Forewarning: This thread's about the old X-wing book series's starfighter nicknames. If you're a person who thinks calling a TIE interceptor a squint is utterly daft that's fair enough but this thread won't be of much interest to you. I'd also appreciate it if when posting people refrain from jokes about the aesthetics of Wave 7 and the E-wing, they've been done to death on other threads.

Anyway, for those not turned back by the forewarning, on with the show!

The Michael A. Stackpole X-wing books had a series of nicknames for the assorted TIE variants. A TIE fighter is an "eyeball" and the TIE interceptor is a squint. ,TIE bombers are dupes, TIE defenders are trips and TIE advanceds were brights. While it never turned up in any of the books a few forummers have given the TIE phantom the nickname blink.

Anyway, was reading the Essential Guide to Warfare which I picked up in a bookshop's sale and it turns out there are ones for the rebels too. The X-wing, Y-wing, A-wing and B-wing are Pointer, Wishbone, Edge and Spinner/Cross. Personally not sure about a few of those (I like Edge and Cross but Pointer sounds a bit eh). Finally, the Z-95 Headhunter is a Skull, which I don't actually get.

And then I thought that leaves the TIE punisher, E-wing, K-wing, Scyk, StarViper, Kihraxz, HWK and the entire large ship lineup unaccounted for. The forum's already done one ship (blink), anyone reckon they've got good ones for the left over ships (or better ones for the existing ones)?

HWK could be the Brick

TIE punisher the Egg

E-wing the Zap

K-wing the Boom

Scyk the Scratch

StarViper the Comb

Kihraxz the Kay

And then I thought that leaves the TIE punisher, E-wing, K-wing, Scyk, StarViper, Kihraxz, HWK and the entire large ship lineup unaccounted for. The forum's already done one ship (blink), anyone reckon they've got good ones for the left over ships (or better ones for the existing ones)?

The StarViper could easily be referred to as a "snake" and I think most folks would get it.

The Scyk is a tough one. I would say "lizard", but all of the MandalMotors fighters (Kimogila, Scyk, Dunelizard, and Krayt) are named for Tatooine reptiles in some form or other. No easy one there, I think.

The "unofficial" term around here for the VT-49 is the Rhino, and the Lambda-class is <insert shade of white> <insert space term> <insert large bovine> so "alabaster space cow" is one.

The term for the Decimator simply is Deci here.

StarViper = butterfly

Scyk = gnat or mosquito

K-wing = heavy or moose

I like to call the Decimator the space brick. It looks like one, it dodges like one, and it hits like one.

StarViper = butterfly

Scyk = gnat or mosquito

K-wing = heavy or moose

Moose is actually a really good one, given it has a massive head.

K-wing = heavy or moose

Moose is actually a really good one, given it has a massive head.

It doesn't really fit into the SW universe, however it did make me laugh out loud.

I say keep it. The K-Wing is now the Moose.

I'm so used to reading/ using all that pilot jargon I forget to call Imperial fighters by their official names at all. I was playing a game against someone who hasn't read any of the novels, and he had no idea what I was saying when I called them "Squints", "eyeballs", etc.

Me: "Scratch one squint!"

Him: "uhh... okay?"

I vote for Bullwinkle for the K-wing.

And here is an image of approximately one decimater.

Moose is actually a really good one, given it has a massive head.

That and the huge wings with ordnance pods look like antlers to me.

I approve "moose" for the K-Wing. It will lead to a significant number of awesome Bullwinkle and Monty Python jokes.

I approve "moose" for the K-Wing. It will lead to a significant number of awesome Bullwinkle and Monty Python jokes.

"A moose once bit my Soontir..."

E -wings - Trident (if they are going to insist it looks like an "E" then it has 3 tines)

Punisher - Bug-eye (TIE series ships need eye names, and the punisher looks like a compound eye)

I still say that these work for me:

Heavy Scyk w/ Manger Cannon = Smangler

Heavy Scyk w/ Ion Cannon = Scion

I call the Scyk with Manglers - Piranha's , small fast and will take a bite if given the chance

actually....nicknames, especially obtuse or obscure ones are a pet peeve of mine.

around my parts, popular nicknames are:

Sleepy or Sleepers = z-95s. (get it? zzzzzz)

Jango Jr = Boba Fett. (har har....groan)

Petey-Thrusters = PTL + Autothrusters

BroBots - 2 x IG-88

Fruit Gun = Mangler Cannon. (you know, because it was called Mango Cannon for a while)

Tie POO

Khirhalksdnglkasdjfkb

Boom is good for the K-wing or Zoom

We call the Starviper a butterfly. I'm sure everyones seen the monarch repaints.

the syck is a slug

The falcon is DAT MUTHALSJDGKER

The Outrider is *table flipping anger

The Transport is a Whale

The raider is a crocodile.

the lambda is a cow

HWK is a hawk obviously. Im going to paint mine like a bald eagle.

E wing unaccounted for.

Zoom and K-Boom ^^

E-wing - Zap

don't get it?

E for electronic - electric power - electric shock - a zap ^^

StarViper: Butterfly is just too long. Its a comb. or just a Fly

I get the squint, dupes and even skulls, but I never got the point of nicknames longer than the actual ship name.

Four eyeballs on your flank seems less useful than, four TIEs on your flank. Honestly, the letter ships among my type tend to get letter nicknames. Xs were Xs, Ys were Ys. Ships with no name, like the YTs could use nicknames, but it seems weird to have a longer nick name than proper name. Heck, if I worked in Rebel psy-ops I would work on getting Imperial pilots to use long, over-complex nicknames.

Alpha 3 - "Alpha leader, you got two Jabberwokies and a Slurred Dingo on your tail"

Alpha Leader - "Two whats and a who?"

Alpha 3 - "Two Jabberwokies, cause the necks and a Slurred Dingo, cause that one time Bob said"

Alpha Leader - "Aaaaah! I am being shot by... two things and another think"

Alpha 3 - "Two Jabberwokies and a..."

Alpha Leader - KABOOOM!!!!

Alpha 3 - "Alpha 5, Alpha leader was just shot down by a Slurred Dingo"

Alpha 5 - "You mean a Slurring Dingo"

Alpha 3 - "Oh yeah,, that makes more sense."

I get the squint, dupes and even skulls, but I never got the point of nicknames longer than the actual ship name.

Four eyeballs on your flank seems less useful than, four TIEs on your flank.

Thing is, they're all TIEs. Every Imperial small ship in the game is a TIE. You'd have to say TIE fighter, and then eyeball is shorter.

Slang for enemy combatants is generally derogatory. This is how you get Bucket-heads, Eyeballs, Squints, etc. in the Star Wars universe and also in real life, which is much less tame about referring to an enemy in less than reverent terms.

star viper is "space butterfly" and syck is "Sick"