t.i.e. defender
The TIE/D Defender was an experimental starfighter designed by Grand Admiral Thrawn for the Galactic Empire. The ship was armed with 2 heavy cannons, 6 wingtip lasers, missiles launchers, and a tractor beam. But what really separated the craft from the other ships in the TIE line was the the addition of shields and a hyperdrive.
Unfortunately, the starfighter was never mass produced. The Defender design facility was heavily damaged during a rebel attack and funding for the project was reassigned to the Death Star project.
I was first introduced to the Defender in the X-Wing video game series way back in 1994 and I hated the ship. Not because of it’s looks, but because I felt it was way overpowered. It was faster and more maneuverable than any fighter in the game. It had better shields and stronger armor than any bomber in the game. It had more weapons than any other ship. I called it the “TIE Wish List”.
I was watching the Rebels TV series again and loved the way the Defender was integrated into the story line. I thought designing an origami version would be quick and easy. I could simply design the three sided cockpit and use the wings of my TIE Interceptor model. Unfortunately they wouldn’t connect to the new Defender cockpit, so I ended up having to design new wings as well.
