Z - 95 Headhunter / Legends The Z - 95 Headhunter was a starfighter designed jointly by Incom and Subpro Corporations years before the Invasion of Naboo . Its resilience and longevity meant it remained a staple of private and low - priority government starfighter forces long after its introduction . Characteristics . Considered one of the most capable fighters of its day , it boasted a distinctive bubble canopy and a set of triple blaster s mounted at the ends of each of its two variable geometry wings ; later versions dispensed with the swing wings and bubble canopy in favor of more precise maneuvering thrusters and canopy instrumentation . Its sleek yet rugged design was attributed to Seti Ashgad , a scientist in Incom ' s Hyperdrive Design Division . It was named after the Coromon headhunter , a predator native to the Coromon Islands on Fresia , the planet where Incom was headquartered . The Z - 95 was smaller in size than its successors : the Incom / Subpro ARC - 170 , designed during the Clone Wars , the clone Z - 95 starfighter , also made in the Clone Wars , and the Incom T - 65 X - wing , designed shortly before the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War . Though the Z - 95 still enjoyed considerable use in the years following the establishment of the New Republic , it was clearly outclassed by fighters developed in the decades since its original release . When compared to the T - 65 , it was slower , less maneuverable , had lighter armor and shielding , and was not as heavily armed . It was fairly inexpensive and reliable , making it a favorite amongst smugglers , Outer Rim organizations , local system defense forces , and bright - eyed youngsters with dreams of becoming fighter jockeys . Pirate groups such as the Nebula Front also used the Z - 95 . Also , despite the later T - 65 being more maneuverable , the Z - 95 was known to be able to perform a tighter turn . Owing to its longevity , it was not surprising that many variants of the Z - 95 came into existence due to the efforts of starship mechanics and hotrod pilots throughout the galaxy ; these included a split - wing version , a courier version that could accommodate a single passenger , variants with various alternative weapons loadouts , and a trainer version , the Z - 95XT Trainer , that was commonly used by the Rebel Alliance until replaced by the T - 65X , the trainer variant of the X - wing . Later model variants had the Zr - 390 navicomputer system from Narmox installed . History . Republic service . Originally , the Z - 95 was constructed by the Galactic Republic before the Clone Wars . The prototype for the Z - 95 was " Onyx Star " , developed at the Bahalian Shipyards . After Subpro and Incom ended their partnership , Incom reportedly bought the intellectual property rights and proprietary systems of the Z - 95 . One notable Z - 95 was the " Dicer " flown by the Bothan pilot Eelo Begraas around 31 BBY . He painted it red - on - black , a color scheme that was immediately identifiable to his opponents . Such was Begraas ' reputation that the mere sight of the Headhunter was enough to send many opposing pilots into hysterics . Nirama , crimelord of the Cularin system , used Z - 95s both as his sponsored ships for the races of Eskaron , and to provide armored transport to some of his main minions . One year before the start of the Clone Wars , Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi , while on a mission to Fondor , piloted a Z - 95 owned by Fondor ' s Senator Rodd to infiltrate and destroy a Groodo the Hutt - fabricated counterfeit of the ancient Corellia StarDrive transport , the " Sun Runner " . While successful in the task , he was forced to retrieve his Padawan Anakin Skywalker who , piloting a Rodd - owned CloakShape fighter , was forced to crash - land on the Fondorian jungle - moon Nallastia . A Headhunter variant , the clone Z - 95 starfighter , saw use during a Republic campaign to retake the planet Umbara . Also , Headhunters participated in the Outer Rim Sieges against the Confederacy of Independent Systems . After the war , the Z - 95 would fall into the hands of parties other than the newly - formed Galactic Empire , such as pirates and other underworld groups . Galactic Civil War . Though outdated by the time of the Galactic Civil War , Z - 95 Headhunters were well respected starfighters that were available to buy from various merchants , and were still in common use as late as the Second Galactic Civil War . Han Solo piloted an early model Z - 95 Mark I while leading the defense of an outlaw tech base in the Corporate Sector against CSA IRD - A fighters . However , by this period , they were considered obsolete compared to other fighters . The Rebellion used Z - 95t Headhunter s in close air support roles . The temporary Alliance covert squadron , Bandit Squadron , also used Z - 95s . The m ' Yalfor ' ac Order in Guiteica was also known to use these by - then obsolete fighters around 2 ABY . N ' dru Suhlak piloted a Z - 95 with an expanded cockpit to carry passengers . Mara Jade used a hyperdrive - equipped Headhunter during the Thrawn crisis . Her Headhunter had a single center - mounted ion cannon instead of the standard concussion missile launchers . Jaina Solo ' s first ship , " Crystal " , was also a Z - 95 Headhunter , and Jaden Korr flew a hyperdrive - equipped Headhunter named " Far Wanderer " on missions to different worlds such as Bakura , Hoth , and Korriban . Another prominent member of the New Republic to use a Headhunter was Tycho Celchu , during the reforming of Rogue Squadron ; however , the armaments were significantly weakened as at the time he was considered an Imperial spy . Five Headhunters were also used to great effect in the closing stages of the mission to retake Coruscant in 7 ABY , by Corran Horn , Erisi Dlarit , Rhysati Ynr , Pash Cracken , and Asyr Sei ' lar . The four Z - 95s that survived the conflict — Corran ' s was destroyed during his capture — were sold off to various museums to raise funds for Rogue Squadron ' s attack on Thyferra . Behind the scenes . Although the Z - 95 is a one - person ship , with N ' dru Suhlak ' s modified unit accepting one passenger , the RPGA adventure " Price of Business " featured a Z - 95 that took Len Markus and some other fifteen people from Genarius to Cularin . This might be a " heavily " modified ship , a typo ( there was one different Z - 95 in the same story ) , or poor research in part of the text author . In " " , the sign of the Z - 95 is used to represent the V - wing fighter . In " " , this is fixed . In the game " " , if the player enters HEADHUNT as a cheat code , the player can fly the Z - 95 during missions . For its appearance in the beginning with the episode " Darkness on Umbara , " the Headhunter was originally designated as a separate class , the " Z - 85 Headhunter . " This was later rectified in the episode ' s guide , which corrected the ship name to read simply " Headhunter , " giving no indication that the Headhunter in " The Clone Wars " was intended to be different from the original Z - 95 .