R-41 Starchaser History

The R-41 Starchaser was released to the mainstream marketplace just shortly before Admiral Zarrin's mutiny against the Empire. FreiTek used this increased attention lavished upon starfighters to their great advantage. Timed for release at the pinnacle of a quick yet intense holonet publicity campaign, the Starchaser was snapped up in record numbers (Selling over 150,000 units in just a week). Marketed as a reasonably priced starfighter, small mercenary groups, planetary defense forces and more . . . unsavory individuals suddenly found a space superiority fighter well within their budget.

For two years, the Starchaser sold in rather respectable numbers. The ship was cheap and easy to maintain, they were inexpensive and competitive more higher profile fighters, and people were generally happy with the product Things were looking quite bright for the company. It, however, was not to last.

For some mysterious reason that puzzles consumer analysts to this day, the bottom dropped out on the Starchaser. In the fourth year of production, nobody was buying the product anymore. This coupled with the company's over-expansion into non-starship areas, bad management decisions and a hostile buy-out by rival cooperation Fireworld Stardrives, caused FreiTek to fall apart faster than a Death Star. The remaining stock on hand was bought up and liquidated, and all FreiTek capital went to silence creditors.

Despite the parent company's financial implosion, the Starchaser sold in enough numbers to be a moderately common ship, and can be found plying the space-lanes even now.