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Lylat Datalink; Great Fox, pg 105
Developed by Arspace Dynamics Co., Ltd., manufacturer of the Arwing fighter, Great Fox was custom built under the direction of James McCloud. Featuring 3 NTD-FX9 plasma engines, Great Fox is light-speed capable and has a real-space cruising speed that nearly matches the Arwing's. Power for its 2 T&B-H9 hyper laser cannons is routed directly from the plasma engines, giving the ship the ability to punch through even a Zeram-class Cruiser's shields. ROB 64 was developed in conjunction with Great Fox and is hard-wired to the ship's primary computer. James McCloud took out a low interest, 80-year mortgage to purchase Great Fox, a debt that his son is doing his best to repay.
97 ROB
Great Fox is ready to go.
97 ROB

Great Fox is the space aircraft carrier and dreadnought-class flagship that serves as mobile headquarters, launching platform, tactical support and residence of the elite Star Fox squadron, who travel across space defending the peace and innocent lives from other-worldly threats. It is equipped with 3 NTD-FX9 plasma engines that give it the capability to warp between planets. In addition, the ship is streamlined for atmospheric re-entry, making it capable of landing the Landmaster or Blue-Marine if necessary. Great Fox is stocked with all manner of supplies for the Star Fox Team, including food, clothing and replacement parts. In fact, Great Fox is the mobile home of the Star Fox Team. The late James McCloud contracted Space Dynamics Co., Ltd., to build Great Fox, and took out an 80-year loan to pay for its construction. The Star Fox Team is still using the prize money from their mercenary mission to repay this loan. ROB 64, the robotic pilot of Great Fox, is wired directly into the ship's controls. Even though Great Fox rarely participates in the Star Fox Team's missions, it is a very important asset for the team. Despite the impressive defensive capabilities, Great Fox is extremely vulnerable to certain types of attacks, but the Star Fox Team will gladly do whatever it takes to protect their home when away from Corneria.

Schematics[]

Engines[]

Featuring 3 NTD-FX9 plasma engines, Great Fox was light-speed capable and had a real-space cruising speed that nearly matched the Arwing's, and could keep up the pace with the ships even when making the jump to light speed when entering warp zones. The ship's own defenses allowed it to survive in a variety of environments, allowing it to be able to enter a planetary atmosphere.

Laser cannons[]

Power for its 2 powerful T&B-H9 hyper laser cannons was routed directly from the plasma engines, giving the ship the firepower of a Dreadnought-class heavy cruiser, with enough strength to tear through even a Zeram-class Cruiser's shields. In terms of combat, the Great Fox used its powerful weapon systems to aid the squadron's progression during missions when needed, from blowing apart asteroids to clear a straight flight path, to causing serious damage to massive battleships (such as the Venomian battleships that guarded the Area 6 access corridor to Venom).

Nerve centre[]

Because ROB 64 was developed in conjunction with Great Fox and was hard-wired to the ship's primary computer, the ship was capable of always having someone onboard to operate controls and monitor battle progress. From the bridge, ROB could send and receive incoming messages and act in a logistical capacity by transferring supplies to the combat zone when needed. With the aid of the computers on the Great Fox, Slippy could also scan enemy force commanders to uncover a "Bossometer" for strategy.

Hanger[]

Since the primary purpose of the Great Fox was to serve as a carrier & repair facility for the team's Arwings, Landmaster, and Blue-Marine, the ship was built with both a front docking bay and rear hangar, giving it a two way option to launch and take in any landing ships. Great Fox itself was capable of landing on planet-side spaceports, as well as having a limited aquatic capability (e.g. on Aquas, where it half-submerged itself to deploy the Blue-Marine).

History[]

Under the exclusive order of James McCloud, the Great Fox (along with ROB 64 as the main operations pilot and essentially ship "voice") was developed and constructed by Arspace Dynamics. The Great Fox was originally to serve the Star Fox team as a carrier & repair facility for the team's Arwings, as well as acting in a logistical capacity by transferring supplies to the combat zones when needed. The customised specifications and technical capabilities of the mothership made it so expensive, James had to take out an 80-year low interest mortgage to ensure the ship was properly built to it's maximum potential. Since James never managed to use this mothership himself, due to disappearing and presumably perishing on Venom before the ship was completed, the Great Fox was still relatively new when James' only son Fox took ownership of the ship to re-form the Star Fox Team following his father's apparent death, and taking ownership of the ship debts too.

As the flagship and mobile HQ of the newly reformed Star Fox Team, the Great Fox played a major role in the Cornerian war against Andross's Empire in the evil emperor's conquest of the entire Lylat System.

Corneria[]

The ship's first major assignment was when ROB received General Pepper's urgent distress call, requesting the Star Fox team's aid in breaking off the invasion of Corneria by Andross's overwhelming space fleets, and then recapturing the occupied territories of the Lylat System, and ultimately invading Venom itself, where Andross would need to be defeated to end the war.

Meteo[]

Due to the vast numbers of asteroids making a clear flight path nearly impossible, the Great Fox moved up in front of the four Arwings, blasting some of the free floating space rocks to make a more clear head start.

Titania & Macbeth[]

As the Missions on Titania and Macbeth required the use of the Landmaster tank to stay close to the ground, the Great Fox launched the tank from the front bay so Fox could follow ROB's directions in the search for the recently lost Slippy after he crash landed and was captured by the Goras, and to closely follow the Forever Train before it could reach the supply depot. After the Mission on Macbeth was achieved, the Great Fox flew low enough to bring Fox's Landmaster back in, but while on Titania, he used the tanks hover jets to enter the mothership through the back door.

Aquas[]

As the Mission required the use of Slippy's experimental attack submarine, the Great Fox complied with Fox's orders to launch the Blue-Marine into the Aquas Ocean, by submerging itself halfway into the sea to drop off the submarine from the front hangar.

Sector Z[]

In the most important role it played in the war, the Great Fox came under a surprise attack from six powerful Copperhead Missiles under guidance from the advanced Invader III fighters in the Sector Z combat zone. Since the Missiles were launched at a short distance at an angled flight path, the Great Fox was unable to defend itself from the sidelines and landed the four Arwings to take out the attackers.

Area 6[]

Due to the many battleships creating barricades to prevent the Star Fox team from reaching Venom's air space, after ROB sent out a signal to indicate readiness, the Great Fox moved into position to give cover fire and blast any cruisers to disable their shields and render them even more vulnerable to the Arwings.

Aftermath[]

After Fox defeated Andross in his palace on Venom, the Great Fox flew back to Corneria with the four Arwings in tow so the victorious Star Fox team could meet with General Pepper. In the midst of the General's promotional proposal and Fox's polite decline, ROB contacted Fox to inform him that the Great Fox were fully prepared to leave, motivating the Star Fox team to head off to their next Mission.

In the years following the defeat of Andross, the Great Fox soon fell into a state of disrepair, due to lack of funds (with freelance work becoming harder to come by) to keep up maintenance. Its exterior armor began to deteriorate, and it's engine power decreased considerably, to the point where the ship was only able to drift with its boosters. Also, the weapon systems ceased to work, as such Fox was unable to count on space support while chasing down and battling the resurrected Andross out in space above Dinosaur Planet, where the Great Fox was orbiting.

Greatfoxaparo
With the reward money received by General Pepper for successfully saving Sauria from destruction and the Lylat system from devastation, the Star Fox team were able to do exactly what Peppy had in mind and completely overhaul the worn out Great Fox. It now appeared as a much sleeker and cleaner looking ship, inside and out, and also added new equipment. This included a long-range transfer system that can send Arwings and Landmasters to a planet's surface when needed, though the team's leader Fox McCloud indicated that it had poor targeting systems.

The ship served the team well, allowing Star Fox to appear where needed throughout Lylat during the Aparoid Invasion. Eventually, the Great Fox led a fleet of Cornerian Defense Force warships to the Aparoid Homeworld, where in the conclusion of the battle, a large swarm of Aparoid Crawlers attacked the Great Fox out in space, while the team was trying to gain access to the planet's core. Its systems compromised and, due to the lack of proper weaponry on exposed areas of the ships' hull, it soon fell prey and was infected by the machine-assimilating aliens. Before the Great Fox could be compromised, despite ROB knowing it not survive much longer and would result in their deaths, he did as he was told when Peppy ordered the ship to divert all remaining energy to the main laser cannons and vaporised the entire Aparoid city to clear a straight path towards the Anti-Laser Shield blocking the main entrance to the core. Against the four Arwing pilots pleading him to stay with them, Peppy deliberately ignored them by heroically spearheading the mothership into the shield to allow the four Arwings to get through, but this crashing blow crippled the ship and endangered Peppy and ROB's lives since the shield was undergoing a restoration of itself and would soon return and engulf them in an explosion.

SFA Great Fox Escape Pod

The Great Fox's escape pod.

After the Aparoid Homeworld went into meltdown, even though the Great Fox ship was destroyed by the shields restoration and the crew believed to have perished, Slippy managed spot a flashing beacon amidst the wreckage of the Homeworld, revealing that Peppy and ROB escaped at the last moment in the ship's bridge, which could also serve in an escape pod function. The pod, rejoining the team following the destruction of the planet, flew back to Corneria.

Following the destruction of the original Great Fox, a new Great Fox served as its replacement when the Anglar Empire invaded the Lylat System.

Other Appearances[]

Lylat Wars Comic[]

The Great Fox appears in the Lylat Wars Comic, with a role exactly like that from the games. The story begins with Fox gazing at the star field in deep thoughts on the bridge before receiving a transmission from General Pepper. The Great Fox's hangar is the site of where Slippy learns from Peppy about Pigma's treason. The ship is portrayed as having a bar for the pilots to cool down at after the completion of a mission.

Star Fox: Farewell, Beloved Falco[]

The Great Fox appears in the Japan exclusive manga, in a very sorry state having had no funds to keep it in repair, such as visible scrapes of the hull have been falling off, exposing the inside mechanics.

Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins[]

Star Fox Zero The Battle Begins ROB2

ROB on the bridge.

Great Fox appears in the promotional anime, acting as it does in the games. En route to Corneria from a ten-day flight from Sauria, Fox McCloud strolls down Great Fox's corridor into the bridge, where ROB 64 is working on the control deck, Peppy Hare is searching for something, Slippy Toad has fallen asleep on the couch in the middle of reading a Nintendo Magazine travel brochure. Falco Lombardi is playing a 3DS flight simulator and gets easily frustrated at losing after viewing a Slippy version of the game over. Peppy interrupts their travel plan reminding them this is not a vacation and moans over the messy state of the bridge from Slippy's toys and that someone made a mess of his desk.

Underneath his desk, Peppy finally find his good luck charm; which is a lock of Pepper's fur which he keeps dear as a reminder of their friendship, before finally reminding the team that Andross's army had been at war with the Cornerian army for years, hence why Peppy is irritated that the team are messing around. Slippy is positive that Corneria's defenses cannot be penetrated, until the alert is sounded so ROB reports a distress signal from General Pepper that the Androssian forces are attacking Corneria City. The footage is viewed onscreen of the warp portal allowing dozens of Bandit and Granga fighters to overwhelm the city and rain firepower down onto civilians, carriers come out of warp to unload more Strider units to scale the tower but they are leaving the tower intact to take General Pepper hostage since he is the focus of the attack.

The team depart for takeoff, after Slippy insists they wear his new visor headbands.

On Corneria's seas, Fox asks ROB for an evacuation report, and ROB responds with a complete evacuation, the Cornerian civilians watch the conflict from across the sea in terror. Eventually the conflict is cleared and the thankful Cornerian civilians rejoice at the end of the Androssian invasion by Fox, who gives Pepper a thumbs up before leaving for the Great Fox.

Trivia[]

  • The in-game lasers of the Great Fox's guns are coloured in a deep yellow, indicating their great strength. They have been used in every appearance, except Star Fox Adventures (due to the ship's great disrepair) and the original Super Smash Bros. Yet the lasers are coloured green on the Star Fox 64 box art, which is most likely an artists error.
  • Unused prototype sprites for Star Fox Command show that the original Lylat Wars design for the Great Fox was going to return before Nintendo changed it to a different Great Fox instead.
  • The original Great Fox's tail is similar to a shark's dorsal fin, but later games portrayed it with a froward facing aerial on top of the dorsal fin. In Star Fox 64 3D, although it keeps the original look, its tail has changed to this later form.
  • Ripping the Great Fox models from both Star Fox 64 and Star Fox: Assault will reveal the ship is almost ten times larger in the latter game. This may be due to the increased graphical capabilities of the GameCube compared to the Nintendo 64.

Names in Other Languages[]

Language Name
Japanese グレートフォックス (Gurēto Fokkusu) Great Fox
(超弩級強襲巡洋母艦 Superclass Assault Cruiser)

References[]

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