The Luminous was a GR-75 medium transport attached to the Rebel Alliance Fleet during the Galactic Civil War. The Luminous was modified to hold a boosted hyperdrive, while suffering corresponding diminished armor strength and cargo capacity. Its crew was trained for reconnaissance and rapid intergalactic transport duties. In the wake of the Battle of Yavin, the Luminous helped facilitate a successful evacuation of the Rebel Alliance headquarters on the moon Yavin 4. The Luminous also participated in the Rebel Alliance's attack on the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor.

Description[]

The Luminous was a modified^[2] GR-75 medium transport^[1] of the Rebel Alliance Fleet.^[2] Originally manufactured by Gallofree Yards, Inc.,^[1] the modified Luminous featured a boosted hyperdrive at the expense of diminished armor and cargo capacity.^[2] The medium transport measured ninety meters in length and was armed minimally with laser cannons,^[1] protected by a shielding system,^[3] and equipped with a sublight drive engine.^[2]

History[]

The Luminous was a product of Gallofree Yards,^[1] a starship manufacturer that went bankrupt several years before the Battle of Yavin. Many of Gallofree Yards' remaining transports ended up in the hands of the Rebel Alliance.^[5] The Rebellion purchased these^[1] outdated^[6] vessels at greatly reduced prices, but they required a fair amount of maintenance. The Luminous was one such transport^[1] serving in the Alliance Fleet during the Galactic Civil War.^[3]

In 0 ABY,^[7] shortly after the Battle of Yavin, the Luminous played a vital role in evacuating the Rebellion's Yavin 4 base during a large-scale Imperial invasion. Grounded on a small island while preparing to depart the base, the Luminous fell under attack from a wave of Imperial loader shuttles attempting to dispatch All Terrain Scout Transports to the surface. Commander Luke Skywalker, flying an X-wing starfighter in defense of the Rebel evacuation, succeeded in destroying each of the loader shuttles to open a launch window for the Luminous. As the Luminous departed Yavin 4, it would next need to pass through a sizable Imperial blockade waiting in space.^[3]

Years later, in 4 ABY, the Luminous took part in^[4] the climactic Battle of Endor, in which the largest armada ever assembled in the Rebellion's history^[8] attacked and destroyed the Empire's second Death Star battlestation over the Forest Moon of Endor.^[9]

Commanders and crew[]

The Luminous's crew was trained for reconnaissance and swift intergalactic transport.^[2] A male crewman serving aboard the Luminous communicated with Luke Skywalker during the transport's contested evacuation from Yavin 4.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

The Luminous was created for the July 2000 Death Star II Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. The transport's inclusion in the set effectively established its participation in the large Rebel fleet fighting during the Battle of Endor,^[4] as seen in the film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.^[10]

For the 2003 video game Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, the Luminous appears in the game's second level, "Revenge of the Empire," as one of the Rebel transports attempting to facilitate the Alliance's evacuation of its Yavin 4 base. The player, as Luke Skywalker, must defend the Luminous from attack by destroying a force of six inbound Imperial loader shuttles ferrying AT-ST walkers. If the player allows any of the shuttles to land, each unloads a single AT-ST, which then begins firing on the grounded Luminous. As it is possible to quickly destroy the shuttles before they can unload any AT-STs,^[3] the exact nature by which the player satisfies this game objective is left ambiguous for this article.

Appearances[]

• Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (First appearance)

Sources[]

•  Star Wars Customizable Card Game — Death Star II Limited (Card: Luminous) (backup link) (First mentioned)
• Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide

Notes and references[]