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Description
Concept by me; design influence @ AdamKop; art by Colourbrand

I know the name is "Star Wars" so most ships focus on the "War" aspect and I get that; it's the coolest aspect. However, sometimes I appreciate the utilitarian aspect of my fictional worlds that I enjoy. Why? Who knows, I just do.

A gig is be a small, basic ship that would carry people and/or 1-2 containers of cargo between ships or from planet-to-moon-to space station. This is a small people mover: no hyperdrive, no weapons, no shields, no armor to speak of, only the most basic comm/sensor system; way WAY smaller than Lambda-class shuttle. The best reason for the existence of gigs would be that while on a large ship you could fit Lambdas on the flight deck, on smaller ships there is less room but still a need to move people and cargo at times. While I am focusing on its function as a ship's gig, consider a planet in a Galaxy Far, Far Away that has space stations and a habitable moon: you dont need a ship with a hyperdrive to go back and forth and back and forth, you just need something like a gig. It is not wide, not long: pilot & copilot, perhaps a loadmaster/crew chief, and then a modular system that you could pull out, rearrange, and move a system of chairs; some kind of plug-n-play lock system. A Captain's Gig/Admiral's Gig/VIP Gig would have a few nice chairs and perhaps a table or desk, for max passengers you remove the nice chairs and install some bench jump seats, for cargo you remove all the chairs and slide in two 2m X 2m cargo containers, and for a mix you could have one 2m X 2m cargo container and then half the jump seats.

There are any number of makes and models from any number of manufactures; this one is made by the Incom Corporation.  As you can see from the image the design is fairly boxy so it is easily stowed.  There are smaller gigs and larger gigs; the description I went with above is one that I thought would be small yet still practical to have on a frigate or light cruiser to meet a number of needs.

If you need to apply it to the real world here is my best explanation. The obvious inspiration are ship's gigs from the Age of Sail; just small wooden rowboats, but so useful. For a common analogy, picture this as a version of a large van that has room for 6 or so passengers and then plenty of room in the back to haul whatever. To apply it to airplanes, think of it like the US military's C-12. There is nothing fancy about the C-12 (ignoring the sexier MC-12 and RC-12 versions), it is just a small cargo and passenger plane. However, sometimes you just need to move around a few people or a little bit of cargo and using a C-130 or C-17 would just be overkill.

For those with a mind toward using this in your SW RPG adventures, here are some thoughts toward game terms:
Dimensions: Length: 8m; Exterior height: 3m; Interior height: 2.5m; Exterior width: 3m; Interior width: 2.5m
Layout: interior is all open, the crew stations are static, but the rest is designed to be modular. Imagine, if you will, that if there is some kind of in-flight emergency the crew chief or co-pilot might have to have a passenger stand up, remove the seat, remove a deck or ceiling panel, and then try to get at the electrical problem (or whatever).

Crew: Pilot, Co-Pilot, and Crew Chief; Passengers: based on configuration; Cargo: based on configuration, but max is two 2m X 2m cargo containers.
Features: Micro-'Fresher; Top Hatch (like we saw on the Falcon in Empire); Air Lock, aft, the smallest possible, slightly extendable; Passenger/Cargo Door, port; Small storage locker, basic equipment, 1 week consumables;
Systems: not fast, not maneuverable other than it is small; Hyperdrive: none; Weapons: none ; Armor: none; Shields: none; Comm/sensor system: basic, short range
Function: Transport. Secondary Function: *could* be used for short-term Search and Rescue if (ideally) all passengers and cargo are removed. Also, *could* be used a lifeboat but hopefully all on board are carrying water and food because it doesn't have more than week of rations.

Description
Concept by me; design influence @ AdamKop; art by Colourbrand

I know the name is "Star Wars" so most ships focus on the "War" aspect and I get that; it's the coolest aspect. However, sometimes I appreciate the utilitarian aspect of my fictional worlds that I enjoy. Why? Who knows, I just do.

A gig is be a small, basic ship that would carry people and/or 1-2 containers of cargo between ships or from planet-to-moon-to space station. This is a small people mover: no hyperdrive, no weapons, no shields, no armor to speak of, only the most basic comm/sensor system; way WAY smaller than Lambda-class shuttle. The best reason for the existence of gigs would be that while on a large ship you could fit Lambdas on the flight deck, on smaller ships there is less room but still a need to move people and cargo at times. While I am focusing on its function as a ship's gig, consider a planet in a Galaxy Far, Far Away that has space stations and a habitable moon: you dont need a ship with a hyperdrive to go back and forth and back and forth, you just need something like a gig. It is not wide, not long: pilot & copilot, perhaps a loadmaster/crew chief, and then a modular system that you could pull out, rearrange, and move a system of chairs; some kind of plug-n-play lock system. A Captain's Gig/Admiral's Gig/VIP Gig would have a few nice chairs and perhaps a table or desk, for max passengers you remove the nice chairs and install some bench jump seats, for cargo you remove all the chairs and slide in two 2m X 2m cargo containers, and for a mix you could have one 2m X 2m cargo container and then half the jump seats.

There are any number of makes and models from any number of manufactures; this one is made by the Incom Corporation.  As you can see from the image the design is fairly boxy so it is easily stowed.  There are smaller gigs and larger gigs; the description I went with above is one that I thought would be small yet still practical to have on a frigate or light cruiser to meet a number of needs.

If you need to apply it to the real world here is my best explanation. The obvious inspiration are ship's gigs from the Age of Sail; just small wooden rowboats, but so useful. For a common analogy, picture this as a version of a large van that has room for 6 or so passengers and then plenty of room in the back to haul whatever. To apply it to airplanes, think of it like the US military's C-12. There is nothing fancy about the C-12 (ignoring the sexier MC-12 and RC-12 versions), it is just a small cargo and passenger plane. However, sometimes you just need to move around a few people or a little bit of cargo and using a C-130 or C-17 would just be overkill.

For those with a mind toward using this in your SW RPG adventures, here are some thoughts toward game terms:
Dimensions: Length: 8m; Exterior height: 3m; Interior height: 2.5m; Exterior width: 3m; Interior width: 2.5m
Layout: interior is all open, the crew stations are static, but the rest is designed to be modular. Imagine, if you will, that if there is some kind of in-flight emergency the crew chief or co-pilot might have to have a passenger stand up, remove the seat, remove a deck or ceiling panel, and then try to get at the electrical problem (or whatever).

Crew: Pilot, Co-Pilot, and Crew Chief; Passengers: based on configuration; Cargo: based on configuration, but max is two 2m X 2m cargo containers.
Features: Micro-'Fresher; Top Hatch (like we saw on the Falcon in Empire); Air Lock, aft, the smallest possible, slightly extendable; Passenger/Cargo Door, port; Small storage locker, basic equipment, 1 week consumables;
Systems: not fast, not maneuverable other than it is small; Hyperdrive: none; Weapons: none ; Armor: none; Shields: none; Comm/sensor system: basic, short range
Function: Transport. Secondary Function: *could* be used for short-term Search and Rescue if (ideally) all passengers and cargo are removed. Also, *could* be used a lifeboat but hopefully all on board are carrying water and food because it doesn't have more than week of rations.