49 Years Later, Star Wars Finally Brings A New Hope’s Coolest Unused Ship To the Screen

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Star Wars has at last revealed a spaceship originally conceived in the 1970s, but only now appearing on screen. The creators of the first Star Wars film, A New Hope, developed a wealth of material that didn’t make the final cut, and the franchise has consistently revisited these early ideas. From initial story outlines and vehicle designs to the beautiful artwork of Ralph McQuarrie, George Lucas’s original vision continues to inspire the series even now.

The latest installment, The Mandalorian and Grogu, brings the Star Wars universe back to the big screen after a seven-year hiatus. While it didn’t revolutionize the franchise or become a blockbuster, it’s an enjoyable adventure filled with familiar Star Wars details and nods to the past. A particularly cool Easter egg is the appearance of a Y-wing bomber in the New Republic fleet attacking Nal Hutta. This ship, nicknamed “Red Jammer,” is painted white and red and actually comes from early concept art for the original Star Wars movie.

The Y-Wing Red Jammer’s History In Star Wars

Known as the Red Jammer, this Y-wing model was the very first one built by Industrial Light & Magic for the original Star Wars film in 1976. It served as the primary reference for all the Y-wings seen on screen. Because it was only meant as a reference, the model wasn’t fully completed – it has some different surface details and the starboard side is unfinished. A highly detailed, “studio scale” kit of the Red Jammer was released by Nice-N Models Designs in 2012, and it’s now a rare find for model builders, as shown in the video below.

The Y-wing fighters in the movie appear with yellow markings instead of red because the team was changed from Red Squadron to Gold Squadron due to technical reasons. Interestingly, the novel version of the story still refers to them as Red Squadron.

As a longtime fan, I was thrilled to see the Red Jammer appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu! It’s amazing how they brought back a ship design originally intended for A New Hope. Even better, it correctly identifies the Y-wings as part of Red Squadron, which is how it was always meant to be. I recently learned from Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll in an interview with VFX Voice that they actually used the original 1976 model – that level of detail is incredible!

John Goodson, who built the 48-inch Razor Crest model, had previously worked on a restoration of the Red Jammer Y-wing for the Lucas Museum. This model was sent to England as a reference for the design of the Y-wing’s full-size cockpit. It was damaged during shipping back to the US, partially repaired, and recently received a complete restoration by John Goodson.

We were finally able to borrow a model from George Lucas after a lot of discussion. We filmed two short shots using motion control. You’ll likely miss it unless someone tells you, but the movie actually includes two filmed pieces of an original Star Wars model from 1976 that hadn’t been shown in any film before.

Most viewers won’t notice, but this detail highlights the deep history being drawn upon in the show. The ‘Red Jammer’ ship is piloted by Lee Isaac Chung, a director who previously worked on The Mandalorian and Skeleton Crew. Interestingly, even the music cue for the attack run, composed by Ludwig Göransson, is called “Red Jammer.”

Besides the Red Jammer, which appears after many years, the Imperial INT-4 Interceptor also makes an appearance, right at the beginning of the story. This ship was first designed for a Kenner toy line back in 1982 and is now appearing on screen in The Mandalorian and Grogu. While these details don’t change the main plot, observant fans will enjoy spotting them.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently playing in theaters.

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2026-06-03 00:42