by Jack Sutter

Also called the Twin Jedi Starfighter, the Eta-2Z was the brainchild of Jedi Knight Bul-Geom Do. Bul-Geom was dissatisfied with the original Delta-7 used by the Jedi at the outset of the Clone wars, feeling that both its limited firepower and its lack of internal hyperdrive were inadequate. Bul-Geom was hopeful that the next starfighter developed for use by the Jedi would address these issues, but it was not to be. When finally a new fighter was deployed, the Eta-2 Actis, it still depended on an external hyperdrive ring and (despite improvements) still lacked the firepower that Bul-Geom wanted on a Jedi's fighter. The determined Jedi decided to take matters into his own hands.

The result was what became the Eta-2Z. Bul-Geom Do's solution was to fuse two standard Eta-2's together into one ship. The new vessel, therefore, had double the firepower, double the thrust, and double the fuel. In addition, Bul-Geom replaced the starboard cockpit with a massive fuel tank and an advanced sensor package. Two small hyperdrive nacelles were mounted on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the ship, freeing the vessel from external dependence. A final touch was the addition of a pair of concussion missile launchers on the ship's underside.

Bul-Geom disappeared in battle before his craft was tested in combat. The single prototype was abandoned unfinished in the hangars of the Jedi Temple. But not for long....

Most Jedi had heard the name of Matalabl Prem at some point or other. Despite his lack of productivity, the flamboyant young Rodian managed to make a name for himself amongst his fellow Jedi through his rank irresponsibility and countless wild escapades, keeping at all times the bane of the Jedi Counsel's existence. With an eye for hotrod spacecraft and Twi-lek dancing girls, Prem was often considered the veritable antipathy of what it meant to be a proper Jedi. Despite these shortcomings, Prem was known as a valiant (if impulsive) warrior who would charge headlong into battle wielding a bright purple lightsaber in each hand.

It was Prem who, one boring afternoon in the hangars of the Jedi temple, discovered the orphaned Eta-2Z. Calling it “Simply the Most Splendid Thing Ever,” Prem took the fighter for himself and began making his own improvements. These included even faster engines, two extra blaster cannons and one enormous ion cannon (which took so much power it could not be fired with any of the craft's other weapons online). Prem hunted down an astromech droid with as much spunk and attitude as he could find, and gave both droid and ship snazzy new paint-jobs. His craft bore a bare female Twi-lek on its portside, under the motto “Stay Cool!” (which caused some complaints from Jedi Knight Aayla Secura, who felt it was meant to look like her). On the starboard side he painted a Rodian blowing a raspberry above the taunt “Buzz Off!”

Prem used the craft for the remainder of his career. The ship was destroyed in space battle over Felucia upon the issue of Order 66. A single blast from a Venator-Class Star Destroyer's turret struck the over-filled fuel tank, blasting the ship apart. The starboard fuselage carrying Prem was hurled into a dust cloud and disappeared. Although no body was ever recovered, Prem as presumed dead and no record of him exists beyond that time. Although, there were a few stories of a flamboyant Rodian gambler with uncanny luck with the dice!

The Eta-2Z was inspired by the hybrid aircraft developed during the Second World War such as the Twin Mustang and (specifically), the Bf-109Z (hence the craft's name). It was made out of two Revel Obi-Wan Kenobi starfighters and lots of bits and pieces. Some of the parts include: hyperdrive engines made of heavy cardboard tubes with foam sphere fronts and cutout cardboard afterburners, a 1/72 scale artillery piece for the big ion cannon, guns from a pewter Dictator CAV by Reaper Miniatures for the extra lasers, a Micro Machines deflector shield disk, and part of a 1/72 scale Y-wing. I sculpted a Rodian head and lightsabers on the Obi-Wan figure out of green stuff. The model was painted in Tamaya spray paint, with additional Reaper Master Series paint and ink as well as various craft paints.

Image: Right side view

Image: Through the looking glass

Image: Wing art

Image: Rear view

Image: Top

Image: Astromech

Image: Pilot

Image: Front view