Not designed for deep-space flight, Jedi starfighters have to dock with a hyperdrive ring to travel at lightspeed. It’s simultaneously original - bulkier than a typical starfighter, requiring three clone trooper pilots to fully operate the craft - but also points towards the look of the X-wing, and as a result is a significant aesthetic bridge to the original trilogy.įirst seen in Attack of the Clones, the Jedi starfighter is an arrowhead-shaped craft used by Jedi while on missions away from Coruscant. Visually, however, is where the ARC-170 truly shines. Dramatically, it plays a key role in the opening of Revenge of the Sith, as clones dogfight in thrilling fashion above Coruscant, and protect Obi-Wan and Anakin in their mission to rescue to Chancellor Palpatine. The ARC-170, the starfighter of choice for the Republic’s clone troopers, is successful on many levels. With a cold, curvy design and bland color scheme that matches the look of battle droids and AATs, the droid starfighter reinforces some of Star Wars‘ central themes: man versus machine, individuality versus conformity, and democracy versus dictatorship. Controlled by droid brains, these starfighters are fast, deadly, and require no pilot they can also land, invert their wings and walk, making them versatile and unique from any other craft on this list - and it’s a feature that gives them an added dimension of creepiness. Also, this is a starfighter-only list - craft that are part of a mass fleet - thus, there is no Millennium Falcon, Slave I, Death Star, etc.ĭebuting in The Phantom Menace, the droid starfighter is essentially the TIE fighter of the prequel trilogy - the most identifiable aerial weapon of choice for the Trade Federation and later, the Separatists.

Ranking was also decided by the crafts’ design, role in the saga, and to put it simply, overall cool factor. Note: This list is not based strictly on technical specs or firepower of starfighters. Today, we pick the top starfighters in the Star Wars films.

Welcome to The 10, a feature where ’s editorial staff huddles to discuss - in a committee - various topics relating to a galaxy far, far away.

X wing heavy laser cannon