Waveskimmer/Legends
The waveskimmer was a small repulsorcraft used by Imperial aquatic assault stormtroopers.
Characteristics
The waveskimmer was able to move under sea[1] and surf on waves.[1][3] It was a single person vehicle,[1] but two people could manage to ride the vehicle.[3]
It carried no weapons, but the seatroopers would fire their infantry weapons while driving the waveskimmer.[1] However, a version with a mounted sonic blaster was used in Alluuvia.[2]
Twinpod paracapsules could be used to drop two waveskimmers and two seatroopers from a starship in orbit.[3]
History
The Imperial Aquatic Garrison was an undermanned garrison in an water world. It had 15 waveskimmers, at least 3 of them were single person waveskimmers. Sedri seatroopers had at least five more single person waveskimmers.[1]
Later, The Strike-class medium cruiser Ion Storm dropped some single person waveskimmers over Sedri, but these weren't usually carried aboard as the cruiser had stopped in an Imperial depot en route to requisition the appropriate equipment.[3]
The Imperial Mobile Base in Elrood carried 10 waveskimmers equipped with sonic blasters.[2]
Behind the scenes
The vehicle appears first in pages 8,9 and 17 of Battle for the Golden Sun (1988), it appears again in pages 76-77 of Secrets of the Sisar Run (1997). The stat block is too brief and doesn't contain information about the manufacturer. It is just named waveskimmer or single person waveskimmer, which leads to some confusion.
The vehicle appears also in pages 42 and 47 of Operation: Elrood (1996), but the stat block states a speed of 70 km/h and adds a sonic blaster to the vehicle (other stats are the same). The waveskimmer is used on the waves in the previous appearances and is meant to be used underwater in Operation: Elrood, so 70 km/h may be either the underwater speed or the speed of the version equipped with the sonic blaster. It could also be a typo as 70 km/h is the speed of another vehicle in the same section.
Appearances
- Battle for the Golden Sun (First mentioned)
- Operation: Elrood
Sources
"Recon & Report: The Journey to Coruscant" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 2
"Recon & Report: The Journey to Coruscant" – The Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, Issues 1-4- Secrets of the Sisar Run
- Lords of the Expanse
- Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide