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ST 321
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- "Command station, this isST 321…"
- ―An Imperial officer[4]
ST 321 was aLambda-class T-4a shuttle which served as the personaltransport ofDarth Vader, aDark Lord of the Sith, during thelatterstages of theGalactic Civil War. In 4 ABY,ST 321 ferried theSithLord to theDS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station, which was undergoing its final stage of construction above themoonEndor.ST 321 managed to survive the destruction of thebattle station at theBattle of Endor, asLuke Skywalker piloted theshuttle out of the secondDeath Star moments before it exploded.
History[]
- "Inform the commander that Lord Vader's shuttle has arrived."
- ―LieutenantEndicott[4]

ST 321 arrives at second Death Star
ST 321 served as the personaltransport ofDarth Vader, the right hand and secretSith apprentice ofEmperorPalpatine, sole ruler of theGalactic Empire.[5] In4 ABY,[6]ST 321 brought Vader to thesecond Death Star, an Imperialplanet-killingbattle station being constructed inorbit of theSanctuary Moon ofEndor.[5]
AlthoughST 321 had acaptain assigned to it, Vader occasionally piloted it himself. He notably did so shortly after the Emperor's arrival at the Death Star, piloting the shuttle down from the battle station to the Imperial base that guardedits shield generator on the Sanctuary Moon. Shortly thereafter, even as a massivebattle between the Empire and the enemyAlliance to Restore the Republic took place in orbit, Vader dueled his estranged son, the Alliance heroLuke Skywalker, aboard the Death Star. Ultimately, Vader chose to redeem himself and turned on the Emperor to protect his son, but he was mortally wounded in the process. With the Death Star about to explode, Skywalker usedST 321 to escape the endangered battle station along with his deceased father.[5]

Luke Skywalker pilots ST 321 away from the doomed second Death Star.
Upon slipping out of the rapidly deteriorating Death Star, Vader's shuttle was almost intercepted byShara Bey of the Alliance'sGreen Squadron, who proceeded to cover it from incomingTIE/IN interceptors after identifying its pilot, Luke Skywalker, as a friendly.[7]
Behind the scenes[]
ST 321 later reappeared in the1997re-release ofStar Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader returned to theExecutor during the film's climax, largely due to their reusing the scene of Darth Vader's arrival on the Death Star II fromStar Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi.[8]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: The Original Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
- Star Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back(Introduced inSpecial Edition)
- Star Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi(First appearance)
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi junior novelization
- Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!(andaudiobook)
- "The Emperor's Red Guards" —From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi(andaudiobook)
- Shattered Empire 1
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition(andaudiobook)(Indirect mention only)
Non-canon appearances[]
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Gambit on Geonosis"(In flashback(s))
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures — "Return of the Return of the Jedi"
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Sources[]
Imperial shuttle in theEncyclopedia(original site is defunct)
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
Star Wars Bust Collection 1Character: Darth Vader(Picture only)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 63Databank A-Z: Darth Vader(Picture only)
Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition —Galactic Empire Conversion Kit(Card:ST-321)
- Star Wars: Timelines(Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Imperial Shuttle in theDatabank(backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑1.01.11.2Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide
- ↑3.03.13.23.33.43.5
Imperial Shuttle in theDatabank(backup link)
- ↑4.004.014.024.034.044.054.064.074.084.094.10Star Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi
- ↑5.05.15.2Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
- ↑Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑Shattered Empire 1
- ↑Star Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back(Special Edition)