Swoop/Legends



"Swoop jockeys have the brains of a blister gnat&mdash;and about the same life expectancy."

- Han Solo to Anakin Solo

A swoop was a repulsorlift vehicle similar to a speeder bike; in fact, it was in essence simply an overpowered speeder bike, "an engine with a seat." Swoops were often used by gangs. After the Galactic Empire outlawed podracing, swoop racing became the favored alternative. Swoops were capable of traveling at over 600 km per hour. While some had the ability to travel several kilometers above a planet's surface, they generally kept a low altitude. Due to their power and uncontrollability, they had many flaps and control vanes to aid in controlling the vehicle. But due to the unpredictable nature of swoops few used them.



During the Jedi Civil War, the some of the earliest 'swoop bikes' could be found on Taris, from whence the sport of swoop racing spread in popularity.

The planet Zonju V was one plagued by swoop mercenaries. In 14 ABY, when Jaden Korr went there to meet up with a spaceport worker, he had to be faster than the local mercenary gangsters to get to a safe outpost and get out alive.

Many racing swoop bikes had their brakes removed to reduce weight thus making the swoop bike faster. They also had deflector shields to protect them against impact however due to high speeds, many riders were thrown off and killed upon crashing into an object.



Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Jedi Apprentice: The Mark of the Crown
 * Outbound Flight
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * Obsession
 * The Protocol Offensive
 * Falling Star
 * Han Solo's Revenge
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (special edition/DVD)
 * Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
 * Shadows of the Empire
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Union
 * Dark Tide I: Onslaught