TIE / D Defender The TIE / D Defender , commonly known as the TIE Defender , was an advanced experimental TIE line starfighter manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems for the Imperial Navy of the Galactic Empire . Unlike previous TIE models , the starfighter featured a hyperdrive as well as deflector shield s , and was easily recognized by its three wings mounted around an aft section of the cockpit . These specifications made the fighter much more difficult to destroy than standard TIE fighters . The TIE Defender was considered a fighter - bomber ; it was armed with heavy cannon s and missile s . The ship was introduced as a result of Grand Admiral Thrawn ' s new fighter initiative at the Imperial Factory on Lothal in the year 2 BBY , launched to deal with the growing rebel threat , and was supported by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin . Although it never saw widespread use , many of its design features were later incorporated into the First Order TIE / sf space superiority fighter and TIE / vn space superiority fighter . Characteristics . Like the rest of the TIE line starfighter s , the TIE / D Defender featured a ball - shaped cockpit module and solar array wings . However , while the standard TIE / ln space superiority starfighter and many other TIE variants , including the TIE / IN interceptor and the TIE Advanced x1 , had two parallel wings to either side of the pilot module , the TIE / D Defender had three wings mounted around an aft section of the cockpit . It also included deflector shield s and a hyperdrive , new features for TIE fighters . The fighter was too fast for Y - wing starfighters and armed with six heavy laser cannon s and missile s — causing high damage over a moderate area . Some TIE / Ds featured red markings on their wings , similar to some elite TIE interceptor s . As development of the TIE Defender progressed , a new , faster and stronger variant was produced , which was classified as the TIE Defender Elite , with the prototype being tested by Commander Vult Skerris . The speed and maneuverability of this craft was drastically increased compared to the earlier Defender prototypes , along with stronger shields , better hyperdrive , and the addition of a warhead launcher capable of firing up to six missiles . History . Thrawn ' s new fighter initiative . In the year 2 BBY , the Galactic Empire , at the instigation of Grand Admiral Thrawn , began preparations to mass produce TIE Defenders at the Imperial Factory on the planet Lothal . With the help of Ryder Azadi ' s Lothal resistance , the Spectres stole the starfighter ' s schematics . Upon seeing the Defender ' s specifications , Captain Hera Syndulla of Phoenix Cell feared that if the Empire were to mass produce them , their pilots wouldn ' t have a chance against them . Thrawn ' s project was supported by high - ranking Imperial officials , such as Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and Emperor Palpatine . Although most of the Empire ' s R & D funding was tied up in Project " Stardust " , supervised by Director Orson Krennic , Tarkin and other Imperial leaders had become dissatisfied with its progress , which had turned into a costly operation while yielding little results . This allowed Thrawn and Tarkin to acquire the funding necessary to begin production of the TIE Defender on Lothal . Chasing Senator Mon Mothma . Thrawn ' s fighter initiative was able to produce a prototype for the TIE Defender in a short amount of time , and it was first used during a mission to capture the rebel senator Mon Mothma . The " Ghost " crew transport ed the senator through the Archeon Nebula to avoid Imperial capital ship s . Thrawn then tasked the TIE fighter pilot Vult Skerris to pilot the prototype and flush the rebels out into the open , with the assistance of two TIE Interceptors . The experimental fighter proved to be very effective against the rebel pilots , as Skerris easily destroyed three Y - wing starfighter s of Gold Squadron . The rebels then attempted to defeat Skerris by getting close to a forming star in the nebula , but the ship was able to withstand the extreme temperature which burned up the TIE Interceptors . Eventually , the rebel pilots Ezra Bridger and Jon " Dutch " Vander managed to disable the prototype and escape by hitting the ship with an ion cannon . A new prototype . Later , in 1 BBY , a new prototype , the TIE / D Defender Elite , was produced on Lothal . This model had superior speed , maneuverability , shields , and weapons . One TIE Defender Elite was stolen by members of the Spectres , who had recently returned to Lothal . Thrawn activated the TIE ' s kill switch , causing the ship to crash , however the Spectres were able to salvage the ship ' s hyperdrive and flight data recorder . Eventually , the flight data recorder made its way to the Rebel Alliance and they decided to launch an attack on Lothal . In the ensuing battle , another TIE Defender Elite was used by Skerris , but was shot down by the rebels and crashed into a " Arquitens " - class command cruiser , which in turn crashed into the bridge tower of a " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer . Project in peril . After the failed attack on Lothal and the capture of General Hera Syndulla , Tarkin contacted Thrawn , telling him that Krennic had been arguing strongly in favour of his project and that the TIE Defender program ' s funding was at risk of being pulled away to fund the continued construction of the Death Star . In order to persuade the Emperor to continue supporting the TIE Defender , Tarkin arranged a meeting with the Emperor for Thrawn , who immediately left for Coruscant . Soon after his depature , a rescue of Syndulla was attempted by the remaining rebels on the planet . Although Lothal Governor Arihnda Pryce was successful in cornering the rebels as they made their escape through the factory ' s fuel depot , her determination to stop them let her to order the destruction of the depot . The resulting explosion resulted in the death of rebel leader and Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus , dealing a crippling blow to the rebels but an even bigger one to the Empire . With the fuel depot destroyed , the factory was instantly shut down and production of the TIE / D Defenders was brought to an indefinite halt . With the production halted , the funding for the Defender was instead given to Project " Stardust " . Galactic Civil War . The Empire was nonetheless able to squeeze out several TIE Defenders from the assembly line for some engagements of the Galactic Civil War , such as the Battle of Hoth . At least one Defender flew during the Battle of Jakku and was destroyed , crashing into the Graveyard of Giants . Legacy . Although the TIE / D never saw widespread use during the Galactic Civil War , its nature would be revived by First Order tacticians who saw it as a versatile attack craft to throw at New Republic forces . Many of its features were incorporated into the TIE / sf space superiority fighter , which were later refined in the TIE / vn space superiority fighter . Behind the scenes . The TIE / D Defender originated in the " Star Wars " Legends video game " " by LucasArts , where it was depicted as the top - of - the - line Imperial fighter model , released in July 1994 . The fighter was incorporated into canon upon its inclusion in the mobile strategy game " " in late November 2014 . Additionally , it was later included in the " Star Wars Battlefront " video game as a vehicle power - up , along with the release of the Death Star expansion pack . The TIE Defender was also featured in the third season of " Star Wars Rebels " animated television series , as the fighter ' s schematics appeared in " An Inside Man " ( the tenth episode ) , and the fighter itself later appeared in " Secret Cargo " ( the eighteenth episode ) . According to the " Rebels " crew , the Defender had seemed a philosophical departure for the Empire , pouring such resources into a small fighter craft , but with a rather unconventional Imperial like Thrawn backing the project , it made sense for them to introduce the fighter into the show .