Gamma - class assault shuttle The " Gamma " - class assault shuttle was an Imperial shuttle used to ferry spacetroopers into battle . Characteristics . In a standard operation , a " Gamma " - class assault shuttle would pull up near an enemy ship and take hold of it with either its tractor beam or power harpoon . It would then launch its spacetroopers to seize control of the vessel , sometimes crippling the ship beforehand with a few well - placed turbolaser shots . These ships were composed of three sections . The first section was the command crew cockpit , where a crew of five not only controlled the shuttle , but monitored its spacetroopers as well . The second section , the main body , was where the spacetroopers were carried . There were forty holding compartments for spacetrooper armor , enough for an entire platoon . While being stored in the assault shuttle , the spacetroopers ' power armor was constantly being recharged . Each compartment was equipped with a fold - away door , allowing the shuttle to quickly launch its troopers into space . To protect its valuable cargo of elite spacetroopers , assault shuttles were very well shielded . Unlike most combat ships , which devoted 25 % of their power to shields , the shields of a " Gamma " - class assault shuttle took up a full 62 % of its power , with over half of that directed to the ship ' s front arc . This allowed assault shuttles to withstand heavy damage as they pulled up near hostile ships . " Gamma " - class assault shuttles were both atmosphere and space capable . They were equipped with Class 2 hyperdrives ( Class 18 backup ) . However , their capability for hyperspace travel was limited , because their nav computers could only hold enough data for three jumps . History . Most " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers and other large warships carried at least one " Gamma " - class assault shuttle as well as the corresponding spacetrooper platoon . Additional assault shuttles were given out as needed and available . In 1 BBY , a " Gamma " - class assault shuttle pursued a Rebel freighter carrying stolen Imperial fuel slugs from the jungles of Oulanne to the space city Pellezara station in the Duro system . The seventeen - year - old Tarrin Datch took control of the fugitive Rebel ship , outmaneuvering the shuttle through heavy traffic until it could escape into hyperspace . Behind the scenes . " Gamma " - class assault shuttles were first described in the West End Games publication " Imperial Sourcebook " . A similar but distinct ship , the " Gamma " - class ATR - 6 assault transport , appeared in the " " series of computer games . At first , it was unclear whether the assault transport was intended to be the same thing as the assault shuttle , because the games were known to use alternate models and statistics for a number of ships . However , both the assault shuttle and assault transport appeared in " " , proving that they were separate ships . Unlike the Gamma shuttle , the ATR - 6 has not been seen in sources outside the " X - wing " games . " X - wing Alliance " also depicts the " Gamma " - class shuttle using an ion cannon in a cutscene . It is not known if this is an error , or if this is a variant or retrofit . The original " Imperial Sourcebook " did not give the ships any backup hyperdrives . The second edition of the " Imperial Sourcebook " called the weapons on the assault shuttle " KT6 heavy blaster cannon s " and gave the ships Class 18 backup hyperdrives . " Starships of the Galaxy " redesignated their guns into " turbolasers . "