Widowmaker (maneuver)

For other uses, see Widowmaker.

"I have an idea. It's a crazy idea, but just might work."
"Oh, no, you're not thinking of pulling a Widowmaker, are you?"

―Poe Dameron and Jarek Yeager — 20?cb=20250116042720

▶️ (file info)^[2]

The Widowmaker was a starfighter maneuver in which a pilot landed their starship on a larger vessel to remain hidden from scans, then restarted their engines once out of scanner range. At some point, the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron and the mechanic Jarek Yeager came to consider performing a Widowmaker risky. In 34 ABY, Dameron guided the Resistance operative Kazuda Xiono in performing a Widowmaker to depart from the supertanker fuel depot Colossus undetected by First Order scans.

Description

"OK, first, put her down on this cargo ship. We're gonna ride that thing out of here until we clear their scan. […] OK, next, we drop off at the precise moment."

―Poe Dameron to Kazuda Xiono, explaining how to perform a Widowmaker — 20?cb=20250116042720

▶️ (file info)^[2]

The Widowmaker was an evasive starfighter tactic used to remain hidden from pursuers. The tactic was performed by first landing a smaller starship on a larger one to remain hidden from scans and then re-engaging the fighter's engines once out of scanner range. However, some pilots considered the maneuver dangerous, and failing it could result in harm to the attempter and their vessel.^[2]

History

"Widowmaker?" [Kazuda Xiono laughs] "I'm not even married."
"Given how dangerous this will be, that's probably a good thing."

―Kazuda Xiono and Poe Dameron — 20?cb=20250116042720

▶️ (file info)^[2]

Kazuda Xiono performed a Widowmaker with Poe Dameron's assistance. — Kazuda Xiono performed a *Widowmaker* with Poe Dameron's assistance.

At some point, the mechanic Jarek Yeager and the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron learned how to perform a Widowmaker, with both considering its usage dangerous and crazy.^[2] In 34 ABY,^[1] during the Cold War between the First Order and the New Republic, Dameron and Yeager discussed whether the former could use the maneuver with the Resistance operative Kazuda Xiono to depart from the supertanker fuel depot Colossus without being detected by First Order scans in order to go on a fact-finding mission to the Dassal system. The pair briefly reflected on the risks of using a Widowmaker, though Xiono simply joked about not being married.^[2]

Afterward, Dameron situated himself on the hull of Xiono's racer, the Fireball, and explained how to perform the maneuver. Xiono followed the pilot's instructions and landed the Fireball on a nearby Darius G-class freighter, waiting until the cargo vessel had flown further away from the station before attempting to restart his racer's engines and move off of the cargo ship at Dameron's directive. However, the racer's engines spluttered and refused to start, resulting in the craft beginning a sharp plummet downward. After struggling to restart the Fireball's engines, he eventually succeeded and flew away from the Colossus, having completed a Widowmaker.^[2]

Behind the scenes

The Widowmaker first appeared in "The Core Problem,"^[2] the seventeenth episode of the first season of the Star Wars Resistance animated television series.^[3] The episode premiered on February 17, 2019.^[4]