The Star Wars galaxy is home to a vast array of space-faring vessels. As the name suggests, the entire franchise is built around an endless series of cosmic battles fought with an equally endless series of capital ships, starfighters, and everything in between. While many of those ships, like the Star Destroyer or the X-Wing, seem to be everywhere, others are pretty rare. Whether it’s a prototype of an experimental craft or a mass-produced ship boasting special modifications, there are several examples of unique — and in some cases — one-of-a-kind starships sprinkled throughout the Star Wars saga.
These quirky vehicles have appeared on screen and off, in both Legends and Canon. Some are incredibly well-known, while others will have you asking, “Did they just make that up?” We assure you, every ship on this list is real — or at least real in the Star Wars universe. Here are our picks for the seven most unique Star Wars ships in no particular order.
TIE Defender
The TIE/d or TIE Defender, as it’s better known, is a weird-looking ship. The design boils down to an Imperial engineer deciding that if two wings are good, three must be even better. The oddly shaped TIE Defender made its first appearance in the PC game TIE Fighter and was made canon through an appearance on Star Wars Rebels.
Despite its awkward appearance — why exactly does a starship need three wings? — The Defender is actually a huge upgrade over the standard TIE Fighter. It boasts deflector shields and a hyperdrive, two things regular TIE Fighters are sorely lacking. Does the superior performance make up for the TIE Defender’s ugly exterior? That’s up to you to decide.
Ugly
A galaxy perpetually at war makes for a lot of space debris. With the corpses of blown-apart TIE Fighters and X-Wings just floating around, it only makes sense that some crafty spacer would get the idea to MacGyver a new ship out of broken parts. Thus, the Ugly was born. These Frankenstein ships have appeared in both Legends and Canon, looking just as bizarre as you imagine they would.
Some known Uglies are the TYE-wing, a TIE Fighter with Y-wing engines, the Y-TIE, a Y-wing with TIE Fighter wings, and the C-wing, an unholy combo made from the body of a B-wing and the cockpit of a Corellian YT light freighter.
Count Dooku’s Solar Sailer
Darth Tyranus, aka Count Dooku, was the first well-to-do, aristocratic Sith that fans were introduced to, so it only makes sense that he would have a unique starship befitting a fancy pants of his stature. Dooku’s personal transport throughout the Clone Wars was a modified Punworcca 116-class interstellar sloop, powered by a giant solar-energy collecting sail that trailed behind it.
The addition of such an antique propulsion method gives Dooku’s solar sailer a look unlike any other ship in Star Wars. It’s impractical and decadent, making it the perfect vessel for someone born of noble blood.
Millennium Falcon
The Millennium Falcon is proof that unique doesn’t always mean obscure. While the Falcon might be the single most recognizable starship in the Star Wars pantheon, it’s also one-of-a-kind. The Millennium Falcon resembles the Ship of Theseus in that we’re not sure if it can technically be considered the same ship that originally rolled off the Corellian assembly line. Everything from the interior circuits to the exterior plating has been replaced at some point, and not just by Han Solo. Whether you go by Canon or Legends, the list of people who have modified the Millennium Falcon is a long one.
Call it “Schrodinger’s Falcon” because the modified YT-1300 light freighter is always simultaneously one second away from falling apart completely and capable of outperforming every other ship in the galaxy. Much of this can be chalked up to the Falcon‘s central computer — or lack of one. Instead of the usual all-purpose operating system found on most other Star Wars ships, the Millennium Falcon is run by three separate droid brains. And while many of the Falcon‘s ill-timed malfunctions can be blamed on the brains not getting along, when they do, the ship is untouchable.
B-Wing
B-wings might not be as rare as some of the other ships on this list, but they certainly have a unique look. Unlike the Y, X, and A-wings, B-wings don’t really resemble the letter they’re named after. Instead, with a rotating cockpit attached to a long body that is essentially one large wing and two smaller wings on the sides, depending on its orientation, the B-wing resembles either a cross or a sword.
The ship’s blade-like look is appropriate because the B-wing has the most offensive capability of any Rebel fighter. Boasting three ion cannons, twin auto-blasters, a pair of proton torpedo launchers, and a heavy laser cannon, the B-wing offers the firepower of a much larger ship in a compact form factor. The B-wing may not be the most aesthetically pleasing design, but it will reduce you to atoms quicker than you can comment on its drip.
Luthen Rael’s Fondor Haulcraft
Star Wars: Andor‘s Luthen Rael is a wealthy socialite and antique dealer who moonlights as a spy master and secret rebel coordinator. As such, Luthen needs a ship that looks unassuming but packs a punch when he needs to, a description that fits the Fondor Haulcraft all too well. On the outside, the Haulcraft resembles just that: a craft for hauling cargo. Under that unassuming exterior, however, lie several wicked modifications put there by Luthen himself.
Souped-up engines coupled with hidden weapons and stealth capabilities mean that there’s no tight spot Luthen can’t get himself out of. Check out this amazing space battle from Andor Season 1 and see for yourself.
Banshee
The Banshee was a ship used by Asajj Ventress during the Clone Wars. A Ginivex-class fanblade starfighter, the Banshee looks like someone spread open a paper fan and glued a cockpit to it. The ship’s fan section is actually a large, red solar sail not unlike the one on Count Dooku’s solar sailer. It’s the bright red sail that helps the Banshee stand out in a sea of mostly monochromatic starships.
The unique-looking Banshee would sadly meet its end at the Battle of Sullust, forcing Ventress to adopt a much different craft that she also named Banshee. While the much more spacious second Banshee was better suited for Ventress’s second career as a bounty hunter, style-wise, it was a step down from the sleek and colorful first Banshee.
What do you think are the most unique Star Wars ships? Let us know in the comments below!
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