SBD
SBD was a common unit of measurement for deflector shields. The value indicated how much damage the vessel could withstand before the hull started taking damage.
From starfighters to capital ships, vessels equipped with a deflector measured the shield recharge rate with SBD. It was often followed by the vessel's hull rating, measured in RU. For example, a T-65 X-wing starfighter shields are rated at 50 SBD with a 20 RU rated hull. By comparison, an Imperial Class Star Destroyer shields are measured at 4800 SBD with a 2272 RU rated hull.
The SBD rating for some vessels appeared to vary based on whether the information came from an Imperial or Rebel source, which may indicate different rating scales or faulty intelligence on one or both sides.
Behind the scenes
SBD was first used in the 1993 LucasArts starfighter simulator, Star Wars: X-Wing. It was later defined in The Stele Chronicles, a short booklet included in the package of the LucasArts PC video game, Star Wars: TIE Fighter.
The term was consistently used in subsequent games including Star Wars: TIE Fighter, Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, and Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance. Different systems of shield measurement are used by the West End Games and Wizards of the Coast role-playing games and by the Dark Forces series of video games.
Appearances
- Star Wars: X-Wing
- Star Wars: TIE Fighter
- Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
- Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance