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Compiled By NeroRathe
The golden age of starship manufacturing began towards the end of the Old Republic, and early years of the Empire. Companies began to emerge with battles being fought across the galaxy, first between the Old Republic and the Federation, and then between the Empire and the Rebellion. These wars created needs on both sides for capital ships and starfighters. Smuggling, which had always existed, increased as the Empire placed tighter and stricter restrictions on planets across the galaxy. This created a larger and stronger need for smaller and customizable bulk freighters.
Capital Ships
Capital ships are military starships in excess of 100 meters in length. Most ships of this size have huge crews (a Star Destroyer usually has 37,000 in just crew), with turbolaser and laser batteries for ship-to-ship combat. Usually heavily armored with deflector shields and huge power generators, these behemoths often carry up to several squadrons of starfighters in their hangers.
Starfighter
Starfighters are small heavily armed and extremely fast ships. They usually have no more than a crew of five, with one being the standard.
Transport
A Transport ship is a non-military starship used to carry cargo or passengers. These ships range in size from small light freighters, to massive bulk transports and container ships, which can carry thousands of tons of cargo.
Most of them travel regular routes providing regular passage for people, as well as establishing trade routes. They are slow at both sublight, and hyperdrive speeds, and usually have little or no weaponry and shielding. However, some transports are heavily modified with weapons, high-performance drives, and military-grade shield generators. Manufacturers, knowing that there were markets beyond normal shipping, such as pirates and smugglers made sure to build ships that were customizable.
Major Manufacturers
Alderaan Royal Engineers
The Alderaan Royal Engineers are best known for their luxury yachts, deep-space stations, and exotic vessels. They were a large designer and manufacturer during the days of the Old Republic, during that time creating several capital warships and starfighters; however more aggressive companies began to rise to prominence in the later years of the Old Republic, leading to a decline in military vessels, and popularity moved to a focus on pleasure yachts. It is rumored that the company was secretly part of the Royal House of Alderaan's rearmament program, but information on the company and its affiliation with the rebellion is uncertain since the destruction of Alderaan.
Arakyd Industries
Arakyd Industries is a major droid, heavy weapons, and starship manufacturer. The company developed its big reputation because of several very high profiles, and big contracts offered by the Empire. The company designs many starship components and also a few complete designs, such as the Helix starfighter, which they are actively trying to sell to the Empire. Arakyd is one of the most loyal Imperial companies in the galaxy.
Corellian Engineering Corporation
CEC is one of the three largest starship manufacturers, along with Sienar Fleet Systems (SFS) and Kuat Drive Yards (KDY). Unlike the other two, who make primarily military craft, CEC makes ships aimed at civilian sales. Part of their success is simply location, because the Corellian worlds produce many of the galaxies' best starship engineers and designers. The company's YT and YV freighters and transports are some of the most successful designs of all time. CEC does have a few military designs, and the corvette and gunship are also fairly popular.
Products:
YT-1300 (Millennium Falcon-Transport)
YT-2400 (Outrider-Freighter…modern version of the YT-1300)
Action VI Transport (Gaining support, rumored flaghip, Wild Karrde of a smuggler)
YV-666 (Hounds Tooth, ship of Trandoshan Bounty Hunter, Bossk.)
Blockade Runner (Corellian Corvette, Leia was captured, by Darth Vader aboard her's)
FreiTek, Inc.
FreiTek are former employees of Incom, who recently defected to the New Republic, shortly before the battle of Yavin. They understand the New Republic's need for top-notch starfighters, and are taking their years of experience and design to create one. Early work has created the E-Wing, although it is unknown when the ship will be mass-produced, and it is also unknown when a working prototype will be revealed.
Incom Corporation
Incom has been one of the top starship manufactures for about two thousand years. For a time Incom made starfighters for the Old Republic, but ignored the political aspect of the rise of the Empire. At that time the senior design group defected and began to exclusively manufacture starships for the Rebellion. The biggest coup for the Rebellion was the newly completed T-65 fighter, better known as the X-Wing. It was then that the Emperor, who nationalized the company, stopped producing new designs and began working on after market modifications. The Incom design team that went over to the Rebellion became FreiTek, and Incom lost most of it's luster, and is still under close scrutiny by the Empire, who cannot be entirely sure that the shell that remains is loyal to the Empire.
Products:
T-47 (Rebel Snowspeeder )
T-16 (Skyhopper, used by Luke Skywalker to blast Womp Rats on Tatooine.)
T-65 (X-Wing Fighter)
Z-95 (Headhunter, precursor to the T-65)
Koensayr
Koensayr are better known for being a components manufacturer, than a starship manufacturer. They have a reputation for making excellent engines, weapons, shields, and sensors. They advertise that 1 out of every 5 ships flying in the galaxy has Koensayr parts. The most famous ships that they've produced are the Y-Wing fighters. Although older than the X-Wing, the Y-Wing has been a staple of the Rebellion since its inception. With the influx of X-Wings, and other newer craft, the Y-Wing will see less and less front line duty. At the battle of Yavin, only one fighter from Gold Squadron survived the battle. At the current time, 72% of Koensayr's profits come from parts sales, and it appears that is where the future lies for them, including smaller recreational ships.
Kuat Drive Yards
KDT is one of the top three starship manufactures in the Empire at this time. KDT designs and builds Star Destroyers, and has built a Super Star Destroyer that has become Darth Vader's personal command ship, Executor. Despite overtures from the Rebellion, KDT has remained loyal to the Empire, and produces most of their ships for the Empire and Imperial factions. Despite their reluctance to sell to the Rebellion, the Rebellion has acquired several Nebulon-B Frigates in their core fleet. It is strongly rumored that KDT is in the extremely early phases of development of an advanced fighter, called the A-9 Vigilance, and some type of starship even bigger than a Super Star Destroyer. There has been little to confirm this rumor, perhaps they are being developed in remote reaches of the galaxy.
Products:
Super Star Destroyer (Executor, Vader's Personal Ship)
Imperial Star Destroyer (Core of the Imperial Navy)
Lancer Frigate (Starting to appear now, anti-fighter platform)
Nebulon-B Frigate ( Some are being converted to medical frigates for the Rebellion)
Kuat Systems Engineering
Kuat Systems was a subsidiary of KDY near the end of the Old Republic. They've built a fairly successful CloakShape fighter, but these are now outdated, and are no longer suited for frontline military operations. Their current use is in planetary defenses, bounty hunters and pirates. The other notable ship built by Kuat Systems Engineering is Slave I, the ship used by famous bounty hunters Jango Fett and Boba Fett. Slave I is actually a highly modified Firespray-class patrol and attack ship, which was designed for planetary law enforcement. With its lack of recent success, KDT has been reorganizing this division to dedicate itself to after-market starship upgrade kits. It's also rumored that this division is under consideration to be sold off, although that remains unconfirmed at this time.
Products:
CloakShape Fighter- (Older Fighter, not in current production)
Firespray-Class Patrol and Attack Ship-(Slave I, Jango and Boba Fett's ship)
Mon Calamari
As the name suggests, this design represents the design and manufacture of the Mon Calamari folk. There are multiple shipyards orbiting the homeworld of Calamari. Before the arrival of the Empire, the Calamari built their ships as pleasure cruisers, and that is how they began. After waging war against the Empire, the Calamari began to convert their wonderful ships into ships of war, and in fact not only were they successful, they became tremendous effective warships. The Mon Calamari also build their own transports and freighters, but as yet have not marketed them across the galaxy. In production now is an enhanced version of the MC80, the MC80B.
Products:
Mon Cal Cruiser (MC80 Star Cruiser, Home One, Admiral Ackbar's HQ)
Rendili StarDrive
Rendili started manufacturing starships back at the beginnings of the Old Republic. It achieved its greatest successes in the past hundred years. Its last designs include the Victory Class Star Destroyer, the dreadnaught, and the Mandalorian Dungeon Ships. The battle fleet Dark Force was one of the last fully slave-rigged units. These units allowed the fleet to run with close to 2,000 crewers instead of the usual 16,000. With the hive virus that infected the fleet, the crewers slaved their ships to one another, and when the command ship went into hyperspace, the entire fleet went with it; the fleet is lost. There are occasional maps circulating purporting to lead to the fleet, but it has yet to be found. The company has not gotten a major starship contract in some years, but they've presented many designs to both the Empire and the Rebellion, and it's reported that both sides have liked some things, but neither side has been willing to make a commitment.
Products:
Dreadnaught (Dark Force)
Victory Class Star Destroyer
Republic Fleet Systems
The Republic Fleet Systems was recently disbanded by order of the senate, and assets absorbed by the Republic's Navy. The company was initially founded to design warships to counter the threat of the Sith uprisings in the far reaches of the Old Republic. After a time, the company began to develop exploration, transport, and passenger ships, although they never again won a major military contract.
Products:
Chu'unthor (A ship built as a mobile Jedi training academy)
Sienar Fleet Systems
Sienar Fleet Systems is the prime military contractor and manufacturer of the Empire's TIE fighters. SFS is a subsidiary of Santhe/Sienar Technologies, which also makes several models of tanks for the Imperial Army. Was originally Republic Sienar Systems, but was renamed with the collapse of the Republic, and rise of the Empire. One of the original ships manufactured by SFS was the Skipray Blastboat, but they also manufacture the Interdictor Cruiser, which is starting to make them a player in the capital ship market.
Products:
TIE Fighter (Twin Ion Engine)
TIE Interceptor (In production now)
TIE Defender
TIE Bomber
Skipray Blastboat (GAT-12h)
Lambda-Class Shuttle
TIE Advanced x1 Prototype (Darth Vader's Personal Ship)
Immobilizer 418 (Interdictor Cruiser)
Slayn & Kopril
Slayn & Kopril is actually a Verpine Hive colony company based in the Roche Asteroid Field, home of the Verpine species. The Verpine have a reputation of excellence among starship designers. They have recently joined the Rebel cause because of what they felt were racially discriminatory policies imposed by the Emperor. It is rumored that Commander Ackbar is working with some of their designers on something called the B-wing fighter, and it will soon be in production.
SoroSuub
SoroSuub is a Sullustan company, which serves some of the Outer Rim Territories. SoroSuub produces food related products, droids, weapons, starships, and vehicle designs. They also have have interests in mining and mineral processing. With the problems Sullust is having with the Empire, it's rumored that the board of directors or SoroSuub may seek to take control of the planet itself. They are one of the bigger allies of the Rebellion.
Products:
X-34 (Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder)
XP-38 Sport Landspeeder
V-35 Courier (Family Landspeeder)
Subpro Corporation
Far from the Core Worlds, the Subpro Corporation is considered a second-class manufacturer, but its ships are among the highest quality, and price wise are extremely competitive. The Z-95 Headhunter was designed by Subpro, but manufactured jointly with Incom. Their lines of medium combat cruisers and sublight fighters are gathering rapid acceptance, but aren't as popular as other companies. Their designs are found in backwater planets across the galaxy, and their freighters lag well behind those of CEC.
Products:
Z-95 Headhunter (manufactured jointly with Incom)
Trilon, Inc.
Trilon is one of the smaller companies that produces starship designs and manufactures them. They have very limited runs of product, but while this isn't cost effective it does allow the customer to order many custom modifications. While Trilon does their own building, they buy most of its components from larger suppliers like Kuat Drive Yards, Arakyd and Santhe/Sienar Technologies. The great benefit of this is that customers can mix and match the "best of's" from most companies, but remember, you will pay dearly for it.
Products:
IG-2000 (Aggressor Assault Fighter, Bounty Hunter IG-88's ship)
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