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Landspeeder

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At the Discovery Science Center
At Star Wars Celebration V
File:Rhode Island Comic Con 2013 (10648675204).jpg
At Rhode Island Comic Con

Landspeeders are fictional anti-gravity craft used through the Star Wars movies and Star Wars expanded universe. They are depicted both in civilian and military capacities, and several versions have been merchandised as toys and models.

Origin and design

Landspeeders first appear in Star Wars. Two of them—Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) X-34 and a V-35—were designed by noted special effects artist John Stears and were fitted around cars. Skywalker's landspeeder was designed and built by Ogle Design around the chassis of a Bond Bug three-wheeler car.[1][2][3] One of the major challenges the production crew faced was disguising the wheels to create the illusion that the craft was hovering.[4][5] For certain shots, they shot from camera angles that masked the wheels; for long-distance shots, they used reflective material, gelatin on the camera lens, and shadow effects. A small blur could be seen under the speeder, which George Lucas called "The Force Spot" (stated in Special Edition Tape).[4] Production designer Roger Christian used an angled mirror and a broom attached to the vehicle's underside to create, at certain angles, the illusion that the craft was hovering and kicking up dust.[3] Star Wars creator George Lucas used digital technology to enhance the landspeeder effects in the Special Edition of A New Hope.[4]

Industrial Light and Magic's (ILM) Doug Chiang designed the Naboo Flash speeder with a "race car look" while the Gian speeder's appearance is ILM's response to Lucas' request that the Naboo troops have "a pick-up truck with guns."[6][7]

The landspeeder was put on display in the exhibit Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination that moved between various museums in 2008.[8]

Depiction

Within the Star Wars universe, speeder is a generic term for any "repulsorcraft" or vehicle which uses anti-gravity repulsorlift technology to hover and fly above a planet's surface.[9] Landspeeders more specifically use repulsor technology to hover just above the ground, while they cannot achieve any great height they are cheap and fast. Many different types of landspeeders exist in the Star Wars universe to fulfill a variety of roles, including for personal transport.[10]

In Star Wars Film and Television
  • X-34 Landspeeder: In A New Hope, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) pilots an X-34 landspeeder, which he later sells before leaving Tatooine to join the Rebel Alliance. Reference material identifies the X-34 as a civilian vehicle manufactured by SoroSuub Corporation. At 3.4 m (11 ft) long, the X-34 can accommodate a pilot and passenger, while magnetic clamps behind the seating can accommodate droids or other cargo. Other features include retractable windshield which can enclose the cockpit, terrain scanner and night-vision headlights.[11] With three turbine engines, it has a top speed of 250 km/h (160 mph) and maximum altitude of 1 m (3 ft 3 in).[12][13]
  • Flash Speeder: Flash speeders appear in The Phantom Menace as one of several patrol vehicles used by the Royal Naboo Security Forces. Designed for street patrol and high-speed pursuit by the SoroSuub Corporation, the Flash speeder is 4.5 m (15 ft) long with seating for a pilot and passenger and maximum altitude of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). It is armed with a single pursuit/defense blaster on a 360° swivel mount.[14]
  • Gian Speeder: Gian speeders appear in The Phantom Menace as another landspeeder used by the Royal Naboo Security Force. Unlike the Flash speeder though, reference material identifies the Gian speeder as a heavier vehicle only employed for tactical situations. Also manufactured by the SoroSuub Corporation, the Gian has a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph).[15] Its narrower body makes it harder to hit from the front or rear at the expense of maneuverability and its tougher hull is reinforced with armor to withstand glancing hits. Larger than the Flash speeder with a length of 5.7 m (19 ft), the Gian speeder seats a pilot, gunner and two passengers.[14] Standard armaments include two side-mounted light repeating laser cannons, with the option of a hood-mounted heavy laser cannon. Each weapon is independently powered in the event the speeder's main generator is damaged.[14][15]
  • M-68 Landspeeder: The M-68 landspeeder first appears in Solo: A Star Wars Story when Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) hijack one to escape the White Worms gang. Within the Star Wars universe, the M-68 is described as a popular street racing model manufactured by Mobquet Swoops and Speeders. Nicknamed the "street blaster bolt", the M-68 has a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph) and is available in both hardtop and open-air models.[16]
  • A-A4B Truckspeeder: When Han and Qi'ra attempt to flee the White Worms gang in Solo, they are pursued by Moloch in an A-A4B Truckspeeder. Described as a heavy, rugged design, the A-A4B was built in-universe by Trast Heavy Transports with armored caging over the driver's seat and front grille, turning the landspeeder into a batter ram during high-speed chases.[16]

Cultural impact

A Star Wars fan named Daniel Deutsch built a full-scale replica of the landspeeder that can be driven like an automobile.[17] It first surfaced at the Neatorama website where it was discovered by rapper Kanye West who posted pictures of the landspeeder in his blog. One of the photographs show former 'N Sync member Joey Fatone posing next to the landspeeder. Kanye West described the replica landspeeder as made of a "custom aluminum chassis, fiberglass body, and an electric drive system that hits lightspeed at 25 mph".[18]

Toys

Radio Flyer created a toy version that a small child can drive around.[19]

There is a cat bed made to look like a landspeeder.[20]

Bibliography

  • Barr, Patricia; Bray, Adam; Jones, Matt; Horton, Cole; Wallace, Daniel; Windham, Ryder (2019). Ultimate Star Wars New Edition. United States: DK Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4654-7900-6.
  • Dougherty, Kerrie; Fry, Jason; Hidalgo, Pablo; Reynolds, David West; Saxton, Curtis; Windham, Ryder (2020). Star Wars Complete Vehicles New Edition. United States: DK Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7440-2057-1.
  • Walker, Landry Q. (2018). Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles. United States: DK Publishing. ISBN 9781465482716.

References

  1. ^ "The Force is strong with this three-wheeler from Preston". The Independent. 17 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Ogle Design - First Garden City Heritage Museum". 14 April 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Star Wars Insider #98 Excerpt: Roger Christian". Lucasfilm. 2007-12-04. Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  4. ^ a b c "Star Wars Databank: X-34 Landspeeder (Behind the Scenes)". Starwars.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  5. ^ "V-35 landspeeder (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  6. ^ "Gian speeder". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  7. ^ "Flash speeder". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  8. ^ "Star Wars Exhibition Brings Reality to Fantasy". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  9. ^ Dougherty, et al (2020), p. 257
  10. ^ Walker (2018), p. 39
  11. ^ Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 140-141
  12. ^ Walker (2018), p. 43
  13. ^ Barr, et al. (2019), p. 327
  14. ^ a b c Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 48
  15. ^ a b Walker (2018), p. 40
  16. ^ a b Barr, et al. (2019), p. 315
  17. ^ Chen, Brian X. "Star Wars Fan Shows Off Drivable Landspeeder". wired.com. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  18. ^ "kanYe West : Blog". 7 September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. ^ Liptak, Andrew (2018-07-06). "I couldn't test-drive Radio Flyer's Star Wars landspeeder, but my 5-year-old did". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  20. ^ Burton, Bonnie. "Meow the Force be with this 'Star Wars' Landspeeder cat bed". CNET. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
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