3-Z Light Freighter

The 3-Z light freighter is what happens when a good idea gets a second life. When Corellian Engineering Corporation retired its YT-1200 line — deemed too dated for active production — it sub-licensed the plans to a smaller yard, Nova-Drive. Where CEC saw an obsolete design, Nova-Drive saw a cheap, proven chassis worth upgrading, and the 3-Z was the result.

Nova-Drive stretched and reinforced the old YT-1200 hull, making room for more powerful engines, a genuinely cavernous 150-metric-ton cargo bay, and roomier living quarters for a crew that might spend two months between ports. The refit kept the 3-Z as fast as the ship it was based on and as quick at sublight as a stock YT-1300, while adding welcome touches: a central dorsal sensor dish for a wider scanning radius, port-and-starboard laser turrets that cover every firing arc, and a forward-opening cargo bay that makes loading painless.

CEC, the story goes, was quietly annoyed to discover that its cast-off design — revamped and undercutting its own current YT models on price — was winning over independent spacers. At 60,000 credits new, the 3-Z was exactly what a working hauler wanted: cheap, roomy, well-armed for its class, and easy to keep flying.

For a player crew, the 3-Z is the honest workhorse — a YT-family hauler with a bigger hold, better sensors, and all-around turret coverage, for a fraction of a newer ship's price. It's the freighter you buy when the job matters more than the badge on the hull.