One of LucasArts’ first Xbox triumphs, Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition now joins the growing lineup of Platinum Hits—great games at a great value. This title puts you in a variety of starfighters from Episode One: The Phantom Menace. It’s a riveting counterpoint to the movie that’s heavy on space battles, light on Jedi, and full of the types of characters that a fiery Rebel Princess would later refer to as “scoundrels.”
The story line follows the adventures of Naboo fighter pilot Rhys Dallows, jack-of-all-trades Vana Sage, Toydarian salvage rat Reti, and space pirate Nym. Each pilot has a unique ship (with different flying styles and weapon payloads) and his or her own reasons for fighting the villainous Trade Federation.
We begin with Dallows, flying his final training mission in the N-1 starfighter (the shiny yellow starship used by the Naboo defense fleet) with instructor Essara Till. While this level serves to train the player in the proper use of flight controls, weapons, and engines, it also establishes the friendly mentor-student relationship between Essara and Rhys. After training is complete and Rhys joins Bravo flight, it’s time for the real thing: The Bravo pilots must fly cover for the Queen’s Royal Starship. Naturally, space pirates attack; comm chatter indicates that they’ve been hired to take out the Queen. Amidala’s starship escapes to hyperspace, but the pirates overwhelm the relatively small group of defenders left behind. They kill Essara Till. Rhys Dallows is left for dead.
Salvage pilot Reti discovers Dallows floating amidst the wreckage of the battle. A good-hearted scoundrel, Reti offers condolences for (and proof of) Essara’s death. When the Naboo pilot swears to avenge his mentor, Reti hooks Dallows’ ship to his own with a tow cable. The Toydarian knows a capable mechanic, Vana Sage, who may be able to get Rhys’s N-1 operational again.
Cut to Vana Sage. The Trade Federation has hired her to test some new starship defenses with her hyper-maneuverable starfighter, the Guardian Mantis. Not surprisingly, Vana sees something she shouldn’t have, forcing the Feds to terminate her contract with extreme prejudice. After teaching the Trade Federation the error of betraying a freelancer (especially one with a ship like the Mantis), she escapes to her base. But, the base is quiet … too quiet. Faster than you can say “nerfherder,” the Feeorin space pirate Nym emerges from the shadows. The two have a history, and Nym thinks Vana stole his ship (which she’d been working on) and sold him out. Vana offers him information on their mutual enemy, the Trade Federation, but Nym refuses. He locks her up in her own detention cell and leaves in his bomber, the Havoc.
Nym is the kind of character that many thought Episode I desperately needed—the pirate with a heart of gold. He and his band of merry humanoids knock a Trade Federation super freighter out of orbit over Nym’s baseworld, Lok. As Nym’s gang attempts to move the wrecked freighter into their base, the Feeorin pirate learns Vana was right: The Trade Federation has cultivated a huge droid military force. After most of his people are murdered in the counterattack, Nym returns to Vana’s base.
When he arrives, Nym finds Reti and Rhys Dallows, who have just released Vana from confinement. The Feeorin says he’s ready to cooperate. Like Dallows, he’s looking for payback. Together, they form a plan to steal munitions from the Trade Federation itself. They plan to deliver those munitions to the resistance on Naboo and take out the Federation’s new droid factory.
I won’t spoil too much of the remaining story for you, but remember: This is Star Wars, so you can rest assured that the bad guys are going to get theirs. And, while the characters are all new, a few nice bits of dialog and events from The Phantom Menace help place these heroes in the ongoing tale. Listen closely to the comm chatter during the final conflict, for example, for reports on the exploits of a certain 10-year-old Podracer and his astrodroid companion. Also, watch for a lovely homage to the original movie in the final cut-scene. All told, Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition makes for an exciting and integral part of the grand and epic tale that is Star Wars.
