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Tydirium

<Tydirium

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This article is aboutan Imperial shuttle.
You may be looking forthe ore or the other Imperial shuttle,Tyderium.

There are two conflicting sources for this article:Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance andStar Wars: Complete Cross-Sections.

Lucasfilm has not established a cohesive timeline regarding this subject. Editor discretion is advised.

Tydirium

Production information

Manufacturer

Sienar Fleet Systems^[1]

Model

Lambda-class T-4a shuttle^[1]

Technical specifications

Length

20meters^[2]

Maximum acceleration

1,400 G^[2]

Maximum speed (atmosphere)

850 km/h^[2]

Engine unit(s)

2SFS-204 sublight ion engines^[3]

Hyperdrive rating

SFS S/ig-37 hyperdrive (Class 1.0)^[3]

Shielding

100SBD^[1]

Hull

66 RU^[1]

Armament

Forward twinTaim & Bak KX5 laser cannons (2)^[3]
Taim & BakGA-60s twin laser cannons (2)^[3]
Aft retractableArMek R-T0 twin blaster cannon (1)^[3]

Crew

6^[2]

Minimum crew

1^[4]

Passengers

20^[1]

Cargo capacity

80 metric tons (without passengers)^[2]

Usage

Role(s)

Transport^[1]

Present for battles/events

Affiliation

Navy

Alliance Fleet^[5]

Commander(s)

Han Solo^[5]

Crewmembers

"Let's see what this piece of junk can do."

―Han Solo on theTydirium^[5]

TheTydirium was aSienar Fleet Systems Imperial Lambda-class shuttle, which operated as a courier and atransport in thePrefsbelt system. It was later present atOutpost 327 overZhar, where it was captured byGeneral Crix Madine of theAlliance to Restore the Republic. Madine hoped to use theshuttle and the clearance codes it carried to have astrike team infiltrate theForest Moon of Endor, around which orbited a new Imperialbattle station, thesecond Death Star. The strike team would then, if all went as planned, deactivate thedeflector shield protecting the still-under-constructionDeath Star.

Despite this effort, theship itself later fell into Imperial hands, and was held at thePrefsbelt Naval Academy onPrefsbelt IV. With Madine once again coordinating the operation, the shuttle was once again stolen, this time bypilot Wedge Antilles. TheTydirium was then used by GeneralHan Solo and his strike team to infiltrate themoon of Endor, as planned. His mission to deactivate the deflector shield was coordinated by GeneralBrenn Tantor, who stayed aboard theTydirium while the rest of the team ventured out onto the moon. Following theBattle of Endor, in which the Death Star II was destroyed, Solo used theTydirium to capture the ImperialStar Destroyer Accuser.

Description[]

"No, I don't think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie."

―Han Solo^[5]

TheTydirium was a standardLambda-class T-4a shuttle. It boasteddeflector shields with a 200SBD rating, and ahull rating of 66. 24 meters in length, it required a crew of four to operate, and could hold twenty passengers.^[1] If needed, a crew of six could man the craft: a pilot, a copilot, a navigator, a gunner, a communications officer, and an engineer. Like allLambda-class shuttles, theTydirium featured a tri-wing design, with a central, stationary, dorsal wing, and two folding wings on the sides. While flying, the ship's side wings would rotate into an inverted Y, and would fold upwards when landing.^[2]

Lambda-class shuttles such as theTydirium were among the most durable and well-defended in the Empire.^[3] The ship's defensive systems included two doublelaser cannons and two doubleblaster cannons, in addition to a rear-mounted double blaster cannon to fend off pursuing craft. The shuttle also boasted some of the most formidable deflector shields in the Imperial fleet. The shields were powered by multiple generators.^[2] To pilots who had never flown the ship before, theTydirium was fast, maneuverable, and relatively easy to fly.^[6]

History[]

"We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle. Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator."

―General Crix Madine — 20?cb=20250116042720

Link ▶️(file info)^[5]

Theft[]

The Tydirium (right of the tunnel) was docked at Outpost 327. — TheTydirium (right of the tunnel) was docked at Outpost 327.

When it was first manufactured, theImperialLambda-class T-4a shuttleTydirium was used for courier and transport duties in thePrefsbelt system.^[3] In approximately4 ABY, theTydirium was stationed atOutpost 327, located in theZhar system. The shuttle was carrying a set of clearance codes that would allow users to pass the deflector shield enveloping the under-constructionDeath Star II battlestation orbiting theforest moon of Endor, and land on the moon itself. This information came into the hands ofBothan spies, who knew that theAlliance to Restore the Republic would appreciate such a luxury, as they sought to somehow destroy the Death Star II itself. The spies passed this information onto the Alliance, and the task of capturing the shuttle was assigned toAdmiral Yamarus and hisLiberty Task Force.^[1]

General Crix Madine formulated a plan as to how to retrieve the shuttle. He suggested that he lead a team of crackcommandos, and a skilled pilot, to infiltrate Outpost 327 and commandeer the shuttle. As the outpost was inefficiently administrated, Madine suspected that the shuttle's clearance codes would not have been updated to the current standard, and would still be usable at Endor.^[7] Once stolen, the shuttle was to be brought back to Yamarus' flagship, theLiberty.^[1]

To ferry the commandos to the outpost covertly, Yamarus selectedAce Azzameen, whose civilianfamily transports were available for Alliance use. One of the Azzameen ships, theYT-1300 light freighterSabra, would appear to be a neutral merchant ship to the Imperial customs patrols that guarded Outpost 327. Themission was undertaken, and the commandos successfully commandeered theTydirium. As the shuttle escaped the facility, however,TIE/sa bombers were scrambled to destroy it. Azzameen called for reinforcements—Rogue Squadron arrived in time to cover theTydirium's escape. The shuttle, Rogue Squadron, and theSabra all made it back to theLiberty safely.^[1]

The only element from the mission to Zhar that was used by the Alliance, however, was the clearance codes the shuttle had been carrying.^[3] TheTydirium fell back into Imperial hands,^[8] and some time afterwards, the Alliance mounted another attempt to steal theTydirium, from thePrefsbelt Naval Academy onPrefsbelt IV. Crix Madine was in charge of themission. The shuttle itself was being kept on the academy's northernmost platform.Wedge Antilles was sent to Prefsbelt IV to personally steal the shuttle—stealthily making his way to the academy, he successfully stole the craft. As he departed, Antilles was escorted by a pair of Alliance starfighters.^[4]

Battle of Endor[]

"ShuttleTydirium, what is your cargo and destination?"

―Admiral Firmus Piett^[5]

The Rebels, seated in the Tydirium's cockpit — The Rebels, seated in theTydirium's cockpit

The stolen shuttle was moved to the hangar bay of AdmiralAckbar's flagship, theHome One in preparation for the infiltration of Endor.^[5] As part of the preparations, the ship was given a refit,^[9] transforming it, cosmetically, from a personnel transport into a cargo shuttle.^[6] Additionally, a team of Madine's best securityslicers went about disguising the ship's registrations and history.^[10]

GeneralHan Solo was to lead a group ofcommandos onto the forest moon, and destroy thedeflector shield generator which was protecting the orbiting Death Star II. Ideally, this would allow Ackbar and theAlliance Fleet to strike at the battlestation, and destroy it. The general's shuttle command crew included theWookiee Chewbacca, as well as theHumans Leia Organa andLuke Skywalker.^[5] Placed in the cargo hold of the ship was aBattlefield Holographic Control Interface, from which GeneralBrenn Tantor would co-ordinate the operation.^[11]

Before departing, Skywalker noticed that the stolen clearance code they were going to use was interfering with the ship'stransponder. He and Chewbacca, however, were able to resolve the problem.^[12] Solo himself piloted the shuttle, with Chewbacca serving as co-pilot. Departing theHome One, Solo made ahyperspace jump,^[5] first stopping at an uninhabited layover system,^[13] and eventually reaching theEndor system.^[5]

As theTydirium approached the forest moon, it was hailed by the ImperialStar Dreadnought Executor, which was guarding the incomplete Death Star II.^[5] TheExecutor's traffic officer,Controller Jhoff,^[14] demanded that theTydirium identify itself—Solo did so, and requested that the deflector shield be deactivated, which would allow them to land on the forest moon. In turn, theExecutor requested that Solo transmit the clearance code. Solo complied, but Organa was not entirely sure that the stolen codes would work. The general seemed to remain confident; however, he too was beginning to doubt the team's safety. In addition, Skywalker, an aspiringJedi, sensed throughthe Force that theDark Lord of the Sith,Darth Vader, was on theExecutor, but Solo dismissed the idea.^[5]

TheTydirium was next contacted by AdmiralFirmus Piett, who requested the shuttle's cargo and destination. Solo claimed that he was carrying "parts and technical crew for the forest moon." Meanwhile, on the bridge of theExecutor, on which Vader was indeed present, the Dark Lord had been taking a personal interest in theTydirium. He quizzed Piett as to the shuttle's code clearance, and although it had used an older code, it still checked out. Vader decided he would let the shuttle pass, as he had sensed Skywalker, his son, on board. Solo, however, had grown impatient, and suspected that the Imperials were not going to let them through. Just as he prepared to flee the system, theExecutor contacted them once more, and granted them clearance. The shield was deactivated, and theTydirium was free to land on the forest moon.^[5]

Solo landed the shuttle in a clearing several miles from theImperial shield generator. The team covered the craft with branches, leaves and mulch, lest it be discovered by an Imperial patrol. The team then debarked, but were unable to destroy the shield generator before the arrival of the Alliance Fleet. Nonetheless, the shield generator was eventually destroyed during the ensuingbattle, and the Death Star II was successfully destroyed.^[5] Tantor continued to operate from the hidden shuttle, when the Alliance landed reinforcements on the forest moon to help rout the remaining Imperial forces.^[11]

After Endor[]

Although the battle was over, some remnants of the Imperial fleet at Endor remained.Major Bren Derlin was left in charge of any planet-bound Alliance forces, leaving Solo and Chewbacca free to pursue other objectives. The pair performed some maintenance on theTydirium, before taking the shuttle into orbit, hoping to assist in eliminating the remainder of the Imperial force. On board were Solo's strike team, touting stolenstormtrooper armor they had acquired during the previous battle. Of his own volition, Solo decided that he would attempt to steal one of the survivingImperial I-class Star Destroyers,Accuser.^[15]

Using the clearance codes he had used to bypass theExecutor, Solo and his crew were able to successfully infiltrate theAccuser, make their way to the bridge, and order the crew to evacuate. The ship then became a part of the Alliance fleet.^[15] The shuttle continued to serve the Alliance and went through several refittings, which included the addition of twoturbolasers.^[10] In7 ABY, the smugglerStarter claimed that he personally stole theTydirium from Darth Vader himself, although few, if any, believed him.^[16]

Behind the scenes[]

The shuttleTydirium first appeared in the1983 film,Star Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi, written byLawrence Kasdan andGeorge Lucas. The story as to how the shuttle was stolen by the Rebel Alliance prior to the events ofReturn of the Jedi has been told in several sources, all of which conflict with one another. In the short story "Starter's Tale," published in1994'sStar Wars Adventure Journal 4, the character of Starter claims to have stolen the shuttle by himself, but his tale is dismissed as highly fictional by other characters within the story itself.

In the2000 computer gameStar Wars: X-Wing Alliance, the player character, Ace Azzameen, must ferry a group of commandos to a space station above Zhar in order for them to capture the shuttle. The commandos then bring the shuttle back to the Alliance safely. The role-playing scenario "Stealing the Shuttle" coincides with the events ofX-wing Alliance. This was later contradicted inStar Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, releasedone year later. InRogue Leader, the player character, Wedge Antilles, must infiltrate an Imperial academy, and steal the shuttle himself. He does so successfully, and brings the ship back to the Alliance.

When the maintainer of theHolocron continuity database,Leland Chee, was asked about this discrepancy, he stated that both thefts of the shuttle had occurred, and that the events ofX-wing Alliance had occurred first. This meant that the Imperial forces would have to have retrieved the shuttle somehow, in order for the events ofRogue Leader to occur.^[8]

However, in the2007 sourcebookStar Wars: Complete Cross-Sections, it is stated that Azzameen's team stole the clearance codes for the shuttle that were used inReturn of the Jedi, and that Antilles himself stole the physical shuttle. This conflicts withX-wing Alliance, in which the stolen shuttle is clearly identified as theTydirium itself, with "codes" as its cargo. For the purposes of this article, all events from all sources are considered to becanonical with respect to theStar Wars Legends continuity, with Chee's statements of the dual shuttle thefts included as well. InRogue Leader, the infiltration of the academy by Antilles can be performed in either aBTL Y-wing starfighter or aT-47 airspeeder.

In the articleKyle Katarn's Tale,Abel G. Peña established thattydirium was the name of an ore in theStar Wars universe. The intention behind this was to suggest that the shuttle was named after the ore, an idea inspired by the computer gameX-wing Alliance, which had a shuttle bay with "tons of shuttles with names likeCrystilium andBandarium."^[17]^[18]

In the non-canon comicTag & Bink Are Dead, theTydirium wasWilhuff Tarkin's personal shuttle on thefirst Death Star.Tag Greenley andBink Otauna steal it to escape the battlestation and eventually bring it into the Alliance's custody.