S-100 Stinger-class starfighter

S-100 Stinger-class starfighter "I like my little Stinger."

- Shoaneb Culu

The S-100 Stinger-class starfighter was a single-seat fighter produced by Corellian Engineering Corporation before, during, and after the Great Sith War of 3,997 BBY. Measuring 11.5 meters in length, the hyperdrive-equipped craft was used by the Jedi Order, the navy of the Galactic Republic, and civilian purchase. Armed with laser cannons and proton torpedo launchers, and minimally shielded, the S-100 was considered lightly armed, but was said to make up for its defensive shortcomings with its high speed and maneuverability superior to most other starfighters of its time. Despite the introduction of other craft, the Stinger remained the mainstay of the Jedi, who used it in conflicts against the Krath during the Sith War and afterward, until the introduction of the Aurek tactical strikefighter before the Mandalorian Wars of 3,976 BBY. Even then, the fighter remained in production, and was preferred by planetary defense forces.

Characteristics
The Corellian Engineering Corporation S-100 Stinger-class starfighter, 11.5 meters in length, was both a military- and civilian-use snubfighter. Single-seat craft, with only 30 kilograms' worth of storage capacity, Stingers nonetheless carried Class 1 hyperdrives. The fighter's design consisted of a long, narrow primary hull housing the cockpit, from which sprouted two outriggers, each of which held one of the craft's engines and a vertical fin ending in a laser cannon. The laser cannons were augmented by two proton torpedo launchers with a magazine of four torpedoes each; this armament was considered light according to the standards of the time, as were the Stinger's deflector shields &mdash;although they were more than a match for Krath CX-133 Chaos fighters, their stock weapons could not compare to other Republic starfighters. However, their light defensive capabilities were more than made up for in agility; Stingers were capable of speeds up to 1,150 kilometers per hour in atmosphere, and were considered among the most maneuverable vessels in the galaxy, being able to turn very quickly with a skilled pilot at the controls.

Role
The S-100 Stinger-class fighter, considered one of the most reliable fighters of its heyday during the Great Sith War, was a popular fighter for nearly a century, before newer craft with greater power-to-mass ratios, capable of better speeds with more armor, were developed. Because of their light armament off the manufacturing line, the Republic authorized the S-100 with stock armament for civilian purchase, although their value depreciated considerably between the time of the Great Sith War and the Mandalorian Wars. Nonetheless, the Stinger was considered the starfighter of choice by many Jedi until the release of the Aurek tactical strikefighter, despite the development of the Star Saber XC-01 starfighter prior to that point. Following the Sith War, the fighter was popular among planetary defense forces.

History
"You okay, Dace? What happened?" "I'm fine. But the Saber fighters still got some bugs in 'em." "Maybe we'd better just take the Stingers on this run."

- Oss Wilum, Dace Diath, and Cay Qel-Droma discuss the finer points of starfighter choice.

Having been in production by Corellian Engineering Corporation for some years at the time of the Krath Holy Crusade of 3,997 BBY, S-100 Stinger-class starfighters were in use by the Galactic Republic as well as the Jedi Order, many of the pilots of which found it to be their preferred starfighter. At the time, Stingers were also available for civilian purchase, due to their light stock armament&mdash;although freighters and transports were thought to be preferred by civilians due to the minimal protection and limited utility of the fighters &mdash;and were priced at 465,000 credits off the line.

While members of the Jedi Order based on the Jedi library world of Ossus prepared for a raid on the Krath capital of Cinnagar in the Empress Teta system, Jedi pilots were testing new Star Saber XC-01 starfighters, which had been engineered by the Republic for the Krath conflict. Finding the Star Saber to be sluggish in relation to the controls of the tried-and-true Stinger fighters&mdash;and suffering the loss of one Star Saber in test flights due to control issues&mdash;the Jedi were leery of immediately putting the craft into battle; Jedi Knight Shoaneb Culu claimed she'd prefer to pilot her "little Stinger." However, as there were not enough S-100 fighters on Ossus to be used as escorts for the Onderon warbeast transport slated to conduct the raid, Jedi Knight Dace Diath, having both served as a test pilot on the new craft, elected to fly a Star Saber on the mission.

After arriving undetected at Cinnagar, the S-100s and Star Sabers strafed the Krath citadel, and then flew cover for the Onderon transport, engaging Chaos fighters in the skies above the city. The transport disgorged its payload of Jedi and Beast Riders from Onderon on drexl war beasts, which stormed the Krath complex in the hopes of extracting the undercover Jedi, Ulic Qel-Droma, who had managed to infiltrate the ranks of the Krath. Meanwhile, the Jedi fighters continued their aerial assault, with Culu managing to destroy several anti-air emplacements and Chaos fighters in her Stinger. Ultimately, though, the mission failed, as Qel-Droma decided not to return to the Jedi; he turned to the dark side of the Force, being named a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Following the Great Sith War, S-100 Stingers continued to see use among the Republic and Jedi forces, continuing to be a mainstay of the Jedi pilots until the development of the Aurek tactical strikefighter, ubiquitous during the Mandalorian Wars twenty years later. They also continued to see civilian use&mdash;although their market value had depreciated to 150,000 credits&mdash;and became popular with planetary defense forces in an era when the Republic Navy provided more heavy firepower in times of war.

Behind the scenes
The S-100 Stinger-class starfighter first appeared in the comic issue Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 6: Jedi Assault, part of the Dark Lords of the Sith story arc of the Tales of the Jedi comic series, and were originally drawn by Tales of the Jedi penciller Art Wetherell. The craft appeared alongside Star Saber XC-01 starfighters as well as two other fighters, flown by Oss Wilum and Tott Doneeta, which had similar design elements to the Stinger, but different configurations. However, the comic only refers to the fighters in the battle as Star Sabers and Stingers.

Sourcebook inconsistencies
The Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Roleplaying Game 2002 supplement Power of the Jedi Sourcebook and 2008 Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide each provided more details about the S-100, including craft specifications and more detailed summaries of their roles in the Great Sith War and the era that followed. One inconsistency these sources provide is in the price of the fighters, which can be explained in that the KotOR Campaign Guide ' s time period in question is 20 years later than that of the fighter's description in Power of the Jedi Sourcebook. However, a number of more clear inconsistencies in the statistics exist. Power of the Jedi Sourcebook has the S-100 at 3.5 meters in length, with 10 kilograms of cargo capacity and a Class 1 hyperdrive. The later KotOR Campaign Guide provides an 11.5-meter length that more accurately describes the fighters as depicted in Tales of the Jedi, with a naturally greater 30-kilogram cargo space, but also describes the fighter as having a Class 2 hyperdrive. The hyperdrive class cannot be easily explained aside from game mechanics making the craft slower than those of the KotOR time period. For consistency, the updated specifications provided in KotOR CG are provided.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 6: Jedi Assault

Notes and references
S-100 Stinger-Sternjäger Caza estelar S-100 clase Stinger