Lighter

A lighter was a class of small starship that was commonly used in various navies throughout the galaxy, including those of the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire.

Essentially a militarized yacht designed for short trips, lighters were put to a variety of uses, especially as personal vehicles for use by higher-ranking officers. Generally capable of carrying only a few passengers and small amounts of cargo, they were named for ancient water-faring vessels that were used to lighten the burden of larger such surface ships.

Included among such classes put to this use was the Conqueror-class assault ship; one such vessel was used by Republic Navy Admiral Tarnese Bleyd during the Clone Wars. While he oversaw the construction of the first Death Star, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin made use of a lighter as his personal transport, as did Admiral Conan Antonio Motti.

In some cases, such as with the Etti Lighter used by the Corporate Sector Authority, they were pressed into service as frontline combat vessels, but in common parlance they were still classified as lighters. Kyle Katarn's Moldy Crow, an HWK-290 light freighter, was sometimes described as a lighter.