Luminous (GR-75 medium transport)/Legends

"That's all of 'em. You're clear to take off, transport Luminous.''" "''That was close! Thanks for the cover, Commander Skywalker!"

- Luke Skywalker opens a launch window for the Luminous during the evacuation of Yavin 4

The Luminous was a GR-75 medium transport attached to the Rebel Alliance Fleet during the Galactic Civil War. The Luminous was modified to hold a boosted hyperdrive, while suffering corresponding diminished armor strength and cargo capacity. Its crew was trained for reconnaissance and rapid intergalactic transport duties. In 0 ABY, in the wake of the Battle of Yavin, the Luminous participated in a successful evacuation of the Rebel headquarters on the moon Yavin 4. Later, in 4 ABY, the Luminous participated in the Rebel Alliance's attack on the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor.

Description
The Luminous was a modified GR-75 medium transport of the Rebel Alliance Fleet. Originally manufactured by Gallofree Yards, Inc., the Luminous, in its modified state, featured a boosted hyperdrive at the expense of diminished armor and cargo capacity. The medium transport measured ninety meters in length and was armed minimally with laser cannons, protected by a shielding system, and equipped with a sublight drive engine.

History
"Excellent, Luke! That was a vital transport. Let's just hope they get past the Imperial blockade."

- General Jan Dodonna, following the Luminous departure from Yavin 4

The Luminous was a product of Gallofree Yards, a starship manufacturer that went bankrupt several years before 0 BBY. Many of Gallofree Yards' remaining transports ended up in the hands of the Rebel Alliance. The Rebellion purchased these outdated vessels at greatly reduced prices, but they required a fair amount of maintenance. The Luminous was one such transport serving in the Alliance Fleet during the Galactic Civil War.

In 0 ABY, shortly following the Battle of Yavin, the Luminous participated in an evacuation of the Rebellion's central Yavin 4 base in the face of a large-scale Imperial invasion. During the evacuation the Luminous was grounded on a small island, preparing to depart the base, when it fell under attack from a wave of Imperial loader shuttles attempting to dispatch All Terrain Scout Transports to the surface. Commander Luke Skywalker, flying a T-65 X-wing starfighter in defense of the Rebel evacuation, succeeded in destroying each of the loader shuttles, thus opening a launch window for the Luminous. As the Luminous, vital to the Rebel evacuation, departed Yavin 4, it would next need to pass through a sizable Imperial blockade waiting in space.

Years later, in 4 ABY, the Luminous took part in the climactic Battle of Endor, in which the largest armada ever assembled in the Rebellion's history attacked and ultimately destroyed the Empire's second Death Star battlestation over the Forest Moon of Endor.

Commanders and crew
The Luminous crew was trained for reconnaissance and swift intergalactic transport. A male crewman serving aboard the Luminous communicated with Luke Skywalker during the transport's contested evacuation from Yavin 4.

Behind the scenes
"This is transport Luminous. We're taking heavy fire from those walkers!"

- The Luminous may be destroyed if the player does not protect its evacuation in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike

The transport Luminous was first created for the July 2000 Death Star II Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. The Luminous inclusion in the expansion set effectively established the transport's canonical participation in the large Rebel fleet fighting during the Battle of Endor, as seen in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

The Luminous was again featured in the October 2003 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. The transport appears in the game's second level, "Revenge of the Empire," as one of the GR-75 medium transports attempting to facilitate the Rebellion's evacuation from its Yavin 4 base. The player, as Luke Skywalker, must defend the Luminous from Imperial attack by destroying a force of six inbound Imperial loader shuttles ferrying AT-ST walkers. The success of the level ultimately depends, in part, on the player's successful elimination of the shuttles. If the player allows any of the shuttles to land, each unloads a single AT-ST walker, which then begins firing on the grounded Luminous. However, as it is possible to quickly destroy the shuttles before they can unload any AT-STs upon the Luminous, the exact nature by which the player satisfies this game objective is left ambiguous for the purposes of this article.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi