The Ships of Star Wars

[faefrost]

Just to copy this over here. It was running the risk of cluttering up a subject from which it was seriously off topic. Heck about as far off topic as we can get. I give you THE SHIPS OF STAR WARS. Talk about your favorite. Nerd out on them new, old, Clone Wars, Rebels, Ep VII leaks, etc.

Or as many lego pieces as this bad boy, http://www.geekologie.com/2011/09/massive-43000piece-lego-star-destroyer.php

Huh. There might be more to that word-count than we thought. Archon IS an uber-geek after all. ^_~

...Archon made that?

Because if yes, didn't Venators have 3 turrets on each side instead of four?
Iirc SSDs had four turrets.

Also, does it have the belly hangar?

No, I don't believe that era SSD had a belly-hangar. I think the 'Victory' was the first model to include it. Don't quote me on that. I might be mistaking something read in WoTC's 'Star Wars Saga' edition RPG, for something in official Canon.

Ugh! OT nerding here my appologies. Non Star Wars geeks move along.

The Venator at least how it finally is portrayed in cannon, is almost all hanger. More like a carrier than a battleship. That entire ventral red stripe is a pair of massive hanger doors. so there is a massive hanger that runs the length of the interior. There are also three major hangors roughly at the point of the notch in the wedge. One port, one starboard and one belly. These all are direct passthroughs to the main ventral hanger and have huge doors that separate them.

This explains it better http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/3/3f/Venator_Class_Star_Destroyer_CS.jpg
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120922034807/starwars/images/e/ee/Tranquility.png
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120827224738/starwars/images/e/e6/VenatorTurbolasers-HH.png
http://culttvman.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/dlewisvenator02.jpg
http://www.theforceperu.net/files/2009/09/destructor_estelar_clase_venator_4.jpg

Sorry the Venator is one of my favorites. I have the Revel Model sitting here waiting for me to figure out how to add a detailed dorsal hanger and lighting for years.

You may now resume your normal food throwing

And yeah Venators. WooHoo! Possibly the best thing in the PT.

 

[Jack Action]

Oooooh awesome. Me like.

Anyway, I second the Venator. SW isn't brilliant on ship designs (why not also put turrets on the belly? why have easily-targeted bridges?) but the Venator is a thing of a beauty.

Wish more SW games included them; just imagine, firefights against droids on the wide-open main hangar deck of a Venator Star Destroyer, among fighter wreckage and AT-TEs. It would be glorious.

Edit: also, if all ships are included, I'd like to mention the ARC-170 and the LAAT/i. The ARC-170 because it's very similar in design and function to a Spitfire, and the LAAT/i because... well, it's the LAAT/i. The single most awesome gunship ever. Irl or otherwise.

 

[faefrost]

Oooooh awesome. Me like.

Anyway, I second the Venator. SW isn't brilliant on ship designs (why not also put turrets on the belly? why have easily-targeted bridges?) but the Venator is a thing of a beauty.

I always find it a little weird that the wonderfully busy and real looking SW ships are less well thought out than the cleaner looking ships of the Star Wars universe or most of the Derrick Meddings / Gerry Anderson stuff.

 

[Jack Action]

I always find it a little weird that the wonderfully busy and real looking SW ships are less well thought out than the cleaner looking ships of the Star Wars universe or most of the Derrick Meddings / Gerry Anderson stuff.

I'll be honest, I have no idea what those guys designed. I can never pay attention to credits (and on top of that, I'm terrible with names, even irl).

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

If it comes to canonical ships (seen in the movies), I have to go with the Executor.

Spoiler: If I'm allowed to go a little bit deeper...

It's the big one in the middle.

The Bellator is my SSD of choice.

Also that's my background atm. Haven't changed it in a year or two. Star Destroyers are the only reason I put up with Empire at War's terrible ground combat. XD

 

[faefrost]

I always find it a little weird that the wonderfully busy and real looking SW ships are less well thought out than the cleaner looking ships of the Star Trek universe or most of the Derrick Meddings / Gerry Anderson stuff.

I'll be honest, I have no idea what those guys designed. I can never pay attention to credits (and on top of that, I'm terrible with names, even irl).

The original Star Trek ships were designed by Matt Jeffries. His design philosophy was they could not look like classic rockets, but that they needed to be skinned, as the crew would need to be able to make any routine repairs from inside the ship. Stepping outside would be harsh and dangerous. (and ack I typed Star Wars instead of Trek above, oops)

Gerry Anderson was a British TV producer who did a lot of classic SciFi. Derrick Meddings did most of his model design and similar work. Their stuff includes such classics as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO and Space 1999. Medding's designs are particularly praised for not being cool ships but actually being really really real world functional. The best being the classic Thunderbid 2, which one of the British Engineering schools actually wind tunnel tested and discovered that it was a surprisingly really good aerodynamic design. The Space 1999 Eagle is still viewed as perhaps the best SciFi ship that is both really cool SciFi while at the same time being real world possible. (Someone correct me on this but I seem to remember a story where they wanted to get Meddings in on Star Wars but he was already committed to something else?)

 

[Jack Action]

Also that's my background atm. Haven't changed it in a year or two. Star Destroyers are the only reason I put up with Empire at War's terrible ground combat. XD

Well, you could run down rebel scum with those absurd little TIE tanks; this provides endless amusement, at least for me.

Edit: seems I have quite a bit of classic sci-fi to watch. Be back in a month or five, I guess.

Regarding the Space 1999 Eagle, I assume it turns around to decelerate?

 

[Jux]

TIE/IN had to be my favorite ship to pilot in Rogue Squadron for the N64. Loved the design of it. If we're just talking looks though Slave I[footnote]Firespray-31 class patrol and attack vessel.[/footnote] is just as iconic to me as a star destroyer.

 

[faefrost]

Also that's my background atm. Haven't changed it in a year or two. Star Destroyers are the only reason I put up with Empire at War's terrible ground combat. XD

Well, you could run down rebel scum with those absurd little TIE tanks; this provides endless amusement, at least for me.

Edit: seems I have quite a bit of classic sci-fi to watch. Be back in a month or five, I guess.

Regarding the Space 1999 Eagle, I assume it turns around to decelerate?

Is that where the Tie Tanks come from? I've always wondered? I have one of those things in Lego and never knew the origin of it. (For the record a terrible Lego SW set.)

 

[theSovietConnection]

Always a fan of the Venator-class. Best looking ship in the Star Wars series as far as I'm concerned.

I've also always been a fan of the Y-Wing, ever since I first watched the original trilogy all those years ago.

I love the ramshackle elegance it has, and the fact that it reminds me of the design of the P-38 Lightning certainly doesn't hurt it, either.

 

[OneCatch]

If it comes to canonical ships (seen in the movies), I have to go with the Executor.

Spoiler: If I'm allowed to go a little bit deeper...

It's the big one in the middle.

The Bellator is my SSD of choice.

Also that's my background atm. Haven't changed it in a year or two. Star Destroyers are the only reason I put up with Empire at War's terrible ground combat. XD

Those are FractalSponge's designs aren't they? Is the Belator actually canon now?

On topic, I always liked the Imperial Customs Corvette [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Light_corvette], which FractalSponge also had a go at [http://www.fractalsponge.net/gallery/crv/index.html]:

Spoiler

A rather impractical design, but quite menacing. And it would be fantastic with a bit of modification - you can easily imagine removing the provision for troop boarding, adding a better hyperdrive, powerplant, and shielding, adjusting the atrocious weapons placement and diversifying the armament. Those forward mandibles are just asking for some outsize weaponry (ion cannons, missiles, turbolasers), and then replace the turbolasers on the rear hull with a scattering of cannons or a pair of quadlasers with wider coverage for better point defence.

Or you could cut back a bit on the weaponry and still use it as a (relatively) heavily armed medium freighter. You'd basically have a huge version of the Outrider or Falcon, except able to tangle with anything smaller than a frigate.

 

[Kiardras]

Always loved the ship design in star wars. They are some of the coolest looking ships - on all sides of the wars.

Favourite is the X-Wing - it has to be. I'm working on saving for the lego model

I still remember being about 11 years old at Disneyland Paris, and seeing the life size X-Wing outside the Star Tours ride. Happiest day ever.

Also a massive fan of the B-Wing - the rotation, the S-Foils, the whole design is awesome. And the Tie-Defender.


I also love the Chiss ships - the clawcraft is a sexy beast, a meld of Tie Fighter and Chiss Technology.

 

[default]

The Star Wars ships are great examples of one of the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to ship design, and those are memorable shapes. Things that can look a bit wierd at first but stick in your mind, giving the ship a really memorable overall impression and recognisable outline, more so than any number of generic arrow-shaped starfighter #42074494, no matter how 'cool' they are. Think like the design of the Enterprise.

Case in point:

-Millenium Falcon
-Tie Fighters
-Slave 1
-X-wings
-Star Destroyers
-The Death Star

Lots of vessels from the prequels had great designs too, like these things:

These are really beautiful too:

Man, now I really want to watch Star Wars...

 

[The Enquirer]

A very lesser known ship, but I was always fond of the Kedalbe Battleships from Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption.

Spoiler

The seemed to actually not have this odd habit of having their bridge stick out and be easily targetable. Which was nice.

Also the pellaeon was a thing of true beauty.

Spoiler

Also let's not forget two pretty darn well known smuggling ships.

The Ebon Hawk (Predominantly known from Knights of the Old Republic).

Spoiler

and none other than the Millennium Falcon.

Spoiler

Probably some of my all time favorites.

 

[The Enquirer]

snip

Man, I wasn't a fan of the new trilogy, but if there was one thing I could pick from it that I liked, it was the ship design. the N1 Naboo Starfighters were freaking gorgeous looking.

 

[Mikeybb]

One of the things I'm desperately hoping comes from the new starwars movies is a new wave of space combat games.

Be it commanding a fleet or piloting a single vessel, I've loved every one of them to have been released.

 

[Jack Action]

Is that where the Tie Tanks come from? I've always wondered? I have one of those things in Lego and never knew the origin of it. (For the record a terrible Lego SW set.)

Nah, those are Century Tanks. The wiki doesn't say where they showed up first, but the design is old.
EaW came up with these little things:

Which absolutely murder infantry, look comical, and explode in one rocket.

A very lesser known ship, but I was always fond of the Kedalbe Battleships from Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption.

Spoiler

The seemed to actually not have this odd habit of having their bridge stick out and be easily targetable. Which was nice.

Also the pellaeon was a thing of true beauty.

Spoiler

Also let's not forget two pretty darn well known smuggling ships.

The Ebon Hawk (Predominantly known from Knights of the Old Republic).

Spoiler

and none other than the Millennium Falcon.

Spoiler

Probably some of my all time favorites.

The Kedalbe does have the bridge sticking out. It's that tiny little thing on the rear middle section. Granted, it's a lot smaller than the bridges of Rebel or Imperial vessels. You'd think Mandalorians would know better. On the plus side, most MandalMotors craft in EaW look really cool, except for the StarVipers (though I'm not sure that's an MM design).

 

[TWEWYFan]

I've always tended to really like Kyle Katarn's ship from the first two Dark Forces games:

Spoiler: Ship much cooler than the name implies...

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

One of the only things I really liked about The Phantom Menace were the Naboo ships.

Spoiler

Damn cool, graceful and badass. Kinda reminds me of a WW2 fighter, like a Spitfire or a Hurricane.

 

[Iron_will]

If it comes to canonical ships (seen in the movies), I have to go with the Executor.

Awww yeah. I loved the Executor-class ever since I saw it in TESB. She's such an beauty [http://ukitakumuki.deviantart.com/art/Orbital-Strike-138700997].

I'm really looking forward the upcoming new movies giving us more great ships.