Obsidian 8

Manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems, Obsidian 8 was a modified TIE/ln starfighter serving the Galactic Empire's Obsidian Squadron by the year 3 ABY.The New Essential Chronology Obsidian 8 was operated by OS-72-8, a TIE pilot who was previously stationed aboard the Star Destroyer Devastator. Obsidian 8 was used most often to pursue raiders attempting to take refuge in the upper atmosphere of nearby planets.
In 3 ABY, the Empire occupied the planet Bespin with the goal of capturing the YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon. When the Falcon escaped from Bespin's Cloud City, Obsidian 8 was among the TIE fighters that pursued the freighter into space.Star Wars: Behind the Magic However, Obsidian Squadron was unsuccessful in their pursuit, and the Millennium Falcon evaded Imperial capture. Obsidian 8 was armed with a pair of L-s1 laser cannons.
==Behind the scenes==
Obsidian 8 first appeared inStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization the April 12, 1980Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, Updated and Expanded Edition novelization of the Star Wars original trilogy film , simultaneously with The Empire Strikes Back Storybook,The Empire Strikes Back Storybook prior to appearing in the film, which was released May 21 of the same year. The fighter was first named in Decipher, Inc.'s 1997 Cloud City Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game, though the image used to represent Obsidian 8 was not taken from the Empire Strikes Back film. It was later mentioned in 1998's Star Wars: Behind the Magic, where it was further identified as one of the TIE fighters from The Empire Strikes Back.
The 2003 The Empire Strikes Back expansion set of the Star Wars Trading Card Game placed an image of the same fighter on a card which identified the fighter instead as "OS-72-8." The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia from 2008 resolved the issue by specifying that OS-72-8 was Obsidian 8's pilot.
==Appearances==
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*Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization
*Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Cine-Manga
*Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back novelization 
*Classic Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back novelization
*The Empire Strikes Back Storybook
*Star Wars (1977) 44 
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==Sources==
*The Empire Strikes Back: The National Public Radio Dramatization 
*Star Wars: Behind the Magic
*TIE Fighter: A Pocket Manual 
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==Notes and references==
Category:TIE/ln starfighters