You remember the hype. Back in 2019, right when The Rise of Skywalker was about to hit theaters, United Airlines did something that actually made people want to look at a narrow-body Boeing 737-800. They painted it. But it wasn't just a logo slap. It was the United Star Wars plane, a pitch-black, star-dusted piece of flying marketing that turned gate areas into impromptu photo shoots.
It was striking. One side of the tail featured a red lightsaber against a black backdrop, representing the First Order. The other side? A blue lightsaber for the Resistance.
Honestly, airline liveries are usually pretty boring. You get the standard "Eurowhite" fuselage, a blue tail, maybe a swoosh if the marketing department is feeling spicy. But N36207—the actual registration number for this specific bird—was different. It felt like a collector's item that somehow escaped a shelf and ended up at 35,000 feet.
People tracked this thing. Hard.
Why the United Star Wars Plane Became a Cult Icon
Aviation geeks (AvGeeks) are already a dedicated bunch, but when you mix that with the Star Wars fandom, you get a level of intensity that’s hard to describe. United knew this. They didn't just paint the outside; they went all in on the experience.
When you walked onto that plane, the headrests were branded. They played Star Wars music during boarding. They even gave out commemorative pins for a while. It was the kind of thing where even if you weren't a fan, you’d find yourself taking a picture of the safety card because it had a little BB-8 on it.
The livery itself was technically complex. It wasn't just a wrap. Painters at the IAC facility in Amarillo, Texas, spent weeks getting that "deep space" fade right. If you looked closely at the black paint, it had this subtle shimmer to it, meant to mimic a galaxy far, far away. It was a 737-800, a workhorse of the sky, but for a few years, it was the coolest workhorse in the fleet.
The Logistics of Flying a Galaxy
Maintaining a custom livery like that is a nightmare for an airline. Think about it. If a standard United plane gets a ding or needs a panel replaced, you just grab a white one from the hangar. If the United Star Wars plane needs a new nose cone, you can't just slap a white one on there without it looking like a mistake.
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Because of this, N36207 was kept on a pretty tight schedule. It mostly flew domestic routes, bouncing between hubs like Houston (IAH), Denver (DEN), and Chicago (ORD).
There was actually a dedicated flight tracker. United integrated the ship's icon into their app. You could literally search for "Star Wars" in the flight status bar and see where the plane was headed next. It was a brilliant move. It turned a routine flight from Newark to Orlando into an "event."
I remember talking to a pilot who flew it once. He said the "Follow Me" trucks at the airports would sometimes linger a little longer just to get a look at the tail. Even the ground crews, who see hundreds of planes a day, thought it was cool.
The Sad Reality of Limited-Time Partnerships
Here is the thing about movie tie-ins: they have an expiration date.
Marketing contracts aren't forever. Disney and United had a deal, and eventually, that deal ran out. By early 2022, the whispers started in the spotter communities. People were seeing N36207 scheduled for "paint maintenance." In airline speak, that’s usually the kiss of death for a special livery.
And yeah, it happened. The United Star Wars plane was stripped. It went back into the paint shop and emerged in the standard United "Evolution" livery—the one with the blue globe and the "United" text stretched across the fuselage.
It felt like the end of an era.
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There are plenty of other themed planes out there. Alaska Airlines has their Disneyland planes. ANA in Japan has the legendary R2-D2 and BB-8 Dreamliners (which are, frankly, even more detailed). But for a US carrier to go that dark and that aggressive with a paint scheme was rare. Most US airlines play it very safe.
What You Might Have Missed
While everyone looked at the outside, the interior details were what really sold the "vibe."
- The amenity kits for Polaris business class (on other long-haul routes, though not specifically this 737) were Star Wars themed for a minute.
- The safety video! United actually filmed a safety video featuring characters from the franchise. It was one of the few times people actually watched the whole thing without being told.
- The tail number N36207 is still flying today. If you're at an airport and see a standard United 737-800, check the registration near the tail. If it’s N36207, you’re standing in the presence of greatness, even if it’s wearing a boring suit now.
Why We Don't See More of This
Money. It always comes down to money.
A custom paint job like the United Star Wars plane costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not just the paint, but the "down time." Every day a plane is in the paint shop is a day it isn't making money carrying passengers. For a major airline, that’s a massive investment.
Also, these designs add weight. Multiple layers of specialized paint can actually add a surprising amount of pounds to the aircraft. In an industry where every ounce of fuel is tracked, that’s a real consideration.
Then there’s the brand identity issue. United wants you to see "United." While the Star Wars plane was a huge PR win, the "Global Brand" people usually want consistency. They want every plane to look the same so the brand is unmistakable from five miles away.
Looking for the Next "Star Wars" Plane
Is it gone forever? Probably. United has moved on to other partnerships. They’ve done "Wicked" themed planes recently to promote the movie, which are colorful and fun, but they don't quite have that "edge" that the black Star Wars 737 had.
If you want that fix now, you basically have to look toward Japan. All Nippon Airways (ANA) still maintains a relationship with Disney. Their R2-D2 Boeing 787-9 is a masterpiece of aviation art. It’s arguably more iconic than the United version because it uses the actual shape of the plane to mimic the droid.
But for those of us in the States, N36207 was our local hero.
Actionable Steps for Aviation Fans
If you're bummed you missed it, or if you want to catch the next big thing in the sky, here is how you do it like a pro.
Use FlightRadar24 properly. Don't just look for flight numbers. Look for registration numbers. If you hear an airline has a special livery, find the "N" number (for US planes) and set an alert. You’ll get a push notification the second that plane files a flight plan.
Check the "Special Liveries" lists. Sites like PlaneSpotters.net keep updated logs of every "special" paint job currently in the air. United still has several, including the "Celebrating Pride" plane and various "Her Art Here" designs. They aren't Star Wars, but they’re better than plain white.
Visit the hubs. If you want to see the "Wicked" plane or any future United specials, hang out near Newark (EWR) or Houston (IAH). These planes are rotated through the hubs to maximize visibility.
Grab the models. Since the real United Star Wars plane is gone, the only way to "see" it now is through die-cast models. GeminiJets and NG Models both released high-quality 1:400 and 1:200 scale versions of N36207. They're actually becoming collectors' items now, often selling for way more than their original retail price on eBay.
The United Star Wars plane was a moment in time when corporate marketing and genuine fandom actually aligned to create something cool. It wasn't just a billboard; it was a 150,000-pound piece of art that made a Tuesday morning at a terminal feel a little bit more like a movie set. Even though it's painted over now, it set a bar for what a "themed" aircraft should actually look like.