When FFG announced the Wave 12 ships, they continued a trend that started with the Quadjumper – no matter how small or insignificant a role a ship played, if it was on screen in a canon TV show or movie, and it fit their scale/time period, and if it could conceivably be thought of as having a military role outside of atmo, it ends up in the game eventually. The Phantom 2 probably has a combined 5-10 minutes of screentime (at best) across the episodes it’s in Rebels. The Quadjumper famously had a few seconds on screen before blowing up. The Wookiee Gunship was in one episode of Rebels. If it shows up on screen, it eventually shows up in game.
So, with that in mind, I started thinking about all the ships that have shown up on screen but aren’t yet in the game. Two big questions spring to mind about them. First, why haven’t they been released yet? And second, what might each ship bring to the game that would set it apart from the rest of the fleet?
The first question is pretty straightforward to answer – FFG have a limited number of release slots in a given year, and they have factors motivating them other than “What was the most recent ship to show up in Rebels or in a movie?” Marketing pushes associated with new releases, commercial factors, the needs of a given faction or responses to emerging metagames, not to mention the whims of the designers all probably result in various ships getting pushed back and forth in the queue.
The second question is a bit more complicated. There’s no one simple answer – most of the ships we’re still “missing” have a few specific things that set them apart – or might potentially set them apart. Whether it’s new slots, a new niche, or a new list type that they make possible most – though, admittedly, not all – of the following ships could make a real case for their inclusion in the game.
For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to split the post into two segments. First, the ships I consider to be effectively inevitable. Unless something drastic happens (2.0, FFG loses the license, etc.) they will make it into the game in some form because they tick all the boxes above (right scale, been on screen, combat ship). Then, in a separate part, the ships that don’t quite fulfil all three categories will get a brief run through.
A couple of quick notes. First, I’m generally ignoring Epic here – things like the Hammerhead Corvette or the Wild Karrde aren’t considered. Second, I’m also not considering ships that haven’t been seen onscreen since Episode 3. This includes old EU favourites (like the Skipray Blastboat), new EU favourites (like Dr Aphra’s ship) and old Clone Wars era Ships (V Wing, N1 starfighter etc.). There are ships in all three categories that deserve to make it into the game IMO, but without actually showing up on screen, FFG can choose to ignore them if they want, in a way that they haven’t seemed willing to ignore ships that have turned up onscreen. So, on we go.
Part One: The Inevitables.
Delta Class T-3 Shuttle (Krennic’s Shuttle)
Seen in: Rogue One
Probable Faction: Imperial.
Wookieepedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Delta-class_T-3c_shuttle
Why it might be interesting:
Mentioning this ship typically results in people complaining that the Imperials already have too many shuttles, why would you need another? But let’s be honest: This thing had a super prominent role in Rogue One, it’s right in the X Wing scale, and it's the best opportunity to being in Orson Krennic as a crew card. It’s happening. But when people complain about too many shuttles, they shoebox the Delta in ways that might not be appropriate. Let's consider the things it might bring to the game.
First, note the size. Despite the way the teeny tiny windscreen makes it look, this thing is relatively small. It’s only 14.4m long, less than 2m longer than a T-65 X Wing. At 1:270, that’s an extra 7mm, give or take. Sure, it has a lot of volume to it, and the wingspan would be considerable, but this thing would look very small on a large base. It might be a small base Imperial shuttle with two crew slots. Give it a dial with at least a K Turn, and potentially you have a Palp carrier that could contribute to the fight in a meaningful way at a price point below that of a Decimator. A dial and price point comparable to a B Wing or ARC-170 would potentially mean Palp aces lists could include three legitimate aces, assuming the points could be shaved somewhere using Omega Leader or something.
The above assumes it would get the two crew slots required for Palpatine. FFG might not want to go that route, and instead choose to include an upgrade type that we haven't seen before outside of Epic: Teams. A Death Trooper Squad or Stormtrooper Squad might offer opportunities for FFG to consider boarding mechanics, or, more likely, just give them a new slot to tailor the options available to specific new ships. The obstacles to doing this now are actually not that significant: None of the teams currently available would break anything competitively, although they would maybe require some clarifications on the team upgrade rules card (namely, that ships without an energy value can not receive or spend energy, and probably that range measurements beyond range three do not apply outside of Epic).
TL,DR: Might fit on a small base, which might mean a Palp carrier that can dog fight. Would be a great place to bring Team upgrades over from Epic.
Zeta Class Cargo Shuttle
Seen in: Rogue One
Probable Faction: Imperial, possibly Imperial/Rebel.
Wookieepedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zeta-class_cargo_shuttle
Why it might be interesting:
Like Krennic’s shuttle above, the Zeta class tends to set people groaning about Shuttles in the Imperial faction, but again there are ways this ship could distinguish itself as something unique.
Much like the Delta class, the Zeta would be a great place for a team upgrade. We know it can, and does, carry quite a large number if people, but multiple crew slots would be problematic, both because the official crew complement is only two (so FFG would typically only give it a single slot), and because multiple crew slots mean Palpatine, and while I could see him flying around in one of Krennic’s stealthy Deltas, there's no way he’d lower himself to slumming it on a cargo barge.
Even if teams aren't on the cards for this ship, one epic upgrade slot seems obvious: Cargo. Again, limits would have to be set around energy, but none of the currently available cargo upgrades would break the 100/6 game, and some, like Supercharged Power Cells and EM Emitter, would give the ship some serious role options.
Finally, a note on size: In terms of length, the ship is shorter than the Decimator. So while wingspan may again be an issue, assuming the model was articulates, it could definitely work on a large base.
TL,DR: It fits into the game’s scale, and could be given some fun roles with the cargo upgrade slot.
TIE Reaper
Seen in: Rogue One
Probable Faction: Imperial.
Wookieepedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE_Reaper
Why it might be interesting:
Okay, granted, this one’s kind of tough. Even I'm sick of shuttles by this point. Like the Delta, the Reaper could have a team slot if FFG decides to use them to represent soldier squads. Otherwise, there aren't too many options for this ship: Two crew slots are probably out, as FFG won't want Palp riding on it, so this one might have to be a bit of a filler – possibly a good alternate ride for Hux, since he’s not allowed in the TIE Shuttle, or Vader if the points work out.
TL,DR: Uhh... Dunno?
Resistance Transport
Seen in: The Force Awakens
Probable Faction: Resistance.
Wookieepedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Resistance_transport
Why it might be interesting:
Well, our shuttle odyssey continues, but at least now we're in the Rebel/Resistance faction. Honestly, my first impression when people started talking about this ship as a possibility for the game, I was not keen. It had even less screentime/relevance than the Quadjumper, and it was ugly, and it had nothing that made it interesting or distinctive in the faction. Consider the Imperials, who have the challenge of making double crew ships worth taking compared with the Lambda, without completely outclassing the Lambda. For the Rebels, the challenge is making it distinct among the U Wing, YT-1300 and Auzituck, which is a trickier challenge.
My opinions have shifted somewhat as I thought about it though. For one, like the Imperial shuttles, this could introduce the Team upgrade to 100/6 and the Rebel faction (outside of epic). It would also have a tech slot, and the tech/team combo might have some synergies unavailable elsewhere. The other interesting feature revealed in some Last Jedi marketing is that the cockpit unit on the end can actually break off and fly independently. This might allow for a built in Hounds Tooth /Nashtah Pup style mechanic, but perhaps refined a little to make sure it was more relevant than the Pup ever has been, or even some legitimate mid mission docking ala the Ghost.
TL,DR: Rebel team upgrades, tech/team combo and a built in Nashtah Pup mechanic.
RZ-2 A-Wing (Resistance A Wing)
Seen in: The Last Jedi (Trailer)
Probable Faction: Resistance.
Wookieepedia: http://star-wars-canon.wikia.com/wiki/RZ-2_A-wing
Why it might be interesting:
Like the TIE Reaper, this one suffers a little in that it's not really filling a new niche. Assuming the trend set by the TIE/fo and the T-70 holds, we can expect to see the RZ-2 gain a shield, a tech slot, and a better dial on it's predecessor, giving it (likely) 2 attack, 3 agility, two hull and three shields. Possibly we can expect some Talon rolls or Sloops (I'd expect Sloops, but I'm not sure), but it’ll be hard to improve much on the A Wing dial (more green 3s, perhaps).
Assuming pricing that accounts for the Chardaan refit discount, we might expect to see prices start around 18 or 19 points. That's good, but it's not going to displace any of the existing ships in their archetypes: it won't be a cheaper missile carrier than a Z-95, and 2 attack dice will be a limiting factor for jousting or flanking. Three hard turns might make it a better PtL ace than it's predecessor, but it will still suffer from that attack value. I think this is a ship that will need strong pilot abilities or a powerful title to give it table time. Alternately, the newly introduced bullseye firing arc mechanic might give the Resitance A Wing something to distinguish itself.
TL,DR: It's going to struggle to find a niche that isn't already filled, especially with two attack dice, but a bulls eye arc might help mitigate that.
Imperial Patrol Transport
Seen in: Rebels
Probable Faction: Imperial.
Wookieepedia: http://star-wars-canon.wikia.com/wiki/Patrol_transport
Why it might be interesting:
This is an intriguing ship. On first looks, it's not that interesting. It doesn't look particularly bulky or evasive, and there's no indication of shields, nor is it particularly heavily armed. Until it showed up flying through space in a recent Rebels episode, I would have assumed it was an airspeeder which could be safely ignored. But, we’ve seen that that's not the case now, and if my initial thesis is true, we can eventually expect to see this thing in the game. So what can it do?
Well, to me, the most interesting thing we know about it comes from it's weapons configuration. The Star Wars Databank makes clear that it has two rotating ball turrets up front, and a rear cannon. This would seem to me to be a good basis to play with firing arcs. Maybe it gets a 180 front firing arc, and a rear 80 degree arc? It would be very nearly a PWT, but Autothrusters would not be a factor. This might mean two attack dice would be enough to keep it useful without going into Wookiee gunship territory. Also, at a likely hull value of maybe 5, an agility of probably two, it would lack the survivability or customisability of something like a TIE Bomber, so it could be cheap without stepping on too many toes.
TL,DR: The canon weapons arrangement makes this a prime target for interesting firing arcs – front 180+rear auxilliary.
Sentinel Class Landing Ship
Seen in: A New Hope (Special Edition), Rebels
Probable Faction: Imperial.
Wookieepedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sentinel-class_landing_craft/Legends
Why it might be interesting:
There are a handful of reasons the Sentinel deserves to be in the game. First, it's the only OT ship that could be in the game (I.e. Space capable, right scale etc.) that isn't in the game. Also, its starring role in Rebels means we could see some major Imperial characters as crew – Grand Admiral Thrawn, Governor Price, maybe others.
Unfortunately, the reasons to get the ship in game don't necessarily extend to it being particularly unique once it’s in there. It sits uncomfortably close to the Upsilon and Lambda, and when considered against the other Imperial shuttles discussed above, it's entering a very crowded market.
Again, team upgrades for trooper squads would be practical here, as would enough crew slots to make it another Palp carrier. It could go as far as four crew to give it something unique. There’s also potential for cargo upgrades, so that the cargo shuttle isn't the only ship in the standard game that can carry them. In Legends, the Sentinel had missiles and two turrets, so those slots might give it something too. A three attack, arc locked ship with cargo, four crew slots, two turrets and a missile would preclude EPTs on any of the pilots, but it would be something new.
TL,DR: Multiple turret slots and the first ship in the game that could legitimately justify four crew slots.
Mining Guild TIE Fighter
Seen in: Rebels
Probable Faction: Scum.
Wookieepedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mining_Guild_TIE_fighter
Why it might be interesting:
This one's actually quite straightforward. Imperials get the classic cheap TIE fighter. The rebels get Sabine’s TIE, more expensive, more customisable. Scum get this thing. What does it have going for it? In my mind, only one thing – those missing panels suggest greater visibility to me, and the beat way to express that in X Wing is with a 180 degree firing arc. The three hull, three agility and two attack statline would stay, but the base level price would have to be adjusted up a few points. A swarm of these would make an interesting contrast to both a classic TIE Swarm and the new 4 Wookiee miniswarm. I'm not sure it would be as good as either, but with some interesting pilot abilities I'm sure this could see play in Scum.
TL,DR: 180 degree firing arc TIE.
First Order TIE Bomber
Seen in: TLJ Promotional Material
Probable Faction: First Order.
Wookieepedia: N/A
Why it might be interesting:
This one kind of has an asterisk next to it, since unlike the Resistance A-wing, the promotional material material that shows a First Order TIE Bomber has been scant, and never focussed on the bomber. We have it on the Force Friday poster and on some Lego sets, but always in the background. It’s never even been made explicit that it is a First Order TIE Bomber - it could be a ship with a different role that just happens to have bomber wings. Or it might have been inserted into the promo material by an excited VFX artist and Disney never picked up on it/cared enough to remove it before printing the posters. But, assuming none of that is true, and we do see these things in TLJ (or even Episode IX), they’re prime fodder for the game.
As for what they might bring, the obvious answer is a TIE Bomber that can actually bomb. FFG spent the last few waves making bombs relevant – probably too relevant based on the Nym and Advanced SLAM nerfs. This left the old TIE bomber and Punisher in the dust a little bit. Beyond giving the old Bomber chassis the normal FO treatment – an extra shield, a tech slot and a better dial, FFG could use this opportunity to come up with an Imperial bombing ship that can actually bomb. Partly they could do this through giving it the reload action (something the old TIE bomber and Punisher almost certainly would have had had it existed at the time) – and most likely some way (a title or tech upgrade) to make the reload apply to bombs as well. Finally, something analogous to Trajectory Simulator to make bombing more effective – a built in Bombadier type ability possibly? – would be enough to make a new TIE Bomber good at what it says on the tin.
TL,DR: The TIE/fo bomber may or may not actually be in TLJ, if it is, it’ll be an Imperial bombing platform with some tricks to make it decent.
Part Two: The Unlikely
This is just meant as a quick skim of the ships that, for whatever reason, aren’t as likely to make it into the game (mainly because they miss one of the three key categories). I’ve put them here in roughly the order I think they’re likely to appear.
Kom’rk (Gauntlet) Fighter.
What it might bring: As much as this ship gets brought up, it doesn’t really seem likely to add much to the two factions it makes sense in (Scum, mostly, and to a lesser extent Rebels). Scum already have large base ships that work like fighters in Brobots, and Rebels have the heavy forward arced ship in the VCX. Given the Maul crew card we’ve already seen, there doesn’t seem to be a lot the Kom’rk would add that we haven’t already seen, though it might see play as a massive points fortress type ship – it would probably get at least an agility or two plus plenty of health and upgrade options – it could be quite survivable.
Why it won’t: It’s just too big. It’s longer and wider than a VCX by 3 and nearly 7 cm respectively, and the Ghost already probably wouldn’t have gotten made if it wasn’t the hero ship of a popular series. The ship isn’t famous enough for the commercial incentive to be there to do this as a large base ship, and it’s probably a little on the small side for Epic. So while it’s been seen on screen and it’s definitely a combat ship, it doesn’t tick the “fits the scale” box very well.
Nu Class Shuttle.
What it might bring: The Nu class was mainly a Clone War era ship that made its debut in TCW, but it showed up again in Rebels under Cham Syndulla’s command. This would make it a potential Rebel shuttle, but I’m not sure what it brings that the U Wing doesn’t, except possibly a second ship with the “team” upgrade (along with the Resistance Transport, see above).
Why it won’t: To be honest, it kind of might. It ticks all of the boxes, but it had a very minor role, and it adds very little new to the game. Which suggests to me that the Nu will likely keep getting pushed back in the priority list as new movies and shows make new ships more prominent. Without a good reason to bring it in, the path to bring the Nu class in just seems like it would be a hard one to follow.
Atmospheric Assault Lander (First Order Landing Ship).
What it might bring: The Atmospheric Assault Lander would represent something pretty new for X Wing in that it’s not really a combat ship. It would need to have some pretty interesting support abilities, so we might see something reminiscent of the Rebel Transport in Epic. A cheap Imperial pure support craft could have all sorts of interesting new mechanics.
Why it won’t: It just doesn’t tick enough boxes. Obviously, it had a pretty prominent role in TFA (moreso than the Quadjumper), but the limitation is in the name – Atmospheric. Obviously these things can travel in space, but in reality they don’t, except between their motherships and planetary surfaces. Also, while this is obviously a ship of war, it’s not really a warship – it’s one anti-personnel cannon would barely even translate to an attack value of 1. Again, it really doesn’t tick enough boxes to justify making it into the game.
Star Commuter 2000
What it might bring: Ahh… not much?
Why it won’t: It’s pretty pointless.
So that’s my list. I think it’s pretty comprehensive, but it’s possible I’ve missed something – let me know if I have (within the confines of appeared on screen in the right era, space combat capable and the right scale) and I’ll add it.
To my mind, the future’s looking fairly bright for Imperials – yes, people complain that they have a lot of shuttles, but that’s what canon has given us to work with, and there’s enough diversity in the ships they have available that they can and will fulfil different roles. Rebels also have some interesting potential stuff if FFG use the docking abilities of the Transport and really make an effort to distinguish the Resistance A-Wing from the older model.
Scum… scum might have it tough. It’s no surprise that FFG had to go back to the Galaxies well for wave 12, and it might not be the last time they tap that source. Hopefully the new Han Solo movie has some cool scum option, but in the meantime, IMO at least, get ready for the mining guild TIE.
