- "We wanted to give the Senator an N-1 escort wherever she went, but... we just couldn't keep up with the Royal Yacht, especially with Padmé at the controls."
- ―Ric Olié
The H-type Nubian yacht was a sleek, rocket-shaped yacht created by the Nubian Design Collective, and customized by the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps for the Royal House of Naboo.
Characteristics[]
The vessel was unarmed in accordance with the peaceful culture of Naboo. The yacht only required a small crew and Padmé could pilot the ship on her own from the cockpit in the central area of the yacht's upper section. Below the cockpit were maintenance consoles, the Class 0.9 Nubian 150 hyperdrive core and stores to contain supplies and astromech droids.
The lower and upper levels were connected by a turbolift platform, situated before the lounge and crew bunks on the upper level. At the front section of the lower level was Padmé's bedroom which could serve as a portable throne room. The ship featured a powerful shield system, an array of electronic countermeasures, a slim, narrow profile and sheltered engines giving a small sensor signature for evading pursuits. It also featured a breakaway escape pod.
History[]
Though originally constructed for the Royal House, the yacht was not assigned to a member of Naboo's royalty. Instead, it was given to Senator Padmé Amidala after a failed assassination attempt on Coruscant resulted in the destruction of her Naboo Royal Cruiser.
Naboo Yachts were the smallest non-fighter craft in the Theed Hangars, and they were primarily employed as getaway vessels as they were much faster than most civilian ships. With Senator Amidala at the helm of one of these vessels, even the N-1 starfighters of the Royal Naboo Security Forces had difficulty keeping pace.
On the eve of the Clone Wars, Amidala returned to Naboo in secret, escorted by Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Skywalker was compelled to leave Naboo to return to his home planet of Tatooine, and Padmé joined him, both traveling in a Naboo Yacht. Following his mother's death and his retaliation against the Sand People, R2-D2 received a distress signal from Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Amidala and Skywalker traveled in the yacht to Geonosis in a failed attempt to rescue Kenobi. It was on Geonosis that the opening battle of the Clone Wars was fought, plunging the Galaxy into three years of warfare.
The yachts continued to serve Amidala during the early years of the Clone Wars, transporting her to such places as Ilum. Captain Gregar Typho, Yoda, and the Senator journeyed there to rescue two Jedi from the crystal temple and prevent a Confederacy conspiracy at the Ambush on Ilum.
After going to see Ziro the Hutt to try to reopen communication with Jabba the Hutt, Amidala was captured by Ziro to sell to Viceroy Nute Gunray. Amidala tricked a battle droid into answering a call on her comlink from C-3PO. She informed C-3PO of her capture and told him to get help. C-3PO arrived at Ziro's Palace in the Royal Yacht with members of the Coruscant Guard to free the senator.
Several of Senator Amidala's H-type yachts suffered misfortunes. After being led into a trap near the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center by Darth Sidious, the Senator and the yacht she was traveling in were captured by the Malevolence. In an attempt to stop General Grievous, Padmé set the engines to overload. The ship exploded, although Grievous escaped unscathed.
The senator used another H-type yacht to travel to Rodia to assist in a food crisis on the planet. Padmé was captured by Separatist forces when Onaconda Farr yielded to the Separatist's terms. While the yacht was parked, however, it was destroyed by Jar Jar Binks when he clumsily activated a magnetic loading arm above the craft, causing it to smash through the ship to the floor of the landing bay.
Padmé and Jar Jar later traveled to Naboo, again using an H-type yacht to investigate the presence of battle droids on her homeworld, which led to the discovery of the recreation of the Blue Shadow Virus.
Along with this ship, Amidala would also use a J-type star skiff.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (First appearance)
- † Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones junior novelization
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 15"
- Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 16"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
- The Clone Wars: Agenda
- The Clone Wars: Departure
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Destroy Malevolence"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Bombad Jedi"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Cloak of Darkness" (In flashback(s))
- The Clone Wars: The Valley
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Blue Shadow Virus"
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Illustrated Companion
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross-Sections
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary (First mentioned)
- The Art of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars Trading Card Game — Attack of the Clones (Card: Padmé's Yacht (A)) (backup link)
- Star Wars Trading Card Game — Sith Rising (Card: Nubian Yacht) (backup link)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 42 (PAD 1-2, Padmé's Starship)
- Star Wars Trading Card Game — Jedi Guardians (Card: Padmé's Yacht (B)) (backup link)
- The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
- Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections
- Star Wars PocketModel TCG — Scum & Villainy (Card: Padmé Amidala's Nubian Yacht)
- Star Wars PocketModel TCG — Clone Wars (Card: Padmé Amidala's Nubian Yacht)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (as H-type yacht," "Naboo yacht)
- Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 28
- Naboo yacht in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Chronicling The Clone Wars #2 on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
- 2012 Topps Star Wars Galactic Files Series 1 (Card: Padmé's Starship (Vehicles))