TIE Series The TIE Series was a series of starfighters and vehicles designed by Sienar Fleet Systems . Characteristics . Design . TIE series starfighters shared a general design form of a roughly spherical or cylindrical cockpit pod attached to a set of solar panels , with their overall shape resembling a bow tie apparel ( thus acting as a partial namesake ) . The cockpit and panels could be supplemented by other modules for ordnance or other functions . Their overall design bore a large resemblance to the Human eye , which led to several members of the Rebel Alliance , including those of Rogue Squadron , to give them nicknames relating to eyes ( such as " eyeball " for TIE / LN starfighter s , " squints " for TIE / IN interceptors , " dupes " for TIE / sa bombers , and " brights " for the TIE Advanced series of starfighters , respectively ) . This design form carried over to the non - starfighter products , with the standard cockpit module used in the center of a land or sea vessel . The cockpit of a TIE was neither spacious nor luxurious , even when compared to other starfighters . A TIE fighter was designed with the bare minimum a ship needed to function , being essentially nothing more than a cockpit with weapons on the front and an engine in the rear . This simplicity in design made them both quick and inexpensive to build and replace . Technology . The TIE series derived its name from the SIE - TIE twin ion engine , which was unveiled to the public by Raith Sienar in 22 BBY . Prototypes of TIE series starfighters may have been tested as early as 29 BBY . TIE fighters were used on Imperial " Victory " - class Star Destroyers , such as the " Strikefast " as early as 19 BBY , one week after the Empire was formed . At first , the launching systems often suffered from failures , and had to undergo several redesigns . Because of the nature of their engines , the TIE series also had a distinct sound uttered whenever they flew about . All TIE series starfighters had two or more ion engine outlets , linked to a solar ionization reactor and solar array wings . Except for advanced models , TIE series vessels were not generally equipped with hyperdrives , but they could be added as an option . Early TIE models tended to suffer noticeably in sublight performance if given this upgrade , due to the added mass of the hyperdrive and navicomputer systems . Apparently not all TIEs were equipped with a missile lock warning sensor to warn a pilot of an enemy missile lock , though many were . Combat capabilities . Ships in the TIE series were usually armed with one or more laser cannons , two being the standard . More advanced fighters were equipped with a variety of warhead launchers , and the TIE Avenger and TIE Defender could be fitted with a small - scale tractor beam . Very few TIE starfighters were equipped with combat shielding , though they were included on the Avenger and Defender and could be retrofitted onto most TIE types . This lack of shielding was a factor toward the TIEs extreme speed . Retrofitting of this type was fairly common in the New Republic era , as ships and manpower became more valuable to Imperial forces . In 40 ABY , during the start of the Second Galactic Civil War , the " Aleph " - class starfighter was produced by Sienar for the Galactic Alliance ' s Navy . Like its predecessors , the " Aleph " had a ball - shaped cockpit pod which was larger than that of a standard TIE variant . However , it was designed as a two - seater complete with an astromech droid socket and more weapons . The Galactic Empire continued to utilize TIE designs , such as the " Predator " - class fighter used around 130 ABY . Behind the scenes . Though the term " TIE Fighter " was coined because George Lucas thought they looked like bow ties , the is a real - life type of spacecraft propulsion , and publicity surrounding the launch of the SMART - 1 spacecraft , particularly the shuttle Smart - 1 , likened its ion thruster to the propulsion systems of a TIE Fighter . Taking this comparison further , a number of canon sources describe the large vertical wings of a TIE as something like the typically used to power real - life ion - drives : terms like " solar arrays " or " solar gather panels " are used to describe the TIEs ' wings , and it is explicitly said that they draw on the energy of starlight and play at least a partial role in powering the engines . Many fans have disagreed with this information , on the grounds that the power output of solar panels would not be sufficient to give TIEs the acceleration attributed to them , particularly given that TIEs have never been indicated to suffer reduced performance in interstellar space or when flying at night on a planet . Some seek to discard the " solar panel " idea altogether , and the wings of the prequel - era forerunners of the TIE , " Scimitar " and Advanced Projects prototype , have been identified instead as radiator assemblages for waste heat from a conventional Star Wars reactor core . Other fans are reluctant to dismiss any canon material , offering the alternative explanation that mass - lightening technology ( which should be possible with the mastery of artificial gravity , repulsorlift devices , inertial compensators and gravity - well generators in the GFFA ) may make such low - powered drives practicable , and suggesting that if the wings of production - model TIEs retain a radiator function , this operates alongside their primary role as solar arrays . Yet other fans prefer different ideas — for instance , the theory that the small nozzles at the back of the cockpit are simply heat exhausts , and the wing panels are themselves some sort of particle thrusters , with thrust in different directions from different sections giving them their incredible maneuverability . Another issue that is widely questioned is the lack of shielding on TIE fighters , as it is felt that all TIE series starfighters must at least have some form of shielding against space debris . The most common explanation ( and probably most logical ) is that while all fighters have particle shields , most were not equipped with energy shields . The TIE series ' trademark roaring sounds when undergoing flight were derived from mixing an elephant ' s screams with a car driving on a wet road . The sound was also created by accident : Ben Burtt was initially tasked with creating a sound similar to those of Nazi rockets in a BBC documentary of the Battle of Stalingrad that George Lucas had watched earlier , and resorted to drawing out an elephant ' s cry from the 1958 film " The Roots of Heaven " and then doing the aforementioned mixture . Joe Johnston also noted that it sounded similar to the Nazis ' Junker JU - 87 dive planes .