Light Infantry Utility Vehicle

The Light Infantry Utility Vehicle (LIUV), or First Order snowspeeder, was a wedge-shaped assault craft used in frigid climates. The snowspeeder was manned by one First Order snowtrooper, and could hold two others, one of which could take control of the forward-mounted FWMB-10 repeating blaster cannon. Snowspeeders were present at Starkiller Base during the Assault on Starkiller Base thirty years after the Battle of Endor. The Resistance-affiliated individuals Finn and Rey stole one in order to infiltrate the thermal oscillator, a key point of the base. They briefly dueled with another snowspeeder before forcing it to crash, and they soon arrived at their destination. Shortly after, their ally the Wookiee Chewbacca borrowed it to return to the starship Millennium Falcon.

Behind the scenes
The First Order snowspeeder is one of the vehicles used by the First Order. It appeared as part of merchandise released on Force Friday on September 4, 2015, leading up to Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.

For Episode VII, snowspeeders were meant to take part in a chase scene during the Battle of Starkiller Base, when Finn and Rey steal one and have to fight off another First Order speeder during their mission to take down the base's oscillator. Concept art was created for it, but it did not appear in the film. The scene was filmed but subsequently cut, and the deleted scene was included in the features of the home video release of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.

Based on the vehicle's appearance in its various toy incarnations, the First Order Snowspeeder, unlike it's Rebel counterpart which is more akin to a fighter jet, fills the role of general-purpose vehicles used for scouting and communications, such as Jeeps and Humvees.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars Movie Short