TIE/LN starfighter

TIE/ln starfighter "Sienar Systems' basic TIE Fighter&mdash;a commodity which, after hydrogen and stupidity, was the most plentiful in the Galaxy."

- Corran Horn

The TIE/ln starfighter, often referred to as the TIE Fighter, was the standard Imperial starfighter seen in massive numbers throughout the Galactic Civil War.

Details
The TIE/ln, a descendant of the T.I.E. starfighter developed for the Galactic Republic, was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems. Its design was inspired from Scimitar and the Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor.

While highly maneuverable, the TIE/ln had no combat shields. It did not carry missile tubes, but such weapons could be added on if necessary. Life-support systems were not usually included but each TIE pilot had a fully-sealed flight suit superior to their Rebel counterparts. The absence of a hyperdrive rendered the fighter totally dependent on carrier ships when deployed in enemy systems. Because of all of these weaknesses, TIEs were designed to attack in large numbers, overwhelming the enemy craft.

Despite the aforementioned design features, TIE/ln laser cannons were relatively strong, and a direct hit on a starfighter or medium transport could damage or destroy it. Contrary to popular belief, the ships did possess ejection seats, but the nature of space warfare often resulted in pilots riding their craft down to a swift end rather than ejecting and risking slow death by heat loss and oxygen starvation.

The relative weakness of the TIE/ln could arguably be explained by Imperial military philosophy, which viewed the starfighters and their pilots as expendable. Though Imperial pilots were of an elite stock, they considered themselves expendable, in accordance with their ideological training. Like stormtroopers, TIE pilots were addressed by a number, such as DS-61-2 (the first two letters indicated the posting, the next two or three digits indicated the squadron number, and the last number indicated the pilot's ranking in the squadron). This procedure reduced them to being no more than anonymous and standardized operatives of the Imperial war machine.

The side view of a TIE/ln's radiator panels curiously resembles the emblem of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, but it is not clear if the similarity was intentional.

Due to their distinct shape, TIE/ln came to be referred to occasionally as "eyeballs" by enemy pilots.



The original TIE/ln had performance parity with heavier-built X-wings but they generally enjoyed numerical advantage. A newer variant, the TIE/ln "Line" Fighter boasted improved engines and more powerful weapons, surpassing contemporary Rebel fighters. It had been intended that the TIE/ln would be replaced by the TIE Interceptor, but the collapse of the Imperial government into sectionalism precluded this. As the Galactic Empire retreated, more and more factories found themselves behind New Republic lines and ceased production.

By the time the peace treaty was signed, the Empire (now known as the Imperial Remnant) began to use export starfighters manufactured by other races (such as the Sullustan SoroSuub Preybird) because they lacked the manufacturing facilities to build new TIE Fighters.

The basic TIE/ln fighter inspired a number of other Imperial starfighters manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems, which became collectively known as the TIE series.

Behind the scenes



 * Originally meant to have a blue color on the hull, this was abandoned when blue-screen filming made the fighters transparent. The original TIE/ln fighters seen in A New Hope were relatively white in color, the TIEs of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were more grey with a gradual blueish hue added during post-production.


 * TIE is an acronym standing for "Twin Ion Engine". The ship's appearance was inspired by bow ties.


 * The sound for TIE Fighters was created by combining an elephant's scream with the noise of a car driving on wet pavement.


 * There was little technical detail about the craft featured in the movies, but extensive details about the craft were created for the Expanded Universe. Most of the detail of this entry has been taken from that universe.


 * In the X-wing computer game series, the TIE Fighter lacked the rechargeable shields possessed by Rebel craft and other Imperial fighters. While dangerous in large numbers, one on one they were easy pickings for other craft to the point where few scenarios in the games called for a player-controlled TIE Fighter to go up against modern Rebel craft. However, player-controlled TIE Fighters were far more dangerous than the somewhat-predictable computer-controlled fighters.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (easter egg and non-canon)
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * HoloNet News Vol. 531 51: Successful Engine Tests Cause Sienar Stock Surge
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars: Imperial Ace
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Rebel Assault
 * Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire
 * Star Wars: X-wing
 * Star Wars: Empire
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * Force Commander
 * Star Wars: Vader's Quest
 * Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars: X-wing vs. TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars: Demolition
 * Shadows of the Empire
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * X-wing series
 * Thrawn Trilogy
 * Dark Empire
 * Dark Empire II
 * Empire's End
 * Jedi Academy Trilogy
 * Darksaber
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
 * The Hand of Thrawn Duology
 * Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones
 * Young Jedi Knights: Darkest Knight
 * Young Jedi Knights: Jedi Under Siege