Swoop Bike

Speeder bikes (also known as "jumpspeeders" or "hover bikes") and swoop bikes (or just "swoops") are small, fast transports that use repulsorlift engines in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. ''Return of the Jedi'' includes a prominent speeder bike chase; speeders and swoops also appear in ''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'', '' Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope'' (added in the 1997 Special Edition, but absent on every earlier print), the animated TV series ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' and ''Star Wars Rebels'', and the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe's books, comics, and games.

In real life a one-person, or an unmanned cargo, flying vehicle with four jet motors at the corners using artificial intelligence to maintain stability that has been described as a "flying motorbike" and named "Speeder" was under development in 2022, an idea that emerged from work with the US Navy. several full-size prototypes had been built. Top speed was , and flight endurance was 60 minutes.

Origin and design

Various concept sketches came from producer George Lucas' call for a "rocket-powered scooter" in ''Return of the Jedi''. While Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) Nilo Rodis-Jamero designed a blocky vehicle with a large engine, Ralph McQuarrie's designs were more fanciful but with less of a sense of the vehicle's power source. The final designs resulted in full-scale Imperial speeder bikes used by the actors for film against a bluescreen, along with miniatures mounted by articulated puppets. ILM used a steadicam recording at 1 frame per second to record the speeder bikes' path through the forest moon of Endor—in reality, a California forest. Playing the footage at the standard rate of 24 frames per second caused a blurring effect, which ILM used to simulate the vehicles' high speed; what was shot at looked like .

The BARC speeder in ''Revenge of the Sith'' was designed to appear like a predecessor to the speeder bikes in ''Return of the Jedi''. ILM's Doug Chiang designed Darth Maul's ( Ray Park) speeder in ''The Phantom Menace'' to resemble a scythe, and Chiang's initial designs for the droid army's STAP vehicle resembled the speeder bikes from ''Return of the Jedi''. An all- CGI swoop appearing in ''A New Hope'' stems from a design created for '' Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'', and the swoop also appears briefly in ''The Phantom Menace''.

Depiction

In the ''Star Wars'' universe, speeder bikes are a type of "repulsorcraft," vehicles which use anti-gravity devices called repulsorlifts to hover above the surface of a planet. Compared to other repulsorcraft, speeder bikes sacrifice unnecessary systems in order to achieve greater speed or agility.Barr, et al. (2017), p. 188-189 Swoop bikes, being little more than an engine with seats, are similar but better suited for operating at higher altitudes.Barr, et al. (2019), p. 315 In the ''Legends'' video game ''Knights of the Old Republic'', swoop racing is a main part of the story with the player having to work for The Hidden Beks, a swoop gang, by infiltrating rival swoop gang, The Black Vulkars, and competing against them in a swoop race in order to rescue Bastila. "Swoop racing" is described as a dangerous, fast-paced competition between skilled pilots.

Types of speeder bikes

*74-Z Speeder Bike: The 74-Z speeder bike makes its first appearance in ''Return of the Jedi'' as Imperial scout troopers patrol the forest surrounding the shield generator on Endor; during the movie's speeder bike chase Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) pilot a pair of speeders to chase down scout troopers who might reveal the Rebel Alliance's presence on Endor. Background material on the bike explains how the 74-Z, built by the Aratech Repulsor Company, was originally used by the Republic during the Clone Wars before being adopted by the Empire. The bike measures long, can carry one or two passengers, and achieves a maximum speed of . In addition to a self-charging battery system, sensors and communication equipment, the 74-Z is armed with a Ax-20 blaster cannon, though being stripped of all excess weight the bike offers no protection for the rider.
*Sith Speeder: Darth Maul is seen using a speeder bike to chase down Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Anakin Skywalker ( Jake Lloyd) in ''The Phantom Menace'', identified in ''Star Wars'' material as a Razalon FC-20 speeder bike. It is described as being a popular model with assassins and other criminals because of its ability to perform sharp turns and a compactness that makes it harder to track, though the small size also requires it be more frequently recharged. Darth Maul's bike, the ''Bloodfin'', has been stripped of all weaponry and sensors to make his lighter and faster, achieving a top speed of .Walker (2018), p. 28Barr, et al. (2019), p. 296
*Flitknot Speeder: The Flitknot speeder bike is first seen in ''Attack of the Clones'', when Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) uses one to escape the battle of Geonosis to return to his solar sailer. These bikes are of simple design, with more bulk at the back in the engines than anywhere else, as well as two handholds and two footholds. They are fast and maneuverable, able to outrun Republic gunships.
*BARC Speeder: The BARC speeder first appears in ''Revenge of the Sith'' as Jedi Master Stass Allie is turned upon by her clone trooper escorts when Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) initiates Order 66. Manufactured by the Aratech Repulsor Company, the speeder bike's name is explained as being derived from the specialist clone troopers (Biker Advanced Recon Commandos) who typically pilot these craft. Armed with a pair of blaster cannons, the BARC speeder is long and can reach a top speed of . It normally seats only one passenger but can be modified with mission-specific sidecars.
*C-PH Patrol Speeder Bike: Also known as Imperial patrol speeders, these bikes are used by Imperial patrol troopers to police shipyards and industrial facilities of value to the Empire. Manufactured by the Aratech Repulsor Company, they use a bank of forward-facing repulsorfield vector guides. They first appear in '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'', in which a patrol trooper piloting one such speeder pursues Han Solo and Qi'ra.
*Zephyr-J: The Zephyr-J is a model of speeder bike used in the Outer Rim