Tydirium/Legends

"Let's see what this piece of junk can do."

- Han Solo on the Tydirium

The Tydirium was a Sienar Fleet Systems Imperial Lambda-class shuttle, occasionally used as a personal shuttle by Darth Vader. It was later captured by Wedge Antilles and Ace Azzameen, and used by the Rebel Alliance in their plan for the Battle of Endor. After that, it was used as a strike shuttle.

History
Darth Vader personally used the shuttle with the intent of transferring Admiral Joser, a traitor who wished to defect to the Rebel Alliance, from the Alpha-Omega Prison to another facility. However, the traitorous Joser was rescued from the prison by a group of Rebels just before Vader could arrive.

Capture, re-capture, and re-re-capture (4 ABY)
A team of Rebel Alliance commandos, during the Mission to Zhar, had to capture the shuttle as part of the Alliance's plan to destroy the second Death Star. The shuttle was parked at Outpost 327, a cargo depot in the Zhar system. Rebel pilot Ace Azzameen, piloting his family's personal YT-1300 transport, the Sabra, landed at the outpost, disguised as a supplies ship.



While Azzameen and his co-pilot MK-09 stalled the facility commander, the Rebel Commandos hidden on the ship sneaked out and captured the Tydirium. As they tried to escape, the Imperial forces in the area scrambled TIE/sa Bombers to intercept them. With the Sabra escorting it, the Tydirium raced to get to the hyperspace point. Azzameen called in Rogue Squadron to aid in the operation, and the Tydirium successfully escaped.

However, the Empire somehow retrieved the shuttle sometime later, possibly intercepting the ship before it reached the Rebel fleet. As a result, she was re-captured by Wedge Antilles during the Mission on Prefsbelt IV. Wedge, piloting a T-47 airspeeder, used stealth to infiltrate an outlying outpost of the Prefsbelt IV Naval Academy and killed a TIE Fighter pilot. He commandeered the craft and infiltrated the academy, where he narrowly escaped from the pursuing Imperial forces.

Role in the Battle of Endor


"Shuttle Tydirium requesting deactivation of the deflector shield."

- Han Solo

The Tydirium, disguised as a supply shuttle and piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca, was used to sneak past Imperial defenses and place a strike team on the forest moon of Endor. While the strike team onboard the shuttle transmitted an outdated security code, Darth Vader decided to let the shuttle pass through the deflector shield. In trying to clear Imperial customs, Solo had to pilot the ship extremely close to the Executor, which was guarding the Death Star. When he did so, Darth Vader, who was on the bridge of the mammoth Star Destroyer, sensed the presence of his son, Luke Skywalker, on the Tydirium.

Luke would later surrender to Vader, who took him before Emperor Palpatine. The strike team was jointly commanded by Solo and Brenn Tantor, who coordinated the effort from the shuttle, using a portable BHCI. The team accomplished their mission to deactivate the deflector shield generator protecting the second Death Star, which allowed Rebel starfighters to strike at the Death Star's core and destroy it.

After Endor
After the destruction of the second Death Star, the Tydirium was used by Solo, Chewbacca, and the Katarn Commandos to board and capture the Imperial Star Destroyer Accuser.

Behind the scenes
The games Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and Star Wars: X-wing Alliance, the only two sources to detail the shuttle's capture, give conflicting information. Leland Chee has confirmed that both happened, and Azzameen's capture (in Alliance) came first. New information presented in Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections shows that Ace Azzameen stole the codes for the shuttle, while Wedge, along with Rogue Squadron, captured the actual vessel. This information contradicts actual events in X-wing Alliance, which show the commando team stealing and piloting the shuttle to the hyperspace point and the Liberty. It is interesting to note also that an inspected Tydirium reveals its cargo as "codes".

The non-canonical comic Tag & Bink Are Dead states that the Tydirium was Wilhuff Tarkin's personal shuttle on the first Death Star. Tag Greenly and Bink Otauna steal it to escape, eventually bringing it to the Rebellion.

Appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Tag & Bink Are Dead
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novel
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 3: Mission to Endor
 * Starter's Tale
 * Star Wars: Force Commander
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds