Bantha-II cargo skiff/Legends

"A skiff so easy to pilot, even a labor droid can handle it!"

- Ubrikkian advertisement

The Bantha-II cargo skiff, also known as the desert skiff or sand skiff because of its use on desert planets, was a repulsorlift utility vehicle produced by Ubrikkian Industries.

Characteristics


Skiffs were designed for the transportation of beings or cargo, and came equipped with loading ramps and an electromagnet for ease of cargo transfer. They were controlled by two, dish-like vanes on the stern of the craft.

These craft could carry 100 tons of cargo and travel at a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour, 50 meters off the ground, even when fully loaded. However, skiffs were difficult to maneuver, so only the most reckless of pilots dared to reach such a high speed.

History
The Hutt gangster Jabba Desilijic Tiure maintained a small fleet of Bantha-IIs at his Dune Sea palace. Jabba's pilots often escorted the Hutt's sail barge, Khetanna, to executions at the Great Pit of Carkoon. Gardulla the Elder also used one for her personal transportation.

Skiffs were often used as passenger transports on poor or underdeveloped planets where they were refitted with passenger seating and used as airbuses.

Several military agencies, including the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, also saw a use for skiffs as troop transports, supplementing armies where military-grade vehicles were in short supply. In these cases, blaster cannons were bolted to the front and side railings, and the hull was reinforced to add to the protection of the troops riding on it.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars: Droids
 * The New King
 * The Pirates of Tarnoonga
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Demolition
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Three Against the Galaxy
 * The Crystal Star
 * The Lost Lightsaber