Skyhook/Legends



Skyhooks were repulsor craft that floated above the surface of a planet, but remained within its atmosphere. They were commonly symbols of status among the very wealthy, and were usually found on heavily-populated worlds, such as Coruscant.

History
Under the Old Republic, skyhooks were banned due to the possibility of system failures which would send them crashing into the Coruscanti surface. This fear was based on a rare occurrence, which was a combination of a lightning storm and a freak accident and only actually happened about once a century. Under the Galactic Empire, they once again became legal.

After the New Republic conquered Coruscant in 7 ABY, Skyhooks were initally allowed to continue operating. That all changed when the Super Star Destroyer Lusankya broke free from its berth under the planet's surface. During the ship's escape from Coruscant, the gunners used a Skyhook for target practice, with its remains crashing into the planet's surface, damaging several square kilometers of cityscape.

In the aftermath of the massive ship's departure, the Provisional Council ordered the grounding of all skyhooks in the area of the city destroyed by the ship. While the popular rumor was that the council did this to spite former members of Rogue Squadron, the real reason was to provide shelter for the survivors of the Lusankya's escape.

Examples
Emperor Palpatine possessed a lavish skyhook in which he housed his greatest treasures, preferring to keep the most priceless ones in space instead of in his Palace. The botanist in charge of his orbiting garden was one of the best in the galaxy. When Prince Xizor attempted to hire him away from the Emperor's service the botanist was killed in a mysterious elevator 'accident', which no doubt occurred under the direction of Palpatine.

Prince Xizor - who lead the Black Sun criminal organization - also had his own skyhook, above Coruscant, which was known as Falleen's Fist. It was destroyed by Darth Vader when he commanded the Super Star Destroyer Executor to fire at it during the Battle of Prince Xizor's Skyhook. Xizor was killed when the skyhook was destroyed.

There were a number of other skyhooks operating on Coruscant, including one owned by Vader himself. One of these was the SoroSuub skyhook, which was offered to the former members of Rogue Squadron before the council ordered the grounding of all skyhooks.

Appearances

 * X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel
 * Shadows of the Empire
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap