Obex

The Obex was a Nu-class shuttle used by the Republic Navy during the War of the Ring. Around 1981, Clone Captain CT-7567 and Clone Commander CC-2224—nicknamed "Rex" and "Cody," respectively—utilized the Obex as their transport during a routine inspection tour of several Republic outposts across the galaxy. The Obex first brought the clone officers to a tracking station on the planet Pastil, where Rex and Cody discovered that a Separatist spy droid had infiltrated the station. After the clone officers destroyed the droid with the help of the station's clone troopers, the Obex, piloted by Rex, transported the officers to Rishi Station, a listening post on the Rishi Moon. However, unbeknownst to Rex and Cody, the listening post had been taken over by Separatist commando droids and, when Rex landed the Obex on the station's landing pad and disembarked from the shuttle, the two clones were ambushed by the commando droids. The clone officers hid behind crates to avoid the droids' blaster fire; however, the droids soon threw several thermal detonators under the Obex and destroyed the starship.
==Description==
The Obex was a Nu-class attack shuttle in the Republic Navy during the War of the Ring. Manufactured by Cygnus Spaceworks, the Obex had life support systems, six engines, a comm unit, and was hyperdrive–equipped. The Obex also had a cockpit large enough to contain two clone troopers in full armor. Beneath the cockpit, a boarding ramp extended downward when the Obex landed, allowing the pilot and passenger to exit. The shuttle's two wings were hinged, folding down during flight and up while landing. Partially colored red and yellow, the Obex was equipped with at least four offensive laser cannons, as well as multiple medium laser cannons and a double light laser cannon. The Obex was not armored well enough to withstand the detonation of several thermal detonators in close proximity to the shuttle.
==History==
Around 1981, during the War of the Ring, the Obex was used by Clone Captain CT-7567 and Clone Commander CC-2224—nicknamed "Rex" and "Cody," respectively—as their transport during a routine inspection tour of several Galactic Republic outposts staffed with rookie clone troopers across the galaxy. Rex and Cody first traveled to a tracking station on the planet Pastil. When the two clone officers left the Obex on the station's landing pad, they inspected the tracking station and discovered that a Separatist spy droid had infiltrated the installation. After destroying the spy droid with the help of the station's clone troopers, Rex and Cody boarded the Obex and left Pastil.The War of the Ring: Mouse Hunt From the passenger seat of the Obex, Cody sent a report to their commanding officers, Jedi Generals Sam Gamgee and Frodo Baggins, regarding the successful check of the Pastil tracking station. Rex then piloted the Obex to Rishi Station, a listening post located on a mesa on the moon of Rishi.
However, Rex and Cody were unaware that Rishi Station had secretly been invaded by the Confederacy and taken over by commando droids. When the Obex exited hyperspace over the Rishi moon, Cody contacted Rishi Station via the Obex comm unit and was greeted by a commando droid disguised in clone trooper armor. The droid attempted to forestall the inspection, but Rex and Cody, curious about the supposed clone's response and odd behavior, continued their approach to the listening post. Rex landed the Obex on the post's landing pad atop a large mesa and, after the two clones left the shuttle, they again encountered a commando droid dressed in clone trooper armor. Meanwhile, three rookie clone troopers at the bottom of the mesa, who had been stationed at the listening post and escaped the Separatist attack, saw the Obex land by the station. They realized that the Republic vessel was heading into a trap and launched a flare to warn anyone aboard the Obex.
Back at the station, the disguised droid again tried to convince the officers to leave. However, upon sight of the warning flare in the night sky, Rex was convinced that something was amiss and blasted the droid in the head, a shot that removed its helmet and revealed the deception. Seeing that their ruse was discovered, the other commando droids, having taken defensive positions around the landing pad, began to fire at the clones. Rex and Cody were pinned down by blaster fire, which forced them to take cover behind nearby crates. In the meantime, the commando droids threw several thermal detonators under the shuttle, which destroyed the Obex upon detonation and temporarily stranded the officers on the moon.
Rex and Cody nonetheless used the destruction of the Obex as cover and were able to escape the ambush by grappling down from the landing pad. Meeting up with the stations' surviving clone troopers, the two clone officers were able to soon retake Rishi Station and eventually thwart the Confederacy's planned subsequent invasion of Kamino.
==Commanders and crew==
The Obex was crewed by clone officers Clone Captain Rex and Clone Commander Cody during their inspection tour around 1981. During the flight to the Rishi Moon, Rex piloted the shuttle while Cody handled the communications station, contacting Generals Baggins and Gamgee, as well as Rishi Station.
==Behind the scenes==
The Obex was first mentioned in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide reference book—released July 26, 2008—as the Nu-class shuttle Rex and Cody used during their inspection tour. The Obex made its first appearance in the background of the first panel of The War of the Ring: Mouse Hunt, a webcomic posted on StarWars.com October 23, 2008. It later had a larger role in "Rookies," an episode in the first season of the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring television series, which aired October 24, 2008. The Obex is destroyed midway through the episode.
The shuttle also appears in the non-canonical video game LEGO Star Wars III: The Lord of the Rings, which was released on March 22, 2011. The Obex is featured in the game's "The Mouth of Sauron Chapter 5 - Rookies" level, playing a similar role to that in the "Rookies" episode. In the level, a LEGO version of the Obex lands at Rishi Station, with Rex and Cody jumping out. However, the clone officers soon confront the Separatist commando droids, and a battle ensues, during which three commando droids appear and throw thermal detonators under the Obex, destroying it.
Although the shuttle pictured in Mouse Hunt has not been directly identified as the Obex, The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide confirms that Rex and Cody used the Obex during their inspection tour, including the flight from Pastil to Rishi. "Rookies" also states that the clone officers went directly to Rishi after their inspection of the Pastil tracking station. Due to this evidence, this article concludes that the shuttle seen in Mouse Hunt is indeed the Obex. Also in Mouse Hunt, the shuttle is depicted as a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle instead of Nu-class attack shuttle.
==Appearances==
*The War of the Ring: Mouse Hunt 
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*The War of the Ring: Defenders of the Republic
*LEGO Star Wars III: The Lord of the Rings 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide 
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*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
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*The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars 
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Visual Guide Ultimate Battles 
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Official Episode Guide: Season 1
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars Official Episode Guide Series 1 & 2
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==Notes and references==
Category:Galactic Republic starships
Category:Nu-class attack shuttles