, of course, necessary for such a transport ship. Though its carrying capability pales to GR-75s, its mass production rate ensures that if an evacuation is necessary, there will be enough ships to evacuate the Rebels.
Rothana's biggest success is set to remain popular throughout the New Republic era and beyond, until the technology turns obsolete.
Kruzar-type Cargo Transport
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Republic Engineering Corporation |
| Class | Cargo transport |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 10 m |
| Maxiummum acceleration | 1500 G |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 950 kph |
| Engine units | Two Incom "parallel" flat-engine units |
| Hyperdrive rating | Class 3 |
| Armament |
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| Cargo capacity |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation | |
The Kruzar-type Cargo Transport was a armoured cargo transport built near the end of the Galactic Civil War (versus the uncloned Emperor Palpatine) by a fledgling Republic Engineering Corporation.
It was based on several designs, mainly Dreadnaught-class cruisers, "Corellian" CR90 Corvettes, and various freelance cargo ships. The end result was a generic, but medium-armed and armoured transport.
The ship's design is primarily (from bow to stern) a snub-nosed pilot area, followed by a sitting compartment, which opens up into a taller and wider area, and eventually ending in the large cargo bay behind. The engine units run parallel to the ship, and do not take up much space at all, a new innovation by REC.
As said above, engines aside, the design of the Kruzar-type was not exceptionally revolutionary, but in the end, it proved to be a relatively versatile ship. Its armament, which included a heavy turbolaser and two antipersonnel laser cannons, made it an interestingly effective siege ship, and it participated in several major battles of the Grand Marshal's campaign.
"Maxing" out the cargo area with troops also made it a good armoured personnel vehicle. Several Kruzars were customised and converted into perssonal jets. Several hundred were sold in the private sector to ambassadors and diplomats. It also found a niche as a cheap and quick shuttle for travel companies.
Its drawbacks were that it was quite a slow ship (once out of atmosphere), and that its un-userfriendly steering system made it difficult to maneuver, and such cargo ships were usually given an escort. Nevertheless, the heavy laser turret meant that it had enough striking power to distract any possible interceptors long enough to escape.
Its appearances in the Grand Marshal Trilogy are more likely than not 'background' ones, probably being seen in "main" action relatively rarely. However, it is important to note that its role in helping Rebels escape is just as important as the Dyst-class light infantry transport, if not more so. Being relatively faster and cheaper than the Dyst, it is probably more widely used, even if it is in the background most of the time.
Antagonist craft
Desert swoop speeder
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Aratech Repulsor Company |
| Class | Swoop/landspeeder hybrid |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 4 metres |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 516.42 kph |
| Engine units |
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| Power source | Aratech mini ionization reactor |
| Armament |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation |
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Aratech Repulsor company had been a loyal client of the Empire, and was quite devestated upon its defeat. As such, the company was more than happy to continue its legacy with the Grand Marshal. The Marshal's personal affliation with Aratech's director of production design partly contributed to the company's willingness in assisting the production of a craft to serve the Grand Marshal Empire's military purposes.
Aratech had previously scored a hit with the 74-Z military speeder bike which served the Old Republic and the Empire on countless worlds, including the forest moon of Endor. The Grand Marshal commisssioned a repulsor-lift craft for exclusive use on desert planets, paticularly the New Republic stronghold of Tatooine, and requested it to be an overall improvement on the 74-Z.
The result was a revolutionary swoop bike/landspeeder hybrid. It was a lot more manoeuverable than regular landspeeders and was better amoured, better armed and easier to pilot than regular swoop bikes, including the 74-Z speeder bike.
The Desert Swoop Speeder retains the standard features of a speeder bike, though has the repulsor-lift capabilities of a landspeeder. The controls are easier to master, thus not limiting its pilots to simply specially trained scout troopers.
As it was designed for explicit desert use, the craft has advanced sand filtering and employs a rudimentary top-mounted sand-protection shield during harsh sandstorms.
The hybrid's brown and orange colouration is meant to make an impact and intimidate. There are few camouflaging woes, or so Aratech proudly declared, as the crafts superior speed and firepower make it an unlikely target, even for sharpshooters.
In terms of weaponry, dual fire-linked blasters are the standard. Aratech, however, added side-mounted deterrent laser tips to ward off landspeeders or swoops that bump into it, something which commonly happened to the 74-Z.
A decent cockpit makes the Desert Swoop Speeder a much safer and more comfortable ride than regular speeder bikes. The bike has storage for food and other essentials, and also has a high energy storage capacity, making it independently self-sufficient in the desert for weeks at a go. However, these craft often operate in small "tag-teams" of three to four, the joint manoeuverability and firepower of the crafts working together as a team easily cornering fugitives on-the run.
Grand Marshal's personal airspeeder
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Aratech Repulsor Company |
| Class | Airspeeder |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 8 metres |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 615.84 kph |
| Engine units |
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| Power source | Aratech ionization reactor |
| Armament |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation |
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Impressed with the Desert Swoop Speeder, the Grand Marshal requested that a similar craft be designed for him, for use as his exclusive personal airspeeder. Aratech immediately complied, and set to work on yet another of the formidable ruler's commissions.
The result was, basically, an upgraded Desert Swoop Speeder: twice the size, with upgraded weaponry and power systems, plus now a full-fledged airspeeder. The airspeeder retained the Desert Swoop Speeder's basic colour scheme, though with a sleeker shape. The ship had unflattering origins though and was based on the basic shape of a swamp creature. With it's grey curved back and orange blaster pods, the airspeeder resembeled a slug native to Dagobah.
Unlike its predecessor, however, the Ateema was not meant for exclusive use on desert planets-- so as to facilitate the Marshal's wide travels. The craft was so named for the Marshal's favourite word, most often barked at cowardly surbordinates.
It was also referred to as the Aden'la, the Grand Marshal's first name, because the two sounded somehow similar. As a proper airspeeder, the craft proved very versatile, so as to serve the Marshal's varied needs.
It was not too impressive to look at, though, but served its purpose. The craft, though without shields (to accomodate the top-mounted engines)was well-protected with advanced weapons systems, with the speed to boot. Utilising both forward propulsion and repulsorlift technology, the ship became the Marshal's favoured personal transportation while he was on other worlds.
Only one of its kind was built, though Aratech plans to seek permission from the Marshal to mass-produce a variant of the Ateema. While not in action piloted by the ruthless leader, the craft is stored in a purpose-built minuature hangar on board his flagship, the Vindicator-class Star Dreadnought Darasuum.
The "chariot", so nicknamed by the Darasuums staffers (those who look down upon the airspeeder's capabilities call it the "slug", is just beginning its legacy in implanting fear wherever the Marshal's terrainial conquests bring him.
R-52 Baza-class snubfighter
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Sienar Fleet Systems |
| Class | Multi-role snubfighter |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 8m~ |
| Maxiummum acceleration | 3141 G |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 1235 kph |
| Engine units | Ion engine array |
| Hyperdrive rating | Inapplicable |
| Power source | SFS I-a2b ionization reactor |
| Armament |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation |
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The Baza-class snubfigter was developed and built by the Grand Marshal out of a need for a robust, non-TIE , but still fast and able to take on X-wings in combat. All current Imperial starfighter designs were based on the TIE principle of cheap and expendable starfighters, and thus the Marshal's technicians had to, ironically enough, search old plans for new ideas.
The end result was based on the Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter of the Clone Wars, but definitely having similar design principles as the Incom/Subpro Z-95 Headhunter. It may also be from the same design family as the Preybird-class starfighter. This can be seen through the facts that the hull of the V-wing was kept relatively intact, but the wings were of a more traditional spread-wing design.
Mass-production began near the end of the Galactic Civil War (against the uncloned Emperor Palpatine), roughly at 3 ABY. Production primarily took place near Kegan. Interestingly, this was with full awareness of the rest of the Empire, seemingly out of character of the Grand Marshal.
Nevertheless, it was only after the Grand Marshal's first disastrous campaign that full-scale mass production started. The craft's merits included cheap and fast production, as nearly all materials in the original Nimbus were reused in some form or another in the Baza, making production costs almost equal.
It was also faster than a regular TIE/ln fighter, and able to take on New Republic X-wings relatively effectively. Modifications to the fighter also meant that it had an unusually large armament capacity, packing over six laser weapons and a fully immobilizing ion cannon , making it versatile against capital ships and starfighters. Its armour was also significantly augmented, converting it from a regular SFS-policy ablative starfighter into a venerable snubfighter, further reducing replacement costs.
Its appearances in the Grand Marshal trilogy are primarily as an assault vehicle, participating in most battles after the Grand Marshal's first campaign.
TIE Assaulter
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Sienar Fleet Systems |
| Class | Assault Bomber [1] |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 7m~ |
| Maxiummum acceleration | 4285.7 G |
| Maximmum atmospherical speed | 1337 kph |
| Engine units | Sienar Fleet systems Twin Ion Engines |
| Hyperdrive rating | Class 2 |
| Power source | SFS I-a2b ionization reactor |
| Armament |
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| Crew |
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| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation |
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The TIE Assaulter, a descendant of the TIE starfighter developed for the Galactic Republic, was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems after the fall of the Palpatine Empire. Its design was inspired from the Scimitar Assault Bomber TIE variant and the Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor.
The TIE Assaulter, though retaining the bulbuous transparisteel cockpit, namesake twin-ion engines and side-mounted wings of traditional TIE series craft, looks incredibly different from traditional TIE craft. For one, the wings are a lot smaller and do not possess expensive solar ionization panels. This and many other differences are partly caused by the tight budget of the Grand Marshal, who commissioned the production of the TIE Assaulters.
TIE Assaulters were designed by Sienar for independant attacks, an extremely rare feature amongst TIE craft. TIE Assaulters are small in size to save costs, but are still outfitted with the necessary heavy weapons and can take on hefty starships all by themselves, without the need of large squadrons.
The crafts are developed for use as assault ships, and specialise in lethal hard-hitting attacks, albeit not very fast ones. However, the craft has more-than-reasonable hyperdrive capabilities, again another rarity on standard TIE ships.
Besides being highly manoeuverable, the TIE Assaulter has standard combat shields. It also carries missile tubes, among other heavy weapons. Life-support systems are not usually included, but each TIE pilot of the craft has a fully-sealed flight suit superior to their New Republic counterparts.
TIE Assaulter laser cannons are quite strong, and a direct hit on a starfighter or medium transport could damage or destroy the Assaulter's target. The craft also has medium-powered other forms of weaponry, including basic proton bomb launchers and fire-linked quad blasters.
Experienced pilots were trusted with the controls of this uncommon ship. Some TIE Assulters are in the Grand Marshal's revised fleet, making up around 20% of his starfighters, again due to cost restrains. However, the fighters have seen their fair share of victory and are among the more valuable craft in the Grand Marshal's fleet.
Vindicator-class Star Dreadnought
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Manafacturer | Kuat Drive Yards |
| Class | Star Dreadnought |
| Technical Data | |
| Length | 8,128 metres |
| Maximmum acceleration | 1138 G |
| Hyperdrive rating | Class 2 |
| Power source | I-a2b Solar Ionization Reactor |
| Armament |
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| Hull | Reinforced durasteel armor<font/> |
| Complement |
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| Crew | 280,734 |
| Minimmum crew | ~25,000 |
| Cargo capacity | 100,000 metric tons |
| Era and Affliation | |
| Era | |
| Affliation |
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One Vindicator-class Star Dreadnought acted as the flagship of the Grand Marshal and his empire from 4 ABY to 8 ABY. The Vindicator line was developed by Kuat Drive Yards operatives and the Grand Marshal's personal factories.
The Vindicator's basic frame was based upon the Super-class Star Destroyer, though the end result was somewhat different. The Marshal made steps to have several ion cannons installed, as well as beefed-up armour.
The result was a real ship to be feared: not only could it perform orbital bombardment on its own while defending against starfighter attacks, its ion cannons could easily take on capital ships of similar class, previously unheard of in Star Destroyers.
Construction took place in the Grand Marshal's secret facility near the planet of Cytosar, under the supervision of Kuat Drive Yards officials. The flagship, christened Darasuum after the Grand Marshal, was finished within a year.
The power of the Darasuum, the only ship of its built, was awe-inspiring - it was suprisingly maneuverable, and the ion cannon proved to have several other uses, including but not limited to destorying planetary shields and demolishing frigates and other small craft within several hits.
The cargo capacity was a necessary sacrifice, but the small size of the Marshal's Assaulters ensured that it could still carry large striking power.
Its operations included the attacks on Gala, Vjun, Maridun, and Vorkydz prior to the Marshal's attack on Yavin, which it was absent from. During the Grand Marshal's second campaign, it spearheaded the attack on Yavin 4, goading the Rebels into activating the sabotaged superlaser, destroying a fraction of the Death Star before a TIE Assaulter destroyed the battlestation.
From that point on, it circled the captured worlds of the Marshal. It was in the largest hangar of the Darasuum that the Grand Marshal announced at broadcasted all over the Imperial HoloNet his self-crowning of Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Chewbacca, who had been captured in the chaos of the battle of Yavin, was held temoporarily in a maximum-security reinforced cell in the prison sector of the ship. The ship also held extensive crew's quarters, massive drill arenas, hangars and an advanced communications suite in the bridge.
It functioned as a keeper of the order during the brief reign of the Marshal as the Emperor, tasked with looking for resistance and destroying it if detected anywhere, with whichever means necessary. The Grand Marshal often held court in the Darasuum, and the Rebels took advantage of that. In an incredible attack, a mixed-arms fleet destoyed the Darasuum when it was orbiting Yavin 4, killing all on board - excluding the Grand Marshal, who was dispatched later.
Nevertheless, the Darasuum was mantained as a feared name throughout the New Republic, and soon dozens of Vindicators were employed near Iego, commanded by a mysterious Sith Lord along with the Marshal's successor.
The Darasuum served as a platform for Kuat Drive Yard's experiments with other Star Destroyer variants, and eventually led to the design of the Eclipse-Class Star Dreadnought which served under the command of the cloned Emperor Palpatine.
Behind t3h scenes
The in- and out-universe references in this article are NOT too many to list, so here goes:
Names
- The Republic Strike Fighter was planned to be called the Jedi Strike Fighter, a reference to the Delta-7 Aethersprite-class interceptor.
- "Dyst" is "ship" in Huttese.
- "Kruzar" is "cruiser" in Bocce.
- "Ateema" is "faster" in Huttese, explaining the Marshal's like of the word.
- The designation "R-52" is a reference to the infamous B-52 strategic bomber. A "Baza" is a kind of raptor, or bird ofprey.
- The Vindicator is from the root "vindictive" or "vindication", describing the kind of revenge the Marshal seeks on Luke Skywalker.
Performance
- RSF: 4711.1 G is a reference to the famous AK-47 assault rifle. {47[A][K] = 47[1][11]}. 1412 kph are the first four digits of √2. The hyperdrive rating of 1.618 are the first four digits of Φ.
- R-52 snubfighter: 3141 G are the first four digits of π. 1235 kph are the first four distinct non-zero members of the Fibonnaci sequence.
- TIE Assaulter: 4285.7 G are five members of the sequence derived from 1/7 (142857...) 1337 kph, is of course, leet.
- Vindicator-class Star Dreadnought: The length of 8128 m is a perfect number. 1138 G is the customary THX 1138 reference.
For more BTS info, particularly about the construction of these ships using Lego, please see Behind the scenes: The Remnant Threat and Behind the scenes: Wrath of the Marshal, especially the Building the Comic sections.
