Speeder bike
The term
speeder bike describes any of a variety of small personal transport
vehicles in the
fictional Star Wars universe that use
repulsorlift engines to hover above the ground and move very rapidly. It can be compared to a
motorcycle on
Earth. Below are some variants:
The
74-Z Speeder Bike army speeder bikes were used by the
Old Republic,
Galactic Empire and the
Rebel Alliance, for
reconnaissance and rapid transportation in combat zones. They were equipped with com-link jamming devices and armed with a single blaster-cannon. In the Star Wars
movies, the 74-Z is most prominent in
Return of the Jedi, being used by the
scout troopers on
forest moon of Endor.
Luke Skywalker and
Princess Leia engage in a speeder bike chase with the scout troopers.
These speeder bikes were also meant to be shown during the Battle of Geonosis in Attack of the Clones, but their scenes were cut at the animatics stage.The
BARC Speeder (Biker Advanced Recon Commando Speeder) was a fast and armed Speeder Bike used by the Clone Troopers and their Jedi Generals during the Clone Wars. Powered by a repulsorlift engine to keep it hovering, the BARC was piloted by special elite pilots called Biker Advanced Recon Commandos (BARC Troopers). Since the BARC moved at such a high speed, the BARC Trooper's helmet had a focus visor portruding from the front. This helped the trooper from getting distracted and accidentally crashing or colliding.
The front of the BARC speeder is not well armoured. In the event of an anticipated crash, the BARC Speeder has an eject option. The BARC was the scourge of the skirmishes among the Separatist Droid Forces. it was armed with two powerful proton torpedo launchers and plasma blasters mounted on the back engines behind the pilot. BARCs were common for anti-personnel missions, and, along with their more heavily armored cousins, the
Swamp Speeders or ISPs, accompanied troopers during battles as support.
Many Jedi generals chose to ride into battle on a BARC speeder with their mounted platoon behind them. The BARC's most notable appearance was on the battle of
Kashyyyk, in which BARC speeders fended off droid forces and rapidly decimated Droid counterattacks. However, after the climactic end of the Clone War, BARC Speeders, along with Clone Troopers and the entire Old Republic was quickly forgotten when Darth Sidious created the new Galactic Empire.
The
Lancer Swoop Bike, also known as Lancer Speeders, were used by the
Galactic Republic, for covert raids and other special missions. They resembled standard 74-Z speederbikes, except they were white and had an armoured front vaguely resembling a horse's head. They could attain speeds of several hundred kilometres per hour and climb steep cliffs when in great speed. They were piloted by special squads of clone troopers armed with lances, which took advantage of the vehicle's speed to deliver direct damage upon impact. Lancer speeders were specifically armoured for close quarters combat, whereas regular speeder bikes would not be effective if used in such a manner.
The Lancer speeders were used at the Battle of Muunilist, where they were engaged in battle against a contingent of
IG Lancer droids led by the
bounty hunter Durge. Under the command of
Obi-Wan Kenobi, the lancer speeders performed on par with the enemy. However, the two lancer contingents largely destroyed each other, with few survivors save the leaders. Later during the battle, Obi-Wan used his Lancer Swoop Bike to gain speed and propel himself to the top of the
Intergalactic Banking Clan Command Centre.
The
Swamp Speeder or Infantry Support Platform Speeder (ISP Speeder) is a vehicle from the fictional universe of
Star Wars. A clone vehicle used on Kashyyyk and other planets, It is useful on marshy terrains. It is piloted by two clones and powered by dual repulsorlift engines to keep it floating above the murky surface of various planets. it travels at extreme speeds, and therefore requires specially trained pilots. The ISP Speeder provided additional support for the Clone Troopers battling with the Separatist Droid Army. ISPs were propelled by a high-power rotary fan. The pilots were more or less open to fire from snipers or even regular infantry, but because of its high speed, the ISP's pilots were relatively hard to hit. It also had a pair of front mounted dual-barrel blasters to clear out infantry or for anti-personnel hit-and-run missions. Larger and more protected than the Bike Aggressive Reconnaissance Speeder (BARC
Speeder), it was a powerful force in the battlefield, often used against Tank Droids. After the Clone War, the Swamp Speeder ISP faded into legend, along with the Old Republic and the Jedi.
In
The Phantom Menace,
Darth Maul uses a
Sith Bloodfin Speeder ("sky scooter") to chase down
Qui-Gon Jinn on
Tatooine. In
Attack of the Clones,
Count Dooku flees to his secret hangar on a
Geonosian Patrol Swoop Bike.
