The Smart Rocket was a powerful rocket/missile hybrid used by both the Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, and later by the Resistance and First Order in their conflict decades later. The Smart Rocket was also used by the Galactic Republic prior to the formation of the Empire.[2]
Description[]
A powerful hybrid of the missile and rocket, the Smart Rocket was a powerful piece of ordinance[1] used through galactic history.[2] Despite its launcher being equipped with an electric targeting scope to help acquire targets, the explosive projectile automatically targeted the nearest turret or vehicle, though it could also be dumb-fired against infantry. Only a single Smart Rocket could be fired before the launcher needed reloading.[3] It detonated upon impact and had a blast radius of three meters, though maximum damage was inflicted within two.[1]
History[]
A range trooper with a Smart Rocket launcher
Smart Rockets were used by the clone jetpack troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems. At some point, following the transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire, Imperial jumptroopers continued to use Smart Rockets.[2] By 14 BBY,[4] the Empire had also deployed the rocket stormtroopers, a type of specialized stormtroopers that wielded Smart Rockets as their primary weapon.[5] In 9 BBY,[6] some Imperial DT-series sentry droids had built-in Smart Rockets on their right arm, which could be paired with an electrohammer held on their other hand.[7] During the theft of the TIE Avenger prototype in 4 BBY, a range trooper stationed within Sienar Test Facility 73[8] on the Sienar Fleet Systems-owned planet 73[9] fired a Smart Rocket on the prototype TIE Avenger as it was stolen by the rebel Cassian Andor.[8]
The Smart Rocket would also be wielded by the rocket-jumper troopers of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a rebel alliance that sought to overthrow the Empire in the Galactic Civil War, in which Imperial jumptroopers and rebel rocket-jumpers wielded Smart Rockets in much the same way. In the decades following the Alliance's victory and transformation into the New Republic, the Smart Rocket continued to see use in both the hands of the rocket-jumpers of the Resistance, a paramilitary force that opposed the Imperial successor state known as the First Order during the Cold War and ensuing First Order-Resistance War. The First Order, too, made use of the Smart Rocket.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The Smart Rocket first appeared in Star Wars Battlefront as a power up[3] and in Star Wars Battlefront II as an ability for the Aerial class on the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, and Resistance teams.[2] In the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the Smart Rocket is mistakenly identified as a RPS-6 smart rocket launcher.[5] The misidentification carried over to the game's 2023 sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.[7]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Star Wars: Andor — "One Year Later"- Star Wars Battlefront (First appearance)
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Star Wars Battlefront Strategy Guide
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Star Wars Battlefront II
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Star Wars Battlefront
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to 14 BBY.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- ↑
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on StarWars.com (backup link) dates Star Wars Jedi: Survivor to five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which equates to 9 BBY per Star Wars: Timelines.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- ↑ 8.0 8.1
Star Wars: Andor — "One Year Later"
- ↑
Sienar Test Facility in the Databank (backup link)