The shuttle piloted by Sabé was a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle that served the Galactic Empire. Between the years of 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Commander Sabé used this shuttle in an effort to save the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Vader was experiencing a loss of control over his Force powers due to a Force Wave, which resulted in a breach of the hull on his flagship, the Executor. Once Vader was aboard, his unstable Force abilities continued to cause damage to the shuttle as Sabé journeyed to an astronomical object where no sentient beings were at risk. As the shuttle descended through the atmosphere, Vader was ejected, prompting Sabé to jump out and rescue him before the vessel crashed into the ocean.
Following a failed test set by Vader, who then threw her back into the ocean, the Sith declared his intent to regain control. He then employed the Force to raise the shuttle wreckage from the ocean and place it on the shore. A group of humans, seeing an opportunity in Vader's weakened state, tried to assassinate him, attacking the Sith with their vessel. Vader, who had constructed an electrostaff and activated an energy shield, used the Force to lift the shuttle wreckage, using it as a shield, and swiftly defeated his attackers.
The shuttle used by Sabé was a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle from the Abecederian line. It featured an engine, a hyperdrive, and a cockpit with seating for at least two. Additionally, it had pre-programmed jump coordinates.
During the Imperial Era, the Lambda-class shuttle that would eventually become Sabé's served in the Galactic Empire's navy. In the period between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Darth Vader, the Sith Lord, lost command of his Force powers while on his flagship, the Executor, because of a Force Wave. Vader destroyed a section of the Executor, creating a breach in the hull and being pulled out into space. Commander Sabé, formerly a handmaiden to Queen Padmé Amidala and now serving Vader and the Empire, observed the Sith Lord's predicament from the Executor and launched the shuttle to save him. With two Prowler 1000 seeker droids aboard, Sabé flew the shuttle to Vader's location outside the Executor and extended the boarding ramp for the probe droids to retrieve the Sith. The droids brought Vader on board, but his uncontrolled [Force](/article/the_force] powers persisted; Vader crushed the two droids and began to damage the shuttle. Sabé urged Vader to try to control his powers for a minute while she initiated the hyperdrive. The shuttle, continuing to break apart, entered hyperspace, arriving at an astronomical object selected by Sabé to allow Vader to regain control of his powers in an area devoid of sentient life. The rapidly disintegrating shuttle hurtled toward the astronomical object's surface, leaving a trail of debris and burning as it entered the atmosphere. As the shuttle fell apart, Vader was ejected, and Sabé, wearing a winged backpack, jumped out to save him. The pair and the damaged shuttle, blackened by heat and missing large portions of its wings, crashed into the ocean.
After reaching the shore, Vader tested Sabé by using his powers against her to see if she would choose power or suffering through hate. Sabé refused to hate, rejecting the test. In response, Vader threw her back into the sea with his power. Asserting that he would regain control, Vader used the Force to lift the wreckage of the water-logged shuttle and place it on the shore. Vader entered the shuttle's cockpit, where he assembled an electrostaff.
Soon after, a group of humans, aware of Vader's situation and the events on the Executor, attempted to exploit the Sith's apparent weakness to kill him. Vader, armed with his staff and an energy shield, stood on the shore by the wrecked shuttle as the group's X4 Gunship approached. As the gunship opened fire, Vader used the Force to lift the wreckage of the Lambda-class shuttle and used it as a shield against the incoming lasers. Although the blasts penetrated the shuttle, they did not harm Vader, who then destroyed his attackers' ship with a beam from his staff.
On the Executor, Admiral Firmus Piett informed Emperor Palpatine about the disappearance of Vader and Sabé on the shuttle. The Emperor instructed Grand Vizier Mas Amedda to find Vader, and Amedda stated he would dispatch probes and rescue ships to all known jump coordinates programmed into Sabé's shuttle. However, Palpatine hinted that he did not intend for a rescue.
Commander Sabé piloted the Lambda-class shuttle during Vader's rescue from outside the Executor. The former handmaiden also had two Prowler 1000 seeker droids on board to retrieve Vader.
Sabé's shuttle made its debut in the thirty-third issue of the 2020 Star Wars: Darth Vader comic series, which was written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Adam Gorham, and published by Marvel Comics on May 3, 2023. Its identification as such occurred in the thirty-fifth issue, penned by Pak and released on June 14 of the same year.