TIE fighter

TIE fighter Specifications
Manufacturer	Sienar Fleet Systems
Product Line	TIE series
Model	TIE/Ln Space Superiority Starfighter
Class	Starfighter
Length	6.3 meters
Mass	Unknown
Max Acceleration	4100 G
Max Speed	1200 km/h
Engine Unit(s)	SFS P-s4 Twin Ion Engine System
Hyperdrive	None
Crew	1 Pilot
Passengers	None
Armament	2 laser cannons
Affiliation	Galactic Empire, Imperial Remnant

The TIE fighter was the standard Imperial starfighter seen in massive numbers throughout the Galactic Civil War.

Details

The TIE fighter was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems. While highly maneuverable, they had no shields and thus were easy to destroy. They did not carry missile tubes in standard configurations, but they could be added on if necessary. Life-support systems were not included but each pilot had a fully-sealed flight suit superior to their Rebel counterpart's. Contrary to popular belief, the ships did possess ejection seats, but the nature of space warfare often resulted in pilots riding their craft down to a swift end rather than ejecting and risking slow death by heat loss and oxygen starvation.

The fighters, along with the pilots, were viewed as expendable by high ranking Imperial officers; even the pilots considered themselves expendable. Like stormtroopers, TIE pilots were addressed by a number, such as DS-61-2 (the first two letters indicated the posting, the next two or three digits indicated the squadron number, and the last number indicated the pilot's ranking in the squadron). TIE fighter laser cannons were weak on their own, although a direct hit on a starfighter or medium transport could damage or destroy it. TIEs were designed to attack in large numbers.

The side view of a TIE fighter's radiator panels curiously resembles the emblem of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, but it is not clear if the similarity was intentional or which was inspired from which.

Due to their distinct shape, TIE fighters came to be referred to occasionally as eyeballs by enemy pilots.

TIE/ln fighter

The original TIE fighter, a descendant of the T.I.E. starfighter developed for the Galactic Republic, had performance parity with heavier-built X-wings but they generally enjoyed numerical advantage. A newer variant, the TIE/ln "Line" Fighter boasted improved engines and more powerful weapons, surpassing contemporary Rebel fighters. It had been intended that the TIE/ln would be replaced by the TIE Interceptor, but the collapse of the Imperial government into sectionalism precluded this. As the Galactic Empire retreated, more and more factories found themselves behind New Republic lines and ceased production.

By the time the peace treaty was signed, the Empire (now known as the Imperial Remnant) began to use export starfighters manufactured by other races (such as the Sullustan SoroSuub Preybird) because they lacked the manufacturing facilities to build new TIE fighters.

Other designs based on the TIE fighter included the TIE Advanced, TIE bomber and the TIE Defender.

Behind the Scenes

• Originally meant to have a blue color on the hull, this was abandoned when blue-screen filming made the fighters transparent. The original TIE fighters seen in A New Hope were relatively white in color, the TIE/ln fighters of The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi were more grey with a gradual blueish hue added during post-production.
  
• TIE is a backronym standing for "Twin Ion Engine". The ship's appearance was inspired by bow ties.
  
• Little technical detail about the craft featured in the movies, but extensive details about the craft were created for the Expanded Universe. Most of the detail of this entry has been taken from that universe.
  
• In the X-Wing computer game series, the TIE fighter lacked the rechargeable shields possessed by Rebel craft and other Imperial fighters. While dangerous in large numbers, one on one they were easy pickings for other craft to the point where few scenarios in the games called for a player-controlled TIE fighter to go up against modern Rebel craft. However, player-controlled TIE fighters were far more dangerous than the somewhat-predictable computer-controlled fighters.