Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive look at a piece of concept art from LucasArt’s newly announced game, Star Wars 1313. The art depicts a ship that appears to be a Consular-class space cruiser, in a portal that is most likely Level 1313. Fans will recognize the starship model from the opening scenes of Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, when one of the craft transported Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to Naboo. LucasArts has yet to reveal which era 1313 is set in, but speculation can be made based on images we’ve seen so far.
The main promotional image that was released last night, as seen below, showcases TIE fighters and a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle. The presence of these Imperial craft seem to be good indicators that the game takes place in the Rise of the Empire or Rebellion eras. While TIE fighters wouldn’t exist if the game was set around The Phantom Menace, the Consular-class space cruiser was still in use during the Galactic Civil War and beyond.
Image featured on official game website and Facebook page. Visit EW.com for exclusive concept art. Click for larger image.
Another interesting note, as pointed out by several fans, is the name of the main planet. Coruscant was officially renamed during the Rise of the Empire era, as Emperor Palpatine elected to go with the fitting “Imperial Center” title. Various explanations can easily explain why the game is using Coruscant instead. Many of Imperial Center’s citizens still referred to the planet by its former name. Out-of-universe, Coruscant is a much more recognized name for many fans, and marketing it as Imperial Center might not catch the eye of the casual gamer.
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I’m interested of course. Hopefully not exclusive for PCs this time.
I’m not entirely certain that it is a Consular class ship, as the nose is a bit too rounded – yet appears to be flat at the bottom. A variant, perhaps. Maybe the one used in TCW? I haven’t seen one in a while, to be able to compare it.