Republic Cruisers.

In Star Wars : Episode IV A New Hope the first thing that races across the screen was the Tantive IV, a Corellian corvette carrying Princess Leia and the stolen Death Star plans. Hot on its heels was the huge Devastator, an Imperial Star Destroyer. Since the Star Wars saga is a classic mythos noted for its recurring themes, it is fitting that Episode I opens with a similar dynamic.

This time it is the Radiant VII that streaks into view, carrying the Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi and his master Qui Gon Jinn into the heart of danger. The Radiant VII is a member of the ship class commonly called the Republic Cruiser. in the context of the saga,the crimson hued Radiant VII was designed by the Corellian Engineering Corporation and constructed in the famed shipyards in orbit around the planet Corellia, much like its descendant the Tantive IV.

As the name implies, most Republic cruisers are used by the ruling galactic government as courier ships and ambassadorial transports. Red is the colour of interstellar diplomacy - note that Princess Leia's ship bore a scarlet stripe around its hull. The bright red paint job lavished on the Radiant VII indicates that the vessel comes straight from the capital planet of Coruscant. Out of respect, most people give these vessels a wide birth, but the high-status passengers often carried aboard Republic cruisers make the ships tempting targets for kidnappers and assassins.

Federation Battleships.

Imperial Star Destroyers are massive metal arrowheads - straightforward implements of war The battleships employed by the devious Trade Federation in The Phantom Menace are less martial in appearance, but are no less intimidating. A spherical bridge is connected to a tremendous bank of ion engines via a slender neck passage. This central body structure is encircled by a matched pair of graceful curving arcs, stretching forward like two hooked fingers ready to pluck out the hearts of the Trade Federation's enemies.

The Trade Federation is dominated by the reptilian Neimoidian species, whose corporate culture is bureaucratic and spineless. Neimiodians are merchants, not mercenaries, and they have therefore used their wealth to build a throng of substitute warriors. Battle droids control the ground, droid starfighters dominate the sky, and federation battleships - greatly modified cargo vessels - provide well-shielded, heavily-armoured havens for the Neimoidian Trade Viceroy as he cruises the galactic commerce lanes. 

In addition to their formidable defences, Trade Federation battleships pack a punishing offensive wallop. Turbolaser batteries and tractor beam projectors come in handy when the Trade Federation needs to intimidate a business partner or enforce a planetary blockade. The huge battleships can go toe-to-toe with many warships in the Republic navy. They have no external Achilles' heel but are still vulnerable to internal sabotage - for instance, a pair of proton torpedoes fired into the central fusion reactor.

A modified version of the battleship is employed to broadcast the signal that controls the Trade Federation's droid armies. A forest of transmission antennae, powerful enough to punch through jamming signals, sprouts up from the aft section of this specialised vessel. Since any disruption in the droid control signal would be disastrous, many of the ship's receptors, transmitters, and antennae are redundant backups.

Queen's Royal Starship (J-Type 327 Nubian)

The Millennium Falcon gets more screen time than any other vessel in the classic Star Wars trilogy. And with good reason - it's a 'people mover'. The Falcon serves a key function in the script by getting the core characters from planet to planet so they can continue their adventures. In Episode I, the Queen's starship fulfils this same plot role, but the two ships couldn't be more dissimilar in appearance and personality. Nevertheless, both ships reflect the character of their owners. Han Solo's Millennium Falcon is scruffy, scrappy, and armed to the teeth. Queen Amidala's royal starship is elegant, graceful, and equipped with no offensive weapons at all.

The Queen's sleek silvery vessel is a J-type 327 Nubian, meaning its internal components were imported from the speciality planet of Nubia; the dazzling spaceframe, however, is of traditional Naboo manufacture. The ship's lack of weaponry is symbolic and reflects the pacifistic nature of the Naboo people. But even though the Naboo are doves, they are not dolts - they realise that other citizens in the galaxy do not share their same compunctions about killing intelligent beings. Consequently, the royal starship is equipped with a robust deflector shield system. In addition, a squadron of well-armed Naboo N-1 starfighters can be ordered to escort the vessel if the Queen plans to pass through a dangerous zone.

Naboo N-1 Starfighter

Doug Chiang, Episode I's design director, says that creating exotic vehicles for the movie screen was an education. "Film design is about overall visual impact and how well a design propels the story," he explained in a recent interview. "It has to work in five seconds."

The Royal Naboo N-1 starfighter is a prime example of this striking philosophy. Dressed up in bright yellow and sparkling chrome, with three delicate tapers stuck on the back end, the N-1 looks like the world's flashiest pitchfork. The three sharply pointed tine make the Naboo starfighter the most distinctive vessel in Episode I, even if it's not immediately apparent just what the appendages actually do.

The official explanation for the Naboo starfighter's appearance matches flawlessly with bucolic nature of the Naboo people, as well as explaining an aspect of the climactic dogfight seen in The Phantom Menace. The N-1's central spine is actually a giant plug-in antenna, used to download strategic broadcasts from the Palace Battle Computer. The computer also provides autopilot co-ordinates, which the ships use to automatically rendezvous at the target zone. This handy feature allows novice starpilot like Anakin Skywalker to fly into the thick of battle while he's still busy figuring out the controls. The N-1's two engines sport shorter needlelike structures, designed to dissipate the engine heat and keep the skies of Naboo free from pollutants.

Like the X-Wing fighters seen in A New Hope, Naboo starfighters are armed with laser cannons and a limited supply of explosive proton torpedoes. Anakin's uncanny ability with the force allows him to pierce the Trade Federation battleship's reactor with a single torpedo salvo. A full generation will pass (in Star Wars time) before Anakin's son Luke will accomplish a similar feat in A New Hope.

Podracers

For nearly 100 years, the ancient Romans held spectacular chariot races in the Circus Maximus for the glory of their emperors and the delight of the plebeians. The sport was thrilling and often violent, as reckless charioteers clashed on the track and even went so far as to poison their competitors' steeds.

Episode I puts a Star Wars spin on Caesar's favourite pastime. The sprawling Mos Espa Arena stands for the Circus Maximus. Podracers - high tech flying chariots - are pulled by jet engines instead of horses. The powerful racers float above the ground on frictionless anti-gravity buffers and can go as fast as 965 kilometres per hour, launching their drivers off on harrowing, white knuckled thrill rides.

Podracers are so fast, in fact, that human beings are considered too stupid and sluggish to fly them. Only Anakin Skywalker's skill with the force allows him the navigate the dry river gullies and anticipate the hairpin turns in Tatooine's harsh outback. Those alien species that innately possess lightening-fast reflexes, such as Dugs (Sebulba's species), Troikens (like Gasgano), and Er'Kits (such as Ody Mabdrell), dominate the podracing circuit and claim the lion's share of the annual victories.

Unlike most of the vehicles seen in Episode I, which are produced by unique manufacturing corporations, there is no 'standard' version of a podracer. Like the ramshackle Millennium Falcon, podracers are often pieced-together contraptions that look rickety on the outside but have hearts that roar. Anakin's racer boasts two Radon-Ulzer engines scavenged from a starfighter. Other common drive variants include split-X engines and unstable, four-engined 'Quadra-pods'.

Most drivers are involved in the construction of their own Podracers. many of these individuals have made a few 'special modifications' as Han Solo might diplomatically put it. Sebulba, the wily Dug, has installed two flame throwers on the outside edges of his engines. Other racers have been known to employ sawblades, slugthrowers, and flash-blinding spotlights, though being caught with an illegal modification on a Podracer is grounds for immediate expulsion from the racing circuit.