Ithullan ore hauler
The Ithullan ore haulers were large starships in use circa 4000 BBY. Unlike standard starships, it was not manufactured, but built out of Ithullian colossus wasp corpses, giant insectoids over a kilometer in length. This unique design easily distinguished them from any other type of ship. These ships were used by the humanoid Nessies of the Stenness Node systems, a valuable mining region in what was then the galaxy's frontier.
Characteristics
Ithullan wasps were abundant in the Stenness Node systems, which gave the Nessies a ready source of hulls. When a wasp died, the Nessies converted its carapace into an ore hauler. The Nessies insisted that they only made their ships out of wasps that died of natural causes, but it was well known that some of the mining colonies would pay a high price for a wasp carapace. This led to Ithullan wasp poaching in the asteroid fields. Unfortunately for the poachers, the Ithullan wasps were quite capable of defending themselves, and many poachers were killed during hunts.
Their shell was sealed from the vacuum of space, and strong enough to repel blaster bolts, so all the engineers had to do was carve out decks and cargo holds, and connect equipment like computers, sensors, weapons, and power generators.
The cargo holds of these behemoths could carry as much valuable mutonium ore as the largest bulk freighters of the Core Worlds. Two ion engines were mounted on the outside of the wasps to save space inside the ship. The wasp's legs had stabilizers and jets installed on them to provide the ship with maneuverability. The ship had low power defensive blasters mounted along the exterior of the ship in addition to its main weapons, a pair of heavy turbolasers mounted in the forward section of the thorax.
Like standard insects, Ithullan wasps had a head, thorax, and abdomen. After conversion into an ore hauler, the head housed the command area, the computers, the sensors, and the weapon control systems. The thorax contained the ore modules, and the abdomen contained additional bays for ore, the ship's power generators, the drive control systems, and the fuel pods which took up most of the abdomen.
Appearances
- Tales of the Jedi 4 (First appearance)
Sources
"Straight from the Horse's Mouth: A Guide to the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Universe, Part 1" – Star Wars Insider 26 (Indirect mention only)- "Straight from the Horse's Mouth: A Guide to the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Universe, Part 2" – Star Wars Insider 27 (First identified as Ithull ore-hauler)
- The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels (First identified as Ithullian ore hauler)
- Tales of the Jedi Companion
- Star Wars Encyclopedia (First identified as Ithullan ore hauler and Ithullian colossus wasp carrier)
- Star Wars: Behind the Magic
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 11 (PLA8, Planets of the Inner Rim)
- The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 114 (ORE1-2, Ithullan Ore Hauler)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (First identified as Colossus Wasp transport ship and Ithull ore hauler)