The Bearing Lifter was a modified Gallofree Yards GR-75 medium transport of the Rebel Alliance Fleet during the Galactic Civil War. With enhanced sensor, navigation, and communications systems and other stealth countermeasures, the Bearing Lifter was designed to evade long-range Imperial scanning. As one of thirty GR-75 medium transports stationed at the Alliance High Command's Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth, the Bearing Lifter participated in the Rebel Alliance defeat at the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY. Rebel pilot Gemmer Sojan conducted the Bearing Lifter's safe evacuation from Hoth, though it was one of just thirteen Rebel transports to survive the engagement.

Description[]

The Bearing Lifter was a ninety-meter-long^[3] GR-75 medium transport^[2] originally manufactured by Gallofree Yards, Inc.^[1] Later modified to serve the Rebel Alliance's transport fleet, the Bearing Lifter's outer hull bristled with antennas and mechanism clusters for its enhanced sensor, navigation, and communications systems. In addition, the transport's upper and lower hull surfaces were covered with specially-coated, heavy armor plating that absorbed most casual sensor emissions and masked the transport from long-range Imperial scans. Further internal stealth countermeasures served to defeat closer scans but with unreliable effectiveness.^[3] The Bearing Lifter was minimally armed with laser cannons^[1] and equipped with sublight engines.^[2]

History[]

Starship manufacturer Gallofree Yards went bankrupt several years before the Battle of Yavin, with many of its remaining transports winding up in the hands of the Rebel Alliance.^[4] The Rebellion purchased these^[1] outdated^[5] transports at greatly reduced prices, but they required a good share of regular maintenance.^[1] The Bearing Lifter entered Rebel service by 0 ABY^[6] and was one of the few true space transports operating with the Alliance Fleet during the Galactic Civil War. The Rebellion reserved the Bearing Lifter and similar transports for the primary purpose of moving personnel and support equipment from one Rebel base to another in the event of evacuation.^[3]

The Bearing Lifter was later one of^[2] thirty Rebel GR-75 medium transports stationed at the Alliance High Command headquarters of Echo Base on the Outer Rim Territories ice planet Hoth.^[7] During the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY,^[8] in which the Empire invaded the compromised High Command outpost, the Echo Base evacuation plan required the Rebel transports to survive a blockade run through the waiting line of Imperial-class Star Destroyers in Hoth's orbit under starfighter escort and covering fire from the base's v-150 Planet Defender ion cannon.^[9] Despite the Empire destroying or capturing seventeen of the thirty evacuation transports during the battle,^[10] which culminated in a resounding Rebel defeat,^[7] Gemmer Sojan of the Rebellion's Blue Squadron safely piloted the Bearing Lifter away from Hoth.^[2]

Commanders and crew[]

Remaining Rebel pilots of Blue Squadron and Green Squadron who did not man Echo Base's snowspeeders as part of Rogue Group during the Battle of Hoth were tasked with overseeing the evacuation of the Rebels' GR-75 medium transports. The Human male Gemmer Sojan, Blue Four, piloted the Bearing Lifter on its successful departure from Hoth.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

The Bearing Lifter was first mentioned in The Star Wars Sourcebook, co-authored by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith, and published in November 1987 as supplementary material for West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. The text uses an original concept illustration from the film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back to depict the Bearing Lifter as an example of a Rebel transport.^[11]

Sources[]

• The Star Wars Sourcebook (First mentioned)
• The Star Wars Sourcebook, Second Edition
• Star Wars Technical Journal of the Rebel Forces
• "Rogues Gallery: Clearance for Immediate Launch" — Star Wars Insider 146

Notes and references[]