Baudo-class star yacht

As a sporting yacht, the ship was mostly used as a pleasure vehicle by affluent beings. Baudos were not beloved by most bulk freighter pilots, who disliked being passed on the spacelanes. The ship itself was described as having a resemblance to some sea creatures. Baudo-class yachts were equipped with a powerful sublight drive for good speed in normal space. The single laser cannon in the standard version of the yacht was not only installed for looks—several precise hits could make pirates change their minds. Mirax Terrik's Pulsar Skate was a highly modified Baudo-class star yacht, and certainly the most famous ship of this type.

The Baudo-class yacht was produced by the shipyards owned by Mendel Baudo, and each ship was custom-built to the specifications of its owner. This meant that each ship was unique in some way from all others, although the underlying drive systems remained common. Because these ships were not exceptionally fast or complicated, the Baudo-class yacht found a following among amateur and experienced pilots. However, purchasing one of these ships required that a customer be referred to Mendel Baudo by another being who had purchased one, since Baudo refused to take orders without a reference. Build time could take as much as a standard year, depending on the amount of customization, because Mendel Baudo personally ensured that each ship was perfect.

Two contrasting versions of the Baudo-class star yacht appear to exist in canon. Probably the better-known version is the design used for the Pulsar Skate in the Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron comics and Star Wars Customizable Card Game, appearing first in Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: The Phantom Affair in 1996. However, the earlier illustration in the Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters supplement for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (which was used as a silhouette in Pirates & Privateers) show a flatter and smoother starship: this seems to have served as the basis for the descriptions of the vessel in the X-Wing novels, and recently in Legacy of the Force: Exile. No canonical explanation has been offered to resolve the discrepancy.

The Moldy Crow was originally going to be a Baudo-class star yacht.

• Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters
• Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters, Second Edition
• "Straight from the Horse's Mouth" — Star Wars Insider 31
• Pirates & Privateers
• The Official Star Wars Fact File76
• The Official Star Wars Fact File108
• The Official Star Wars Fact File126
• Starships of the Galaxy, Saga Edition
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Fly Casual
• Desperate Allies