The ship's rotating cockpit stems from an initial design for the Millennium Falcon. A variety of B-wing merchandise has been released by toy companies.Īlthough initial plans called for B-wings to appear in several scenes, its narrow appearance from some angles made it difficult to see against the backdrop of space. It is commonly depicted as a heavy strike fighter. They first appear in Return of the Jedi (1983) and subsequently in the Star Wars expanded universe's books, comics, and games. The A/SF-01 B-wing starfighter is a fictional Rebel Alliance and New Republic starfighter. Some starfighters are also equipped with deflector shields which can be adjusted to protect specific areas of the ship. The primary weapon on most starfighters are laser cannons, with additional weapons like proton torpedoes boasting additional firepower. Some starfighters are also equipped with an internal hyperdrive or connect to an external hyperdrive unit for faster-than-light travel. Repulsorlifts are carried as secondary drives for atmospheric flight and when docking or making planetary landings. These engines are used to lift off from planetary surfaces, travel in deep space and engage other starships in space battles, while inertial dampeners protect the occupants from forceful accelerations. Sublight drives propel starfighters at below lightspeed velocities, with the most common type being the ion engine. In the Star Wars universe, starfighters are equipped with the same fictional technology found on other starships. Within the Star Wars setting, a starfighter is defined as a "small, fast, manevuerable, and heavily armed starship used in direct confrontations between opposing forces." In addition to appearing in the saga's movies and TV series, several LucasArts games depict the player as a starfighter pilot.
The following is a list of science-fictional Star Wars starfighters. It is not to be confused with Bird of prey (disambiguation).