Scimitar

"*This vessel was originally designed as a hunter-killer, with many unique capabilities. It is a very* special *ship. It has had very special owners.*"
―***O-66, regarding the* Scimitar *- Lando, Part III***
The ***Scimitar***, also known as the **Sith Infiltrator**, was a heavily modified Star Courier and the personal starship of Darth Maul. After his defeat during the Battle of Naboo, the experimental starfighter was appropriated by Maul's master, Darth Sidious.

## Characteristics

The Sith Infiltrator featured folding wings around its circular cockpit, and was secretly modified from a Star Courier manufactured by Republic Sienar Systems. The craft featured six laser cannons, a proton torpedo launcher and a minelayer system. Along with its deadly armament, the *Scimitar* was equipped with a cloaking device that allowed it to disappear from view and any pursuing ship's sensors. Owing to the craft's experimental ion engines, radiator fins on the ship's wings were required to be open during flight in order to expel excess heat.

The ship carried three DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids and the *Bloodfin*, a Sith speeder utilized by Darth Maul during his mission on Tatooine. The *Scimitar* was capable of tracking a ship's signature through hyperspace, something considered impossible for other ships.

## History

"*It is as you predicted my Lord. We've traced Count Dooku's signal to Dathomir's surface. What is your command?*"
"*Jam their communications and cloak this ship from view. They won't know we've arrived until it's much too late.*"
―***General Grievous and Darth Sidious - Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir, Part Four***

At the time of the Invasion of Naboo, the *Scimitar* was the personal starship of Darth Maul, who used it in an attempt to track Queen Padmé Amidala on Tatooine. After his defeat, the ship fell into the possession of Maul's master, Darth Sidious.

During the Clone Wars, the *Scimitar* was used to transport Sidious and General Grievous to the surface of Dathomir, where the Sith Master had a duel with his resurfaced former apprentice and the Nightsister Mother Talzin.

Many years later, the *Scimitar* was still in the possession of Sidious, who now ruled the First Galactic Empire as Emperor Palpatine. It was held in Imperial Facility 729-D, located somewhere in the Inner Rim, and curated by the droid O-66. At some point before the Battle of Hoth, the bounty hunter Chanath Cha was entrusted with the modified Star Courier in order to retrieve the stolen *Imperialis*, Palpatine's luxury pleasure craft.

Chanath and O-66 used the *Scimitar's* advanced tracking systems to find the *Imperialis's* location. While O-66 waited aboard the *Scimitar*, Chanath boarded the *Imperialis*. O-66 also transmitted the Imperial yacht's operational codes. After Chanath had set the ship to self-destruct, she ordered O-66 to dock the *Scimitar* so that she, Lando Calrissian, and Lobot could flee the doomed *Imperialis*. However, O-66 refused to obey her orders because his primary directive was to protect and honor the *Scimitar*. Despite Chanath's threats, O-66 revealed he had removed her pulse bomb and flew the *Scimitar* away.

## Behind the scenes

The *Scimitar* first appeared as Darth Maul's personal transport in movie. The ship's backstory was further explored in several Star Wars Legends media and literature including Daniel Wallace's 2003 reference book *The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels*. The *Scimitar* later appeared in the Canon 2014 Dark Horse Comics *Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir, Part Four*, which was adapted from an unproduced *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* episode. The ship later appeared in the 2015 Marvel Comics story *Star Wars: Lando*.

# Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Ultimate Star Wars*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Phantom Menace
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 *Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir, Part Four*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 *Lando, Part III*
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Star Wars Encyclopedia - Technology: Sith Infiltrator
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 *Star Wars: Ships of the Galaxy*
7. ↑ *Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles*
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 *Darth Maul, Part I*
9. ↑ *Lando, Part IV*
10. ↑ *Lando, Part V*