Theta-Class Shuttle

Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Starships of the Galaxy

Officially, the Theta-Class is a "Personal Transport" rather than a shuttle, a sign of how hard it's manufacturer (Cygnus Spaceworks) works to prevent the Theta-Class from being considered ordinary or pedestrian. The Theta-Class Shuttle was aimed squarely at the rich and important, and it quickly became the shuttle of choice among Republic (And later Galactic Empire) Senators. Its combination of speed, comfort, range, and safety made it a perfect choice for those of rank on Coruscant and elsewhere who needed to travel in both safety and style. The design elements that made the Theta-Class such a success were mimicked in many later designs, including the Lambda-Class Shuttle.

For those who can afford it, a Luxury Upgrade on a Theta-Class is perfect both for short trips with a dozen or so passengers, and for longer trips with a smaller complement. Some Theta-Class Shuttles were converted to act as light freighters, especially after the Galactic Senate was disbanded and the Empire sold many Thetas at auction. Such vessels rarely have the appointments of an original Theta-Class, however, and are too small to carry enough cargo to be economically viable in most cases. Some end up being repurchased by collectors of the original, classic design.

Capabilities Edit

Not much larger than a typical snub fighter, a Theta-Class Shuttle is designed to provide all the comforts of a luxury transport plus the fighting power of a military craft and the safety of a major space liner. A Theta-Class is too small to survive against a Capital Ship, but it has a respectable chance against a small number of light attack craft or Airspeeders. This fact is particularly remarkable when you consider the amount of space it takes to convey 21 people in luxurious comfort for a two-month trip. In fact, the quarters do become claustrophobic during anything longer than a day trip, but the knowledge that even a massive Hyperdrive failure would not result in death by starvation was often important to Senators.

A typical Senatorial shuttle includes a Luxury Upgrade (Extreme), a HoloNet Transceiver, a Medical Suite, and Slave Circuitry. Individual Senators and other wealthy owners often added their own modifications, including Droid Repair Teams, Jamming Suites, Cargo Jettison Systems, and even Smuggler's Compartments.