How Boba Fett's N-1 Starfighter Connects to Naboo & Natalie Portman's Padmé
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett.
The most recent episode of The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+ showcased the return of Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin. Toward the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian, Din's ship, the Razor Crest, was destroyed at the hands of Moff Gideon and the remnants of the Empire. This left many fans wondering what the Mandalorian would acquire next in terms of transportation, and The Book of Boba Fett just answered that question.
In the most recent episode of the series, Din returned to Tatooine, where he met up with Amy Sedaris' Peli Motto. She revealed that she had gotten her hands on a new ship for him. Motto then unveiled an N-1 starfighter, a famed ship seen in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
The next few scenes of the episode featured Din and Peli working on the starship, as it was missing many key components for it to be able to operate properly.
Once they got it finished, Din flew the ship through some famed locations throughout Tatooine, and then took it up into space for a true test run. It displayed impressive speed and maneuverability, and with the special modifications that were put in, it would be able to rival any ship.
The History of the N-1 Starship
Naboo's N-1 starship had multiple uses before the fall of the Republic. When Naboo was a free planet, they were ruled by a queen that was elected through a democracy, meaning that every citizen on the planet got to vote for who they wanted to rule. When a new queen was elected, she served as the overseer of the planet's military, which included the Naboo Royal Navy.
The Royal Navy fleet was largely comprised of the N-1 starships. Their duties included running security sweeps around the Theed Palace, venturing to other locations of the planet in the case of emergencies, and directly escorting the Royal Queen to keep her safe from ambushing attackers.
The N-1 starship was first seen in The Phantom Menace. Bravo Flight piloted a handful of the N-1s when the Trade Federation attempted to invade the planet of Naboo and kill the Queen, Padmé Amidala. The battle above the planet ended when Anakin Skywalker flew inside the main control ship of the Trade Federation and used the starship's proton torpedos.
In Attack of the Clones, the N-1s can be seen again, this time escorting Padmé to Coruscant at the beginning of the film. The ship that they were flying beside quickly exploded at the hands of bounty hunter Zam Wesell, who was trying to kill Senator Amidala. Padmé covertly used a decoy to protect herself, and she was actually the pilot of one of the N-1 starships in the movie.
In the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett, Peli Motto tells Din that the N-1 starship was handcrafted specifically for the Royal Guard of Naboo and personally commissioned by the Queen of the planet. Naboo had a special manufacturing team known as the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps, who built, repaired, and modified all of their ships. The corps was made up of highly trained individuals who ensured the N-1 would run efficiently.
The N-1 can also be seen during the final battle in The Rise of Skywalker when Lando Calrissian recruited as many fighters as he could to aid the Resistance in Exogol.
Din Djarin's Improved N-1 Starship
In Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, Peli Motto says that Din will have "the fastest ship on the Outer Rim" with the modified N-1 starship. The modifications that they added included a turbonic venturi power assimilator to greatly increase its speed, as well as "bolt-on aftermarket speed mods." She also informed him that he would be able to jump to hyperspace without the use of a docking ring due to its built-in onboard hyperdrive.
The Mandalorian got to showcase his new N-1 ship when he was being questioned by a pair of New Republic officers. After being asked if he ever owned a Razor Crest by one of the officers, Din shot away from them in the blink of an eye.
One of the biggest reasons that the Mandalorian will benefit from having an N-1 starship is the time period it was assembled in. Any ship that was built during the reign of the Empire had to be documented in an imperial database. All ships that were built pre-Empire didn't show up in that same database, which made them untraceable.
This is especially helpful to someone like Din Djarin, whose main line of work is bounty hunting. If he were to get into the eyes of the New Republic or an outside organization, he could get away quickly and technically not be on any grid.
The speed of the N-1 will be a great feature for Din. The N-1 could rival almost any other ship in the galaxy in terms of speed, and with the speed-boosting modifications that were put on it, it's highly unlikely that any other ship will stand a chance at matching its speed.
The N-1 also comes with built-in shields so that the pilot has at least a bit of protection against incoming blaster fire. Din loves his armor, so this is a fitting feature for the Mandalorian's new ride.
The proton torpedoes and blaster cannons only increase its reliability for Din going forward. The weaponry combined with its speed will serve him well as he will be able to have the aerial upper hand more times than not against his opponent.
The only downside to the N-1 starship is the storage space that it has. The Naboo Engineering Corps developed the ships to be able to hold only one pilot and an Astromech droid. This was so that the ship could be as small and lightweight as possible, making it a harder target for enemies to hit.
In The Mandalorian, the Razor Crest was huge. It was able to store multiple carbon-freezing chambers while also carrying a handful of passengers, and even had a large weapons locker for Din to keep all of his bounty-hunting assets in. With the N-1, he will only have enough room for himself and a droid (or other small friend).
Whatever the case may be, it seems as though the Mandalorian has finally found himself a new ship - and a reliable one at that. The N-1 starship has had a long history in Star Wars canon, and it looks like fans will be seeing him pilot one of Naboo's finest pieces of equipment in the near future.
Check out Din Djarin's new ship in Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, streaming now on Disney+.
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