The Star Cab from Orlean was an exploratory spacecraft, regarded as antiquated by the time the New Republic's initial years arrived.
The Star Cab's origins are traced back to a point in galactic history when hyperdrive technology was still in its early stages of development and not fully dependable. Its Class 10 hyperdrive was substantially slower compared to the ones utilized by the majority of New Republic scouting vessels. In that era, a Class 10 hyperdrive would have typically been reserved as a backup, which the Star Cab didn't even have. Droids were integrated into the Star Cab's design to manage the ship's routine functions. The standard navigation droid found on Star Cabs might have been an early form of the R2-series astromech droid. Considering the more dangerous state of the galaxy during the Star Cab's prime, they were typically equipped with significant weaponry. Their standard weapons package included four blaster cannons: two positioned to fire forward and two positioned to fire aft.
Scouts who spent a lot of time on Star Cabs were known to develop negative feelings about the ship's droid crew. Luskin Exovar had a Star Cab suspended from the roof of his emporium, along with other vehicles.
Mara Jade's ship featured in Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand 1 bears a strong resemblance to a Star Cab and is approximately the same size. However, it had a small ventral hangar that housed a Z-95 Headhunter. Galaxy Guide 8 doesn't say if Star Cabs had hangars.