During the Great Galactic War era, a Pythar-class Imperial shuttlecraft called the Deference served a scientist within the ranks of the Sith Empire, opposing the Galactic Republic. In the year 3665 BBY, disaster struck during the Battle of Hoth when the Deference was downed and subsequently crashed onto the icy surface of the planet Hoth. For decades afterward, the shuttle lay dormant, entombed within a cave system. Later, amidst the Galactic War that followed, a Jedi mission was launched, targeting the Deference with the intent of retrieving vital data stored within its databanks.
A compact, gray shuttle characterized by its short, curved wings situated on either side, the Deference was a Pythar-class Imperial shuttlecraft. The pilot constituted the minimum crew requirement. The vessel also housed databanks utilized by its owner, an Imperial scientist, to archive his research findings.
Throughout the Great Galactic War waged against the Galactic Republic, a scientist affiliated with the Sith Empire employed the Deference. During this time, the scientist was responsible for enhancing the defenses of the Sith Emperor's space fortress. The year 3665 BBY saw the scientist piloting the Deference within the Hoth system when it was brought down during the Battle of Hoth, a significant naval engagement between the Empire and the Republic. The resulting crash in the Highmount Ridge area resulted in the death of the scientist pilot, with the Deference becoming lodged within a cave network inside the ridge. Although Imperial Intelligence documented the loss of the Deference, no recovery attempts for the starship were ever initiated by the Empire.
Sometime around 3642 BBY, the Republic Strategic Information Service (RSIS) gained knowledge of the Deference's existence following a raid on an Imperial Intelligence base. RSIS subsequently informed Jedi Master Tol Braga, who was formulating a strategy to capture the Emperor. Braga then tasked Jedi Knight Leeha Narezz with retrieving the Deference from Hoth, intending to utilize the schematics of the Sith Emperor's space station for their strike team. However, before Narezz could locate the wreckage, the White Maw pirates discovered it and absconded with the shuttle's databanks, inadvertently overlooking the decryption file necessary to access the data.
Shortly thereafter, an Imperial salvage team stumbled upon the Deference and commenced excavation efforts. Their work was disrupted by the arrival of Narezz and the Jedi Knight known as the Hero of Tython, another member of the strike team. The Emperor's Imperial Guard attempted to apprehend the two Jedi within the caves, but their efforts were thwarted by Sergeant Fideltin Rusk of the Republic Military and his squad. Narezz and the squad then searched the shuttle, only to find that the databank was missing. Through questioning an Imperial technician named Urrisov captured during the skirmish, the Jedi and Republic troopers learned of the White Maw's theft of the databank, which allowed them to track it down and ultimately acquire the schematics of the space station.
The 2011 video game Star Wars: The Old Republic marked the initial appearance of the Deference.