Mon Calamari cruiser
Encyclopedia
Mon Calamari cruisers are starships in the fictional Star Wars
universe. These starships were first depicted in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
as part of the Rebel Alliance
fleet that attacks the second Death Star
. Industrial Light and Magic
designed the vessels to visually contrast the Imperial Star Destroyers. Various Mon Calamari cruisers also appear in literature and video games of the Star Wars Expanded Universe
. Replicas, toys and other depictions of the ships have been released by several merchandise companies.
(ILM) created two Mon Calamari cruiser designs: the cylindrical Home One command ship and a "winged" model identified in the Expanded Universe as the Liberty, which would have its wings removed and thrusters modified to portray another subtype. The ships were designed to be as aesthetically different from the Imperial Star Destroyers as possible, although the filming crew disliked the "pickle ships" due to the models' unflattering angles. The ships' design precluded ILM's modelmakers from kitbashing
other models to create the ships; the model was largely vacuformed
. Internal neon lights provided lighting, and detail was painted on by using the second Death Star
model's exposed framework as a makeshift frisket
.
. Expanded Universe texts state that the ships are crewed almost entirely by Mon Calamari due to the ships' Mon Calamari-oriented controls and interface. The primary opponent of Mon Calamari cruisers are the Imperial Star Destroyer
s. Although Mon Calamari cruisers are roughly the same size as most Imperial Destroyers, in head-to-head engagements the Mon Calamari cruisers are usually at a disadvantage, due to their thinner armor. Even so, Mon Calamari cruisers are still a formidable threat to the Imperial fleet; their large numbers of fighter squadrons, modular weapons systems and overlapping shields make them ideal for hit-and-run attacks on Imperial ships, bases, and military outposts. In Return of the Jedi, Admiral Ackbar
(Timothy M. Rose
) leads the Rebels during the Battle of Endor from the Mon Calamari cruiser Home One; although that ship survives, the Death Star's superlaser destroys other Mon Calamari cruisers, including the Liberty. The franchise's books, comics, and video games describe and depict other Mon Calamari cruisers and successor designs, such as the Mediator-class battle cruisers and Viscount-class Star Defenders in R.A. Salvatore's Vector Prime
.
A 1995 Micro Machines
three-pack included a winged Mon Calamari cruiser toy, and a 1996 three-pack included the other variety. Hasbro
in 2003 planned to release a Mon Calamari cruiser as part of its Action Fleet collection but they cancelled the line before producing it. Decipher
and Wizards of the Coast
published Mon Calamari cruiser cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game
and Star Wars Trading Card Game
, respectively. In 2006, Wizards of the Coast created a Mon Calamari Star Defender miniature as part of its Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game. Mon Calamari cruisers are player-controllable units in LucasArts
' Empire at War
real-time strategy
.
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
universe. These starships were first depicted in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
as part of the Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
fleet that attacks the second Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
. Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light & Magic is an Academy Award-winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned by Lucasfilm. Lucas created the company when he discovered that the special effects department at 20th Century Fox was shut down after he was given...
designed the vessels to visually contrast the Imperial Star Destroyers. Various Mon Calamari cruisers also appear in literature and video games of the Star Wars Expanded Universe
Star Wars Expanded Universe
The Star Wars Expanded Universe encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films like Star Wars: The Clone Wars,...
. Replicas, toys and other depictions of the ships have been released by several merchandise companies.
Origin and design
Industrial Light and MagicIndustrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light & Magic is an Academy Award-winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned by Lucasfilm. Lucas created the company when he discovered that the special effects department at 20th Century Fox was shut down after he was given...
(ILM) created two Mon Calamari cruiser designs: the cylindrical Home One command ship and a "winged" model identified in the Expanded Universe as the Liberty, which would have its wings removed and thrusters modified to portray another subtype. The ships were designed to be as aesthetically different from the Imperial Star Destroyers as possible, although the filming crew disliked the "pickle ships" due to the models' unflattering angles. The ships' design precluded ILM's modelmakers from kitbashing
Kitbashing
Kitbashing or model bashing is a practice whereby a new scale model is created by taking pieces out of commercial kits. These pieces may be added to a custom project or to another kit. For professional modelmakers, kitbashing is popular to create concept models for detailing movie special effects...
other models to create the ships; the model was largely vacuformed
Vacuum forming
Vacuum forming, commonly known as vacuuforming, is a simplified version of thermoforming, whereby a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto or into a single-surface mold , and held against the mold by applying vacuum between the mold surface and the sheet.The vacuum...
. Internal neon lights provided lighting, and detail was painted on by using the second Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
model's exposed framework as a makeshift frisket
Frisket
A frisket is any material that protects areas of a work from unintended change.-Letterpress:On a sheet-fed letterpress printing machine, a frisket is a sheet of oiled paper that covers the space between the type or cuts and the edge of the paper that is to be printed...
.
Depiction
According to Expanded Universe material, the peaceful Mon Calamari converted their passenger liners into warships to support the rebellion against the Galactic EmpireGalactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
. Expanded Universe texts state that the ships are crewed almost entirely by Mon Calamari due to the ships' Mon Calamari-oriented controls and interface. The primary opponent of Mon Calamari cruisers are the Imperial Star Destroyer
Star Destroyer
Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional Star Wars universe. The Imperial Star Destroyer, which first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , is "the signature vessel of the Imperial fleet"...
s. Although Mon Calamari cruisers are roughly the same size as most Imperial Destroyers, in head-to-head engagements the Mon Calamari cruisers are usually at a disadvantage, due to their thinner armor. Even so, Mon Calamari cruisers are still a formidable threat to the Imperial fleet; their large numbers of fighter squadrons, modular weapons systems and overlapping shields make them ideal for hit-and-run attacks on Imperial ships, bases, and military outposts. In Return of the Jedi, Admiral Ackbar
Admiral Ackbar
Admiral Ackbar is a fictional character in the Star Wars science fiction saga. A member of the amphibious Mon Calamari species, Ackbar was the foremost military commander of the Rebel Alliance who led major combat operations against the Galactic Empire and was later integral in the formation of the...
(Timothy M. Rose
Timothy M. Rose
Timothy M. Rose is an actor and puppeteer.-Biography:Rose is best known for playing the role of Admiral Ackbar, the supreme commander of all space forces for the Rebel Alliance, in the sequel Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
) leads the Rebels during the Battle of Endor from the Mon Calamari cruiser Home One; although that ship survives, the Death Star's superlaser destroys other Mon Calamari cruisers, including the Liberty. The franchise's books, comics, and video games describe and depict other Mon Calamari cruisers and successor designs, such as the Mediator-class battle cruisers and Viscount-class Star Defenders in R.A. Salvatore's Vector Prime
Vector Prime
Vector Prime is a science fiction novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore and published in 1999. It is the first installment of the New Jedi Order series set in the Star Wars universe.-Summary:...
.
Merchandise
Micro Machines
Micro Machines: The Original Scale Miniatures were a line of toys originally made by Galoob in the mid 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Galoob licensed the idea behind Micro Machines from Clem Heeden, a toy inventor from Wisconsin...
three-pack included a winged Mon Calamari cruiser toy, and a 1996 three-pack included the other variety. Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
in 2003 planned to release a Mon Calamari cruiser as part of its Action Fleet collection but they cancelled the line before producing it. Decipher
Decipher, Inc.
Decipher, Inc. is an American gaming company based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. They began with three puzzles called "Decipher" then moved on to party games and Pente sets, but since 1994 produced collectible card and role-playing games. Their longest-running offering is the How to Host a Murder...
and Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
published Mon Calamari cruiser cards for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game
Star Wars Customizable Card Game
Star Wars: Customizable Card Game is a customizable card game based on the Star Wars fictional universe. It was created by Decipher, Inc., which also produced the Star Trek Customizable Card Game and The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. The game was produced from December 1995 until December...
and Star Wars Trading Card Game
Star Wars Trading Card Game
Star Wars: The Trading Card Game was a collectible card game produced by Wizards of the Coast . The original game was created by game designer Richard Garfield, the creator of the first modern trading card game, Magic: The Gathering...
, respectively. In 2006, Wizards of the Coast created a Mon Calamari Star Defender miniature as part of its Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game. Mon Calamari cruisers are player-controllable units in LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
' Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War is a 2006 real-time strategy game developed by Petroglyph Games and published by LucasArts. Set between Episode III and Episode IV, it focuses on the fledgling struggle between the Empire and the Rebels. It uses Petroglyph's game engine Alamo. The most recent patch was...
real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
.