A starship, also known as a starcruiser, spaceship, spacecraft, or simply just craft or ship, was a vessel designed for interstellar travel, specifically between star systems. Starships were distinguished by the inclusion of a hyperdrive, a piece of equipment that made hyperspace travel possible.

Interstellar flight became possible with the invention of the dual-drive system. Starships used sublight drives to leave a planet’s gravity well and the hyperdrive to travel between stars faster than light speed.

Plotting a course to a star system was a highly complex operation. Calculations to travel at light speed were left up to a navigation computer or astromech droid.

A common sublight drive was the ion engine, which had a high power-to-weight ratio, and was used in Imperial TIE fighters and Star Destroyers.

Ships employed a repulsorlift drive during takeoffs from and landings on a planet. Repulsorlift drives were also used to assist in flight within gravity wells

Certain vessels were armed with laser cannons, turbolaser emplacements, or missile launchers. Some were equipped with deflector shields, countering the effects of laser weaponry, thus protecting the ship from attack and asteroid impacts. Larger ships also acted as carriers, transporting dozens or hundreds of fighters for combat operations.

A small, single-person fighter, such as the X-wing starfighter, could be flown by one pilot, with the help of an astromech droid. Larger vessels, like the Super Star Destroyers, were crewed by thousands of personnel, who were responsible for ongoing maintenance and operations. Larger ships also had a bridge, the command center.