A starfighter, also referred to as a fighter, was a small and maneuverable spacecraft designed for combat in the atmosphere or space. Certain models of bombers, gunships, transports, light freighters, shuttles, trainers, and atmospheric fighters could be considered starfighters as well, and often fulfilled many of the same functions.

Although the term was most commonly applied to starships, it could also include certain low-altitude airspeeders.

Starfighters often had some degree of overlap with other ship classes, as well as a few distinct sub-classes. Bombers were starships designed to carry heavy ordnance payloads, often at the expense of maneuverability and straight-line speed. 

Interceptors represented a range of starfighters that usually emphasized speed and agility over versatility and firepower, sometimes at the expense of ordnance payloads, life support, or hyperdrive capabilities. 

Gunships were heavily-armed vehicles designed to deploy ground forces in landing zones created by their heavy weaponry. Their heavy armament often granted them considerable air-to-air or space-to-space combat capabilities, despite being optimized for air-to-ground combat. Certain classes of starfighters could be modified to trainers while still retaining combat capability. Certain classes of transports, shuttles, and light freighters, although more commonly used to move cargo and passengers around, could also pack considerable armament and maintain a degree of maneuverability.