The DP20 frigate or Corellian Gunship was one of the few dedicated warship designs produced by Corellian Engineering Corporation, and was the most common member of the Corellian gunship product line.[2] Though small and compact, it was fast and carried heavy firepower for a ship of its size and class.
Unlike its cousin, the CR90 corvette, the gunship had minimal cargo space and almost no space for passengers or troops. These small ships were designed to be only two things: fast and deadly. Engines consumed nearly half of the gunship's interior space. What little room was left was used for deflector shield generators and weapons.
The DP20 was originally designed for the fleet of the Galactic Republic.[5] These vessels saw extensive use among the Corellian and Rebel Alliance/New Republic fleets, although some were also seen in the hands of independent operators, such as pirate factions and other fringe groups. Local Imperial forces also utilized the class.[4] The Rebel Alliance, in need of a small, fast attack vessel, decided to purchase a few of these starships after witnessing a group of pirates use them to successfully hijack an Imperial shipment guarded by several Imperial fighters and bombers.[6] At least one of these vessels was wrecked in the Korteen asteroid belt by Quarg's father and his space wreckers.[7]
The design of the gunship is based on early concept art from the pre-production of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, depicting a lean, small warship that was originally conceived as an Imperialstarship in the rough draft, evolving into a "pirate ship" as the script developed. This role in the movie was, of course, eventually taken by Millennium Falcon, while the linear design served as the basis for the hammerhead-bowed blockade runner: both are depicted as Corellian ships, from the same manufacturer as the non-movie gunship.
The DP20 began as a concept for the Millennium Falcon and later, the Rebel Blockade Runner.
The common fan designation of this ship as the "DP-20" or "DP20" was finally canonized in the revised version of Starships of the Galaxy. Before this, the name in the canonical appearances had been the generic "Corellian Gunship" which now became a classification.