Dusty Duck The Dusty Duck was a light freighter designed by and utilized by Neeamesh Dym , a Pa ' lowick smuggler residing on Nar Shaddaa during the Republic Classic era . The craft was notoriously unreliable , would often sputter to a halt in space , and made involuntary and abrupt descents to many barren worlds . The smuggler was assisted in his piloting by his daughter , Aneesa Dym . When the elder Dym was murdered by a client , Aneesa became the sole owner of the craft . She took the " Dusty Duck " on a pan - galactic hunt for her father ' s killer . Eventually , her quarry was killed by Rango Tel , an aspiring but inexperienced bounty hunter from Sernpidal . As a sign of gratitude , she gave Tel her ship and offered him her services as a pilot . He agreed , and together they set off on a search for Tel ' s next target , Kam Nale . Nale proved elusive , but the pair eventually tracked him to Mos Espa , Tatooine . While Dym had a set of DUM - series pit droids maintain the ship , Tel hunted his quarry and was killed in the process . The Pa ' lowick , not knowing her friend ' s fate , was murdered on the same day by Darth Maul , a Sith Lord who had been hunting Queen Amidala of Naboo , and had thought that the " Dusty Duck " was the monarch ' s transport . The ship would remain parked outside Mos Espa for the rest of its days . Characteristics . The " Dusty Duck " was not a very reliable craft , and would often come to a halt in the dead of space . It was also notoriously rough in landing , and was large for a ship of its class . The sand - colored craft rested upon three large legs when landed . History . Early use . The " Dusty Duck " was a custom made light freighter designed by a Pa ' lowick smuggler by the name of Neeamesh Dym , who resided on Nar Shaddaa , the Smuggler ' s Moon . The ship constantly failed Dym , who named her for both her unreliability and for a waterfowl from the Chommell sector planet of Naboo . In piloting his ship , Dym was assisted by his daughter , Aneesa . Aneesa became the sole owner of the ship when a disgruntled customer stabbed her father in the back . She used the " Dusty Duck " to search for the being that had orphaned her , taking the craft across the galaxy to many remote and obscure worlds . On Sernpidal , the armored bounty hunter Rango Tel killed the elder Dym ' s murderer in a cantina brawl , and the young Pa ' lowick offered the hunter her gratitude , her admiration , and her services as a pilot . She gave Tel the " Dusty Duck " , in addition to the bounty she had placed on the head of her father ' s murderer . The inexperienced Tel chose to take a bounty on the head of crime family heir Kam Nale , and , along with Dym , searched relentlessly for his quarry in the " Dusty Duck " . Nale , who used a variety of aliases and fronts , was difficult to track , but the duo eventually located him on Tatooine . Dym landed the " Dusty Duck " just outside Mos Espa , and she set her newly purchased DUM - series pit droid about repairing the craft while Tel ventured into the city in his search for Nale . Ghost ship . The Sith Lord Darth Maul , who was on Tatooine hunting for the fugitive Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo , had sent his DRK - 1 Dark Eye probe droids across the deserts , hoping to pinpoint the location of his quarry . One of them had spotted Qui - Gon Jinn , a Jedi Knight defending Amidala , and a newly freed slave boy , Anakin Skywalker , departing Mos Espa and heading in the general direction of the " Dusty Duck " . Before Maul could determine that the dilapidated freighter was not Jinn ' s destination , the Jedi destroyed the probe droid . Assuming that Jinn had continued on his course to the " Dusty Duck " , Maul boarded the craft , demanding that Dym reveal the location of his target . The Pa ' lowick had no idea as to what the Sith Lord was talking about , and as a result , Maul murdered her . The same day , Kam Nale gunned down Rango Tel in a Mos Espa alleyway , leaving the " Dusty Duck " without a pilot or an owner . With no one to countermand their orders , the pit droids simply continued their work on the freighter . They were able to rebuild the ship to perfection , but over the years the " Dusty Duck " became the subject of local ghost stories and fables . It would never fly again . Behind the scenes . The ship eventually dubbed " " Dusty Duck " " was first shown in a scene deleted from George Lucas ' . The craft was later elaborated on by Greg Mitchell ( writing as " Hedec Ga " ) through the StarWars . com feature , " What ' s The Story ? . " Instead of choosing a more official , numbered name for the ship , Mitchell chose to model the moniker on the recurring theme of " Star Wars " craft being named after avians , such as the " Millennium Falcon " , the " Moldy Crow " , or the " Ebon Hawk " . In addition to this , Mitchell paid homage to the running gag of ducks featuring in " Star Wars " material . Mitchell also tied the ship ' s story into the pre - existing one of Rango Tel , which had been established by Aaron Sinner early in the " What ' s The Story ? " run . In doing that , Mitchell hoped to help create a " mythos within a mythos " of " What ' s the Story ? " entries , much like some of the other participating authors . Originally , the entry had featured Darth Maul hunting for Anakin Skywalker , the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy , but the text was changed during editing . In the final version , Maul is hunting for the Jedi instead . Mitchell , as a horror writer , liked the idea of adding an urban legend to the " Star Wars " saga , prompting him to make the " Dusty Duck " the subject of a ghost story within the fictional universe . In the fan magazine " Star Wars Outsider " , Mitchell further fleshed out the story of the ship and the Dym family in the short story entitled " The Smuggler ' s Daughter " . The Databank entry would rank at number seventy - one in " The 100 Greatest Things About " Star Wars " . . . Ever ! " , a list of the most popular articles in the online database , published in " Star Wars Insider 100 " .