Slave I

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Size:
  21.5 meters long

• Weapon:
  Laser cannons, concealed projectile launchers, ion cannons, tractor beam

• Affiliation:
  Bounty Hunter

• Type:
  pursuit vessel

• Manufacturer:
  Kuat Systems Engineering

• 

From the Movies

The elliptical silhouette of the Slave I is the last thing any fugitive would want to see on her rear sensor display. The Slave I's sophisticated anti-detection gear and stealth package ensure that very few fugitives ever see their captor coming.

The Slave I has a distinctive shape making it instantly recognizable. Its large engine cluster dominates the lower section of the ship when docked, with the cabin resting atop it. Once airborne, the Slave I pivots 90 degrees, so that its base becomes its trailing edge and its top-mounted cockpit faces forward. The vessel is armed with numerous laser cannons, as well as concealed projectile launchers and seismic charge deployer.

The battle-worn vessel was originally owned and piloted by Jango Fett, who passed on his impressive skills to his son, Boba. Boba Fett piloted the Slave I when he pursued the Millennium Falcon from the Anoat system to Bespin shortly after the Battle of Hoth.

From the Expanded Universe

For all its deadliness and stealth, the Slave I is an antiquated craft of a type rarely seen plying the modern spacelanes. Both Jango and Boba Fett staved off its obsolescence by constantly rebuilding, customizing and updating the ship's many features.

What began life as a Kuat Systems Engineering limited edition Firespray-class ship is now a dedicated pursuit craft worthy of the galaxy's best bounty hunter. Aside from its clearly visible twin blaster cannons, the ship also has numerous weapons hidden away. Concealed in its hull are a turret-mounted tractor beam projector, a pair of proton torpedo launchers, concussion missile tubes, and a powerful ion cannon.

After Fett's apparent death in the Sarlacc pit, the Alliance seized the Slave I and impounded it on the planet Grakouine. As the galaxy was busy turning itself inside out, transforming from Empire to New Republic, the Slave I was promptly forgotten. Using a variety of fronts, a clandestine Fett legally reclaimed the Slave I by purchasing it. As he was refitting the vessel, he used a sleek replacement ship that he dubbed the Slave II.

Behind the Scenes

The Slave I seen in The Empire Strikes Back was sometimes a detailed miniature 69 centimeters long. Other times, it was a matte painting by Harrison Ellenshaw. For its new shots in the Special Edition, the Slave I was a computer-generated creation.

The Slave II, a completely different design, appeared in the pages of Dark Horse's Dark Empire comic in the early 90s.