Most people are familiar with the TIE Fighters that appear in the Star Wars films.
The standard fighter, the Advanced, the Bomber, and the Interceptor.
But did you know there are actually more than fifty different types TIE Fighters found in
Legends?
Well in this video we’re going to talk about every single model used by the Galactic Empire.
Since this is a Legends video I won’t be including some of the newly introduced models
like the Mining Guild TIE or the new TIE Advanced..
Starting with the basics is of course the TIE Fighter.
They were the standard starfighter of the Galactic Empire, and the template on which
all the following variants were based.
They were fast and maneuverable but lacked shielding or hyperdrives.
Technically there was a predecessor known as the Twin Ion Engine Fighter that was the
prototype starfighter, but for all intents and purposes they were very similar.
There was also a very sparsely used Super TIE variant created at the Maw Installation.
They looked nearly identical to standard TIEs, but had more powerful engines.
The first variant we see in the films is Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1.
It had shields and a hyperdrive and was meant to eventually replace the standard TIE.
While it never made it into full scale production, many of its design features were incorporated
into the TIE Bomber and Interceptor.
Again, there were further variations on the TIE Advanced x1 that included the x2, x3,
and x7, but the design and feature changes were minimal.
Moving onto the Empire Strikes Back, we meet the TIE Bomber.
This fighter was used to engage and destroy capital ships and ground targets.
Their distinct second pod housed their armament which included proton torpedoes, concussion
missiles, orbital mines, proton bombs, and thermal detonators.
The Heavy TIE Bomber was even more adept at destroying its targets, boasting an additional
weapons pod.
The final TIE model seen in the original trilogy was the TIE Interceptor.
It was even faster and more maneuverable than the standard TIE, making it one of the fastest
starfighters in the galaxy at the time.
The Emperor’s Royal Guards got modified Interceptors that were painted red and modified
to be faster and more deadly.
They also came equipped with shield generators and a hyperdrive where the standard Interceptor
had neither.
The Starhunter was another Interceptor variant that included shielding.
The TIE Aggressor was a combination of a starfighter and a bomber.
It carried a laser cannon on its back to defend against pursuers.
The TIE Avenger was actually a nickname for yet another model of TIE Advanced, but Avenger
is less confusing, so we’re gonna call it the TIE Avenger.
This was one of the first models produced by the Empire that chose quality over quantity.
It was faster than the Interceptor, had shields, a hyperdrive, and warhead launchers.
The TIE Boarding Shuttle is pretty self-explanatory.
It was used to deliver stormtroopers into battle or onto disabled or captured enemy
ships.
Its appearance was similar to that of a TIE Bomber, however its second pod housed troops
instead of bombs.
It came equipped with a cutting tool if a forceful entry was necessary.
A TIE VIP Shuttle variant was produced specifically for transporting command officers from ship
to ship.
A larger option to the Boarding Shuttle, the TIE Lander could carry an entire company of
stormtroopers.
The TIE Defender was an elite starfighter whose pilots were selected from Interceptor
pilots that survived at least twenty combat missions.
They were one of the more expensive TIEs to produce, equipped with shields, a hyperdrive,
and sometimes a tractor beam.
They were armed with four laser cannons, two ion cannons, and two warhead launchers.
The Drone TIE Fighter was a small, fast, and inexpensive automated starfighter used by
the clone of Emperor Palpatine during Dark Empire.
Interestingly they had stronger armor than the TIEs that carried actual pilots.
The Fire Control TIE Fighter, or TIE/fc, was designed to assist with recon and targeting.
It was light on offensive weaponry, and in the place of laser cannons were multiple sensors
that could scan an enemy base or ship and provide targeting and attack data to their
allies.
Working in conjunction with the Fire Control TIE, the TIE/gt starfighter was designed to
receive the TIE/fc’s targeting data.
Using said data, they would destroy their assigned targets using their heavy armament,
which could include concussion missiles, proton torpedoes, air mines, cluster bombs, or even
Imperial propaganda.
The TIE Hunters were specifically created to combat the X-Wing starfighter.
For that reason they had S-foils that would open and close their wings, just like an X-Wing.
They carried shields and a hyperdrive and were piloted by storm commandos.
TIE Punishers were also known as TIE Interdictors or Advanced TIE Bombers.
Why have just one weapons pod when you can have four?
They had shields but no hyperdrive, and could be armed with proton torpedoes, proton bombs,
plasma torpedoes, flechette torpedoes, homing missiles, cluster mines, or ion bombs.
The TIE Light Duty was a variant that was usually just a stripped down standard TIE.
They were usually used for training purposes.
The TIE Oppressor was the Empire’s answer to the Rebellion’s Y-Wing, serving as a
light bomber and starfighter hybrid.
They came equipped with shields but no hyperdrive.
The TIE Phantom was equipped with shields, a hyperdrive, and most importantly a cloaking
device.
It was briefly used in combat as a prototype ship, but its manufacturing facilities were
destroyed by the Rebellion before they could be put into widespread use.
Each starfighter also had a self destruct sequence installed to prevent the cloaking
technology from falling into enemy hands.
The TIE/rc was similar to the TIE/fc in that it was built for reconnaissance.
Weapons were sacrificed for additional sensors that could read enemy data from outside of
a capital ship’s scanning zone.
An upgraded model of the TIE/rc was the TIE Vanguard that was equipped with shields and
a modified design.
The TIE Sentinel took design cues from the TIE Advanced and TIE Aggressor, but added
turrets on both the chin and back of the fighter.
The TIE Scout was another reconnaissance ship, its chief difference being the inclusion of
the most capable hyperdrive in any TIE model, allowing it to carry out missions without
the assistance of a capital ship.
The Scimitar assault bomber was based off TIE technology and used as another option
for bombing.
The ship’s cockpit doubled as an escape pod.
TIE Predators were used one hundred and thirty years after the Battle of Yavin.
Their wings could take on a variety of positions to aid in maneuverability, and they came equipped
with shields and a hyperdrive.
Neutralizer-class bombers were developed using the Predator’s designs, and were the standard
bombers of the Fel and Sith Empires during the Sith-Imperial War.
Now we’re getting into the experimental craft, starting with the TIE Experimental
M1.
Also called the TIE Bizarro, it had one standard wing and two cockpits on either side.
The starboard cockpit was modified to carry a heavy laser cannon.
Like all the experimental models, it was operated by remote control.
The TIE Experimental M2 was also known as the TIE Big Gun.
They swapped the standard TIE’s chin-mounted cannons for turbolasers mounted on the wings.
The Experimental M3 was called the TIE Warhead.
A similar idea to the M2, this design traded an Interceptor’s chin-mounted cannons for
warhead launchers on its wings.
The M4 was simply called the TIE Bomb, and actually wasn’t a starfighter at all.
Instead it was a guided missile designed to destroy capital ships and space stations.
The final experimental, the M5 or the TIE Booster, was a standard TIE with a large booster
on the back for additional speed.
The TIE Raptor wasn’t exactly experimental but it was also somewhat unofficial.
It was designed by Warlord Zsinj in the years following the Battle of Endor.
The last group I’m going to touch on are the non-starfighter variants of TIE, starting
with the Century tank, also known as the TIE Crawler.
Its design resembled other TIE variants, but was a light tank used for ground assault.
The TIE Mauler was another ground assault vehicle.
It was faster and more lightly armored than the Crawler.
The TIE Fighter Boat was used in amphibious missions.
It could participate in both surface and underwater operations.
The Lancet Aerial Artillery was a combination of a Lambda-class shuttle and a TIE Fighter.
Similar to the T-47 airspeeder, the Lancet could not operate in the vacuum of space and
was reserved for in-atmosphere missions.
Finally, one unidentified TIE variant was used around the time of the Battle of Yavin.
It was used in a mission to bring the clone of Galen Marek back under Darth Vader’s
control.
And that’s all of them!
Of course there’s more information to be found about each of these, and I already have
videos covering some of them specifically.
You can check those out in the cards, or this playlist, or I’ve listed them in the description
of this video.
If you like learning about Star Wars ships I’ve got a whole playlist full of them.
And if you haven’t already please subscribe to my channel to see new Star Wars videos
of all kinds every Monday through Friday!
As always, thank you for watching, and may the Force be with you!