droid tri-fighter

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Colla IV

• Size:
  5.4 meters long

• Weapon:
  Medium laser cannon; 3 laser cannons; 2-6 missiles, variable payloads

• Affiliation:
  Confederacy of Independent Systems

• Type:
  droid starfighter

• Manufacturer:
  Colla Designs and Phlac-Arphocc Automata Industries

• 

From the Movies

When the Separatists attacked Coruscant in the twilight of the Clone Wars, they employed as many different and cutting edge combat starship designs as they could to better the chances of victory in their most bold and daring strike. Swarming from the hangar bays of Confederacy battleships were tri-fighters, automated starfighters equipped with groupings of four blaster cannons. The bracing arms surrounded a rotating gyroscopic ball that housed the droid's brain.

The fully automated tri-fighter is bigger and less maneuverable than the slim vulture fighters, but nonetheless posed a threat, particularly to the slower ARC-170 fighters.

From the Expanded Universe

The tri-fighter derives its name from the triple support arms that steady its primary cannons, and it derives these arms from the skull shape of a predator native to the world of its designers. The Colicoid Creation Nest, the same amoral cannibalistic insectoid designers responsible for the deadly droidekas, designed the tri-fighter. Also contributing to its name is the array of triple independent thrusters that afford it its agility.

The tri-fighter brain is more sophisticated than that of the vulture droid starfighter. Its robust power plant and advanced communication transceiver give a tri-fighter impressive operating range for a non-hyperdrive equipped automated starfighter.

Behind the Scenes

The tri-fighter concept at one point included snap-on booster rockets that increased the ship's speed and range for a limited time. With the boosters, the tri-fighter were essentially fired from a capital ship like missiles. Once within closing distance of enemy starfighters, the tri-fighter would jettison its booster and continue with an accelerated attack. Given the visual chaos inherent in designing the opening space battle, Director George Lucas ultimately nixed the booster concept, as it contributed unnecessary clutter and confusion on the screen.

The tri-fighter was a computer-generated creation. Its design stems from saucer-shaped starfighters meant to echo the look of the Trade Federation battleships. As these shapes were refined, the curving disk arms were turned into the triple bracing arms found clutching the gyroscopic cockpit ball.

During development, the tri-fighter was also called the tri-droid. That name was phased out, and eventually used to describe the tripodal assault droids seen on Mygeeto.