J8Q-128 Finbat Missile/Legends

"The Finbat is one of the best ways of taking out an AT-AT ever invented."

- "Jorsk," in an annotation to Gundark's Gear Datalog

The J8Q-128 Finbat Missile was a portable concussion missile designed to be shoulder-fired by a lone individual. It was created to eliminate large, heavily-armored targets such as Imperial walkers. While effective in its role, the missile itself was also slow-moving, and a capable gunner could shoot down the missile mid-flight. Introduced prior to the Battle of Endor, the weapon was snapped up quickly by the black market, and was still being produced after the fragmentation of the Empire, within the borders of the Pentastar Alignment.

Description
"I bet the Imperials were shocked the day a lone Rebel waltzed over, set up the launcher and fired a missile into the neck of the nearest walker."

- "Mal'urc," in an annotation to Gundark's Gear Datalog

The J8Q-128 Finbat Missile was a portable, shoulder-fired, anti-walker concussion missile system developed by Kessler. It was designed to be usable by a single person, from preparation to firing; after firing, the launch tube was discarded. Designed to destroy large, slow-moving targets such as AT-ATs and AT-STs, the missile itself was slow-moving, and could potentially be shot down by a competent gunner mid-flight. The warhead was specifically designed to overcome the heavy plating of an AT-AT, and consisted of four separate segments to penetrate the armor of its targets; the final explosive within the body of the missile was designed to fragment and continue moving through the target, inflicting significant internal damage. Even a first-time Finbat user could decapitate an AT-AT with the weapon. However, the missile was less-effective when not delivered against a foe squarely in the weapon's sights, tending to bounce off the side of the target. The system sold for four thousand credits.

History
"Leave it to Kessler to build something to swat a walker, right under the noses of the Alignment and the rest of the Empire."

- Sully Tigereye

Kessler developed the Finbat Missile prior to the Battle of Endor. When first introduced to the black market, the units were purchased so quickly that the Empire did not notice them. The missiles were used by Rebel forces and mercenaries against Imperial walkers. Following the Battle of Endor and the creation of the Pentastar Alignment, Kessler continued producing the Finbat within the Alignment's jurisdiction and without their knowledge. They were among the weapons familiar to the Red Moons mercenary organization.

Behind the scenes
The J8Q-128 Finbat Missile first appeared in "Blasters for Hire: A Mercenary's Guidebook," a New Republic Sourcefile article written by Anthony P. Russo for Star Wars Adventure Journal 3. It featured again in Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear, a compilation of personal equipment that had appeared in previous Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game materials. It was not mentioned again until the 2008 publication of The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.