Lucky Lekku

The Lucky Lekku was a Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry that participated in various battles during the Clone Wars. In service of the Galactic Republic, it would be utilized fighting against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. It was distinguished, the nose art of a Twi'lek pin-up model, who bore clone trooper armor, emblazoned on both sides of the gunship's fore-end. The Lucky Lekku had been further exemplified by the Battle of Cato Neimoidia in 19 BBY, since its crew had destroyed sixty-three Vulture-class droid starfighters and twenty-six droid tri-fighters, resulting in an amassed total of eighty-nine starfighters destroyed—these kills were tallied on the right-hand side of the gunship.
==Characteristics==
A 17.69-meter-long, 17-meter-wide, and 6.9-meter-tall Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship, Lucky Lekku was propelled by twin engines located on the rear of the hull.Star Wars Complete Vehicles, New Edition The gunship was armed with three antipersonnel turrets, two of which were mounted at its bow while a third was mounted at its aft, two dorsal mounted mass-driver missile launchers along with one port and starboard composite-beam laser turret.
The Lucky Lekku nose art depicted a Twi'lek woman, wearing clone armor, posessing lekku colured blue and a shade of green, creating a blotchy pattern. Surrounding this art, layed the tallies for the confirmed Separatist starfighters destroyed.
==History==
===Overview===
The Lucky Lekku had been in the active service of the Galactic Republic Navy, since the earliest engagements of the conflict, within 22 BBY, notably during the Battle of Teth. The gunship was also stationed within the hanger of the Venator-class Star Destroyer, Resolute, of Jedi General, Anakin Skywalker's fleet, consisting of fellow Venators, Defender and Redeemer. The Lucky Lekku remained in service as late as the Battle of Cato Neimoidia.
===Battle of Teth===
The Lucky Lekku was among a flight of seven other Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry vehicles, which launched an assault upon the abandoned B'omarr Order Monastery, on Teth, in an attempt to find Rotta the Hutt, the son of Jabba Desilijic Tiure, whom Asajj Ventress, a Sith acolyte of Count Dooku, had abducted from his homeworld Tatooine.
The gunship approached the monastery and had sustained heavy oncoming fire from several DSD1 dwarf spider droids, that had been positioned on the Teth Monastery. The powerful laser cannons mounted on the droids were effective in repulsing the Lucky Lekku, as well as the other gunships, attacking from above. Unable to land on the monastery, Anakin Skywalker, with his recently assigned Jedi Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, instructed for the blast shields to be closed, and subsequently directed the transports and carriers to deploy their ground forces to the jungle below. Traveling under the barrage being inflicted against them, the Lucky Lekku assisted in this deployment. Although it had endured heavy fire, the gunship survived this encounter and continued its participation within the war.
===Defense of the Rishi Station===
The Lucky Lekku, along with another LAAT/i, known as the Crumb Bomber, aided in the search for surviving clone troopers on the surface of the Rishi moon.
The gunship assisted in the location and retrieval of clone troopers Clone Marshal Commander CC-2224 "Cody" and Clone Captain CT-7567 "Rex," along with the surviving clones troopers of the Rishi Station unit, CT-1409 "Echo" and CT-5555 "Fives." The two latter clones would be brought back to the fleet, and are commended directly by Jedi Generals Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, for their valiant service, and admirable sacrifice - they are both awarded with medals and absorbed into the 501st Legion. 
===Battle of Ryloth===
During the battle, Lucky Lekku—along with Spaceward Ho!—were stationed onboard the flagship of General Skywalker, Resolute, which was the capital ship of his personal fleet, in the Fifth Fleet, within the Open Circle Armada.
===Second Battle of Geonosis===
During this engagement, Lucky Lekku was utilized strictly as an armored infantry transport, carrying its passengers of clone troopers to the ground, for the objective of a planetary-wide assault—akin to it's fellow gunships. The purpose of the invasion was to halt the operation of the many droid foundries across Geonosis, preventing the Confederacy of Independent Systems from further strengthening their military—the most vital of them, the primary droid foundry, was protected by a deflector shield and constituted as the main target for the Republic landing forces. 
The gunship was merely one of multitudes of LAAT/i repulsorcraft and Low Altitude Assault Transport carriers used to attack the planet. Within the atmosphere, the landing forces encountered harsh Geonosian resistance, with significant casualties being inflicted by the ground-based Geonosian defense emplacements namely the LR1K sonic cannons and J-1 proton cannons. Starfighters were also employed, which were predominantly the Nantex-class territorial defense starfighters. Despite the incurred loss of many Low Altitude Assault Transports to overwhelming firepower, the Lucky Lekku survived and continued to partake in the Clone War.
===Battle of Cato Neimoidia===
The gunship was once again deployed, as a transport, which delivered Captain Rex to the battlefield. By this time, the Lucky Lekku had accumulated a total of eighty-nine kills, as indicated by the recorded tally.
==Behind the scenes==
The Lucky Lekku first appeared, within the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, albeit unidentified, until the publishing of The Clone Wars Episode Guide for "Storm Over Ryloth" on StarWars.com, in which it was titled within the slide images of the Episode Gallery. The Concept Art Gallery for "Sabotage" has an illustration by Pat Presley; each indicates the crew of the Lucky Lekku has downed dozens of droid fighters throughout the conflict. Since its debut, it has had limited appearances, across the majority of the television series, from Season One's Malevolence arc, to the beginning of Season Five's final arc and finale, "Sabotage."
The stylized nose art adorned on both sides of the gunship, along with various other LAAT vehicles within the series, is a reference and homage to real-world pin-up art—usually buxom and scantily clad models and actresses—that were painted onto fighter and bomber aircracft, by their crews, during the Second World War and beyond. 
The particular artwork on the Lucky Lekku bears a substantial similarity to actual pin-up art painted onto a Consolidated B-24(J-165-CO) Liberator Bomber, "Night Mission" 532 44-40532, from the 30th Bombardment Group—subsequently the 30th Operations Group (30 OG) from 1991 to 2021www.afhra.af.mil www.SpaceCom.com —within the 819th Bombardment Squadron (active from 1941 to 1945)[Maurer, Combat Squadrons] of the USAF Seventh Air Force.World of War Photos - Consolidated B-24 Liberator Bomber, "Night Mission" pin-up girl nose art
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars film 
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==Sources==
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*Ultimate Star Wars
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==Notes and references==
Category:Low Altitude Assault Transports