The Shadow Chaser was a quite unique shuttle manufactured by the Second Imperium, intended for the Shadow Academy's use. Even though it was a one-of-a-kind prototype, the Shadow Chaser exhibited a distinctly Imperial design aesthetic, likely sharing a common ancestry with the Theta-class and Lambda-class shuttles. Prior to its theft by Luke Skywalker along with his students, Brakiss regarded the Shadow Chaser as the most exceptional small vessel within the Shadow Academy's fleet.
The Shadow Chaser was a relatively small and compact spacecraft, with a passenger capacity of approximately a dozen individuals. It featured a streamlined hull encased in virtually indestructible quantum-crystalline armor, a technology initially developed for the Sun Crusher, which imparted a characteristic shimmering, oiled-silver appearance.
The front section housed a slender cockpit equipped with seating for two pilots and additional flight personnel, while the rear section accommodated a compact engine room. However, the majority of the hull's volume was occupied by a central main cabin, furnished with passenger seating and a series of escape pods situated in the rear bulkhead. Each escape pod was designed to accommodate a single occupant, but for heightened security, their homing beacon signals were encrypted in a manner that only the Shadow Academy could decode.
Additional onboard features included several sleeping berths and a modest galley space, which were positioned either in the aft portion of the main cabin or along the passageway leading towards the engine room. A separate cargo hold may have also been present, although it is plausible that the main cabin served a dual purpose as a cargo storage area.
The vessel was equipped with laser cannons mounted in retractable turrets, and it possessed deflector shields in addition to its nearly impenetrable hull armor.
Initially, the Shadow Chaser was piloted by a Nightsister named Garowyn, who utilized it to transport Imperial supplies to the Great Canyon Clan on Dathomir, as well as to convey newly identified Force-sensitive recruits from her home planet to the Shadow Academy. Nevertheless, the ship was commandeered when Luke Skywalker and Tenel Ka, feigning interest as promising recruits for the Shadow Academy, confined Garowyn to one of the Shadow Chaser's escape pods and launched it into space.
Skywalker and Tenel Ka intended to employ the ship to infiltrate the Shadow Academy and liberate Jacen Solo, his twin sister Jaina, and Lowbacca the Wookiee, who had been forcibly enlisted as students there. Upon the Shadow Chaser's emergence from hyperspace along the course pre-programmed by Garowyn, the Shadow Academy revealed itself from its cloaked state directly ahead.
Skywalker and Tenel Ka navigated the ship into one of the Shadow Academy's docking bays, where they encountered the Solo twins, Lowbacca, and a reprogrammed M-TD. Following a confrontation with Brakiss and Tamith Kai, they made their escape aboard the Shadow Chaser and transported it to the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4. After expressing her gratitude to Skywalker for rescuing her children, Chief of State Leia Organa Solo permitted Skywalker to retain possession of the shuttle, asserting that he had earned it and suggesting that the Academy could benefit from a swift vessel.
Subsequently, the Jedi Academy utilized the Shadow Chaser as a transport. Garowyn would later attempt unsuccessfully to reclaim her "one joy" from Jaina Solo and Lowbacca on Kashyyyk, but the shuttle remained inactive during the Second Imperium's attack on Yavin 4, as it was confined within a hangar bay.
Later, Luke Skywalker employed the Shadow Chaser to transport Raynar Thul to his family's merchant fleet.