9. Slave 1
One of the most distinctive spaceships in Star Wars is Slave 1, the small, highly maneuverable vessel operated first by Jango Fett and then by his son Boba Fett. First appearing in The Empire Strikes Back, of course, when Fett used it to tail the Falcon and then to transport the frozen Han Solo away from Cloud City under a barrage of blaster fire, the ship (and Fett) were so popular, they returned for the prequels and the Clone Wars series. The most original feature of the bounter hunters' vessel is the way it can change its orientation: it lands on its back and then uprights itself in flight, with the side fins swiveling round to face forward. This ability to change orientation after take-off was so visually arresting that it was later reused for the B-Wing fighters seen in Return of the Jedi. The unusual capabilities of Slave 1 were only fitting for bounty hunters as proficient as the Fetts, and ensured the ship would find a place in fans' hearts. Contrary to rumour, the design of Slave 1 was inspired by a radar dish rather than a street light. Originally, the base of the vessel was supposed to be a circle, but when George Lucas saw the plans he thought it looked better as an oval and so the model builder changed it.