The Naboo N-1 Royal Starfighter
The N-1 Royal Starfighter is among the most elegant examples of the Episode I aesthetic: sweeping lines, vibrant colors, and a graceful profile define the Naboo fighter. The film's many influences are readily apparent in the design of the N-1 as well, particularly the influence of Alex Raymond's work on the original Flash Gordon comic strip. More so than any other vessel in The Phantom Menace, the N-1 design truly stands out as one of the "great ships" of the Star Wars saga.
Your humble Webmaster has a serious infatuation with the N-1 starfighter, so, in the interest of avoiding a long sonnet on the vessel's historical and artistic influences and the beauties therein, I once again turn you over to David West Reynolds:
"The single pilot Naboo Royal N-1 Starfighter was developed by the Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps for the volunteer Royal Naboo Security Forces. Sleek and agile, the small N-1 faces aggressors with twin blaster cannons and a double magazine of proton torpedoes. Found only on Naboo and rarely seen even there, the N-1, like the Queen's Royal Starship, uses many galactic standard internal components in a custom-built spaceframe that reflects the Naboo people's love of handcrafted, elegant shapes. The Naboo engineers fabricate some of their own parts such as fuel tanks and sensor antennas, but most of the high-technology gear is acquired through trade from other, more industrialized worlds. The Theed Palace engineers developed a customized engine system, however, based on a standard Nubian drive motor but modified significantly to release fewer emissions into the atmosphere. The Naboo being a peaceful people, the Space Fighter Corps is maintained as much through tradition as for military defense, and primarily serves as an honor guard for the Queen's Royal Starship. Nonetheless, the Royal Naboo Security Forces train in the N-1s on a regular basis, prepared for the honor of serving the Queen in combat if necessary, since service to the Queen symbolizes service to the great free people of Naboo themselves.
That Gleaming Royal Look
The N-1 fighter sports a gleaming chromium finish on its forward surfaces. Purely decorative, this finish indicates the ship's royal allegiance. Early Naboo spacecraft required a chromelike finish for protection from harmful rays in the planet's upper atmosphere. Now that spacecraft and their pilots are fully shielded from such rays by electromagnetic field technology, the chrome finish is retained for tradition and kept as a royal symbol. Only royal ships may carry the hand-finished royal chromium treatment.
High-Voltage Rat-Tail
The center 'rat-tail' finial projecting from the rear of the N-1 is a vital component, linking the ship to the palace hangar systems via a plug-in socket found at the rear of each ship's protective revetment area. The primary purpose of this finial is to receive high-voltage power charge energy delivered from the palace generators to activate the ship's systems. Large transformers and converters can be seen on either side of the plug-in sockets in the fighter revetment. The secondary purpose of the center finial is to receive coded information from the palace battle computer. This computer will download information only in the primary security room and through these fighter sockets, preventing any spies from being able to acquire battle information from the palace. The palace battle computer transfers complete battle coordinates and strategic plans into each fighter, allowing the pilots to concentrate on operating their ship's systems while the flight computer automatically directs the ship on a trajectory to the target zone."
The central filial is also capable of receiving updated tactical broadcasts from the palace battle computer; it's range is very impressive. The two shorter filials on the rear of the fighter are functional as well: they are actually heat sinks, which circulate coolant and help shunt off excess heat from the modified Nubian engines, which burn hotter in order to burn cleaner. These functional and attractive filials truly embody the Naboo flair for combining art and functional engineering.