Blue Star

The Blue Star (ブルースター) is a recurring Board type Extreme Gear in the Sonic Riders series. It is Sonic the Hedgehog's character-exclusive Extreme Gear, meaning only he can use it, and it is his default Extreme Gear. It is one of the first Extreme Gears available in every game in the Sonic Riders series.

Specifically made for airboarding, the Blue Star is a series of boards as the original Blue Star was destroyed in a heated climatic race. The Blue Star II replaced its predecessor as a stronger upgraded sleek ride only in Sonic Riders.

Sonic Riders
"Sonic might be new to boarding, but on the blue star board, which he can only ride, he's a tough competitor for the pros. This board was produced by Robotnik Inc. Specifically for Sonic."

- Description, Sonic Riders Website

"By Robotnik Corp. Speed Type Air board."

- Description, Sonic Riders

Description
The Blue Star first appeared in Sonic Riders, where it was customized by Tails (though, according to its profile, it was produced by Robotnik Corp.). The Blue Star is especially made as an Air board for the Speed Type.

The Blue Star is designed in Sonic Riders as a metal plated blue hover board with a yellow stripe ringing around it and a grey foot panel with striations.

Abilities and traits
As a Board-type Extreme Gear in Sonic Riders, the Blue Star is well-balanced in its attributes with average statistics and an average rate of fuel-consumption and is suited for general riding.

Like most other character exclusive Extreme Gears, the Blue Star does not possess any unique abilities. However, its stats makes it a powerful and "easy-to-master" Gear, but its one equalizer is that its corner skills leave something to be desired.

History
In Sonic Riders, the Blue Star was customized by Tails especially for Sonic to participate in the EX World Grand Prix. When Wave met with Team Sonic after the first race, she put an explosive device on it realizing this board could be her group's downfall. While doing so, however, she played as if it's a "piece of junk" by laughing and commenting on it, then walked away. Later in the storyline, While Sonic and Jet were proving who is the fastest in the final race and lap of the Grand Prix, she detonated it, seeing that Jet was losing the race while Sonic was inches away from the finish line. The bomb exploded successfully and the Blue Star was destroyed, sending Sonic flying into the ground level, while Jet claimed the victory.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
"Sonic's personal gear, re-engineered by Tails. Its sleek curves attest to those improvements."

- Description, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Description
The Blue Star made a reappearance in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. According to its profile, it has been re-engineered by Tails, with new sleek curves attesting to its improvements. Its somewhat powered updated stats blazes in as Sonic's own personal ride once again.

In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, the Blue Star underwent a significant redesign. In this game, it resembles a sleek blue "T" with two circular silver-colored foot panels on the top, with an silver-colored area between them. Also, around the foot panels, along the front and on the rear, it have as well white areas and a green streak running across it with two orb-like exhaust ports built in the back.

Abilities and traits
As a Board type Extreme Gear in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, the Blue Star is well-balanced in its attributes with average statistics, and is suited for general riding. Like most other character-exclusive Extreme Gears, the Blue Star does not possess any unique abilities of its own.

Sonic Free Riders
"Tails optimized this custom gear just for Sonic. It's tuned to put all of Sonic's physical skills to use."

- Description, Sonic Free Riders

Description
The Blue Star made another reappearance in Sonic Free Riders. According to its profile, Tails customized the Blue Star especially for Sonic to put all of his physical skills into its performance.

In Sonic Free Riders, the Blue Star received once again an updated design. In this game, the Blue Star's shape returns to being more board-like in shape, like in Sonic Riders, but with a more sturdy look, though it maintains a more sleek design. It keeps its trademark blue color in this game, but has also received wide white accents on its edges and black components on its bottom.

Abilities and traits
As a Board type Extreme Gear in Sonic Free Riders, the Blue Star is, like in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, well-balanced in its attributes with average statistics and is suited for general riding.

Like in the two previous titles, the Blue Star possesses no unique abilities of its own, but it can be equipped with two Gear Parts.

Archie Comics
The Blue Star made a brief appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. In this media, the Blue Star was one of the Extreme Gears constructed by Miles "Tails" Prower so that the rest of the team could keep up with Sonic the Hedgehog during their missions. The Blue Star itself was especially constructed for Sonic, in case that Sonic wanted to try them out.

The Blue Star's first and only appearance so far has been in Sonic the Hedgehog #164's second story, "Sonic Riders - Part two", which served as a comic adaption of Sonic Riders. After Sonic returned to Freedom HQ, beaten and bruised by the Babylon Rogues, the hedgehog was at a loss of how to stop this group, who had promised to come to attack Knothole the next day. Tails, however, presented a solution to this problem, by giving themselves their own Extreme Gear, the Blue Star included, so they could face the Rogues on even grounds. Sonic complimented Tails' work on the Blue Star, and Tails pointed out that though the boards were prototypes they were all functional.

The next day, Sonic arrived on the Blue Star outside of Knothole, along with Tails and Knuckles on their own Extreme Gear, and managed to intercept the Babylon Rogues with their Extreme Gear. Face to face, Sonic squared off against Jet the Hawk on the Blue Star, which eventually resulted in Sonic and his team defeating and driving off the Babylon Rogues.

Trivia

 * During the early development of Sonic Free Riders, the Blue Star was named "Blue Star III", and took on the same stats as the original Blue Star.
 * The Blue Star makes a cameo in Sonic Dash as one of the merchandises in the shop.
 * The Blue Star has the most versions of any character gear in the series.