Z - 95 Headhunter The Z - 95 Headhunter was a multi - purpose starfighter jointly manufactured by Incom Corporation and Subpro . Despite being considered outdated , the Z - 95 was durable and adaptable to a variety of different roles , which led many to recognize it as a versatile and respectable snub - fighter of its era . Countless variants of the Headhunter were produced , including one model designed specifically for the Grand Army of the Republic ' s clone pilots during the Clone Wars . The Z - 95 was the forerunner of Incom ' s popular T - 65B X - wing starfighter . Characteristics . Though already outdated by the time it entered production , the multi - purpose Z - 95 Headhunter starfighter boasted endurance and adaptability and was largely recognized as a respectable and versatile snub - fighter of its era . Equipped with two pairs of engine s , the Z - 95 was originally manufactured without a hyperdrive , though it could be retrofitted with a rudimentary one . However , as it lacked an astromech socket , its pilot was forced to pre - program hyperspace route s or force - feed its navicomputer jump coordinates provided by data chips . The Z - 95 was also noted for its cramped one - man cockpit . Despite these drawbacks , the Z - 95 featured internal environmental controls and a pair of wingtip - mounted , high - powered blaster cannon s . It also boasted concussion missile launcher s and a center - mounted ion cannon , which was capable of penetrating deflector shield s . The Z - 95 was the forerunner of Incom ' s incredibly successful T - 65B X - wing starfighter , which implemented technologies and designs tested in the Z - 95 . History . Prolific starfighter . Jointly manufactured by Incom Corporation and Subpro , the Z - 95 Headhunter entered production during the Clone Wars and spawned countless variants . The Galactic Republic made its own mark on the Headhunter ' s large production run with a clone - specific model . Even after the war had ended , Z - 95s were extremely common . Idryssa Barruck flew a Headhunter during her time with Saw Gerrera ' s Partisans , and several modified with basic hyperdrives and upgraded weaponry were used by Berch Teller ' s rebel cell in its fight against the Galactic Empire . Hask Taff , a member of Teller ' s cell , used several Headhunters to craft a false holovid that was transmitted to the Empire ' s Sentinel Base . The signal was meant to deceive the Imperials into believing that their Rampart Station had fallen under attack , thus inciting them to protect the station and leave Sentinel Base vulnerable . However , Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , the base ' s commander , detected that the message was a fraud and instead set a trap for the insurgents , who were immediately ambushed upon entering the system and forced to retreat into hyperspace . The rebels later used Z - 95s to attack an Imperial convoy near the Gulf of Tatooine ; all but one were obliterated , as Teller used the remaining Headhunter to escape to the planet Christophsis while the rest of his cell was captured and summarily executed . Venerable snub - fighter . During the Galactic Civil War , the Alliance to Restore the Republic continued to use Z - 95s . Despite being slightly slower and less maneuverable than its successors , including the T - 65B , the Z - 95 proved a close - air - support staple of the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps . The TIE fighter pilot s of the Imperial Navy referred to Z - 95s as " skulls . " During a battle on Portocari , Rebel Headhunters killed an Imperial pilot named Barsay . Though they had long been retired from military use , Z - 95s were a favorite among smuggler s , gangster s , pirate s , and a variety of others seeking to do both legitimate and illegitimate business twenty - nine years after the end of the Galactic Civil War . In one instance , Resistance pilot Poe Dameron acquired three Z - 95s for a covert mission designated . Behind the scenes . The Z - 95 Headhunter made its first appearance in the new " Star Wars " canon in the mobile game " " , published by Disney Interactive on August 21 , 2014 . Before that , it was referenced in the clone Z - 95 starfighter entry in the now - discontinued StarWars . com Encyclopedia . This entry , including the Z - 95 ' s mention , has since transferred over to the Encyclopedia ' s current replacement , the Databank . The Z - 95 Headhunter was originally created for the 1979 " Star Wars " Legends novel " Han Solo at Stars ' End " , written by Brian Daley as the first entry in " The Han Solo Adventures " trilogy .