Gian-211 patrol speeder

The Gian-211 patrol speeder was a speeder model that existed by the time of the war between the First Order and the Resistance. It featured a gray armored hull and a shrouded repulsorlift generator at its back. The driver of the speeder operated it via the use of a control yoke, and defensive laser cannons were mounted below the front section of the vehicle.^[1] The speeder shared its name with the Gian V-44 speeder^[2] and SoroSuub Corporation's Gian heavy patrol speeder,^[3] both of which had been in service decades earlier.^[4]

By 34 ABY,^[5] the repulsorlifts of the Gian-211 patrol speeder had become antiquated. Nevertheless, the Resistance^[6] customized and^[7] utilized one such battered speeder as a transport and recon vehicle at its base on the Outer Rim Territories world D'Qar,^[6] using it to rapidly transport maintenance equipment on the facility's large runway network.^[7] Resistance technicians kept the speeder's repulsorlifts operational, and it served as an example of the movement's philosophy of utilizing every possible asset.^[6]

Behind the scenes

Introduction in Star Wars

The Gian-211 patrol speeder first appeared in^[8] the 2015 sequel trilogy^[9] film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens,^[8] and it was first identified in Pablo Hidalgo's accompanying reference book Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary.^[6] The speeder was represented in a 2016 LEGO toy set.^[10]

The Gian-211 patrol speeder in LEGO form

The LEGO version of the speeder, known simply as "Resistance speeder," was presented as a small vehicle used to transport Resistance troopers around the Resistance base. The speeder was described as having two rear-placed engines with orange exhaust plumes, with its interior having a single-person cockpit and its front-facing laser cannons being represented by blue LEGO parts. The LEGO version of the Gian-211 patrol speeder had room at its back section for one passenger, who could operate^[10] a rotating,^[11] detachable blaster mounted on the vehicle.^[10] Several LEGO Gian-211 patrol speeders appear at the D'Qar Resistance base in the 2022 Traveller's Tales non-canonical video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, where the vehicles can be used by the player characters.^[12]

Hostages on Takodana

The LEGO speeder also appeared in "Hostages on Takodana," a non-canon comic story published in the twenty-fifth issue of the LEGO Star Wars magazine^[13] on June 24, 2017.^[14] In the story, set in the immediate aftermath of the battle fought on^[13] the Mid Rim planet Takodana^[15] in 34 ABY between the First Order and the Resistance,^[16] two human^[13] Resistance^[1] troopers piloting a pair of Gian-211 patrol speeders arrive at the castle of^[13] Pirate Queen^[15] Maz Kanata while two First Order stormtroopers are holding Kanata's protocol droid, ME-8D9, as well as the human^[13] bounty hunter^[15] Bazine Netal, as hostages.^[13]

When^[13] the smuggler^[1] Han Solo and^[13] former stormtrooper^[1] Finn launch an attempt to rescue the hostages, Netal,^[13] who is also a spy for the First Order^[1] and who has previously brought its forces to the planet,^[8] decides to use the distraction and escape before her allegiance to the First Order is discovered. She jumps into one of the speeders and takes off, after which Solo agrees with his Wookiee^[13] co-pilot^[1] Chewbacca's plan to pursue her. The latter follows Netal in the other speeder, eventually using the vehicle's laser cannons to stop her. Chewbacca's shooting ultimately causes Netal's speeder to explode and the bounty hunter to be thrown out of the vehicle. However, when the Wookiee is unable to find Netal amid the resulting smoke and wreckage, he turns back and returns to the others at Kanata's castle.^[13]