Z-95 Headhunter

"I'm going to be sitting in a Z-95 cockpit wearing an EVA suit, and you want to sit on my lap? Worry less about being left behind and more about making certain the concussion missiles are fitted with the proper warheads, okay, buddy?"

- Poe Dameron, to BB-8

The Z-95 Headhunter was a multi-purpose starfighter jointly manufactured by Incom Corporation and Subpro. Despite being considered outdated, the Z-95 was durable and adaptable to a variety of different roles, which led many to recognize it as a versatile and respectable snub-fighter of its era. Countless variants of the Headhunter were produced, including one model designed specifically for the Grand Army of the Republic's clone pilots during the Clone Wars. It was the forerunner of Incom's popular T-65B X-wing starfighter.

Characteristics
Though already outdated by the time it entered production, the multi-purpose Z-95 Headhunter starfighter boasted endurance and adaptability and was largely recognized as a respectable and versatile snub-fighter of its era. Equipped with two pairs of engines, it lacked an astromech socket, forcing its pilot to pre-program hyperspace routes or force-feed its navicomputer jump coordinates provided by data chips. The Z-95 was also noted for its cramped one-man cockpit.

Despite these drawbacks, the Z-95 featured internal environmental controls and a pair of wingtip-mounted, high-powered blaster cannons. It could also boast concussion missile launchers and a center-mounted ion cannon, which was capable of penetrating deflector shields. The Z-95 was the forerunner of Incom's incredibly successful T-65B X-wing starfighter, which implemented technologies and designs testbedded in the Z-95.

History
Jointly manufactured by Incom Corporation and Subpro, the Z-95 Headhunter entered production during the Clone Wars and spawned countless variants, with the Galactic Republic making its own mark on the Headhunter's large production run with a clone-specific model. Even after the war had ended, Z-95 Headhunters were, according to Wilhuff Tarkin, common enough to "have come from anywhere." Several were used by Berch Teller's rebel cell in its fight against the Galactic Empire.

During the Galactic Civil War, the Alliance to Restore the Republic continued to use Z-95s. Despite being slightly slower and less maneuverable than its successors, including the T-65B, the Z-95 proved a close-air-support staple of the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps. The TIE fighter pilots of the Imperial Navy referred to Z-95s as "skulls."

Though they had long been retired from military use, Z-95s were a favorite among smugglers, gangsters, pirates, and a variety of others seeking to do both legitimate and illegitimate business over thirty years after the end of the Galactic Civil War. In one instance, Resistance pilot Poe Dameron acquired three Z-95s for a covert mission designated Operation: Sabre Strike.

Behind the scenes
The Z-95 Headhunter made its first appearance in the new Star Wars canon in the mobile game Star Wars: Commander, published by Disney Interactive on August 21, 2014. Before that, it was referenced in the clone Z-95 starfighter entry in the now-discontinued StarWars.com Encyclopedia. This entry, including the Z-95's mention, has since transferred over to the Encyclopedia's current replacement, the Databank. Originally, the Z-95 Headhunter was created for the 1979 Star Wars Legends novel Han Solo at Stars' End, written by Brian Daley as the first entry in The Han Solo Adventures trilogy.

Appearances

 * Tarkin
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Before the Awakening
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron 1: Black Squadron, Part I
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron 1: Black Squadron, Part I