The Pythar-class Imperial shuttlecraft represents a class of shuttle that the Sith Empire employed during their conflict with the Galactic Republic in the era of the Great Galactic War. These Pythar-class shuttles were compact vessels distinguished by their stubby, curved wings extending from each side. Notably, a specific Pythar-class shuttlecraft, known as the Deference, saw usage by an Imperial scientist who was involved in upgrading the personal space station belonging to the Sith Emperor during the aforementioned war. The Deference met its end when it was shot down during the Battle of Hoth which took place in 3665 BBY. Subsequently, this downed shuttle became the focal point of a mission undertaken by the Jedi to recover the schematics for the Emperor's space station, which were stored within the ship's onboard computers.
The Pythar-class shuttlecraft's initial mention occurred via the Jedi Leeha Narezz in the Jedi Knight class mission entitled "Sub-Zero Showdown" featured within Star Wars: The Old Republic. This video game, a collaborative creation by BioWare and LucasArts and released in 2011, centers the player's objective on locating the Deference shuttle. Furthermore, another shuttle of the same class makes an appearance in the game's initial digital expansion pack, Rise of the Hutt Cartel.