Across the entire history of spacecraft design, one would hard pressed to find a ship with
greater longevity and reliance, than the Incom-Subpro Z-95 Headhunter.
Originally introduced before the Invasion of Naboo, the Headhunter would see service
in the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars, in the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic
Civil War, and in the hands of pirates, criminals, planetary governments and independent contractors
across the full length of its exceptionally long career.
The Z-95 was first developed at the Bahalian Shipyards as part of an extended collaboration
between the Incom Corporation and Sublight Products.
This collaboration would ultimately lead to the development of the highly renowned ARC-170
Heavy Fighter.
During the Clone Wars the Z-95 provided the Republic Navy with an adequate replacement
for the V-19 Torrent, a ship that was already being phased out after only two years of service.
Across the final year of the Clone Wars the Headhunter became extremely popular with the
Republic’s Clone Pilots, with many praising the ship for its responsive controls and general
reliability.
11.8 Meters long with a maximum acceleration of 2,780 G, the most common model of Z-95
was considered outdated by the time of the Galactic Civil War, but the ship’s famous
reliability and low production cost made the Headhunter into one of the most common sights
in civilised space.
Beyond criminals and independent owners, the Headhunter was also very popular with the
Rebel Alliance, and served as one of the Rebellion’s most prominent fighter craft in the earliest
years of the Galactic Civil War.
The Z-95 was ultimately succeeded both in design and in service to the Alliance by the
Incom T-65 X-Wing, a highly advanced and expensive development on the base design of the Headhunter.
Though in spite of the T-65’s technical superiority, the Headhunter continued to see
widespread use as late as the Second Galactic Civil War, long after the X-Wing had been
refitted and updated several times.
The Headhunter’s loadout varies between models but the grand majority of Z-95 variants
carry a pair of Taim & Bak KX5 Laser Cannons and 2 MG5 Concussion Missile Launchers.
Though the Z-95 is not as well armed as some other craft of its size, the weapons it does
carry are more than sufficient for most light combat duties, and the ship can be highly
effective when employed as part of a larger force.
Unlike some other inexpensive starfighters such as the Imperial TIE Fighter, the Z-95
is equipped with both deflector shields and reinforced hull plating, granting the ship
a decisive advantage in both endurance and pilot survivability.
Unlike later Incom models, the Z-95 Headhunter does not carry a hyperdrive as standard, though
the fighter can be retrofitted with a rudimentary drive without great difficulty.
Unfortunately the Headhunter lacks any compatibility with Astromech units, so if a Z-95 was to
be equipped with an aftermarket hyperdrive, it would be necessary for the pilot to input
all hyperspace routes manually, greatly increasing the time needed to plot any given jump.
The Z-95 was still widely used across the galaxy as late as 41 ABY, and the ship was
particularly popular among New Republic Jedi for its speed and adaptability.
Jaina Solo, the legendary Sword of the Jedi, was known to make frequent use of a Z-95 named
the Crystal, and Jaden Korr, apprentice to the Jedi Battlemaster Kyle Katarn, flew a
hyperdrive-equipped Headhunter named Far Wanderer for most of his career.
Some of these later variants could also be outfitted with an enlarged cockpit compartment,
allowing for a single passenger or co-pilot, and this afforded the Z-95 yet another resurgence
as a training craft.
The Z-95 Headhunter has remained in widespread use for over 80 years, fought in four galactic
wars and seen use in almost every scenario and environment imaginable.
Unfailingly reliable, supremely versatile and easy to modify or repair, the ship has
always been held in the highest regard by professional pilots, and will no-doubt be
remembered alongside some of the greatest Starfighter designs in galactic history.