Celebrating Star Wars Day with Iconic Vehicles from the Star Wars Expanded Universe and Original Trilogy!

May 4, 2023

May the 4th be with you all! Today is Star Wars day, and we’re really excitecd about it! Today’s blog is all about cool and interesting vehicles from the Star Wars Universe. If you’ve got a favorite vehicle or ship that we’ve left off our list, let us know in the comments below. We love to see everyone’s personal faves.

And when you’re done reading, head over to the Waukegan Public Library at 5PM for “The Library Awakens, a Star Wars Celebration”!

The AT-ST

The AT-ST is a scout battle vehicle which first made an appearance in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It’s birdlike appearance helps it walk through areas other vehicles cannot, and it’s quite agile despite its awkward appearance. It can rotate its head to fire multiple rounds at enemies, and can run fast into battle or slowly creep to survey the area.

Jabba the Hutt’s Sailing Barge

This nefarious cruise ship belongs to none other than the malevolent space slug known as Jabba the Hutt. Jabba and his ilk use this barge, also known as Khetanna, to transport prisoners to their death at the Sarlaac Pit, a giant carnivorous sand worm on Tatooine. This roving palace sails across the sands of the desert planet with ease, but it’s also ready to fight a battle with enemies at a moments notice since it’s equipped with plenty of weapons and spots for bounty hunters to fight fellow pirates and other intruders.

The Jawa Sandcrawler

These mobile roving fortresses are equipped with treads capable of navigating gravel, rock, and sand. They’re used by the Jawas on both Tatooine and Arvala-7 as their home and mobile workshop. These vehicles also have a magnetic suction device for pulling both scraps and droids into the ship’s interior to harvest for scrapping. It has plenty of cargo room as well as bunks for its inhabitants when they’re not in the workshops and scrap-processing facilities. Each sandcrawler can fit a whole Jawa Clan, anywhere from 30 to 60 Jawas. They’re originally manufactured by the Corellia Mining Corporation.

Gungan Battle Wagon

These wagons are piloted by a Falumpaset and used by the Gungans to defend their territory and their planet from nefarious outside forces. It uses large wheels to minimize any jostling of the rider and contents, and is used to carry supplies or energy ball ammunition to combat troops. The Falumpset is used due to its long legs which make it perfect for covering lots of ground on the grasslands in great long strides. The Grand Gungan Army is known for applying its hybrid of technology and traditional weapons. They focus on defense rather than offense, but are a formidable force in battle.

Mon Calamari Star Cruiser

The Mon Calamari people were an asset to the Rebel Alliance. Determined to restore freedom to the galaxy, these peace-seeking people had an immense amount of fire power at the ready. The cruiser was just one of several in a fleet of powerful ships designed to take down the Imperial Starfleet. They were equipped with turbolasers, ion cannons, tractor beam projections, and had a formidable shield generator. They were 1200m in length, making them a sincere force to be reckoned with.

X34 Landspeeder

The infamous mode of transport for a teenaged Skywalker on the planet of Tatooine. This unassuming vehicle was 3.4m in length and capable of floating 1m above the sandy terrain. Thanks to the harsh terrain and environment of Tatooine, maintaining these vehicles required a lot of frequent tune-ups and tinkering. It has a trio of air-cooled thrust turbines, which are coupled with the repulsorlift engine, allowing it to float above the ground for speedy travel.

Naboo Flash Speeder

This sleek, stunning specimen in airspeed transport was employed by the Royal Guards of Naboo. Originally designed for patrol use due to their speed and agility, they also doubled as combat vehicles in a pinch. They’re equipped with a turret-mount blaster cannon on the rear spoiler, and twin repulsorlift engines. They were used to liberate the capital of Theed on Naboo from the Trade Federation, and used by bounty hunters during the Clone Wars.

What are some of your favourite additions to the ever expanding vehicles of the Star Wars Universe?

Let us know in the comments!

Check out this video of a cool car built and designed by Bryan Benedict and Billy Hammon as seen on Jay Leno’s Garage!

Did you know that NASCAR has also celebrated Star Wars in the ultimate pop-culture merger? Check out this cool video from The Iceberg on YouTube to learn more!