Ah, we should have known that sketches are always sketchy and rarely tell the real story. It looks like the same goes even if it is pure science fiction. Well, we really thought that Porsche and Lucasfilm were going to make an evolution of the A-Wing, but we are so off the mark. Instead, the collaboration between sportscar maker and starship designers have produced the Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter.
At this point, we don’t even want to speculate what kind of engine it has. The brief was to create a starship embraces Porsche’s DNA and follows the basic principles of Lucasfilm starship design — that it needed to look simple, bold, iconic and easy to draw. Oh, and it also required to have design elements from the Taycan.
You can see several of Porsche’s handiwork throughout the starship. The Taycan influences the front, especially on the ‘air curtains’, the headlight and especially the four-point daytime running light.
Behind the astromech is the familiar louvred rear grid of the 911, complete with the third brake light and lightbar. The engine’s exhaust ports are obviously taken from the Porsche’s four-point brake lights, except this one is in blue.
In the Y-Wing-esque cockpit, the pilot sits directly behind the instrument panel and low to the floor as to how you would sit in a Porsche 918 Spyder. Off to the side and rear of the pilot (hello, McLaren) are seats for two passengers, which leads us to think that the Tri-Wing is more of a shuttle rather than an attacker.
We’re still unsure why the need for passengers when they could have dropped the two rear seats in favour of just one; not like that are operating any guns. And if you think they are there for navigation, be reminded that the astromech droid is more competent than a ‘quote: meatbag’.
While it does not look too bad, the Tri-Wing still lacks character. Every Star Wars ship, no matter how small of a role they played, adds more to the universe. Even so, let’s applause the design team for a job well done.
You will see the Tri-Wing in action a future Star Wars series or movie, or maybe both. So now it is up to the storytellers to make the Tri-Wing more than just a design/marketing exercise.