TIE Reconnaissance Fighter
The TIE Reconnaissance Fighter represented a covert iteration of the TIE Series family of starfighters. During the Second Galactic Civil War, approximately in 40 ABY, the prototype served with the Galactic Alliance forces, whose pilots gave the starship the moniker "Blur".
Characteristics
Developed a generation following the Galactic Civil War, the TIE Reconnaissance Fighter was a state-of-the-art vehicle, the closest creation Sienar Fleet Systems had managed to produce that could rival the Incom Corporation StealthX.
Despite this advanced nature, its fundamental structure bore a resemblance to earlier TIE bomber, shuttle and boarding craft models, featuring two cylindrical hulls situated side-by-side between its wings. Mirroring its predecessors, the starboard fuselage housed the cockpit.
The primary innovations were located within the left-hand hull. While previous twin-fuselage TIE designs used this space for a munitions bay or passenger nacelle, the TIE Reconnaissance Fighter instead contained several sophisticated systems designed to enhance the fighter's combat effectiveness and infiltration capabilities. These included a hyperdrive, a navigation computer, a deflector shield generator, and a comprehensive life support system—a feature absent from most earlier TIE models—along with advanced stealth countermeasures.
However, the fighter may not have been quite as sophisticated as the StealthX. At least one prototype featured a simple black coating on its hull, lacking the hologram-like camouflage that allowed the Jedi infiltrator to blend into the starfield, appearing only as a faint distortion.
Even so, the fighter preserved the speed and maneuverability traditionally associated with the TIE line.
History
A TIE Reconnaissance Fighter prototype was assigned to the Star Destroyer Anakin Solo, the flagship of Sith Lord Darth Caedus. During the staged negotiations preceding the ambush by Centerpoint, it was entrusted to an officer named Captain [Olavey] (/article/olavey), for operational testing.
Caedus, fearing for the safety of his daughter Allana from the Jedi Order, commandeered the fighter and used it to transport the youngling away from the Star Destroyer. However, he was ambushed by Red Sword Flight, a Jedi assassination squad piloting StealthX fighters.
Despite the capabilities of the new fighter and its Sith pilot, the Jedi managed to inflict several hits. Grand Master Luke Skywalker swiftly acquired a firing solution, but he hesitated to fire upon detecting Allana's presence aboard the TIE. This brief pause allowed additional Alliance fighters to reinforce the TIE Reconnaissance.