Missile Boat The Missile Boat was an advanced Imperial starfighter designed by Admiral Thrawn and built by Cygnus Spaceworks . Designed as a countermeasure against the rogue Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin and his supply of TIE Defenders , the Missile Boat was a descendant of the " Alpha " - class Xg - 1 Star Wing , also manufactured by Cygnus Spaceworks . The Missile Boat relied primarily on warheads for dogfighting and assaults , a notable difference from other Imperial starfighters , which relied more heavily on laser cannons . The Missile Boat also included an innovative propulsion feature known as the SubLight Acceleration Motor ( SLAM ) . Though they proved instrumental in the defeat of Zaarin ' s rogue faction and in executing Emperor Palpatine ' s plan to lead the Rebel Alliance to Endor , they were removed from Imperial Navy operations by the Emperor ' s own orders and were not seen in use after 4 ABY . Characteristics . The Missile Boat loosely resembled the general body style of its predecessor , the " Alpha " - class Xg - 1 Star Wing . The Missile Boat was ten meters in length with a bulky profile in comparison to the Star Wing , yet both models shared a pronounced fuselage with dorsal stabilizer , flanked by the craft ' s primary warhead launchers . The Missile Boat ' s second set of warhead launchers extended from pylons attached to the dorsal surface of the primary launchers . This secondary set rested at an angle reflexive to the lateral wings . Extremely uncommon among Imperial starfighters , portions of the pilot ' s flight data displays were located on the cockpit exterior . The deflector shield configuration and beam weapon displays were attached to the port and starboard nose surfaces , outside the cockpit , just forward of the viewports . The fighter had room for a single pilot and could carry up to 100 kilograms of cargo and consumables for up to three days . Weapons . The Missile Boat was armed with two high - capacity twin warhead launchers and a single nose - mounted laser cannon . The secondary pair of warhead launchers was exclusively assigned to carry a payload of concussion missiles , while the primary could be outfitted with an array of space - borne projectiles . Each individual launcher had a concussion missile capacity of twenty missiles , affording the Missile Boat a maximum load of eighty concussion missiles ; the primary launchers could alternatively hold fifteen proton torpedoes , ten heavy rockets , or five heavy space bombs . This immense warhead capacity greatly overshadowed the TIE Bomber and Assault Gunboat magazines by more than sixty missiles . By the time of its deployment , the Missile Boat was afforded the use of advanced concussion missile s and advanced proton torpedo es . These projectiles fielded larger payloads and increased agility than their predecessors . Advanced concussion missiles offered Missile Boat pilots the ability to suppress more advanced starfighters such as Rebel A - Wings and rogue TIE Defenders . The abundance of missiles led to the development of unorthodox tactics . Missile Boat pilots , armed exclusively for anti - starfighter work , often used advanced missiles as dumb - fire rockets against capital ships and space stations , supplementing their accompanying Assault Gunboats or TIE Bombers . Unlike their TIE pilot brethren , Missile Boat pilots could easily afford the use of missiles to overwhelm space station anti - warhead defensive systems , or defend targets from pursuing warheads . The most noteworthy weakness of the Missile Boat was its single laser cannon . Should the craft ' s warhead stores run empty , pilots were forced to dogfight with a single cannon . Dogfighting in general could be problematic due to the fact the that Missile Boat pilots had only a single cannon reserve from which energy could be transferred to deflector shields . However , this single laser cannon did fire faster and could charge to full capacity in just ninety seconds , a major improvement over other laser cannons found in Imperial fighters . Missile Boats were frequently equipped with a beam weapon system . The tractor beam was another tool the Missile Boat employed against TIE Defenders , robbing the Defender of its superior maneuverability and holding them on course while Missile Boat pilots attained missile locks . Alternatively , Missile Boats could be fitted with a jamming beam , a weapon that disrupted the fire - control systems of spacecraft , which allowed Missile Boats safer transit on bombing runs against capital ships . Propulsion . The Missile Boat was equipped with dual ion engines and a hyperdrive . Hyperdrive capability permitted the Missile Boat to compete with other advanced fighters of the era and assume multiple mission roles by operating independently of bases and carriers . The class 6 motivator , however , was slower than that of hyperdrive - equipped members of the competing TIE series , like the TIE Advanced x1 and TIE Defender . The Missile Boat was faster and more maneuverable than the Assault Gunboat , and its engines were also equipped with the new SubLight Acceleration Motor ( s ) . The SLAM was an overdrive system that drained laser cannon energy reserve to boost the craft ' s engines to 200 percent output . Comparable to the Alliance ' s A - wing , the Missile Boat boasted a respectable maximum cruising speed of 122 MGLT . A pilot competent in energy management could push the craft ' s speed beyond 250 MGLT using the SLAM system , up to a maximum of 426 MGLT with all power redirected to the engines . The Missile Boat could achieve acceleration of 21 MGLT / s and had a maximum atmospheric velocity of 1 , 150 km / h and a maneuverability rating of 91 DPF Shields and armor . While the defensive armor plating , rated at 19 RU , was less than that of many non - Imperial starfighters — comparable to that of all types of TIE fighters — the Missile Boat ' s deflector shields were heavily reinforced , rated at 120 SBD , even superior to those of the Alliance ' s B - wing starfighter . Role . The Missile Boat was specifically designed to counter the menacing TIE Defender . As byproducts of the space superiority role , shield and hyperdrive systems permitted the Missile Boat to assume various other starfighter roles . Missile Boats were used on several occasions as reconnaissance scouts to inspect enemy craft in distant systems . Considering the immense payload and deflector shield systems , the Missile Boat was also well suited as a heavy bomber , frequently inserted into enemy territory to destroy enemy capital ships . While these heavy bomber roles typically came with the assistance of fighter escorts , Missile Boats could operate autonomously in light of their dedicated concussion missile launchers , most appropriate for destroying enemy fighters . The Missile Boat was also frequently deployed on heavy assault missions . A major drawback to this role was the Missile Boat ' s lack of ion cannons . Missile Boats would be reliant on Assault Gunboats or TIE Defenders to disable mission critical craft for capture , thus making the Missile Boats responsible for the livelihood of the disabling craft . Training . As with most Imperial fighters , carrier craft provided simulators to train pilots in the use of the Missile Boat . Pilots would fly a time trial in a special training course to earn a certificate , then would move on to combat simulations . The training course was an enclosed tunnel system filled with obstacles and targets in which pilots would fly against the clock . While flying the course at top speed , the pilot would dodge the obstacles , as colliding with them would slow the vessel , and destroy any possible targets , as they would win bonus time for each target destroyed . After completing the time trials and earning a certificate , the pilot would enter a series of combat simulations , which were labeled as " historical missions , " indicating they were based on early uses of the Missile Boat . For completing all four scenarios , a pilot would be awarded a gold medallion . The first combat simulation for Missile Boat pilots was intended to introduce pilots to the main strengths of the craft , its dual warhead capacity and the SubLight Acceleration Motor system . The Missile Boat designated Mu 1 exited hyperspace thirteen kilometers from Rebel shuttle factory Organarms , armed with 20 heavy rockets and 40 advanced concussion missiles and equipped with a tractor beam . The factory was surrounded by a storage yard consisting of eight type - I containers labeled Xi and Pi and eight unshielded " Lambda " - class T - 4a shuttles from CST - red and CST - blue group . The pilot ' s mission was to destroy the facility and all the shuttles and containers . Utility Tug s " E 1 " and " E 2 " would launch as the Missile Boat approached and attempt to tow the shuttles into the containers , removing them from the scenario and denying the pilot his objective . The primary objective was approximately ninety seconds away from the hyperspace exit point , giving the pilot enough time to fully charge all the energy systems . The pilot was instructed to use advanced concussion missiles to eliminate the facility ' s anti - warhead defenses , aided by using the SLAM system while launching the missiles , as the ship ' s speed was added to the missiles ' own propulsion . The pilot would then switch to the secondary warhead load , and destroy the factory completely with heavy rockets . The facility would launch four Z - 95 Headhunters for defense . To achieve perfect execution of the mission , the pilot would destroy all the tugs before they could remove the shuttles , then destroy the factory , the shuttles , and the containers . For a further challenge , the pilot could also destroy the relief convoy consisting of four BFF - 1 bulk freighter s in " Atrivis Day " group carrying raw materials , four freighters in " Rimrunner " group carrying coolant , three modular conveyor s in " Altar Moon " group , carrying Tibanna gas and container transport " Kempman " carrying metanol , which arrived shortly after completing the primary objective . Imperial " Strike " - class cruiser " Arjun " would arrive at approximately the same time and launch combat utility vehicle " Arjun Jr . " to reload the Missile Boat ' s munitions . A particularly ambitious pilot would also destroy the relief freighters ' escort group , consisting of A - wings , B - wings , X - wings , Y - wings , and the EF76 Nebulon - B escort frigate " Dahome " . The second simulation in the historical mission sequence taught Missile Boat pilots to use the SLAM system and concussion missiles to intercept enemy warheads . A secondary purpose of this mission was to introduce the pilot to combat against Imperial craft with the Missile Boat , one of the craft ' s original design objectives . Mu 1 entered the area near weapons factory SpecWar Fab armed with 30 advanced proton torpedoes and 40 advanced concussion missiles and equipped with a tractor beam . The Missile Boat was required to defend the facility against a staggered crescent wave attack formation of nine " Delta " - class DX - 9 stormtrooper transports from " Samol " group . Allied container transport " Silver Bull " had to dock with VIP shuttle " Aluma " to transfer a scientist , and the shuttle and transport both had to be defended until completing their missions . The " Samol " group transports attacked the facility and the " Silver Bull " - " Aluma " rendezvous with inertial space bombs and heavy rockets , and the lone Missile Boat was expected to destroy all the enemy warheads by launching a single concussion missile at each . After all nine " Samol " transports were destroyed , waves of Rebel fighters would begin entering the area to continue the assault . Four Y - wings would exit hyperspace first , followed by four X - wings , then six B - wings , and finally a pair of A - wings broadcasting Rogue Squadron identifiers . After the Rebel fighters were all eliminated , a pair of Grand Admiral Zaarin ' s " Gamma " - class ATR - 6 assault transports armed with heavy rockets and a pair of TIE Defenders armed with space bombs arrived to stage their own assault on the container transport . The factory was able to provide two TIE / LN starfighter s for support if Mu 1 called for reinforcements , but the TIEs would ideally not be required , and a perfect simulation would take approximately sixteen minutes . The briefing officer informed Maarek Stele that the importance of this mission was so great that , had he failed it in actual combat , the original pilot would likely have faced execution . The third Missile Boat combat simulation was the first one in which the pilot operated with a wingman in a second Missile Boat . The objective of this mission was to allow the pilot to learn how to operate in a team to eliminate an enemy minefield . Missile Boats designated Tau 1 and Tau 2 exited hyperspace near Rebel type B ion cannon minefield M2 , which had ensnared " Assassin " - class modified corvettes " Dagger 1 " , which was transporting torpedoes , and " Dagger 2 " , which was transporting TIE series starfighter parts . Both Missile Boats were equipped with 40 advanced concussion missiles and 10 space bombs but were not equipped with beam weapon systems . The simulated wingman was operated with the highest level AI the simulation could provide . The Missile Boats set out to destroy the mines with lasers or missiles , and Mu 2 had orders to immediately attack any target Mu 1 designated . The Missile Boat ' s sole laser was the weapon of choice , as the mines had the ability to shoot down concussion missiles if they detected a weapon lock , but missiles fired without guidance could be successfully used as well . An expert pilot would be able to clear the minefield surrounding the first corvette in under fifty seconds . After a minute in the simulation , the Missile Boats would be joined by stormtrooper transport " Omega " to provide weapon reloads . Approximately the same time , when an ace pilot would be about to finish off the mines surrounding the second corvette , the Rebel MC40a light cruiser " Planka " would arrive to claim the ships their minefield had caught . The Rebel cruiser launched a group of five Y - wings , then four B - wings , all targeting the corvettes with proton torpedoes . Tau 1 was directed to temporarily abandon the mine - clearing operation to intercept the Rebel fighters . In response , the Rebel cruiser launched a pair of Z - 95 Headhunters and then two A - wings against the Missile Boats themselves . After the Imperial ships eliminated the Y - wing and B - wing strike force , four X - wings went after the Imperial corvettes . Tau 2 would continue clearing mines , and after the mines were all removed , assault transport " Omega " would arrive to repair the corvettes . If this occurred while the Rebel fighters were still present , Tau 1 and 2 would defend the Imperial transports . After the Rebel fighters were all destroyed , the two Missile Boats attacked the Rebel cruiser . As the hull of the Calamari cruiser was pummeled by Imperial weapons , the officers of the ship fled in the two " Lambda " - class shuttles of " Lacoda " group , which , in an ideal mission , the Imperial pilots would also destroy . An optimal scenario would be completed at about nine minutes and thirty seconds from the Missile Boats ' arrival , with the departure of the " Dagger " group . The simulator pilot then had the option of dogfighting Rebel fighters that arrived after the battle for bonus points . The final simulated Missile Boat combat mission allowed the pilot to experience the role the Missile Boat was explicitly created for , dogfighting TIE Defenders . Missile Boats Tau 1 and Tau 2 were each armed with 30 advanced proton torpedoes , 30 advanced concussion missiles , and a tractor beam . Stormtrooper transport " Omega " was standing by to reload the Missile Boats if needed . The Missile Boats exited hyperspace heading for a small staging area with four inactive TIE Defenders from " Baker " group and four from " Charly " group . Within the perimeter formed by " Baker " and " Charly " were four containers each from " Duce " group , containing TIE Defender parts , and " Domm " group , containing TIE Defender parts and crew quarters . Inspecting " Duce " and " Domm " would score bonus points and destroying them was a secondary objective , but the Tau pilots were instructed to hold off on their destruction until after completing the primary goals , as their loss would trigger the arrival of enemy reinforcements . The area was patrolled by four TIE Defenders from " Rover " group , and container transport " Thor " was nearby , offloading " Delta " - class JV - 7 escort shuttles from " Thoret " group containing pilots for the inactive TIE Defenders . If the pilot manning the simulator was tactically smart , he would immediately eliminate " Thor " and the three shuttles it launched to score bonus points and keep the inactive TIE Defenders out of the game . To fulfill the primary mission objective , Tau 1 and 2 would then eliminate all the TIE Defenders which were in the area when they entered . After all eight TIE Defenders were destroyed , modified corvette " Holdon " and two CR90 corvettes from " Xtram " group would enter the area . Destroying them would also score bonus points , and would ideally have been done before destroying " Domm " and " Duce " groups . After the destruction of the central containers , the enemy Strike Cruiser " Yllama " would enter the area and immediately launch eight R - 41 Starchaser s and two Z - 95 Headhunters . They would be followed by the arrival from hyperspace of eight TIE / ad starfighter s . If the simulator pilot was sufficiently skilled , he would eliminate all enemy fighters for maximum points . History . Cygnus Spaceworks developed the Missile Boat during the Galactic Civil War as a dominantly projectile - weapon - based platform to counter the most advanced starfighters of the day . The advent of the Missile Boat was the result of a chain of events put into motion by the technologically - driven Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin , a highly respected officer in the Imperial Navy . Like many other noteworthy Imperial officers , Zaarin sought to increase his power ; unlike most of those officers , he chose to stage a coup against Emperor Palpatine , pitting himself against Admiral Thrawn and the rest of the Imperial Navy . While planning the Rebel Alliance ' s ultimate defeat at the Battle of Endor , the Emperor ordered Thrawn to pursue and destroy Zaarin and his advanced TIE starfighters . Zaarin ' s defection posed a great danger to the Empire , as he possessed superior Imperial starfighters like the TIE Avenger and TIE Defender . Knowing this , Thrawn collaborated with Cygnus Spaceworks to design a new starfighter to counter the threat of Zaarin ' s treachery ; the Missile Boat was the offspring of this collaboration . The Missile Boat ' s debut was during Thrawn ' s campaign to police various factions who mysteriously came into possession of TIE Defenders . The Missile Boat ' s first combat mission , flown by Imperial ace Maarek Stele , was to lead an assault on the Nami " Strike " - class cruiser " Nuance " , which was carrying an arms merchant who planned to sell TIE Defenders to the Rebel Alliance . Following this sortie , a lone Missile Boat was responsible for the destruction of three " Carrack " - class cruisers on a mission to wrest captured TIE Defenders from Thrawn ' s grasp . The Missile Boat accomplished this mission with only a squadron of TIE Fighters as cover . With the Rebel strike force destroyed , another solo Missile Boat was utilized to destroy a TIE Defender factory controlled by the Nami pirate Ali Tarrak . Upon completion of a campaign to rid secondary forces of their TIE Defender possessions , Thrawn utilized the Missile Boat on a direct campaign against the rogue Zaarin . The Missile Boat was used extensively to raid Zaarin ' s supply convoys and defend loyal Imperial forces against attacks by Zaarin ' s rogue forces . During this campaign , Missile Boats were frequently employed as bait for the technologically greedy Zaarin . Missile Boats were responsible for protecting convoys from Zaarin ' s raiders — on one occasion , protecting a convoy carrying actual Missile Boats and on another , a decoy convoy meant to entrap Zaarin . Moreover , Missile Boat pilots were specifically instructed not to permit the capture of the new Missile Boat ; the Missile Boat would not even be deployed , they were told , if not for the dire circumstances facing the Empire . In addition , during this campaign , Missile Boats were instrumental in the protection of the cloaking shield project aboard the CR90 corvette " Vorknkx " . Research personnel were quite shocked by the arrival of only a single fighter , but stated that there were rumors about its prowess . The Missile Boat designated " Mu 1 " , along with two scout craft , faced off against Nebulon - B2 frigate " Z - Borus " and its compliment of TIE Bombers and Interceptors . As the battle progressed , Zaarin brought more of his TIE Avengers to bear down on the research facility . Failing at their initial attempt to capture the facility , Zaarin ' s forces followed up the previous sortie with a larger onslaught of three " Carrack " - class cruisers and assault transports , all the while aided by traitorous TIE Defenders . A lone Missile Boat , backed by escort transports , repelled this intense attack , while the Muurian transport " Shadow " docked with the " Vorknkx " to enable its hyperdrive . Despite all efforts by Missile Boat pilots , the Empire was forced to evacuate the research platforms V1 and V2 , but the " Vorknkx " was safeguarded and escaped to hyperspace . During Thrawn ' s campaign against Zaarin , Darth Vader also employed Missile Boats in his campaign leading up to the Battle of Endor , involving the Bothan spies . Missile Boats were responsible for destroying a Bothan " Dreadnaught " - class cruiser attempting to transfer information to the Rebellion , performing raids and reconnaissance on the Rebel buildup , and wearing down the Alliance starship reserves prior to the battle . While Mon Mothma was not referring to the Missile Boat when she spoke of the Bothan sacrifice , Bothan blood was spilled at the hands of Missile Boat pilots . The Missile Boat played a key role defending the Emperor himself , perhaps the most prominent of its accomplishments . Immediately following Darth Vader ' s preliminary arrangements for the impending battle at Endor , Emperor Palpatine boarded his private passenger liner " Excalibur " , en route to Endor . During its voyage , it came under attack by more of Zaarin ' s traitor forces . Maarek Stele and his Missile Boat , escorted by TIE Avengers , repelled an attack composed of the " Victory " - class Star Destroyer " Zeplin " , the Nebulon - B frigate " Kimik " , and a number of " Assassin " - class corvettes . With the Missile Boat having thwarted the bulk of the attack force , the " Excalibur " escaped into hyperspace . After Darth Vader ' s strategic campaign against the Bothans , Admiral Zaarin became privy to the Emperor ' s plot to destroy the Rebels . While Zaarin too detested the Rebellion , his henchman , Namuura Din , sought to defect to it . Missile Boats played a role in the capture of Namuura Din and his flagship , the " Victory " - class Star Destroyer " Zeplin " ; moreover , Missile Boats were responsible for the inspection of a Rebel craft carrying a stolen Missile Boat , dubbed " Sealion " , and information concerning the operational status of the second Death Star . Upon this discovery , the Empire was faced with the perilous task of retrieving this classified information . Missile Boats led an assault on the Rebel cruiser " Link " , which was carrying the stolen Missile Boat ; although Imperial forces captured the Rebel cruiser , the captured craft escaped , but was quickly located on the Rebel XQ4 Platform Enin ' sd . In what would prove to be their last sortie , Missile Boats facilitated the capture of the Rebel platform and the stolen Missile Boat . An inspection of the " Sealion " confirmed that the Rebels had insufficient time to reverse engineer the Missile Boat and expose its secrets . Despite this fact , the Emperor deemed the loss of the Missile Boat too great a threat to his elaborate plans to crush the Rebel Alliance due to Zaarin ' s usage of the vehicles as well as many of the Missile Boat manufacturing plants having been destroyed by bombings issued by Zaarin himself , killing thousands of innocents in the process ; thus it was ordered that all Missile Boats would be put into protected storage until the Rebel " problem " was solved . The Emperor ' s recall order was never rescinded after his death at Endor . Following the death of the attempted usurper , Imperial Missile Boats were never again seen in combat . As an experimental craft , the Missile Boat never achieved fruition as a result of the Emperor ' s recall . Training facilities had begun training elite pilots to form a new Missile Boat unit , from which some anticipated impressive results ; this was subsequently halted by the Emperor ' s command . Maarek Stele , however , was among the small number of pilots who were known to have piloted the Missile Boat . One of the few innovations of the Missile Boat program that would see later use was , ironically , deployed by the New Republic rather than the fragmentary remnants of the Empire . The SLAM overdrive system was used by Koensayr Manufacturing on the BTL - S8 K - wing bomber — many of which were carried on the " Viscount " - class Star Defenders that the New Republic sent against the Imperial Remnant . Behind the scenes . The Missile Boat was first introduced in " " as part of the " Defender of the Empire " campaign set , intended as a counter to the TIE Defender which was introduced earlier on . The Missile Boat serves as part of the escalation of tactics between loyal and traitorous Imperial forces , in which the player character , Maarek Stele , is forced to fight those he had earlier served with . The appearance of the Missile Boat differs significantly from " Star Wars : TIE Fighter " to " " . In its original appearance in the earlier game , the Missile Boat appeared sleeker and more aggressively contoured . Yet in the later display , the Missile Boat bears a stronger resemblance to the " Lambda " - class shuttle . The version of " TIE Fighter " for , as included with " X - Wing Collector Series " and " X - Wing Trilogy " , seems to be the first appearance of a major change to the body style , carried on to X - Wing Alliance in its later release . The reason for this inconsistency remains unknown , and both body styles have been officially rendered independently of a video game . Some of the fighter ' s statistics also varied between the two games . In the original release of " TIE Fighter " , the Missile Boat ' s length is given as fifteen meters . This was amended to ten meters in the later Windows 95 release . Both versions of " TIE Fighter " give the Missile Boat a top speed of 125 MGLT and a hull rating of 20 RU . These were changed to 122 MGLT and 19 RU in " X - Wing Alliance " . This article uses the figures given in the most recent sources . Although this craft was initially left out of the multiplayer - oriented game " " for the sake of balance , the game data files still have an entry for the craft library which reads , " This is the King Hell God Emperor Starfighter of Death and you can ' t fly it yet ! " The Missile Boat was finally included in " X - Wing Alliance " , but was not in any story missions despite the timeframe coinciding with " TIE Fighter " . The fighter was only available in multiplayer , and the SLAM overdrive was not implemented . In all its appearances , the Missile Boat is considered by some fans to be a quintessential example of " missile spam . " Conforming to the standard Imperial doctrine of naming starfighter flight groups by the Greek alphabet , the Missile Boat also shared the designations " " Tau " " and " " Mu " " with the Assault Gunboat , which had some of the same letters in its callsign ( i . e . " Tau 1 " , " Mu 1 " ) . Fan - created references often refer to the Missile Boat as the " XM - 1 Nova Wing , " but a thorough search of official , unmodified source materials reveals no such nomenclature .