In my opinion, the bounty hunters are the coolest characters in the Star Wars universe. They have awesome weaponry, cool ships, and an attitude to match.
Bossk is a three-toed and three-fingered reptilian, called a Trandoshan. The Trandoshans are known throughout the galaxy for their hatred of wookies. Bossk, however, has a particular hatred for one wookie, Chewbacca. Chewbacca and Han Solo have humiliated Bossk many times, which leads to this hatred. As with all Trandoshans, Bossk has the ability to regenerate lost body parts. He can also see in the dark. One reason for the hatred between Bossk and Chewbacca is that they both occupied the same star system. The Trandoshans often hunted wookies and skinned them for their pelts. The largest source for their hatred, however, is when a Trandoshan repesenative convinced the Empire to use wookies for their labor. Renegade wookies that were not captured by the Empire were often hunted down by the Trandoshans. While this was occuring, Bossk decided that he would become a bounty hunter, who specialized in the kill and capture of wookies. He soon gained fame, but was still unable to get his largest target Chewbacca. Now, 58 years old, Bossk is still unable to capture Chewbacca, who has humiliated him several times. Bossk will now give up any reward, just to kill him. Bossk is armed witha blaster rifle, and commands his ship, the YV-666 light freighter, Hound's Tooth.
Dengar is a human, male bounty hunter. He has a particular hatred for the man who he believes scarred him, Han Solo. In his early years, Dengar was a swoop jockey on the popular Ferini team. On this team, he gained stardom for his talent, including many endorsements. He was constantly compared to a private tour jockey, Han Solo. Dengar decided to put these comparisons to rest, and joined the private tour. He was quick to challenge Solo to a winner-takes-all race through the crystal swamps of Agrilat. Despite the fact that Solo had been accepted to the Imperial academy, he could not refuse the offer, and accepted. The race was observed by most of the star system. The race was even until the final stretch. Solo took the path through the swamps. Dengar soon moved below, and tried to pull up, not realizing that Solo was directly above him. Dengar crashed into Solo's repulsor fin, which left him burned and with brain trauma. As he was recovering from his injuries, Dengar learned that he had been kicked out of the racing circuit. His life had been ruined, and he blamed Solo. Dengar has often worked with Boba Fett, the bounty hunter who he saved from the Sarlacc's stomach, in trying to capture Solo. He has still not made the catch. Dengar's weapon of choice is a Blaster File, and he commands his ship, the Corellion Jumpmaster 5000, Punishing One.
Boba Fett is by far the most notorious bounty hunter in the galaxy. Long ago, he was known as Journeyman Protector Jaster Mereel. As a law enforcement officer on the planet Concord Down, he was forced to kill a corrupt officer, and was imprisoned for disgracing his office and uniform. Refusing to repent before the court, he was exiled from Concord Down, stipped of his possessions. The reasons for his choosing the name Boba Fett, and how he came into contact with his battle armor are all shrowded in mystery. It is known that his armor was worn by the Mandalorians, a group of evil warriors who were defeated by the Jedi Knights. His armor houses macrobinocular viewplates, motion sensors, and infrared capabilities. Fett also has a set of braided wookie scalps that hang over his shoulder. Despite currently being a bounty hunter, Fett has also worked as a soldier, a mercenary, an assassin, and a personal guard. He is the most expensive bounty hunter in the galaxy, once collecting 500,000 credits for a catch. Boba Fett has had many encounters with death, the most serious being when his backpack was hit, and he rocketed into the mouth of the Sarlacc. He somehow escaped, and was nursed back to health by Dengar, another bounty hunter. Together they pursued Solo, but were unable to catch him. After one unsuccessful attempt, Fett disappeared. New reports of his presence have been swirling throughout the galaxy. Fett uses various weapons, including blasters and a jetpack. He commands his ship, Kurt System's Engineering limited-production, high-speed, Firespray-class ship, Slave I.
At one time, 4-LOM was a protocol droid serving as valet and human-cyborg translator. The droid was fluid in more than seven million languages. For entertainment aboard the ship he occupied, 4-LOM engaged in various games with the onboard computer. At first they were simple games, but soon became serious games that involved altering each other's programming. Once these games occured, perfectly executed thefts were occuring on the ship. No one expected the guilty 4-LOM. Off the ship, 4-LOM became one the galaxy's most successful and expensive criminals, and worked for the such as the likes of Jabba the Hutt. As time passed, Jabba reminded 4-LOM that it would make an excellent bounty hunter. 4-LOM was quick to point out that it was programmed differently. A deal was then made. In exchange for 4-LOM's services, Jabba would have him reproggramed as a bounty hunter. After the change, 4-LOM was paired with Zuckuss, another highly intelligent bounty hunter. When the call for bounty hunter's to find Solo was sent by Vader, Jabba sent this pair. Boba Fett, however, was the one to capture Solo. Jabba did not have the pair killed, but rather kept them for further missions. 4-LOM's weapons include a Blaster pistol and a stun-gas blower, and his vehicle of choice is, Mist Hunter.
Greedo was a foul-smeeling Rodian, who was an excellent bounty hunter. On Greedo's home planet of Rodia, bounty hunting is a professional sport, with prizes going to the hunter with the most captures or kills. Greedo was trained by Warhog Goa. Barely escaping an imperial attack where his family was killed, Greedo traveled to Tatooine, where he was employed by Jabba the Hutt. He was contracted for a bounty to retrieve Han Solo's head. Greedo viewed this as a perfect way to increase his fame. Greedo soon traveled to Chalmun's cantina. He noticed Chewbacca and Solo alone at a table, and soon Chewbacca left. Greedo then marched up to Solo, and demanded the credits he owed the Hutt. Greedo's plan was to get the credits from Solo and then kill him. He would then get twice what he had planned. Solo angered Greedo, and fired a shot under their table, killing Greedo instanly. After Solo had left, the bartender recovered Greedo's body, and along with his new droid, created a unique liquor from Greedo's skin and blood. It was a very powerful drink, a drink that Jabba would pay many credits for. Greedo's weapons included a Blaster pistol and grenades. His command ship was the incom corsair, Manka Hunter.
IG-88 is an assassin droid. In the days of the Old Republiic, these droids were highly feared, but were kept in good hands. Soon, however, druglords and powerul criminals started using these droids. Certain assassin droids began to develop an independence from their programmers. The most famous of these is IG-88. The IG series programmers gave these droids the most dangerous and detailed programs available. Soon, five prototypes, including IG-88, killed the programmers and escaped the laboratories. IG-88 eventually hunted down all of his remaining programmers, for fear that they might reveal a flaw in his design. An interesting and deadly design feature of IG-88 is a serious of sensors which allow him to see in all directions at once. When the call went out for Solo's head, IG-88 placed a tracking device on Boba Fett's ship. When Fett captured Solo on Bespin, IG-88 was unable to reach him in time. He then moved to Tatooine, and waited for Fett to arrive. When Fett neared the planet, he was ambushed by IG-88 aboard his ship. Fett was able to blow the ship out of the sky with a concussion missle. Somehow, IG-88 survived, and is well prepared for what lies in the future. IG-88 uses many weapons, including Blaster rifles, grenade launchers, and flame throwers. His vehicle of choice is the, IG-2000.
Zuckuss is an insectoid bounty hunter from the planet, Gand. As on Rodia, bounty hunting is a sport on Gand. As a young findsman, Zuckuss left for the stars. On his hunts, Zuckuss is forced to where special breathing equipment to shelter himself from harmful oxygen, and also wears special armor underneath his cloak. After many successful catches and kills, Zuckuss was recruited by Jabba the Hutt to capture Han Solo. He was paired with 4-LOM, a droid bounty hunter. Together, they were very successful. As with many others, the pair were unable to find Solo before Boba Fett. This was a major loss for Zuckuss, but it did not slow him down. With his partner 4-LOM, Zuckuss looks forward to many successful years of bounty hunting to come in the future. Zuckuss uses weapons including a Blaster pistol, a vibroblade, and stun grenades. Along with 4-LOM, Zuckuss commands his ship, Mist Hunter.
Bossk Dengar Boba Fett 4-LOM Greedo IG-88 Zuckuss
At the time of the Battle of Endor, the A-Wing was the fastest strafighter in the galaxy. The designers of this ship intended it to be a ship capable of outrunning the Imperial navy. It was and still is the main interceptor fighter. But what the A-Wing has in speed, it lacks in durability. The slightest hit can cause critical system failure, and the pilot is almost entirely exposed to enemy fire. The A-Wing has two wing-mounted, pivlotal cannons, which can fire 60 degrees up or down. Certain models can even shoot straight backward. Other models are equipped with concussion missles. All A-Wings, however, have seperate power generators for each cannon. A key element of this ship, is that it has a sensor jamming device that is very effective against fighters. The ship is also equipped with two Novaldex J-77 "Event Horizon" engines. While originally used strictly for defense, the A-Wing is now being used more and more for hit and run tactics.
The B-Wing was the Alliance's strongest heavy-assault starfighter, and was designed to take on much larger capitol ships. Despite only being 4 meters longer than the famous X-Wing, it carried enough firepower than most imperial patrol ships. Essentially, the B-Wing is a flat wing with a cockpit on one end. An unusual feature of this ship is that is has a gyro-system that allows the cockpit to remain stable while the rest of the ship rotates around it. This and many other features made the B-Wing very difficult to handle. Because of this, only the most skilled pilots qualified to fly it. The ship's targeting system combines the ion cannon and proton-torpedo launchers and centers them on a target, creating maximum fire power. The B-Wing can also split its fire and attack two targets. All B-Wing fighters are powered by a single Quadex Kyromaster engine. The B-Wing has sublightspeed capability, and a class-2 hyperdrive, allowing it to fly only half as fast as the X-Wing and A-Wing. The B-Wing also houses a navigational computer.
When a young pilot known as Luke Skywalker flew an X-Wing into battle against the first Death Star, he was flying one of the most advanced fighters of the day. Although there are now more heavily armed and powerful ships available, the X-Wing will never be forgotten. While the X-Wing was in its final development stages, Incom Corporation, the manufacturer, was seized by the Empire. A Rebel commando team helped the design staff on Incom defect to the Alliance, where they brought all plans for the X-Wing. The X-Wing has a pair of double-layered wings, that form an "X" formation. During flight, these wing are closed, making it appear that there is only two wings. Each wingtip has a laser cannon, totaling four cannons. Also, a pair of proton torpedo launchers are attached midway up the frame. A unique feature of the X-Wing, is the use of an R2 astromech droid, who handles many in-flight operations. The X-Wing is very durable, and can take many small hits without loss of performance. It also has a hyperdrive.
The Y-Wing is an older ship than the X-Wing, and is known for its durability and distictive narrow hull with two far out engines to the sides. It has several limitations that were especially evident at the Battle of Yavin against the first Death Star, where only one fighter from gold squadron survived. Before the X-Wing came along, the Y-Wing was the main fighter for the rebellion. It is now used primarily on faraway Rebel locations, and on imperial convoy raids. The Y-Wing is used for several purposes, and occasionally as a bomber. It uses a Novaldex power generator and hyperdrive, and like the X-Wing, uses an astromech droid. Weaponry consists of two laser cannons and two proton-torpedo launchers.
The Z-95 Headhunter is a truly legendary star fighter, despite the fact that its design is usually older than its pilot. The ship is now used primarily in police forces and private organizations. All models of the Headhunter are twin-engined craft with a bubble cockpit, which allows the pilot an unobstructed view into space. This craft also has a set of triple blasters on each wing. Incom/Supro designers have consistanly put out new models of the Z-95. Many elements have been modified which makes the plane very similar to the X-Wing. Z-95 ships are an excellent choice for defensive missions. They are also occasionally armed with concussion missles and used for assaults. The Rebel Alliance often used Headhunters for training. A pilot that understood the controls of this ship could easily adapt to the more powerful X-Wing or Y-Wing. The Z-95 is normally not equipped with a hyperdrive, but some prominent figures including Mara Jade fly a modified Z-95 as their personal courier ship.
The TIE Fighter is the most distinguishable symbol of the Imperial Navy's power. TIE Fighters are located all over the galaxy on Imperial cruisers and spaceports. They are shorts range ships that have a pair of solar array panels on either side. Tie Fighters make very small targets and are phenominally fast. While one of these ships is useless in assaults, a group of TIE Fighters is nearly impossible defeats. They are used primarily for escorting the more powerful TIE Bomber. TIE Fighters carry only sublight drives, which means they are dependant on a home base. Often, they must refuel after only a couple hours of combat. These measures are effective in increasing speed and maneuverability. Unlike the ship of the New Republic, the TIE Fighter has no shields. This puts the pilot in grave danger. In the Imperial Navy, as thousands of these fighters are produced each year, pilot death is considered insignificant. The pilot is strapped into a couch and into feet control yokes, and is protected by an antigravity field. When the pilot moves his feet, he increases or decreases speed. Targeting and other systems are controlled by hand. This ship has a pair of laser cannons, and uses power absorbed by the array wings.
The TIE Bomber was at one time the Empire's main assault bomber. Though very slow, it was perfect for strikes against land and deep space targets. This ship has two main pods, and has solar array panels. One pod holds the pilot with ejection seat, while the other holds bays and computers. Weaponry of the TIE bomber includes proton bombs, guided concussion missles, orbital mines, and thermal detonators. The TIE Bomber is one of the most vital parts of an imperial mission. Generally, TIE Fighters are first used to slightly damage a target. TIE Bombers are then used to take out key components such as shield generators. All TIE Bomber craft are equipped with a state of the art targeting computer which is often used for ground bombing. TIE Bombers have been known to sneak through capital ship defense, and strike a decisive blow with its heavy payload. A Star Destroyer generally carried one squadron of 12 bombers. Before the Emperor's death, a new bomber was being dedveloped, which evolved into the Schmitar assault bomber.
The Tie Defender was a fighter developed shortly after the Battle of Endor. The radical design was a departure from the typical TIE design. This plane contained a set of three solar panels. Many view this as the Empire's acknowledgement that the Alliance had better ships. The TIE Defender had better armor and a hyperdrive among other things, very similar to Alliance ships. It also cost 300,000 credits per unit. Just to get an idea of how fast this plane really was, it was 40 percent faster than a standard TIE Fighter, yet had better weaponry, allowing it to engage more than one enemy at once. It uses new ion twin engines, and also triple arrays of moving jets. It features four laser cannons and two ion cannons, and also two missle launchers which can be equipped with bot concussion missles and proton torpedos. Unlike other Imperial ships, the TIE Defender also has two Novaldex shield generators. You may ask why this ship was not the mainstay of the Imperial Navy. The reason was first of all that it had a very high cost, and second of all, it was swallowed up by the confusion that followed the Emperor's death.
The Tie Interceptor is both faster and more lethal than the TIE Fighter. This ship follows the same design arrangement as the standard TIE, but has a more cutting edge look, bent solar array panels on either side. The formation of these panels makes the ship look more intimidating. This ship is the second fastest ship in the galaxy, behind only the A-Wing. Weaponry wise, the TIE Interceptor has four laser cannons and advanced targeting software. A disadvantage of this ship is that it has no shields, and does not have a life support system. It has no hyperdrive, and requires a nearby homebase. When all was well, the Empire planned on replacing the standard TIE Fighter with the TIE Interceptor. But with the Emperor's death, only twenty percent of operational models were the Interceptor. When Grand Admiral Thrawn began his bid for power, he equipped the Interceptor with shields, knowing that the Empire could not afford to waste ships as they had in the past.
So Far, many of the important characters have been casted. These movies will be a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, with filming beginning on September 8, 1997. It is known that Ewan McGreggor of Trainspotting has signed on to play young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Liam Neeson will play a powerful Jedi Knight, and Natalie Portman will play the young queen, mother of Leia. Jake Lloyd will play the young Anakin, and James Earl Jones has once again agreed to do the voice of Darth Vader, probably in the third movie. Characters such as R2-D2, C-3PO, and Yoda will probably appear again, and Lucas has also hinted that Boba Fett may have a much larger part than in the the original trilogy.
