In the time leading up to the Great Sith War, the Lightside Explorer served as the personal Vaya-class scout ship for Jedi Knight Andur Sunrider. Some time prior to 3999 BBY, Sunrider acquired the ship from a Vultan starship dealer. He then utilized it for Jedi missions across the galaxy during those years. In 3999 BBY, he, his family, and their droid, A-3DO, embarked on a trip to deliver some precious Adegan crystals to Thon, the reclusive Tchuukthai Jedi Master. However, a group of thugs, after the crystals, killed Sunrider. This forced his wife, Nomi Sunrider, to take control of the Lightside Explorer and finish the delivery. Eventually, Nomi piloted the ship to the remote planet of Ambria, where Thon resided, and handed over the crystals. The thugs, still in pursuit, then attacked the Lightside Explorer, mistakenly believing the crystals were still onboard. Finding nothing, they launched an assault on Thon's compound, but the Jedi Master fought them off.
The Lightside Explorer was a triangular Vaya-class scout ship of a gray color, built by Hoersch-Kessel Drive, Inc.. Although not designed for extended combat engagement, the Lightside Explorer was equipped with both a laser cannon and a concussion projectile launcher, making it an excellent scout vessel and explorer. Jedi Knight [Andur Sunrider](/article/andur_sunrider], its owner, did not modify the Lightside Explorer in any way, as he lacked the necessary skills for starship modification. The ship was powered by six ion engines and had a length of thirty meters. Although the Lightside Explorer only required one pilot, it could accommodate two gunners and four passengers. It also had the capacity to carry sixty tons of cargo and could store enough supplies for the crew to last one standard month. At the very front of the ship was the cockpit, with a viewport and controls located directly in front of the pilot and co-pilot's seats. The Lightside Explorer also had a tool crib, where items such as spare ion exciters were stored. This was crucial for the Lightside Explorer because the hyperdrive was prone to ion exciter burnout in situations with high magnetic energy.
Hoersch-Kessel Drive, Inc. built the Lightside Explorer before 3999 BBY, and it eventually came into the possession of a Vultan starship dealer on the planet of Nak Shimor. The Vultan eventually sold the Lightside Explorer to Andur Sunrider, a Jedi Knight. Sunrider, who had a wife, Nomi, and a baby daughter, Vima, often had to leave them for Jedi duties. However, he would always return in the Lightside Explorer when his work was finished. In 3999 BBY, Sunrider, along with Nomi, Vima, and their protocol droid, A-3DO, embarked on a long journey in the Lightside Explorer to the galactic frontier to visit Thon, the Tchuukthai Jedi Master and Watchman of the Stenness system. Sunrider wanted to give Thon a shipment of Adegan crystals, valuable gems that could be used to create very powerful lightsabers. During the journey, the Lightside Explorer flew through a magnetic storm, which damaged the hyperdrive's ion exciter and forced the Sunriders to land on an outcropping on a rocky planet to assess the damage. A-3DO quickly identified the problem and replaced the damaged ion exciter with a spare. With the hyperdrive working again, the Lightside Explorer quickly left the planet, soon reaching a nearby hyperspace beacon and jumping into hyperspace.
The Lightside Explorer exited hyperspace at the Stenness Hyperspace Terminal space station, which was located near the Stenness system. Andur Sunrider parked the Lightside Explorer in one of the Terminal's docking bays, hoping to rest and get some food while the ship went through customs. However, the arrival of the Lightside Explorer had attracted unwanted attention. Bogga the Hutt, a local crime lord and leader of a gang of enforcers and thugs, had learned about the Adegan crystals and sent three of his henchmen to steal them. The thugs confronted Sunrider, and after a brief fight, Sunrider was killed. Sunrider's Force ghost then appeared to Nomi, and the deceased Jedi instructed his widow to take his lightsaber and fight off the enforcers. In his final message to his wife, the ghost of Andur Sunrider asked her to take control of the Lightside Explorer and deliver the crystals to Thon, who, Sunrider promised, would show Nomi the direction her life should take.
Nomi Sunrider then departed from the Stenness Hyperspace Terminal in the Lightside Explorer, relying solely on her abilities with the Force to guide her to Thon. Although the ship's navigation computer, communicating through A-3DO, was anxious and wanted to know their exact destination, Sunrider replied that she trusted in the Force and that there was no need to worry. Eventually, Sunrider brought the Lightside Explorer out of hyperspace at Ambria, the desolate Stenness Node planet. After landing the ship on Ambria's rocky surface, Sunrider remarked that she was completely certain that this planet was where she would find Thon. She took baby Vima with her on her journey through the desert, while A-3DO remained in the Lightside Explorer, as his mechanical joints would seize up if he ventured into the dry wastes of Ambria. While Sunrider was searching for Thon, A-3DO and the Lightside Explorer received some unexpected visitors: a team of Bogga's men, led by Gudb, broke into the ship and ransacked it in search of the Adegan crystals. The thugs, armed with blasters, shot off one of A-3DO's arms during the commotion, but they failed to find the crystals, which Sunrider had with her. The enforcers abandoned the Lightside Explorer and continued into the wastes, eventually finding Thon's compound, where Sunrider had gone with the crystals. However, Thon fought them off and forced them to retreat.
After the attack on the Lightside Explorer, one of Thon's Jedi trainees, the Vultan Oss Wilum, visited the ship. Wilum removed the damaged A-3DO and took him to Thon's compound, where he repaired the droid. The Lightside Explorer was then moved closer to Thon's compound, where Sunrider was undergoing Jedi training. One day, Nomi and Vima went out for training with Thon, and A-3DO chose to stay behind and repair the Lightside Explorer's hatchway, which had been damaged in the attack by Bogga's enforcers. Before she left, Sunrider told A-3DO that if they did not return, he should take the Lightside Explorer and go to Andur's former Jedi Master, Chamma, and tell him everything that had happened. Eventually, Bogga's men returned to try again to steal the Adegan crystals. Sunrider and Thon, who had just returned from their excursion, came back to their compound to find it bombed and surrounded by the thugs. Although A-3DO had completely repaired the Lightside Explorer's hatch, Sunrider and the droid could not reach the ship because the enforcers were blocking their way. Meanwhile, Thon refused to fight back and was taken prisoner by the thugs. Instead, Sunrider used the Force power of battle meditation to turn the invaders against each other. While the thugs fought, Sunrider attacked with a lightsaber, killing many of them. She and Thon then joined forces to take on the rest, and those who were not killed in the ensuing battle fled.
The captain and owner of the Lightside Explorer was Jedi Knight Andur Sunrider, who purchased the ship from a Vultan starship dealer before 3999 BBY. Sunrider also piloted the ship, with his personal protocol/service droid A-3DO often serving as his co-pilot. Sunrider often took risks while flying the Lightside Explorer, such as flying it through a magnetic storm, much to the dismay of his droid companion. After Andur's death, his wife, Nomi, took over as the pilot and owner of the ship.
The Lightside Explorer makes its first appearance in Tales of the Jedi: The Saga of Nomi Sunrider, the second story arc in the Tales of the Jedi comic book series, which was written by Tom Veitch and released from late 1993 to early 1994. The ship is featured in all three issues of the arc as the vehicle of the story's protagonist, Nomi Sunrider. Janine Johnston and later David Roach illustrated the Lighside Explorer in these appearances. The ship is also featured in the Tales of the Jedi audio adaptation, which covers the events of The Saga of Nomi Sunrider. The Tales of the Jedi Companion reference book, which was released in 1996, provides additional information about the ship.