Luke and Leia in a life pod from the Falcon. Often found on sizable capital ships, a lifeboat was essentially a sizable escape pod. These boats had a capacity ranging from ten to fifty people, and certain models were even classified as starships. Compared to standard escape pods, life boats were more comprehensively equipped, offering extended support to those aboard. Select versions incorporated sublight drives, while others were even outfitted with hyperdrives.
The Millennium Falcon was equipped with escape pods, one of which was a two-person lifeboat utilized by Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo to reach the surface of Skye.
The Imperial Military's official field manual, the Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide, drew a comparison between the planets of the Galactic Empire and lifeboats navigating the vacuum of realspace, even though they weren't technically lifeboats.