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- "The royal vessel of the lovely Padmé Amidala. Such an elegant thing, from an elegant world."
- ―Darth Sidious
The Naboo Royal Starship, a modified J-type 327 Nubian starship, was the royal starship of Queen Padmé Amidala during the Invasion of Naboo. She used it to escape from the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo, where it landed on Tatooine for repairs, before making its way to Coruscant and, eventually, back to Naboo.[4]
Normally, the ship was at Amidala's disposal for formal state visits to other planetary representatives, and for royal events on Naboo. Naboo tradition encouraged the current monarch to personally name the ship, but due to the Invasion of Naboo, Amidala had more important concerns.[1]
Contents
Design[edit | edit source]
- "I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian."
- ―Qui-Gon Jinn, to Watto

The Naboo Royal Starship on Tatooine
The unique spaceframe boasted a strikingly beautiful design that exemplified the philosophy of blending art and function that was seen throughout Naboo technology, and embodied the craftsmanship that prevailed during the peaceful years of the Galactic Republic. The entire ship was considered a work of art by Naboo's citizens.
The gleaming finish was made from a substance known as royal chromium, usually reserved for the ships serving Naboo's monarch. Rather than using automatons or factory equipment, the mirrored hull was crafted and hand-polished by fine artisans. The interior was made with equal care and as to be expected, was quite spacious. From fore to aft, the ship contained the luxurious royal quarters, a forward hold, a main hold with tech station and the cockpit that was accessible via turbolift.[1] The ship also featured a military-style bathroom.[7] The final compartment was the throne room, where the monarch rode during journeys and received guests. All in all, the vessel literally reflected the designers' desire to create a symbol of grace and beauty.[1]
Specifications[edit | edit source]
- "Do not worry. She has certain enhancements… It's stronger than it looks."
- ―Darth Vader
The spaceframe was handcrafted in Theed by the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps, and designed around the imported sublight engine and T-14 hyperdrive generator, both from Nubian Design Collective. Thus internally, the vessel was a J-type 327 Nubian starship, and had to use J-type 327 Nubian parts.[1][4] The vessel was equipped with powerful shields and had no offensive weaponry.[3][1]
History[edit | edit source]
The Naboo Royal Starship was the personal starship of Queen Padmé Amidala during her tenure. She utilized the starship during the Invasion of Naboo.[4] Decades after, Emperor Palpatine had the vessel in the Imperial Palace and gave it to Darth Vader for his personal use, knowing that he would be reminded of his past.[2]
Serving Vader[edit | edit source]
Mission to Geonosis[edit | edit source]
Around twenty years after his acquisition of the Naboo Royal Starship, it still saw use under the Sith Lord. Due to his failures during the destruction of the Death Star, Vader lost much of his power in the Empire. Seeking an army of his own, Vader came into contact with the rogue archaeologist Doctor Chelli Aphra, who specialized in the reactivation of old technology. Doctor Aphra agreed to assist Vader in acquiring a droid army and informed him of an operational factory on the planet of Geonosis, which was maintained by the Geonosian queen Karina. The pair infiltrated the queen's lair and discovered that the factory was attached to her like a womb, which she was using to create Geonosian-droid hybrids. Vader called in the Naboo Royal Starship in order to airlift the factory out of the lair and escape the area. After the mission's success Vader attached the factory to Aphra's ship, the Ark Angel, where Aphra reprogrammed the droids for Vader's use.[5]
Infiltration of Cylo's Base[edit | edit source]
Shortly after the mission to Geonosis, Vader's personal Interrogator droid 0-0-0 interrogated an agent of Palpatine's to determine his role in the Empire. The man revealed that his name was Cylo IV and he had been tasked with creating replacements of Vader, infuriated by this discovery Vader had 0-0-0 kill the man. Vader then used the Naboo Royal Starship to travel to Cylo's base alongside Doctor Aphra, upon arrival Vader fired an ion missile from the starship into the base. He then entered the base and deployed his droid army which was resting in the starship.[6] Inside the base Vader discovered that Cylo had transferred his conscious into another body and was now going by Cylo V. Vader was then greeted by the Emperor who informed Vader that he would only be replaced if he became lesser than his possible replacements. Vader then traveled back to the Starship where he left the system.[8]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Queen's Peril
- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (First appearance)
- The Phantom Menace Read-Along Storybook and CD
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 (Appears in flashback(s))
- Queen's Shadow (Mentioned only)
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 20
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 21
- "Stories in the Sand"—From a Certain Point of View (Appears in hologram)
- Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original
- Darth Vader 4
- Darth Vader 5
- Darth Vader 6
- Darth Vader 4 (Appears in flashback(s))
Non-canon appearances[edit | edit source]
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Exit from Endor" (Appears in flashback(s))
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Sources[edit | edit source]
Astromech droids in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Naboo Royal Starship in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Sith Speeder in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link) (Indirect mention only)
- Ultimate Star Wars
Darth Vader #5 – Exclusive Preview! on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: Star Pilot
- Star Wars: Ships of the Galaxy
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
Star Wars Helmet Collection 13 (Helmets: In Pictures)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 17 (Highlights of the Saga: The Boonta Eve Classic)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 25 (Databank A-Z: Hydroid Medusas–Imperial Academies) (Appears in hologram) (Picture only)
Star Wars: Build Your Own R2-D2 1 (Droid Directory: R2-series Astromech Droids, Part 1)
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
Star Wars Helmet Collection 41 (Databank A-Z: 'Occupier' Tank–Oola)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles
Star Wars Helmet Collection 72 (Helmets: Pilot/Training Helmet)
- Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, New Edition
- Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
Every Droid in Star Wars | Star Wars By the Numbers on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (backup link) (Picture only)
Every Language in Star Wars Movies | Star Wars By the Numbers on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (backup link) (Picture only)
Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing 31 (Starfighter Aces: Ric Olié – Bravo Leader)
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian – "Legacy"
"Naboo" – Star Wars Encyclopedia
Anakin Skywalker in the Databank (backup link)
Battle Droid in the Databank (backup link)
Naboo Royal Starship in the Databank (backup link) (First identified as Naboo Royal Starship)
Padmé Amidala Biography Gallery in the Databank (backup link); images #3, 9, 26, 27 (of 29) (Indirect mention only)
Sith Speeder in the Databank (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 20
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
Naboo Royal Starship in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Darth Vader 4
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Darth Vader 5
- ↑ Queen's Peril
- ↑ Darth Vader 6