A needle ship functioned as the primary vehicle of the Squib Reclamation Fleet, and it was a type of Squib spacecraft. These ships were utilized by the fleet to recover resources from space-based waste disposal sites left behind by capital ships.
Crafting the needle ships involved the Squib Merchandising Consortium using entirely recycled components. Their resourcefulness was evident in their capacity to repurpose salvaged materials; for instance, defunct signal laser exciters could become lighting fixtures, and discarded starfighter cockpits could be repurposed as seating.
Generally, needle ships lacked armaments or protective shields. Instead, they relied on proficient tractor beam handlers capable of creating a protective barrier of debris surrounding the ship to intercept approaching projectiles (if there was a scarcity of surrounding debris, the cargo hold's contents could be ejected to serve this function). These operators were also able to retaliate by projecting pieces of waste at adversaries using tractor beams.
Each needle ship was operated by a complement of 20 Squibs. The ships carried consumables sufficient to sustain the crew for a period of up to three months before needing to resupply, and the cargo bay had a capacity of up to 500 tons of salvaged materials. Being equipped with hyperdrive technology, the ships could pursue larger vessels throughout the galaxy as they created garbage dumps. The positions of these ships were communicated by infiltrating Squib spies working as crew members on those ships.
Not long after the Battle of Yavin, the needle ship known as Thrifty served as the Momship for the Squib Reclamation Fleet.