Starfighter

"Starfighter" is a term used to describe relatively small, maneuverable manned spacecraft designed for military combat, particularly in science fiction (cf starship).

See also F-104 Starfighter, an early jet fighter aircraft. See also Robert Calvert.

The appearance and use of fictional starfighters is often modeled on fighter aircraft, with little regard for the actual physics of space travel. The starfuries in the television series Babylon 5 are a notable exception in at least the attempt to make a more realistic fighter.

Well-known starfighters include those of the Star Wars media empire:

• Rebel starfighters: A-wing, B-wing, X-wing, Y-wing
• Imperial starfighters: TIE Fighter, TIE Interceptor, TIE Advanced

Starfighters are popular as the subjects of flight simulator-like space combat video games, such as the "Wing Commander" and "X-Wing" series. This connection is made explicitly in the 1984 film The Last Starfighter in which a video game on Earth is used as a recruiting device for an alien civilization whose starfighters require the same skills as the video game.