Star Wars - Bail Organa's Airspeeder XJ-2

The XJ-2 airspeeder was a customized Narglatch AirTech vehicle owned by Bail Organa during his tenure as senator of the Alderaan sector and as Viceroy of Alderaan itself. After seeing fellow Senator Simon Greyshade's XJ-6 airspeeder, Organa purchased the custom XJ-2, which sported a red and silver color scheme. The airspeeder became a hobby of Organa's, and he would tinker with it when he was not pressed to attend to senatorial duties. With the advent of the Clone Wars, Organa took the XJ-2 with him to Coruscant, where he found himself spending most of his time.

Organa registered the speeder under the alias of "Org Banelli," allowing him to operate without the attention of the authorities. Along with several other senators, Organa was considering ousting Supreme Chancellor Palpatine at the conclusion of the war, and he needed to be able to move covertly. When the war did conclude, Organa used the speeder to rescue Jedi Master Yoda from Palpatine's clutches. Returning to Alderaan, Organa found himself dedicated to forming the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and as a result, the speeder gathered dust. He gave it to his adopted daughter, Princess Leia, and taught her piloting skills when she came of age. The speeder was eventually destroyed when the Death Star obliterated Alderaan, but a line based on the model was later put into production by Narglatch AirTech during the Galactic Civil War.

Characteristics:
A customized airspeeder, the XJ-2 was a small, two-seat vehicle that was 5.9 meters in length. The seats themselves were made of blue-hued leather. It sported a red and silver color scheme, selected by Senator Bail Organa, and in the hands of an able driver, the speeder could reach high and potentially hazardous speeds. As a precaution, the steering yoke was modified to allow for sharp turns. Though entirely new, the vehicle was based on an older airspeeder model. The original vehicle owned by Organa was unique at the time of its conception and creation. The later reproductions of the speeder were good at handling and boasted impressive speeds, and they excelled at both acceleration and climbing. A recolored variant of the speeder, used on worlds such as Onderon, sported a blue and yellow livery.

Purchase and modifications:
Narglatch AirTech, a small independent company, developed custom kits for airspeeder development. Their products were aimed at the upper class and more prestigious inhabitants of the Republic, such as senators and Core World aristocracy. Senator Simon Greyshade of the Vorzyd sector purchased the XJ-6 airspeeder model, and his tendency to display it before his peers inspired Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan to buy his own Narglatch speeder, the XJ-2.

Modification of the speeder became Organa's hobby, and when he was not being called upon to address matters of State, he could be found in his garage on Alderaan, working on the XJ-2. Deciding that it would be wise to keep a means of covert movement, Organa registered his speeder under the false name of "Org Banelli."