Around 1980 Beechcraft started the development of a successor to the King Air product line. The model 2000 Starship was to have a significantly better performance. To this end an unusual configuration was chosen: that of a twin turboprop aircraft with pusher props in canard configuration. The inner wings have a delta shape, while the outer wings are normal swept wings. The Starship also has no single vertical tail, but two vertical surfaces at the wingtips acting as vertical stabiliser with rudder. These are called "tipsails". This distinguishes the aircraft the most from the Piaggio Avanti.

First Beechcraft hired Scaled Composites to build an 85% scale version to prove the concept, model Scaled Composites 115. One of the main changes resulting from flight testing the proof-of-concept was a variable geometry canard wing.

Model 2000 was the first production mode. It was succeeded by model 2000A, which is a Starship with a longer internal cabin (but in the same external same fuselage), a stronger gear and wing centre section.  External differences should come from the removal of stall strips from the canard wings and different exhaust, but we have not found details yet.