TIE Oppressor

TIE Oppressor The TIE Oppressor was a TIE series starfighter deployed in limited numbers among selected units of the Imperial starfighter cadre elite shortly after the Battle of Yavin.

The TIE Oppressor was designed as a light bomber able to also be used as a fairly maneuverable fighter, similar to the Alliance to Restore the Republic's BTL Y-wing starfighter. It was an attempt to build a variant of the standard TIE hull that could carry heavy weapon payloads with sufficient armor and shielding to allow the ship to operate in the vanguard of an Imperial assault force. It also had enough solar array surface to assist in generation of the energy needed to power it all. All of the offensive and defensive equipment packed into the Oppressor came at the cost of space for engine installations.



Although most Imperial fighters were designed to have superior maneuverability, many TIE Oppressor pilots rated its capabilities as merely average. Its lack of dizzying maneuverability was a result of the fact that it mounted the same basic engine system found in earlier TIE starfighter models even though it had a much heavier and more bulky spaceframe. In return for the deficits in combat maneuvering capability, the Oppressor carried one of the most potent offensive and defensive packages fielded in any Imperial starfighter spaceframe.

While the TIE Oppressor was designed to primarily engage against capital ships, it also was more than capable of engaging enemy starfighters with its extremely large missile capacity. When equipped with anti-starfighter ordnance, the Oppressor proved extremely deadly against even the most manueverable starfighters, such as the Rebel Alliance's RZ-1 A-wing interceptor, and was possibly one of the greatest anti-starfighter vessels of its time.

Only the most veteran Imperial TIE pilots were allowed to participate in the Oppressor flight test program as only those personnel were deemed to have the tactical know-how to properly employ the ship as well as the loyalty to be trusted with such as expensive flight article. During the Galactic Civil War, the Oppressor served in the fleet as part of a "Limited Fielding Test Initiative" and considered a minor trial program by the Imperial Navy. Following the Galactic Civil War and the gradual decline of Imperial funds, it is believed that these extremely powerful ships gradually faded out of existance.

Rebel pilots found that when they encountered these ships, they were slow and easy to destroy, though not as easy as the slower Tie Bombers. However, when used by a skilled pilot the Tie Oppressor was deadly and could easily take out far more manueverable craft. Pilots would use its slower speed as an advantage to trick the enemy into thinking the vessel was an eaasy target, but using snap speed changes to turn allowed sudden and unpredictable attacks at any other fighter.

Behind the scenes
The TIE Oppressor was created as an Imperial Master-level ship in comparison to the B-wing as the Rebel master ship for the Jump to Lightspeed expansion for Star Wars Galaxies. It was only flyable by ace Imperial Pilots.

Appearances



 * Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed