TIE / sh VIP shuttle The TIE / sh VIP shuttle ( also TIE / sh shuttle , TIE / sh , or TIE shuttle ) was a short - range personal priority shuttle manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems as part of the TIE Series . Like the similar TIE / br boarding shuttle , the TIE / sh was one of the more successful variant models of Sienar ' s basic TIE / sa bomber design . The TIE / sh afforded room for up to four individuals as well as additional cargo in its well - appointed port - side passenger pod . Measuring 7 . 8 meters long and not designed for combat , the TIE / sh was equipped with a single laser cannon and a shield generator but lacked other advances . The Galactic Empire typically used the TIE / sh to quickly ferry command - level officers between starships and other installations , though the shuttle was an unpopular mode of transportation for those using it , as they preferred the luxury of the larger " Lambda " - class shuttle . The Imperial Navy made extensive use of the TIE / sh during the Hoth campaign of 3 ABY , employing the shuttle as a substitute for standard comm traffic between the Star Destroyers of Darth Vader ' s Imperial Death Squadron , which would have interfered with the mission ' s vital sensor scans and probe droid transmissions . Captain Lorth Needa of the Imperial Star Destroyer " Avenger " made his final space voyage aboard a TIE / sh before suffering execution at Vader ' s hands for failing to capture the Rebel starship " Millennium Falcon " in the Hoth asteroid field . Many years later , in 44 ABY , Snaplaunce , the Ithorian mayor of the capital city of the planet Nam Chorios , used a modified TIE / sh formerly of the Imperial Navy as his personal vehicle , which he painted a bright yellow and appropriately named " Vote Snaplaunce " . Description . The Sienar Fleet Systems TIE / sh VIP shuttle , otherwise known as the TIE / sh shuttle , TIE / sh , or TIE shuttle , was a variant model of the basic TIE / sa bomber . Similar to the TIE / br boarding shuttle , another common TIE bomber configuration , the TIE / sh replaced the bomber ' s port - side ordnance launcher and the bomb delivery system with a small , well - appointed passenger pod that could hold up to four individuals as well as additional cargo . A pilot / gunner controlled the craft from the starboard command pod . The TIE / sh measured 7 . 8 meters in length and , while not designed for combat , protected its passengers with a single , lower - powered laser cannon that could be set to autofire mode and which had an atmospheric firing range of 2 . 5 kilometers , though the shuttle required a starfighter escort if danger was nearby . Designed for short - range space travel and not very maneuverable , the TIE / sh generally lacked a hyperdrive and other advances but nonetheless mounted a defensive shield generator and was equipped with sensors . Customary of the TIE Series , the TIE / sh sported twin ion engines , which were capable of achieving a maximum atmospheric speed of 650 km / h . The shuttle boasted a cargo capacity of up to one metric ton and two days ' worth of consumables . Both the TIE / sh and the TIE / br were equipped with landing gear , which , for a time , made them the only TIE Series craft not dependent upon the docking racks found aboard larger Imperial ships and bases . A boarding ramp extended from the underside of the shuttle ' s passenger pod . Available only to the Imperial Military , the TIE / sh was not available for public sale . The craft marketed at 120 , 000 credits new and 45 , 000 credits used . Role . The Galactic Empire utilized the TIE / sh as a specialized priority shuttle for quickly transporting command - level officers , troops , and other priority cargo between naval ships , such as Imperial Star Destroyers , as well as space stations and ground installations . Whereas upper - echelon officers more commonly used the larger " Lambda " - class shuttle , junior officers typically rode aboard the TIE / sh . Efficient but utilitarian , the TIE / sh was an unpopular mode of transportation for those who used the craft , as they coveted the more luxurious " Lambda " - class shuttle . Each Imperial ship in a line carrying TIE fighters typically also carried one TIE / sh . History . Galactic Civil War . The TIE / sh VIP shuttle , a variant of the basic TIE / sa bomber design , was one of several mission - specific TIE Series models that Sienar Fleet Systems developed for the Galactic Empire in the wake of the initial T . I . E . starfighter . Sienar ' s TIE bomber spawned numerous variants that used the same hull and wing configuration , with the TIE / sh and TIE / br boarding shuttle standing as two of the most successful offshoots . Admiral Conan Antonio Motti provided a brief mention of the TIE bomber ' s passenger variant in authoring the Imperial Navy chapter of the " " tactical manual , distributed just prior to the Battle of Yavin . Not long after the planet Alderaan ' s destruction , while in pursuit of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance , the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader piloted a TIE / sh over the sandy wastes of the ancient planet Jerne with Imperial Captain Ryko Vant aboard . Vader had lured the Rebels to the Imperial outpost Adony Station , where he planned to capture them while they searched for the purported Eternity Crystal , which they hoped would allow them to turn back time and save Alderaan from its fate . However , Skywalker and Organa eluded Vader ' s trap at Adony Station and escaped Jerne aboard the TIE / sh . In 2 ABY , Lieutenant Commander Bakki Sourthol of the Rebel Alliance filed a report on the Empire ' s TIE Series starfighters for the Task Force on Alliance Security . The compiled report , which detailed the development of the TIE Series and its many variant models , contained detailed TIE / sh technical specifications , including a set of schematics . Darth Vader ' s personal fleet of Star Destroyers , the Imperial Death Squadron , extensively utilized the TIE / sh while searching for the Rebel Alliance during the Hoth campaign in 3 ABY . Because standard comm traffic between the fleet ' s Star Destroyers would have interfered with vital sensor scans and communications from dispatched Viper probe droids , Death Squadron employed TIE shuttles rather than the high - profile " Lambda " - class shuttle to physically deliver non - vital messages back and forth when the fleet was not in hyperspace . Captain Lorth Needa of the " Imperial II " - class Star Destroyer " Avenger " made his final space voyage in a TIE / sh . After the " Avenger " lost the Rebel Han Solo and his starship , the " Millennium Falcon " , while pursuing the fugitive freighter through the Hoth asteroid field in the wake of the Battle of Hoth , Needa rode a TIE / sh from the " Avenger " to Vader ' s flagship , the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " , to personally apologize to the Dark Lord for allowing the Rebel ship to escape . Vader summarily executed Needa for his failure . Eight years after the Empire ' s defeat at the Battle of Endor , Supreme Warlord Blitzer Harrsk , formerly one of the most respected minds in the Imperial Military , met his demise at the controls of a TIE / sh . Harrsk had previously suffered a traumatic brain injury during the Endor battle , causing him to adopt an insane dual persona as Captain Bolla Thoath , his former second - in - command , who had died at Endor . Returning from a meeting with Admiral Natasi Daala and other Imperial warlords at the Tsoss Beacon asteroid , in which Daala murdered all present , with the exception of Harrsk , whose brain injury had saved him from Daala ' s poison gas , Harrsk ' s Thoath persona , determined to end Harrsk ' s madness , abruptly threw their shuttle into a tailspin . As the two personalities struggled for control of the craft , Harrsk came to the sudden , shattering realization of his own insanity and suicidally slammed the TIE / sh into the asteroid , killing them both . " Vote Snaplaunce " . In the decades following the collapse of the Empire , a retired mechanic formerly of the Imperial Navy settled on the planet Nam Chorios around 29 ABY , where he carefully restored and sold Imperial vessels to private owners . Among the vehicles the mechanic sold was a disarmed TIE / sh to an Ithorian named Snaplaunce , who proceeded to paint the ship a bright yellow and adorn its external hull with his campaign slogan for the mayoral office of Hweg Shul , capital city of Nam Chorios : " Vote Snaplaunce , " which was also registered as the shuttle ' s official name . The Ithorian modified " Vote Snaplaunce " for civilian use , so that the shuttle effectively served as both his personal transport and a traveling campaign advertisement . " Vote Snaplaunce " remained in the mayor ' s personal service by 44 ABY , when exiled Grand Master Luke Skywalker of the New Jedi Order , accompanied by his son , Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker , and Lost Tribe of Sith member Vestara Khai , arrived on Nam Chorios in pursuit of the dark side entity known as Abeloth . Snaplaunce , a previous acquaintance of Skywalker ' s , agreed to loan his shuttle to the motley group to aid in their quest . However , with the elder Skywalker at the controls , " Vote Snaplaunce " soon fell under attack by Ship , a Sith Meditation Sphere in the service of Abeloth , and was forced to ground following complications brought about by sabotage . Although the resultant damage rendered repairs on the TIE / sh impractical under the circumstances , the group resorted to extensive configurations that essentially turned " Vote Snaplaunce " into a wind - propelled landspeeder , allowing them to continue their pursuit of Abeloth . Skywalker ' s team eventually abandoned the TIE / sh outside Hweg Shul , though media interests reported that " Vote Snaplaunce " was later recovered . Behind the scenes . Concept to creation . The TIE / sh first appeared in the 1980 film , carrying Captain Needa to his death aboard Darth Vader ' s flagship , the " Executor " . The TIE shuttle ' s design , which is basically a TIE bomber without the bomb chute , dates back to the original concept stages of , in which a twin - pod boarding vehicle was to be seen among the Imperial forces . The idea was dropped from Episode IV before being resurrected for " The Empire Strikes Back " . The craft that appears in " The Empire Strikes Back " was first provided a formal classification in the article " , " written by Timothy S . O ' Brien for the May 1996 " Star Wars Adventure Journal 10 " , a supplement to the West End Games " " . The article also provided a list of TIE / sh technical specifications and was written from an in - universe perspective by Rebel Alliance starfighter pilot Bakki Sourthol . With the advent of Fantasy Flight Games ' " " roleplaying game , the TIE / sh received a new set of technical specifications that differs from its original West End Games stats , as well as a new designation , the TIE / sh VIP shuttle . The July 2014 changed the TIE / sh ' s atmospheric speed from 1 , 050 km / h to 650 km / h , upgraded its maximum number of passengers from two to four , and specified that it was equipped with a shield generator . " Dark Knight ' s Devilry " . The comic story " Dark Knight ' s Devilry " , written by Steve Moore and originally published in Marvel UK ' s early 1980s " Star Wars " series , features Darth Vader piloting a " scout ship " in pursuit of the Rebels on the planet Jerne . The scout ship appears identical in design to the TIE / sh ; however , as both the TIE / sh and the TIE / br boarding shuttle are virtually indistinguishable , certain ambiguity arises as to the scout ship ' s classification . Yet given that the scout ship ' s port - side passenger pod displays an ovular inset , different from the more circular inset of the TIE / br , as illustrated in the 1998 reference book " " , this article treats the " Dark Knight ' s Devilry " craft as a TIE / sh . External links . < br >