Stealth is the greatest tool of the Sith assassin.Darth Sidious
The Bloodfin was the personal Sith speeder of Darth Maul and a modified Razalon FC-20 speeder bike. As his predecessors had done during the New Sith Wars, it was named after an animal that personified the Sith Lord. In Maul's case, his speeder was named after a fierce aquatic hunter he had once encountered and fought on an ocean world in the Outer Rim Territories.
Characteristics
As with many other swoop bikes, the Bloodfin was a small repulsorlift vehicle with a powerful rear thrust engine. Its engine systems were designed to provide the rider with fast acceleration and allowed it to reach maximum open-ground speed within seconds. Its design gave it an extremely low center of gravity, improved its cornering ability greatly and presented enemies with a very small _target.
The vehicle was unarmed since the Sith Lord preferred to use the Bloodfin to pursue enemies and deal with them once having caught up with them. The vehicle's curved seat allowed Darth Maul to leap from the vehicle by just rocking forward, allowing him to enter into combat immediately and take his enemy by surprise.
The Bloodfin was also equipped with an auto-brake feature which brought the vehicle to a safe stop whenever the handle bars were released, ensuring that it did not crash or collapse following one of Maul's sudden dismounts. The vehicle also had no shields or sensors since they were considered as a sign of weakness by the Sith Lord.
The Bloodfin was also equipped with an auto-piloting system which allowed Darth Maul to remotely pilot the vehicle through the use of his Force powers. He could also use a wrist-mounted comlink to control the vehicle from up to eight kilometers away.
History
Besides the Bloodfin, Darth Maul owned several speeders including a T-shaped speeder destroyed during a duel with Master Anoon Bondara shortly before the Invasion of Naboo and an assault speeder equipped with laser cannons and a personal deflector shield generator. In 32 BBY, while seeking out Padmé Amidala on Tatooine, Darth Maul used the Bloodfin to combat Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Having jumped from the speeder, it presumably halted due to the auto-brake feature and was used by Maul to return to his starship Scimitar. Following Maul's presumed death at the Battle of Naboo at the hands of Qui-Gon's Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Bloodfin was confiscated by Galactic Republic authorities along with his starship though they both later mysteriously disappeared forever. During the Clone Wars, the Dark Jedi Garth Ezzar obtained a similar speeder bike.[3]
Behind the scenes
Bloodfin was also the name of a server—or "Galaxy"—in Star Wars Galaxies.
Appearances
- Darth Plagueis (and audiobook)
- Darth Maul (2000) 1 (Indirect mention only)
- Darth Maul (2000) 3
- Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (and unabridged audiobook)
- Episode I Adventures 3: The Fury of Darth Maul (and Game Book)
- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace novelization (and unabridged audiobook) (First appearance, in book)
- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace junior novelization
- Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace Movie Storybook
- Star Wars Journal: Darth Maul
- Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3
- "End Game" — Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace novelization, 2012 edition
- Star Wars Galaxies (post-NGE) (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Demolition (Non-canonical appearance)
Non-canon appearances
- LEGO Star Wars: Darth Maul's Mission
- LEGO Star Wars: The Phantom Menace DK Reader
- Battle of the Sith Lords (Canceled)
Sources
- Star Wars: Episode I Incredible Cross-Sections
- Star Wars: Episode I The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: Episode I Insider's Guide
- Star Wars: Episode I (Pack: Sith Speeder and Darth Maul) (backup link)
- Star Wars: Power of the Jedi (Pack: Darth Maul (Final Duel)) (backup link)
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Illustrated Companion
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 25 (SIT 3-4: Darth Maul's Sith Speeder)
- The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
- Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections
- Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game — Champions of the Force (Card: Sith Speeder) (backup link)
- Star Wars Fandex Deluxe Edition
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 21
- Sith speeder in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Star Wars: Darth Maul, Sith Apprentice
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary
- Totally 20: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Beware the Sith
- Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight (Picture only)
- Star Wars: Sith Wars
- Sith Speeder in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Official Star Wars Fact File
- ↑ The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
- ↑ "Heart of Evil: Destruction" – Living Force campaign