Imperial attack craft

The content of this Star Wars Legends article was cut.

This article covers a subject that was cut from the final version of a Star Wars Legends source. The subject appeared in no other source and was therefore considered non-canon within the Legends continuity.

The title of this article is a nickname, call sign, or alias.

This article is about a subject that has not been identified with an official name and is known only by a nickname, call sign, or alias.

Imperial attack craft or the Sith fighter were starfighters that were launched out of the various Imperial vessels, which would then proceed to attack the planets nearby. They had a sleek and flat triangular design with a black cockpit and red linings near the wings and tailfins, although some versions had a prism-based cockpit window.

Behind the scenes

The Imperial attack craft, also known as the Sith fighter^[1] was an unused design created by Colin Cantwell for the first Star Wars movie, predating the TIE fighters that would eventually be used for as the Galactic Empire's mainline attack craft.^[2] The design was unveiled by Cantwell alongside his original design for what would eventually become the Imperial Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser in Solo: A Star Wars Story on Instagram. According to Cantwell, when asked if the Delta Wing type influenced the design of the attack craft,^[3] he acknowledged that NASA designs at the time he made the concept art played a role in the design of the attack craft, due to it requiring a design allowing it to enter the atmosphere to invade planets.^[4] Contrary to popular belief, its design was not derived from the real life F-117 Nighthawk aircraft, as the latter would not enter development until 7 years after Cantwell made the design (and would not be revealed to the public until nearly twice that amount of time).^[1]

Notes and references

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Colin Cantwell Autographed Star Wars Concept Art on cantwellcollection.com (backup link archived on February 23, 2018)
↑ Colin Cantwell (@colin_cantwell) on Instagram (post on February 13, 2018): "PS - those fighters in the concept illustration were the original imperial attack ships. I didn't create the #TIE until much later. See the other concepts at www.cantwellcollection.com" (screenshot)
↑ Colin Cantwell (@colin_cantwell) on Instagram (post on February 13, 2018): "Thanks for sharing, Colin! I love the Delta Wing design for the Imperial Attack Ships; that was such a common design element for reusable spacecraft during the 50s and 60s (prior to the space shuttle). Did that design influence the look of those ships?" (screenshot)
↑ Colin Cantwell (@colin_cantwell) on Instagram (post on February 13, 2018): "@starwarsinclass I was familiar with several NASA concepts, so perhaps. In this early stage it was assumed they would invade planets from space, so a design capable of entering an atmosphere was necessary" (screenshot)

[Cantwell_Collection_website-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Colin Cantwell Autographed Star Wars Concept Art on cantwellcollection.com (backup link archived on February 23, 2018)

[Attack_craft-2] Colin Cantwell (@colin_cantwell) on Instagram (post on February 13, 2018): "PS - those fighters in the concept illustration were the original imperial attack ships. I didn't create the #TIE until much later. See the other concepts at www.cantwellcollection.com" (screenshot)

[starwarsinclass_comment-3] Colin Cantwell (@colin_cantwell) on Instagram (post on February 13, 2018): "Thanks for sharing, Colin! I love the Delta Wing design for the Imperial Attack Ships; that was such a common design element for reusable spacecraft during the 50s and 60s (prior to the space shuttle). Did that design influence the look of those ships?" (screenshot)

[NASA_inspiration-4] Colin Cantwell (@colin_cantwell) on Instagram (post on February 13, 2018): "@starwarsinclass I was familiar with several NASA concepts, so perhaps. In this early stage it was assumed they would invade planets from space, so a design capable of entering an atmosphere was necessary" (screenshot)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]