A display of various transports, shown without regard to scale.
Generally, a transport was a starship designed for the purpose of carrying either cargo or passengers. However, the term could also be applied to other types of vehicles that served the same function of conveyance.
Transports exhibited a significant range in size. Examples ranged from smaller light freighters, such as the YT-1300 produced by the Corellian Engineering Corporation, to enormous vessels capable of holding thousands of tons of cargo and featuring docking bays for smaller transport vehicles.
Transports like freighters and passenger liners typically lacked armaments and moved at slower speeds, as they were not created to engage in military conflicts. Nevertheless, these transports could be readily modified and transformed into formidable combat ships, a practice commonly employed by pirates and smugglers. Military forces also adapted transport vehicles to move troops and offer assistance in combat. The Imperial Navy utilized the Sentinel-class landing craft, manufactured by Cygnus Spaceworks, to rapidly deploy its forces to planets. The Death Watch Mandalorians made use of Gauntlet fighters both as a means of transporting Death Watch soldiers and providing combat support.
The Gungan bongo submarine, an aquatic vehicle employed by the Gungans of Naboo, represents an example of a non-spacefaring transport.