TIE fighter

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This page is about the fictional TIE fighter starcraft. For information on the LucasArts computer game TIE Fighter, see Star Wars: TIE Fighter.

A TIE fighter is a fictional starfighter in the Star Wars universe and is the standard Imperial starfighter. TIE is an acronym for "Twin Ion Engine". The ship's appearance was inspired by bow ties and they are seen in large numbers throughout the original Star Wars trilogy (episodes IV-VI). The movies include very little technical information about the craft but extensive details were subsequently created for the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Rebellion/New Republic pilots gave TIE fighters the slang name "Eyeballs" because of their spherical cockpit and viewport.

1 Specifications
2 Experimental models
3 Variants
4 History
5 Computer games
6 Trivia
7 External links

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Specifications

According to canon, the TIE fighter was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems and cost 60,000 Imperial Credits (the standard currency of the Empire) to build, which is apparently cheap for a fighter. The design was based on the older Advanced Jedi starfighter and the Sith Infiltrator.

While highly maneuverable, TIE fighters had minimal or no shielding and were easily destroyed. The TIE Pilots themselves, had to trust their adept flying and combat skills to compensate for these weaknesses. They did not carry missile tubes in standard configurations, but these were sometimes added as necessary. The fighters had no landing gear and were launched from specialized racks, although they are structurally capable of sitting on their wings. Life-support systems were not included, so each pilot had a fully-sealed flight suit (of superior construction to that of his Rebel counterpart).

Contrary to popular belief, the ships did possess ejection seats, as evidenced in Episode V, but the nature of space warfare resulted in pilots preferring to ride their craft to a swift end rather than eject and risk slow death by oxygen starvation.

The fighters, along with their pilots, were viewed as expendable by high ranking Imperial officers; even the pilots consider themselves expendable. Like stormtroopers, TIE pilots were addressed by a number, such as DS-61-2 (the first two letters indicate the posting, the next two or three digits indicate the squadron number, and the last number indicates the pilot's ranking in the squadron). TIE fighters were weak individually, although a direct hit on a starfighter or medium transport could damage or destroy it, but TIE craft were intended for use in large numbers.

Also contrary to common belief, the large panels on either side were not solar panels, but oversized radiation panels. These panels were necessary because the ion engines not only generated huge amounts of thrust for their size but also large amounts of harmful radiation. On the Imperial model TIE, the panels were mounted on posts to keep them away from the pilot. Nearly all books and other materiel from the Expanded Universe do however state that the panels are in fact solar panels.

According to the TIE Fighter computer game, for a limited time a very few TIEs were equipped with torpedo launchers and due to an emergency situation: Admiral Zaarin's TIE squadrons had been retrofitted with shielding. Template:-

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Experimental models

TIE/e1 — Also known as the TIE Experimental Turbolaser Ball, it is an experimental model that never made it into standard production. Little information is available on the TIE/e1. Visually, the TIE/e1 was a TIE/ln with a single solar panel, on one side of which was the pilot ball, and on the other was an additional pod with a single large laser cannon. The two laser cannons were removed from the pilot pod.

TIE/e2 — Another remodeled experimental remote-controlled TIE/ln. Information is classified. The TIE/e2 has never reached standard production status. Standard cannons were replaced with outer wing turrets that had a 45 degree angle of rotation.

TIE/e3 — Also known as the TIE Interceptor Rockets, an experimental TIE interceptor, with the four standard wingtip laser cannons removed, and two fast-fire Missile/Rocket pods placed on the outer side of the radiation panels.

TIE/e4 — An experimental remote-control TIE fighter. This craft first appeared in the game X-Wing Alliance. All weapons were stripped from this model of TIE Experimental, and it was used for Kamikaze attacks, most notable against the Rebel Mon-Cal cruiser, Liberty.

TIE/e5 — An experimental remote-control TIE fighter. This craft also first appeared in the game X-Wing Alliance. It was a TIE/ln with a large booster rocket welded onto the back increasing its speed.

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Variants

TIE/Advanced fighter — Also known as the Advanced x1, it is a modified starfighter once used by Darth Vader.

TIE Avenger — The production model based on Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 prototype.

TIE Bomber — A larger, less maneuverable version of the TIE Fighter used for destroying large ships and fortifications.

TIE/D Automated Fighter — A TIE fighter piloted by a droid brain instead of a living pilot.

TIE Defender — A TIE fighter variant featuring deflector shields and hyperdrive.

TIE/fc — Also known as the TIE Fire-Control Fighter, it is a variant in the TIE fighter series. It carried only one laser cannon and instead carried several sensors. It was primarily designed to scan an enemy base and transmit the information back to the fleet. The ships would then attack the base and be able to evade the enemy's defenses. Because of its importance, the craft was designed to be very maneuverable.

TIE/gt — Short for TIE Ground-Targeting Starfighter, it is a predecessor to the TIE Bomber. It was designed to be dependent on the TIE/fc Fighter, which provided precise targeting information. The fighter's payload included 6 proton torpedoes, 18 air-deployed mines, or 20,000 plastic leaflets which were used for propaganda missions.

TIE Hunter — A TIE model similar to the TIE Interceptor, but with S-foils.

TIE Interceptor — Also known as the TIE/I or T/I, it is a faster version of the TIE fighter that is identifiable by its bent and arrow-shaped wing features.

TIE Phantom — A variation of the TIE fighter featuring cloaking technology.

TIE Raptor — Like all TIE craft, it has a spherical cockpit with an octagonal window, but rather than the usual large wings on either side, it has four short fins protruding from it. Each TIE Raptor was armed with four wing mounted laser cannons, and a pair of concussion missile tubes mounted just below the cockpit. This fighter was involved in the final battle between Han Solo's Mon Remonda and Warlord Zsinj's Iron Fist. To draw off Wedge Antilles with his Rogue and Wraith Squadron's, Zsinj sent a fake 181st Fighter Squadron to the world of Selaggis Six in the hope that this would allow Zsinj enough time to fake the destruction of his Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist. Having engaged this fake 181st, the Rogues and Wraiths were attacked by a squadron of new TIE Raptors but ultimately this design fared no better than any other. This is the only known use of the TIE Raptor. Despite the striking similarity between the TIE Raptor and the basic TIE Fighter, Sienar Fleet Systems was not responsible for its design or manufacture.

TIE/rc Vanguard — A reconnaissance version of TIE fighter, constructed by Sienar Fleet Systems (SFS) for the Galactic Empire and private contractors. 6.3 meters long, the fighter sports only one laser cannon, but uses the extra space to carry enhanced sensors that are more powerful compared to baseline TIE/ln starfighter.

TIE crawler — Though not strictly a TIE fighter variant, the TIE crawler does use the same cockpit.

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History

The original TIE fighter was more maneuverable but less durable than the heavily built X-wings, but TIE fighters generally enjoyed numerical advantage. A newer variant, the TIE/ln "Line" Fighter boasted improved engines, surpassing contemporary Rebel fighters of the time. The TIE interceptor was the intended replacement for the TIE/ln, but the collapse of the Imperial government into sectionalism precluded this. As the Galactic Empire retreated, more and more factories found themselves behind New Republic lines and ceased production. For this reason the Empire began to install shields on their fighters. By the time the peace treaty was signed (in Vision of the Future), the Empire was using export starfighters manufactured by other races (such as the Sullustan SoroSuub Preybird) due of a lack of TIE manufacturing facilities.

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Computer games

In the X-Wing/TIE Fighter computer game series, the TIE fighter was not equipped with the rechargeable shield technology found on Rebel craft and more advanced Imperial fighters. The TIE fighter boasted superior maneuverability to partially compensate for this deficiency.

It is also featured in Star Wars: Battlefront and Battlefront 2, equipped with lasers and proton torpedoes.

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Trivia

The phrase "TIE fighter" is said only once in the whole Star Wars trilogy (when Lando orders his strike team to return to the surface of the Death Star in ROTJ).

The TIE fighter versus X-Wing idea may have been based on dogfights between slower but better armored American planes and faster, as well as more maneuverable Japanese Zeros during World War II.

Comic Artist Brandon Badeaux at one point believed that TIE Fighters existed before the Original Trilogy of Star Wars movies, placing one on the first page of "Nomad: Chapter One" in Star Wars Tales #21, alongside original Clone Troop Transports and what appears to be a Super Star Destroyer(Republic Gunships also appear in a flashback during this story). This comic takes place approximately six months after The Phantom Menace.

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