T-16 skyhopper/Legends

"You may be the hottest bush pilot this side of Mos Eisley, Luke, but those little skyhoppers can be dangerous. They move awfully fast for tropospheric craft&mdash;faster than they need to. Keep playing engine jockey with one and someday, whammo! You're going to be nothing more than a dark spot on the damp side of a canyon wall."

- Biggs Darklighter to Luke Skywalker

The T-16 skyhopper was a high-performance airspeeder.

Characteristics


It was equipped with an ion engine and a fully pressurized cockpit, allowing it to operate at trans-orbital altitudes.

Civilian versions of the skyhopper were armed with pneumatic cannons, though many law-enforcement agencies and planetary militaries throughout the galaxy utilized modified T-16s due to their overall good performance; however, because it was armed with only a single mounted repeating blaster, it was often overlooked by the military.

Even so, these airspeeders were often used as training vehicles by the Rebel Alliance, due to the fact that their flight controls were similar to those of X-wings.

The skyhopper was a common sight across the galaxy, with versions of the craft found on nearly every settled world. The T-16 was identified by its tri-wing design and triangular cabin. The three wings, which were reproduced in countless Imperial transports, provided excellent stability. The central airfoil segmented the canopy and blocked much of the pilot's view, but computer displays and a holographic mapping system compensated for this decreased field of view.



The speeder had a top speed of approximately 1,200 kilometers per hour. Many young pilots preferred skyhoppers over landspeeders because of the increased maneuverability.

History
Luke Skywalker owned a T-16 on his home planet of Tatooine, where he would use womp rats as target practice and race through Beggar's Canyon with his friend, Biggs Darklighter.

Behind the scenes
In A New Hope, Luke is seen playing with a model of a T-16, which in reality was the prop miniature built by Colin Cantwell. The actual prop could not be completed, and an incomplete hull, which was ruined by Luke in-universe&mdash;the reason he takes his landspeeder to search for R2-D2&mdash;can be seen as a matte painting in the background.

A flying T-16 can be seen above Mos Eisley during the Return of the Jedi Special Edition's celebration ending sequence.

In Attack of the Clones, a T-16 can be seen in the background of the homestead garage scene.

A Lego set has been created featuring the skyhopper. It includes a T-16 pilot.

Early screenshots of the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO video game have shown a vehicle resembling the T-16 skyhopper.

Appearances

 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * ''Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Shatterpoint
 * The Last of the Jedi: A Tangled Web
 * Sandstorm
 * Adventure in Beggar's Canyon
 * Star Wars Empire: Darklighter
 * Luke's Fate
 * Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * R2-D2's Mission: A Little Hero's Journey
 * Star Wars 5: Lo, The Moons of Yavin
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars: Rebel Assault
 * The Kingdom of Ice
 * The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell
 * Star Wars 17: Crucible
 * Star Wars 31: Return to Tatooine
 * Imperial Spy
 * Star Wars Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy
 * Splinter of the Mind's Eye comic
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * The Jabba Tape
 * The Epic Continues
 * Jedi Academy: Leviathan
 * Exile

Notes and references
T-16 Skyhopper Saltacielos T-16