Lost in UEE bid
The Cutlass was initially developed to UEE specifications as a candidate for their 2845 “volksfighter” specifications. The specs were for a low-cost configurable space fighter that could be constructed rapidly to outfit distant home defense squadrons in times of need. The Cutlass lost out in the bidding to the now-forgotten Wildcat, but the development team led by Jan Dredge opted to re-appropriate the design for civilian use.[7]
Redesign for Civilian
The initial sales pitches went to private militia groups. UEE law allows anyone, anywhere to own armed spacecraft, and so the plan was that private squadrons in more distant areas of the galaxy would welcome a low-cost spacecraft solution. Regions specifically classified high insurance risks, the Drake board reasoned, would especially welcome an easier way to replenish lost spacecraft.[7]
The sales of Cutlass were phenomenal. Within nine months, Drake had opened six offworld factories and had licensed dealerships in nine systems. In another year, the company had quadrupled again. Within five years they were the fifth largest spacecraft manufacturing concern and couldn’t license subsystems manufacturers quickly enough.[7]
Popular among outlaws
By the turn of the 30th century, the galaxy was as close to peace as it had ever been. Vanduul raids at the time were disorganized, brush wars on frontier colonies were limited in scope, and the UEE military was in the middle of a several year stand down. The outlaw organizations were buying thousands upon thousands of Cutlasses and no one at Drake was especially interested. The Cutlass had became a new tool of choice for smugglers and pirates, as they are cut off from the standard insurance system available to Citizens. Before the Cutlass, they had mostly been operating with obsolete discards and military surplus, but now they had a readily replaceable spacecraft that fit their budget, and thanks to its larger-than-average cargo hold and extremely customizable nature, one that fit their needs exactly. An analysis found that Cutlasses were suddenly transporting narcotics, raiding cargo convoys and even daring to engage police patrols with increasing frequency. In time, the bulky, modular look of the Cutlass would even come to redefine pirates as much as pirates did the Cutlass, giving new life to a very old profession.[7]
As with many of the Star Citizen ships, CIG sought inspiration first by looking for two types of analogues: ships (and more importantly gameplay roles) from Chris Roberts’ classic games and historical aircraft to lend verisimilitude to the growing universe. For the first part, they looked to 1993’s Privateer where piracy was a semi-viable career option, and were players favored the Galaxy spaceship.[8]
For the historical reference, CIG fixated on the idea that Drake built ‘cheaper’ ships intended to be available in large numbers to a larger group of captains. While not wanting to sell the Cutlass as ‘disposable,’ they wanted to get across the idea that it was treated as something of a lower tier ship than the Freelancer, Hornet or Constellation. For that history, they looked to World War II and the Heinkel He 162 “Volksjäger.” Developed by Germany in the last days of the war, this ‘people’s fighter’ was a fascinating mix of then-high technology jet engines with cheap, wooden construction that could theoretically continue in small shops as Germany’s major aircraft factories were targeted by the Allies’ strategic bombing campaign. The Cutlass borrowed liberally from this idea, combining high tech role-specific gear like the tractor beam and rotating engines with a lower quality hull. To further reinforce this idea, marketing decided to price the Cutlass $15 below the Hornet or Freelancer. [8]
Drake Interplanetary claims that the Cutlass is a low-cost, easy-to-maintain solution for local in-system militia units. The larger-than-average cargo hold, RIO seat and dedicated tractor mount are, the company literature insists, for facilitating search and rescue operations. While it’s true that Cutlasses are used throughout known space for such missions, their prime task and immediate association is with high space piracy. Cutlasses, often operating in groups, menace distant transit lanes to prey on hapless merchants. A single Cutlass can ravage a mid-sized transport and a pack operating as a clan can easily take down larger prey. STOL adaptations allow these interceptors to operate off of modified transports or pocket destroyers; the most common warships that make up pirate caravans.[8]
Designer note: the idea is that Drake Interplanetary builds ships which are ostensibly for legal purposes (local militias, etc.) but are ‘obviously’ for pirates: so it has the appearance of a military fighter, but mated to an awkwardly larger hull for collecting loot; it should have visible forward-facing tractor beams and a seat for a second crewman even though there’s no turret (as you’ll need a second man to board an enemy ship.) It also has a cheaper build quality: if Anvil is building Jeeps and Origin is building BMWs, this is a Honda.[8]
