Nebulon-B frigate

The Nebulon-B frigate— (also referred to as a Rebel cruiser, escort frigate, or medical frigate) is a fictional starship in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, and the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Origin and design
Industrial Light & Magic's Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Joe Johnston created the frigate late during work on The Empire Strikes Back, with the design following a suggestion by George Lucas that it be based on an outboard motor. The model was produced in a short time with limited financial access; it was primarily built from components left over from previous kitbashing exercises, including battleship hulls and artillery pieces. The resulting model was 247 centimetres (97 in) long, 99 centimetres (39 in) tall, and included a "window" where a still from the scene in the medical bay could be inserted for filming.

Following the completion of filming, Lucas decided to revisit the end of the movie to better establish the characters' final locations, requiring a section of the frigate to be built that corresponded to the scale of the 2-foot (61-centimeter) Millennium Falcon model. The model was originally referred to as the Rebel starcruiser or Rebel cruiser, but during filming of Return of the Jedi was renamed Rebel Medical Frigate after the cruiser name was used for the Mon Calamari cruisers.

Depiction
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) receives a prosthetic hand aboard a medical frigate at the conclusion of The Empire Strikes Back. A Nebulon-B medical frigate is part of the Rebel Alliance fleet at the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. Expanded Universe material states that relatively affordable Nebulon-B frigates, which are effective at engaging starfighters, are used by both the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire. The frigates appear in several LucasArts titles, including the X-Wing flight simulators series and Empire at War real-time strategy game.

Merchandise
Decipher and Wizards of the Coast published Nebulon-B frigate for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game and Star Wars Trading Card Game, respectively.