Star Wars features some of the most iconic ships in all science fiction. The very first shot of the film series introduces two fans know and love. An Imperial Star Destroyer dwarfs the Tantive IV Rebel Blockade Runner, but the little ship looms large in the memory of fans around the world.

The Rebel Alliance didn't have the resources or the numbers of the Galactic Empire, but they had some of the coolest ships, including the Millennium Falcon and the Ghost. They keep adding to the ranks with new films and television series, building out an epic fleet that likely continues to appear throughout the expanding saga.

Updated September 22nd, 2022, by Darby Harn: Andor goes back to the origins of the Rebel Alliance and the new streaming series promises to introduce many new ships. The Rebel Alliance comes together from varied fleets over many years, including the Mon Calamari fleet, leading to its hodgepodge ranks in the original trilogy. The new series may provide fans insight into where some ships came from, such as the distinctive Rebel transports glimpsed in The Empire Strikes Back or the Hammerhead Corvettes that played a key role in Rogue One. With a timeline spanning the prequel trilogy to the years before A New Hope, the series offers a showcase for the entire saga's unique ships and vessels.

Nebulon-B Frigate

The Nebulon B Frigate escapes Hoth with troop transports and other ships in The Empire Strikes Back.

Fans got their first look at the frigate in The Empire Strikes Back, arguably the best Star Wars movie in the saga. The frigate looks something like an old key, with a spindly fuselage connecting the squat engines to a fanged kind of forward hull. The ship featured mostly in background shots but was prevalent in Return of the Jedi and Rogue One as well.

The ship mostly served as medical frigates in the Rebel fleet, as noted by Wedge Antilles in Return of the Jedi. The ships held up to 700 patients and passengers, necessary during the major engagements in the Galactic Civil War.

Rebel Transport

A Rebel Alliance transport flees Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.

The GR-75 medium transport, likely best known to fans as the Rebel Transport (as Kenner labeled it when they made the toy in the 1980s), served a major role in the Rebel Alliance. This distinctive-looking transport ferried Rebels off Hoth as the Empire closed in, helping avoid utter disaster for the Rebellion.

The ships played a role in every major engagement in the Rebel Alliance participated in. Numerous transports appear in the Battle of Scarif and Endor, carrying troops, cargo, and supplies to the front.

Hammerhead Corvette

The Hammerhead Corvette used by the Rebellion in Star Wars: Rebels.

The Hammerhead Corvette slammed into a Star Destroyer at the Battle of Scarif and in many ways turned the tide of the entire Galactic Civil War. The Sphyrna-class C80 corvette first appeared in Rogue One, serving as escorts to the larger ships in the fleet. Their distinctive forward hulls proved instrumental in seizing the advantage.

The ships also appeared in the Disney XD animated series Star Wars: Rebels where a young Princess Leia delivered the Lightmaker, Amity's Arrow, and Duchess Senna to Rebel forces on Lothal to bolster their effort.

Y-Wing

Y Wing Fighter appears in Star Wars: A New Hope.

The Y-Wing plays a vital role in the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. The bombers take on the Death Star with the X-Wings and get their shot at destroying the main reactor. It doesn't work, but the fighters remain very popular with fans.

The simple design combines a snake head-style cockpit with a very stripped-down fuselage, indicative of the lived-in aesthetic of the Star Wars universe. Y-Wings continue to play a role in the saga, featuring in Return of the Jedi, Rogue One, and in an earlier form, Clone Wars.

B-Wing

B-Wings destroy a Star Destroyer in Return of the Jedi.

The B-Wing starfighter debuted in Return of the Jedi but hasn't featured nearly as much as some other ships in the Rebel fleet. The unique craft features a gimbaled cockpit on one end of what is more or less a giant wing. Smaller wings extend from the body, all of which intersect with the engine stack.

The ship does appear briefly in some shots of the final battle of The Rise of Skywalker, as well as getting some focus on its origins with the Alliance in the best episodes of Star Wars: Rebels.

Snowspeeder

A Snowspeeder attacks in The Empire Strikes Back.

The Rebel Snowspeeder only featured once in the nine-film Skywalker saga, but it's easily one of the most dynamic and memorable ships in the franchise. The modified speeder allowed the Rebel Alliance to operate in the frigid environment of Hoth, and the epic battle they engaged in with the Imperial AT-AT Walkers in The Empire Strikes Back ranks among Star Wars' best scenes.

The Snowspeeder counts among the few two-man fighters seen in the films. A modified version appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi, participating in a raid on the Inquisitors' stronghold.

A-Wing

An A-Wing crashes into a Star Destroyer in Return of the Jedi.

The A-Wing debuted in Return of the Jedi during the epic Battle of Endor. The sleek fighter added a brand-new dimension to the Rebel fleet, which to that point had mostly been defined by a craft that seemed hauled out of a boneyard. The A-Wing evened up things considerably for the Rebels by adding speed and accuracy.

The fighter also inadvertently brought down the Super Star Destroyer Executor, with a damaged fighter crashing into the bridge and breaking the back of the Imperial fleet.

Home One

Home One appears in Return of the Jedi.

Home One served as the Rebel Alliance flagship during the Battle of Endor. This massive Mon Calamari ship served as a carrier and command center, with hangar bays large enough to house many significant craft at the same time. Though fans didn't get to see it on screen, the ship features the ability to split into three different smaller ships.

Admiral Ackbar led the fleet from the ship and brought her impressive firepower to bear against the Super Star Destroyer Executor, helping to bring the imposing Imperial flagship down.

Z-95 Headhunter

Z-95 Headhunter appears in Clone Wars.

The Z-95 Headhunter first appeared in the best Legends Star Wars books. An earlier version appears in the Clone Wars animated series, bringing the Rebel version closer to canonicity. This fighter predated the Alliance by many years, emphasizing speed and armament over the other fighters of its era.

Though many considered the fighters obsolete, the Rebel Alliance needed fighters and the Headhunter was readily available. The fighters continued to support the fleet into the New Republic era.

The Ghost

The Ghost flying through space in Star Wars: Rebels.

The Ghost features prominently in Star Wars: Rebels, and it's one of the best ships in the Rebel fleet. The ship belongs to the one and only Hera Syndulla and comes from the same design lineage as the Millennium Falcon. A 360-degree dorsal laser cannon turret ties the ship to the Y-Wing from the original Ralph McQuarrie concept art.

The ship made a cameo appearance in Rogue One during the Battle of Scarif and seems likely to appear in Ahsoka, which brings many Ghost crew members including Hera into live-action.

The Profundity

The Rebel Fleet arrives at Scarif in Rogue One.

Rogue One connected to the original Star Wars in big ways. It also greatly expanded the Rebel fleet before promptly destroying it. The Profundity, among the biggest and most visually dynamic new ships present at the Battle of Scarif, led Alliance forces in the assault.

This Mon Calamari ship recalls the graceful lines of those introduced in Return of the Jedi. It plays a vital role in obtaining the Death Star plans but ultimately falls to the wrath of Darth Vader at the very end of the movie.

Tantive IV Blockade Runner

The Tantive IV launches from the Profundity in Rogue One.

The Tantive IV enjoys the distinction of being the very first ship fans see in Star Wars, and it plays a major role in the saga. Though it's captured by the Empire straight away, it later plays a role in Rogue One as the vehicle of Princess Leia, ferrying her and the Death Star plans back to the Alliance.

The small ship also appears in The Rise of Skywalker, where it's unclear whether it's destroyed in the final battle over Exegol. The junior novelization indicates that it was, while it's not spelled out in the movie.

U-Wing

A U-Wing takes off from Yavin 4 in Star Wars: Rogue One.

The U-Wing arguably ranks among the most interesting new Rebel Alliance ship introduced in the Disney-era of Star Wars. This hybrid fighter/troop transport looks like it would have fit right in during the original trilogy, and fills a spot that was missing in the Rebel fleet.

Transports factored heavily in the assembled fleet, but not a specific troop transport for surface battles. The U-Wing features a fantastic moveable wing design, allowing it to take on two very different configurations. U-Wings also appeared in The Rise of Skywalker and may appear in Andor.

Millennium Falcon

The Millennium Falcon escapes the Death Star 2 in Return of the Jedi.

The Millennium Falcon came to the Rebel Alliance late but ultimately earned a spot among its most hallowed ships. The heavily modified cargo freighter piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca contributed to the original Death Star's destruction. She also played a vital part in destroying the second, with its vaunted speed proving essential to the ship escaping the disintegrating station.

The Millennium Falcon stands out among many other great ships in the saga, appearing in several movies, and she counts among the best sci-fi ships ever.

X-Wing

X-Wings head for the Death Star in Star Wars.

The X-Wing plays a critical role in every major battle of the original trilogy, taking out two Death Stars in the process. Its successor also is the main craft in the Resistance fleet thirty years later. The X-Wing evolves from craft in the late Republic era, but the ship and its variants proved essential in taking down the Empire.

X-Wings combine speed, power, and efficiency, making them the ideal choice for pilots in the Alliance. Though often outnumbers and outgunned, they remain the fleet's go-to ship in the saga.

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