Starship Analysis: Skipray Blastboat

[TalonVII]

Probably one of the most under talked about ships the Empire and smugglers is the Skipray blastboat. This ship was one of the customs ships the Empire used to keep order in the galaxy. It was hyper capable, carried an IMPRESSIVE weapons load[depending on the model]. It was meant for extended deployments away from bigger ships like Star Destroyers. Bounty hunters and smugglers alike loved the ship cause of it's adaptability.

 

The ship was 25M long, and had a wing span of 14.2M. The vertical stabilizer actually rotated depending if it was in flight or landed. When landing the stabilizer went to a horizontal configuration. There were MANY variants of the Skipray. The most typical was the 12h. Standard crew was the pilot, copilot/sensor operator, and 2 gunners. The ship could be operated by one person if need be, as shown by Luke Skywalker during an attempted escape on Myrkr from Talon Kaarde. The ship came with a class 2 hyperdrive and a hyper computer capable of storing up to 4 hyperspace coordinates at a time.

 

For weapons it depended on the variant. The 12h had the following. On each stablizer it carried an Ion cannon, with a 3rd Ion cannon in the nose with a concussion missile launcher on the right, and a proton torpedo launcher on the left. Above the main crew area was a turret with a pair of laser cannons.

 

The other notable variants was the 12g. The G model traded the concussion missile launcher for a tractor beam. The J model had more distributed gunnery duties between the two gunners. The M model had better hyperspace and realspace flying characteristics and was used as an interceptor/courier. And then the P model had an upgraded sensor package built in.

 

The blast boat survived the wars it fought in and was further upgraded to the 24r Skipray blastboat and served during the second galactic civil war era. This was during the time of Caedus. the 24r's were used by the jedi forces and iIperial remnant against Darth Caedus.

 

All and all, this ship was a tough customer. It was capable of intercepting and stopping smugglers and did so frequently, infact this ship had the firepower to take on frigates and corvettes. Many bounty hunters flew alone and coverted some of the crew space as holding pens and enjoyed the trio of ion cannons as it allowed them to stop their targets without killing them.

 

Smugglers liked to use them if they had big groups and used them as pickets and scouts, such as Talon Karrde.

 

 

Probably a ship of choice if I wanted something as a bounty hunter, or if I was part of a planet's space police force.

[Aurbere]

The Skipray Blastboat! I loved those things in EAW:FOC (still do!). Great ship with a ton of versatility.

 

Great read.

[DarthTyranid]

Had a Jedi with one of those in a Star Wars RPG I played with some friends. Loved that ship.