BT-7 Thunderclap

"Welcome aboard the Rendili Hyperworks BT-7 Thunderclap: a rapid assault craft designed especially for Republic Special Forces at enormous taxpayer expense."

―C2-N2^[5]

The BT-7 Thunderclap was an assault ship model in the Republic Military, commonly used by Republic troopers.

Characteristics[]

The BT-7 was state of the art for its era, the armor plating, heavy laser cannons and modular shield systems were the best available. The hull was also shaped to help deflect laser bolts in case of shield failure. It had lodgings for several troops and contained a command center, a briefing room, a very spacious cargo bay, a medical bay and an armory. There was also room for recreational activities.

History[]

"Get in the house, Arra!"

―Zeerid Korr to his daughter Arra upon seeing a BT-7 Thunderclap^[3]

The Thunderclap was the Galactic Republic's largest and most sophisticated rapid assault ship in service during the Great Hyperspace War onward. This made it a favorite for use by the Republic Special Forces Division.

Former Jedi Knight Aryn Leneer used a BT-7 Thunderclap to visit Zeerid Korr and his daughter, Arra Yooms, on the planet Dantooine soon after the Sacking of Coruscant and Leneer's fight against Sith Lord Darth Malgus. When Korr first saw the ship, he thought that the Exchange—a very large criminal organization—was coming to kill him for ruining their operations. When his daughter came out of his house to see him, Korr told her to get back in the house. However, when he saw that it was Leneer, he was relieved, surprised, and happy.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

BT7 concept — Paul Adam's designs for the BT-7

The "BT7 Thunderstrike" first appeared in Paul S. Kemp's novel The Old Republic: Deceived, which was published on March 22, 2011.^[3] However, the name of the ship was changed to BT-7 Thunderclap after the novel's release, a fact which was confirmed by Kemp.^[6] The ship makes its first appearance as the BT-7 Thunderclap in the 2011 MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic where it is the ship utilized by members of the trooper class. In addition to being the trooper class ship, the BT-7 Thunderclap appears in many space combat missions for both Republic and Imperial-aligned players. Like all of the other player ships in The Old Republic, the BT-7 Thunderclap can be upgraded with various new weapons and defensive components that help the player survive increasingly challenging missions.^[7] The ship also has its own entry in the starships section of the Old Republic website's Holonet.^[2]