Predator-class fighter

Predator-class fighter

The Predator-class fighter, nicknamed Eyeballs by the Alliance, was a starfighter produced by Sienar Fleet Systems and used by the new Galactic Empire as of 130 ABY.

Characteristics


Considered a successor to the older TIE/In starfighter, the Predator-class fighter was still highly maneuverable and heavily armed, but unlike most previous TIEs, it was also equipped with hyperdrives and a deflector shield generated through its blade-shaped wings. As with the earlier Chiss Clawcraft, these wings could adjust to a variety of positions, aiding the starfighter's maneuverability. They folded back fully for docking mode.

Predator-class fighters with classic TIE-style cockpits were flown by squadron leaders. Other pilots flew fighters with horizontal slats across the front of the central fuselage.

History
In 130 ABY, Predator-class fighters were used by Moff Rulf Yage's forces in the Sith-sponsored attack on the Jedi Praxeum on Ossus.

Imperial Knights would also fly Predator-class fighters. In 137 ABY, Antares Draco and Ganner Krieg would take two of these fighters to Vendaxa to save Princess Marasiah Fel from the Sith.

The Outer Rim Third Fleet used these fighters at the Battle of Dac.



Behind the scenes
The Predator-class fighter was designed by Sean Cooke, a designer/illustrator handpicked by Dark Horse Comics editor Randy Stradley for the job of designing Legacy-era Imperial spacecraft.

When the first images of the Predator appeared, some fans speculated that the fighters with a "slatted" central pod were pilotless droid starfighters, but this idea was ruled out by subsequent comments from the creators: in an online chat, Jan Duursema explained that the traditional cockpits were reserved for lead fighters, and in an interview for Star Wars Insider 89, Cooke discussed the redesign: "I wanted to make sure it didn't look so much like the classic TIE fighter, so I redesigned the front cockpit screen, taking that kind of octagonal design and putting more vertical lines through that to simulate jaws or even prison bar cells, giving it this angry look."

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy 8: Allies
 * Star Wars Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 6: Broken, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 7: Broken, Part 6
 * Star Wars Legacy 13: Ready to Die
 * Star Wars Legacy 14: Claws of the Dragon, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 16: Claws of the Dragon, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 18: Claws of the Dragon, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 20: Indomitable, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 21: Indomitable, Part 2