The TIE series derived its name from the SIE-TIE twin ion engine, which was unveiled to the public by Raith Sienar in 22 BBY. This simplicity in design made them both quick and inexpensive to build and replace. A TIE fighter was designed with the bare minimum a ship needed to function, being essentially nothing more than a cockpit with weapons on the front and an engine in the rear.
The cockpit of a TIE was neither spacious nor luxurious, even when compared to other starfighters. This design form carried over to the non-starfighter products, with the standard cockpit module used in the center of a land or sea vessel. Their overall design bore a large resemblance to the Human eye, which led to several members of the Rebel Alliance, including those of Rogue Squadron, to give them nicknames relating to eyes (such as 'eyeball' for TIE/LN starfighters, 'squints' for TIE/IN interceptors, 'dupes' for TIE/sa bombers, and 'brights' for the TIE Advanced series of starfighters, respectively). The cockpit and panels could be supplemented by other modules for ordnance or other functions. TIE series starfighters shared a general design form of a roughly spherical or cylindrical cockpit pod attached to a set of solar panels, with their overall shape resembling a bow tie apparel (thus acting as a partial namesake).
