Star Wars: Starfighter is a video game where you simulate flight, available for PCs, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. The game's events occur during the time of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and it was launched on February 19, 2001.
Star Wars: Starfighter Special Edition represents an enhanced iteration of the initial game, Star Wars: Starfighter. This edition incorporated additional content absent in the original, such as improved visual fidelity, unique bonus stages, unlockable spacecraft, and even some story levels designed for two players.
The script for the game was crafted by Matt Jacobs.
In 2003, Tsunami Visual Technologies, Inc. put out a version of the game tailored for the TsuMo arcade motion system. This edition consisted of five distinct levels. On April 28, 2015, the game was introduced to the PlayStation Network, enabling gameplay on the PlayStation 3.
The narrative centers on the experiences of three pilots leading up to and during the Invasion of Naboo: Rhys Dallows, a starfighter pilot from Naboo; Vana Sage, a mercenary; and Nym, a Feeorin pirate. Dallows is tasked with defending Queen Amidala from mercenary forces within the Naboo system. Simultaneously, Vana Sage is betrayed by the Trade Federation in the vicinity of Eos, while Nym conducts raids against Federation freighters over Lok. Their paths eventually converge, leading them to unite against the Trade Federation following the demise of Dallows' mentor, Essara Till, and the capture of Nym's base on Lok. The pilots then engage in the Battle of Naboo, where Nym and Vana protect a ground settlement while Dallows, with Bravo Squadron, confronts the orbital Droid Control Ship.
The adventure commences with Rhys Dallows, an aspiring N-1 starfighter pilot. Following a brief combat training session with his mentor, Essara Till, they are assigned their inaugural joint mission: to escort Padmé Amidala aboard the Royal Starship as she meets with representatives of the Trade Federation. The meeting turns out to be a trap, forcing Rhys and Essara to defend the royal vessel from mercenaries until its escape. Following a jump to hyperspace, Essara is killed by an unknown ship, and Rhys's vessel is rendered inoperable. Rhys is subsequently rescued by Reti, a Toydarian, in the Zoomer.
The narrative then shifts to Vana Sage, a mercenary in the employ of the Trade Federation. She is tasked with testing the Scarab-class starfighter, which serves as a practical tutorial for piloting her craft. After completing her assignment, her astromech droid, Mod-3, intercepts information regarding the unlawful invasion of Naboo. Consequently, the Trade Federation terminates her contract and dispatches "Hunter-Killer" droids and a mercenary squad to eliminate her. Vana successfully destroys most of the droids, with one leading her to a droid production facility on the volcanic world of Eos. Following a brief investigation of the factory, she returns to her base, awaiting the arrival of Reti and Rhys.
Nym, a Feeorin pirate whom Vana had previously captured, escapes and threatens to kill Vana. She manages to appease him by informing him about the droid factory on Eos, which he repays by locking her in a locker and rejoining his pirate band above Lok. Nym then initiates a piracy operation, starting the First Battle of Lok, disabling a freighter in orbit and causing it to crash onto Lok's surface. Nym's pirates seize valuable cargo from the wreckage and attempt to return to their base, navigating a river while defending their small freighter to a cave. The Trade Federation retaliates, overwhelming Nym's pirates and forcing him to destroy the base as they return to Vana's home.
Reti and Rhys arrive at Vana's residence, discover her locked in the locker, and free her. Nym then returns to Vana's station. After a meeting between Rhys, Vana, Nym, and Reti, the four form an alliance to stop the Trade Federation. The playable character alternates throughout the second half of the game as the group destroys the droid factory on Eos, disables a Trade Federation freighter to steal supplies, delivers the supplies to Bravo Flight, rescues Trade Federation prisoners, and defends the Naboo Royal Guard's outpost. Mission failure occurs only if the outpost is severely damaged or if 5-10 defense turrets are destroyed. The final mission takes place around the Droid Control Ship, where Bravo Flight destroys the receiver stations on the ship's exterior. After destroying all deployed droid starfighters, the leader of the Trade Federation-hired mercenaries appears. The shield to one of the hangar bays opens, and a landing craft exits as the mercenary and Rhys enter. The lander can be destroyed but requires significant time and damage. The shield then closes, trapping Rhys inside and Bravo Flight outside. Inside the hangar bay, several landing craft surround the area. These can also be destroyed except the landers. Destroying these makes the hangar safer to navigate. A fierce battle ensues throughout the inner bays of the ship, with Rhys eventually destroying the mercenary's ship. When Anakin Skywalker destroys the control ship, Dallows escapes by destroying the shield generator that blocked his escape route.
Following the battle, the three heroes meet, exchange farewells, and Nym departs to rejoin his pirate comrades.
These missions become available after completing campaign missions with gold medals.
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Fighter Training: Rhys Dallows engages in combat against holographic simulations of mercenary ships in this training mission. A B1-Series battle droid can be found on one of the asteroids cooking hamburgers.
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Ground Attack Training: Nym confronts ten waves of holographic Trade Federation vehicles in this training mission.
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Charm's Way: Essara Till defends a merchant convoy leaving Naboo before the Invasion of Naboo, including the Mercatan and the Charm's Way, captained by Reeve Dallows, Rhys Dallows' father. The convoy is attacked by mercenary fighters, a Trade Federation fleet, and a Planetary Gun on one of Naboo's moons. In multiplayer, the second player controls Rhys.
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Canyon Sprint: Rhys Dallows races his companions through the Naboo training canyon. The opponents are Reti, Vana Sage, Nym, and Essara Till, with Till being the fastest. To win, the player must defeat her. The valleys contain sets from different maps, including buildings from the Naboo concentration camps and the Eos production plant. A giant race car appears in the valley after the finish line if the player beats all four opponents.
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Outpost Attack: Vana Sage defends a mining outpost from a Trade Federation assault. Three indestructible Dropships release Droid Starfighters to overwhelm the outpost. The outpost has multiple turrets, but it will be destroyed if the player does not intervene.
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Space Sweep: Nym destroys asteroids in an asteroid field. The player earns points by destroying asteroids, mines, and occasional saucers. This mission resembles the Atari game Asteroids.
These vessels can be unlocked for use in every mission by attaining certain gold medals or entering cheat codes.