ĭespite its drawbacks, the CloakShape remained in service for decades after it was first regarded as outdated. His ejected seat's automatic landing jets allowed Skywalker to steer himself down near the crash site, which lay in the foothills of Mount Octan. Skywalker was forced to eject from the CloakShape's cockpit-explosive bolts releasing its canopy-before the starfighter itself spiraled nose-first into a grassy field and blossomed into flame upon impact. While successful in the task (by way of a hypermatter-reactor-planted proton grenade and a concussion-missile bombardment of the ship's sensor- guided missile silo), he was forced to make a nighttime crash-landing on the Fondorian jungle-moon Nallastia, from which he was later retrieved by his Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Bultar Swan.
In 23 BBY, while on a mission to Fondor, the 18-year-old Skywalker piloted a CloakShape owned by Fondor's Senator Rodd to infiltrate and destroy a Groodo the Hutt–fabricated counterfeit of the ancient Corellia StarDrive transport the Sun Runner. Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker was familiar with the controls of the CloakShape. Even with the improved handling and turning radius provided by this modification, however, the CloakShape still had its flaws like the Z-95 Headhunter, its relatively slow sublight speed allowed heavy weapons, normally useless against a starfighter, to target the sluggish craft.īy 10 ABY, they only cost 15,000 credits.ĬloakShapes with rear wing and stabilizer conversion kitsĬloakShapes were adopted by the Judicial Forces of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi Order (as Whitecloak fighters, a modified version), several corporations and local governments, and criminal organizations like the Nebula Front. The most popular addition was the Curich Engineering rear wing and stabilizer conversion kit it was so common that many assumed that the fighter originally came with the stabilizer. In stock form, these fighters did not include a hyperdrive, which is why a self-powered hyperdrive sled was a popular upgrade. Upgrades could even add completely new systems such as deflector shields, or convert the cockpit into an escape pod. Upgrades were commonly available to provide a stronger power generator, greater fuel storage, stronger weapons, more advanced sensors and targeting computers, and more powerful engines. A skilled mechanic could remove and replace entire systems with ease, and by the time of the Battle of Yavin it was widely considered impossible to find an "original CloakShape." The CloakShape's simple design, modular compartments, and universal adapters encouraged modification, allowing them to be fitted with a variety of aftermarket systems.
They had comparatively small power plants, which made them less than ideal for combat in deep space, but they performed competently in planetary atmospheres and were thus considered best suited to a defensive role.
These starfighters were not considered particularly agile or powerful when first introduced, but the reinforced hull made the vessel quite durable, and overall they were generally considered adequate for their class.
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