A Delemedian starhopper represented a specific model of starship equipped with a jump drive, and these vessels were already in use by 212 BBY. One such starhopper was owned by a Human male named Bosbit Matarcher. He experienced time dilation as a consequence of defective relativistic shielding during a jump drive activation. Upon Matarcher's emergence from hyperspace in 22 BBY, the Delemedian starhopper had become a relic of the past.
This particular type of starship, known as the Delemedian starhopper, required at least one pilot to operate. It came equipped with both relativistic shielding and a jump drive as standard features.
The Delemedian starhopper's primary function was to facilitate travel between different star systems.
Delemedian starhoppers were a class of starships actively used during the latter years of the Galactic Republic. Back in 212 BBY, Bosbit Matarcher, a Human hailing from Delemede, acquired a starhopper on his homeworld that unfortunately possessed faulty relativistic shielding. Matarcher believed he had secured a favorable deal on the vessel. However, upon initiating the starhopper's jump drive and entering hyperspace to depart his home system, the compromised relativistic shielding exposed the ship and everyone onboard to severe time dilation. This meant that time passed much slower for the ship compared to the rest of the galaxy. Consequently, the starhopper, with Matarcher still alive within, did not exit hyperspace until 22 BBY, even though Matarcher only perceived the journey as lasting two hours. By the time it reappeared, the starhopper was considered an outdated antique. Matarcher's experience with the starhopper was detailed in a HoloNet News report concerning him on the date 13:3:21, of that year.
The Delemedian starhopper's initial mention occurred in an article titled "225-year Old Man's Secret? Time Dilation," authored by Pablo Hidalgo and [Paul Ens]. The article appeared in HoloNet News Vol. 531 #48 on the original HoloNet News website on March 21, 2002.