TIE Fighters are an extremely recognizable part of the Star Wars universe, but there's something about them that bothers me.
Where do TIE Fighters generate their thrust?
Based on the way TIE Fighters move in the battlefield, you would think they operate similarly to most other Star Wars universe propulsion ships.
They have thrusters in the back to push the craft forward, yet they can move along an X and Y axis.
An example being whenever the Millennium Falcon or an X-Wing takes off after being docked or “parked”. They rise up vertically into the air, rotate around, and then blast off using the thrusters on the back of their ship.
These ships have obvious ion engines that display a bright glow where the thrust is coming from.
Imperial Cruisers use these glowing propultion systems, as seen here:
However, in the same picture, you see some TIE Fighters heading towards the Cruiser.
They don't have any glowing propulsion spots.
Here is a better look at the back end of a TIE Fighter:
This part of the ship does not glow when it is flying around in space.
So, back to the original question: Where do TIE Fighters generate their thrust?
TIE stands for "Twin Ion Engine".
Ion Engines contain "no moving parts".
"All TIE series starfighters had two or more ion engine outlets..."