[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I've always been curious about pterodactyl tails. The principles were incorporated in the Naboo Starfighter.


http://starshipmodeler.com/starwars/prenab6.jpg

I see there are also plasma actuators as 'afterburners' and steerable nozzles on the engine nacelles.

edit:
I believe this would be called a drogue tail.

Operating outside an atmosphere,I've no idea what it's function would be,nor any other feature of the craft.You couldn't accomplish dog-fighting maneuvers aerodynamically.Enormous amounts of thrust would be required to alter direction as we've become accustomed seeing on aerodynamic structures.You'd need thrusters operating simultaneously in pitch,roll,and yaw to mimic traditional aerodynamic trajectories.Which is something George Lucas was interested in when designing Star Wars sequences.Robert Cumberford might say that the design of the star-fighter offers 'directional' aspects.When you look at it,you immediately interpret its direction of travel.
In an atmosphere,the tail would be described as a 'stinger' and typically would enclose an antenna or sensor array.