Z-95 Headhunter/Legends

Z-95 Headhunter "You gotta love the Z-95. Nothing beats the feeling of power they give you."

- Unknown Bandit Squadron pilot

The Z-95 Headhunter was a starfighter designed jointly by Incom and Subpro Corporations years before the Invasion of Naboo.

Characteristics
"Give me the choice, I'd take a Z-95 Headhunter every time."

- Unknown Republic spacer



Considered one of the most capable fighters of its day, it boasted a distinctive bubble canopy and a set of triple blasters mounted at the ends of each of its two variable geometry wings; later versions dispensed with the swing wings and bubble canopy in favor of more precise maneuvering thrusters and canopy instrumentation. Its sleek yet rugged design was attributed to Seti Ashgad, a scientist in Incom's Hyperdrive Design Division.

It was named after the Coromon headhunter, a predator native to the Coromon Islands on Fresia, the planet where Incom was headquartered.

The Z-95 was smaller in size than its successors: the Incom/Subpro ARC-170, designed during the Clone Wars; and the Incom T-65 X-wing, designed shortly before the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War.

While the Z-95 still enjoyed considerable use in the years following the establishment of the New Republic, it was clearly outclassed by fighters developed in the decades since its original release. When compared to the T-65, it was slower, less maneuverable, had lighter armor and shielding, and was not as heavily armed.



It was fairly inexpensive and reliable, making it a favorite amongst smugglers, Outer Rim organizations, local system defense forces, and bright-eyed youngsters with dreams of becoming fighter jockeys. Pirate groups such as the Nebula Front also used the Z-95. Also, despite the later T-65 being more maneuverable, the Z-95 was known to be able to perform a tight turn.

Owing to its longevity, it was not surprising that many variants of the Z-95 came into existence due to the efforts of starship mechanics and hotrod pilots throughout the Galaxy; these included a split-wing version, a courier version that could accommodate a single passenger, variants with various alternative weapons loadouts, and a trainer version that was commonly used by the Rebel Alliance until replaced by the T-65X, the trainer variant of the X-wing.

A training variant of the Z-95 was the Z-95XT Trainer.

History
"Time to retire those old Z-95s!"

- Raymus Antilles, after seeing the T-65 X-wing starfighter



Originally, the Z-95 was constructed by the Galactic Republic before the Clone Wars. The prototype for the Z-95 was Onyx Star, developed at the Bahalian Shipyards.

After Subpro and Incom ended their partnership, Incom reportedly bought the intellectual property rights and proprietary systems of the Z-95.

It was known to have participated in the Outer Rim Sieges against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After the war, the Z-95 would fall into the hands of parties other than the newly-formed Galactic Empire.

Though outdated by the time of the Galactic Civil War, Z-95 Headhunters were well respected starfighters, and were still in common use as late as the Yuuzhan Vong War. Han Solo piloted an early model Z-95 while leading the defense of an outlaw tech base in the Corporate Sector against CSA IRD-A fighters. However, by this period, they were considered obsolete compared to other fighters.

The Rebellion's Tala Squadron used Headhunters in a close air support role; the temporary Alliance covert squadron, Bandit Squadron, also used Z-95s. Mara Jade used a hyperdrive-equipped Headhunter during the Thrawn crisis. Jaina Solo's first ship, Crystal, was also a Z-95 Headhunter, and Jaden Korr flew a hyperdrive-equipped Headhunter on missions to different worlds such as Bakura and Korriban.

Behind the scenes



 * The Z-95 seems to be based on concept art for the X-wing in A New Hope.


 * The Z-95s featured in Han Solo at Stars' End were envisioned as being "a Lucasfilm version of the P-38 Lightning" according to author Brian Daley.


 * In the newspaper comic strip adaptation of Han Solo at Stars' End, collected in Classic Star Wars and available on Star Wars Hyperspace as a webstrip, the Z-95 Headhunters that Han Solo and the outlaw techs fly are pictured quite differently. This illustration also has the Z-95s fighting TIE/ln starfighters rather than the CSA IRD-A fighters described in the novel.


 * Another illustration of the battle appears in the Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook, with yet another depiction of the Z-95.