Star Destroyer

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Star Destroyers are iconic vessels of the fictional universe of Star Wars. Star Destroyers are depicted as large dagger-shaped and extremely well-armed warships, serving in the thousands in the immense Imperial Starfleet and elsewhere, including in the service of the Galactic Republic, the New Republic, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances — and possibly even in the corporate war fleets of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, though George Lucas himself uses the term generically for any large capital ship.

Imperial-class Star Destroyer

Imperial I-class Star Destroyer

Classification	Star Destroyer
Length	1,600 meters
Crew	37,085 crewmen
Onboard Compliment	9,700 ground troops 72 starfighters (6 squadrons = 1 wing) -4 TIE fighter squadrons -1 TIE interceptor squadron -1 TIE bomber squadron 20 AT-AT walkers 30 AT-ST walkers 8 Lambda-class shuttles 15 stormtrooper transports 5 assault gunboats Skipray Blastboats Gamma-class assault shuttles
Weaponry	60 turbolasers (5D) 60 ion cannons (3D) 10 class III tractor beam projectors 480D per salvo
Hull Plating	2272 U
Deflector Shielding	4800 U
Total Defense	7072 U

Imperial II-class Star Destroyer

Classification	Star Destroyer
Length	1,600 meters
Crew	37,085 crewmen
Onboard Compliment	9,700 ground troops 72 starfighters (6 squadrons = 1 wing) -3 TIE fighter squadrons -2 TIE interceptor squadron -1 TIE bomber squadron 20 AT-AT walkers 30 AT-ST walkers 8 Lambda-class shuttles 15 stormtrooper transports 5 assault gunboats Skipray Blastboats Gamma-class assault shuttles
Weaponry	50 heavy turbolaser batteries (10D) 50 heavy turbolaser cannons (7D) 20 enhanced ion cannons (3D) 10 class III tractor beam projectors 910D per salvo
Hull Plating	2272+ U
Deflector Shielding	5760 U
Total Defense	8032+ U

The designation "Star Destroyer" most often refers to the common dagger-hulled combat vessels used by the Empire in the three films of the original Star Wars trilogy. These ships are commonly referred to as Imperial-class Star Destroyers, their official designation as of a short time after the declaration of the newly formed Empire. During the earliest weeks of Imperial regime and the latter days of the Clone Wars, the class was known as the Imperator-class. This is regarded as the most common class of Star Destroyer, and one of the most important symbols of the Galactic Empire, serving the Imperial fleet for at least five decades. When the term "Star Destroyer" is used without further qualification, it usually refers to ships of this class.

All Imperial-class variants are said to be 1,600 meters (approximately one mile) long, with three large primary engines and four small reserve engines capable of accelerating the ship with a force of several thousand g. Each vessel includes a hyperdrive capable of carrying it across the galaxy in a matter of several weeks. Imperial-class Star Destroyers carry a complement of at least 37,000 staff, including officers, technicians and computer operators, fighter pilots, and support-craft crew. These vessels also carry a full complement of 9,700 stormtroopers which brings the overall total to 46,700 men. In service with the New Republic (forged by the heroes of the Rebel Alliance after the end of the movie saga) the crews were reduced to about 28,000 men. Although some Mon Calamari Cruisers are considered equivalent to the Imperial Star Destroyers in space combat, the latter has no documented equal in its multiple roles for support and planetary assault.

There are two subtypes of Imperial-class Star Destroyers: the Mark I and Mark II designs. This distinction that seems to reflect the two distinct VFX models used in the Star Wars films; on a Mark I ship, the tractor beam array at the top of the superstructure sometimes stands up to look like a tall, X-shaped structure, while the Mark II has the same array on its back to look flat. At other times the Mark I array appears in repose, as in the Battles of Hoth and Endor. More permanent variations include differences in weaponry (discussed below), and three small baffles arranged 60° apart around the main exhaust nozzles at the stern of the ISD-I. The Mark I was the only ISD type featured in A New Hope. A mixture of Mark I and Mark II vessels appear in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Naming debate

While most Star Wars lore describes the Star Destroyer as an "Imperial-class" ship, an alternative designation Imperator-class also exists.

The Imperator-class name originates in a set of blueprints produced in 1978 attributed to Geoffrey Mandel and packaged with Lucasfilm copyright however still unofficial work according to Mandel. The Imperial-class designation, which seems to have originated in Star Wars Role-playing game material in the late 1980s, remains the designation used in most official material. The Imperator name first entered common use through fanon material created by Curtis Saxton, who decided to use Imperator as the name of the class on his unofficial fan site. Saxton subsequently authored the Incredible Cross-Sections guide for Revenge of the Sith, bringing the name into official sources and reconciling the two different names by stating that "Imperator-class" was the original designation, but the class was re-dubbed Imperial after the Jedi Purge. The novel has Imperator still being the name for the Empire's recently manufactured Star Destroyers, several weeks after the end of the Clone Wars. The Official [Star Wars Databank] Republic Attack Cruiser EU page leaves the exact relationship of the names unresolved, stating that the ship was designated as Imperator when it was conceived and designed and implying that by the time the ship entered service, it was already going by the name Imperial. Following traditional naval naming conventions, the proper name of the class is Imperial. Although both names exist, the later name Imperial takes precedence.

Features

Main bridge

The main bridge of all known Imperial ships has the same basic layout. The outermost part features nine triangular viewports. The center contains two crewpits which are sunken into the main deck 1.7 meters, and house the main controls and computer terminals/control consoles of the ship. Between these two crewpits is the command walkway. To the right and left sides of the bridge are two alcoves containing the weapons and defense stations. Behind the bridge are the communications stations, a turbolift, and a HoloNet pod for ship-to-ship communications.

On the level directly beneath the bridge is the main navigation complex.

Weapons

A single Imperial Star Destroyer is said to have sufficient firepower to overwhelm almost any warship deployed by enemies of the Empire, and to be capable of reducing a hostile planet to an uninhabitable ruin. Later Rebel Alliance ships, particularly Mon Calamari Cruisers, could be a match for a Star Destroyer individually - although greatly outnumbered as a class.

According to the ILM model, the ISD-I has batteries of four massive double-barreled turrets on either side of the main superstructure. Six are heavy turbolasers and two are heavy ion cannons. The heavy turbolasers are 50 meters in length. There are smaller visible gun-emplacements on the centerline and in the notches on the edge of the hull. This was stated in the Dorling Kindersley factbook . On the ILM model for the ISD-II, eight-barreled guns in open mountings replace the larger turrets.

According to books made by West End Games, the ISD-I has an armament of 60 Taim & Bak XX-9 turbolaser batteries, 60 Borstel NK-7 ion cannons, and 10 Phylon Q7 Class III tractor beam projectors. The tractor beam projectors working in conjunction can reel in a Rebel Assault Frigate (modified Dreadnaught with increased manueverability).

The ISD-II is said to be armed with 50 heavy turbolaser batteries, 50 heavy turbolaser cannons, 20 ion cannons, and 10 tractor beam projectors, which gives it a significant firepower advantage over the ISD-I.

Both models can house a full wing of 72 Imperial TIEs organized into 12-fighter squadrons. At the time of the Battle of Yavin, a standard wing included 4 TIE Fighter squadrons, 1 TIE Interceptor squadron, and 1 TIE Bomber squadron. By the Battle of Endor, one of the fighter squadrons was replaced with an interceptor squadron.

All of the Imperial class can fit at least a Corellian Corvette in their hangars. At least one ship, NRS Rebel Dream, featured an enlarged hangar bay, but it is unknown if a greater number of fighters were carried. Another Star Destroyer in Thrawn's elite Star Destroyer unit also had the capability to carry two Carrack cruisers in the short Battle of Ukio in the Thrawn Crisis.

Star Destroyers also carry ground forces. Expanded Universe literature places several thousand troops, a prefabricated base for rapid subjugation of rebellious territories, 20 AT-ATs, and 30 AT-STs. According to such sources, Imperial Star Destroyers also carried support craft and drop ships, including the Y85 Titan Dropship and the Sentinel-class Shuttle. They also had 8 Lambda-class shuttles.

Sensor globes or shield generators

Geodesic domes located on and around the bridge superstructure of Star Destroyers and related ships have been alternatively portrayed as both sensor globes and shield generators in Star Wars literature.

It appears that these domes were originally inteded to be sensor globes, as Richard Edlund, who was in charge of visual effects for Return of the Jedi, described the spheres as "radar domes" in a 1983 interview by Cinefex magazine in which he discussed the demise of the Executor. However, in the movie itself, bridge officers declared that the shields were down after one of these globes was destroyed, leading to confusion among authors of various sourcebooks on the Star Wars universe.

Many older reference books such as The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels and The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology label the pair of globes on top of the bridge as "Deflector Shield Generators," while the use of the globes as shield generators is also evident in LucasArts' X-Wing and TIE Fighter computer games, where the shields of a Star Destroyer are knocked out if the two generators above the bridge are destroyed. This strategy is also used during combat against Star Destroyers in for Nintendo Gamecube, where the globes are referred to as shield generators - along with the hemisphere on the ship's underside. In the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, the globes are clearly labeled in the targeting system as "Shield" and "Secondary Shield"

Inside the Worlds of Star Wars shows the bridge area of the Executor and declares the globes to be sensor globes. However, it also places backup bridge shield generators in the base of the domes. This would neatly explain why the bridge was vulnerable to being rammed by an errant A-Wing after the attack on the globes, while favoring the sensor globe explanation.

Also with in many Lucas Art's game like Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Star Wars: Empire at war the Globes are also portrayed as Shield generators.

Areas of service

Imperial service

Imperial-class Star Destroyers had a distinguished place in the Imperial Starfleet, symbolizing the Empire's military might. According to official literature, the Imperial Fleet had a peak strength of "over 25,000 Star Destroyers."

Some Star Destroyers were destroyed in the fractious warfare that followed the death of Emperor Palpatine at Endor. Others heeded the summons of Palpatine's clone, and rallied secretly in the Deep Core. Others defected to (or were captured by) Rebels. The majority of the surrendered vessels were decommissioned, but some remained in service in the New Republic's navy (see below).

Imperial-class star destroyers are identified as the centerpiece of Superiority Fleets, used by local sector-level forces to scour Imperial space clear of enemy warships (i.e., Rebel ships). Within each Superiority Fleet, six ISDs served as the command ships for component formations known as "Battle Squadrons."

ISDs have also been observed to operate more or less independently, or in pairs as guard ships on important worlds. By the time of the final peace between the remnants of the Empire and the heirs of the Rebellion, the eight remaining sector fleets of what was left of Imperial Space still centered around the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, with around a dozen such ships per Sector, but they often operated as battle lines without support from smaller vessels, and may have been refitted to carry more defensive weaponry on their own hulls, making them more capable of fending off fighter and gunship attack.

Scores of Imperial-class ships are shown as forming the vanguard of Imperial battle-fleets. At the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi, there were about forty Imperial-class destroyers and one Super Star Destroyer.

In other Star Wars lore, a battlefleet charged with defending the Imperial Core Worlds had one Super Star Destroyer and fifty-seven other capital ships, while Grand Admiral Josef Grunger's fleet consisted of one Super Star Destroyer, thirty Star Destroyers, and almost 200 smaller ships, and the fleet assembled by Admiral Daala included one Super Star Destroyer, more than forty Imperial-class ships, and more than a hundred Victory-class ships. A fleet at the center of the Empire's strategies for defending the Outer Rim, Black Sword Command, contained about forty Imperial-class and Victory-class Star Destroyers and three Super Star Destroyers, but one of these SSDs was simply fitting out at a shipyard within the command's jurisdiction, and it is not impossible that at least one of the others was merely under construction.

New Republic service

The Imperial-class Star Destroyer has also appeared in the forces of other space-defense navies. A number were commissioned into the private defense-fleet of the shipyard system of Kuat where they were initially designed, while the independent monarchy that ruled the Hapes Star Cluster was able to seize some vessels during their war against Imperial occupation. After the fall of the Empire, Star Destroyers were most visible in the armadas of the New Republic, the successor-state formed by the heroes of the Rebellion such as Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo. The refits implemented by that government often involved structural modifications, and generally required a much smaller crew. These revisions resulted in a lack of capability to deploy planetary-assault soldiers and greatly reduced endurance, as the New Republic Defense Force doctrine operated ships on relatively short patrols and deemphasized armies of occupation. Because Star Destroyers tended to be larger than most New Republic starships, they were often pressed into service as command ships or the centerpiece of battlegroups.

The New Republic initially chose to focus on Mon Calamari Star Cruisers instead of the Imperial-class, which was apparently too much of a symbol of Imperial might to deploy in large numbers. Many of those used by the heirs of the Rebellion were symbolically high-profile prizes of war, such as the Accuser and Adjudicator captured at the Battle of Endor, the Avarice which defected during the Bacta War, and the Tyrant which had once been part of Darth Vader's personal fleet; renamed Emancipator, Liberator, Freedom and Rebel Dream respectively

Some Victory-class Star Destroyers were used during the early years of the New Republic, perhaps because the Victory was a symbol of the Old Republic's military machine, or perhaps more simply because its designer had joined the Rebellion as opposed to the creators of the Imperial-class design which remained loyal to the Empire.

In later years, however, after the end of the Galactic Civil War, the use of Imperial-class ships apparently became regarded as much more acceptable to the heirs of the Rebellion, with many new ships like the Mon Mothma being named for former heroes of the Rebel Alliance. By the time of Starfighters of Adumar, Imperial-class Star Destroyers were an "almost common sight" in the New Republic's fleet.

Private service

Within the Expanded Universe, one Imperial II-class Star Destroyer is in private hands, the Errant Venture (formerly the HIMS Virulence), captained by the smuggler and rogue Booster Terrik. It was captured several years after the Battle of Endor during the Bacta War against Ysanne Isard, but was in poor condition for many years owing to the great cost of maintaining such a large vessel, and it had been stripped of the vast majority of her armament: only ten turbolasers were permitted, and even those were not always functional. Years later, she received a comprehensive refit in exchange for use in a New Republic special-operations raid on an Imperial base, including a deep red paint job to replace the classic Imperial white. While Captain Terrik was not permitted to keep all of his weapons after the operation, they were reinstated during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, and, according to rumor, were augmented by a ship-killing superlaser. During the Vong invasion, the Errant Venture served as a temporary Jedi sanctuary and also as squadron flagship in the forces that rallied to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong. No other demilitarized and nominally civilian Star Destroyers in are known to exist, although in practice, some ex-Imperial ships like the pirate flagship Invidious were little different in their capabilities than the Errant Venture at some stages of her career.

Individual ship names

See for the names of some of the Imperial-class Star Destroyers in service before the Battle of Hoth.

Other Star Destroyers

In the original draft scripts of the movie that would become Star Wars, it can be noted that the term "Stardestroyer" (as a compound word) referred to two-man fighters flown by what would become the Galactic Empire in later versions. During the classic era of Star Wars merchandising (1976–1983), preproduction artworks and some published literature perpetuated the compound word as a reference to the large, movie versions of Imperial warships.

Destroyers

Within Star Wars lore, while similar dagger-hulled warships are said to have existed for thousands of years, the earliest ships called "Star Destroyers" are the 900 m Victory-class and the 1,137 m Venator-class, deployed by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars, the conflict which saw that once-democratic federation transformed into the autocratic Empire. Although the two were comparable in size and power, each had distinct characteristics and abilities that the other lacked. These vessels were also employed by the fledgling Empire, but the Venator-class was later phased out in favor of larger and more powerful designs.

Victory-class Star Destroyer

Victory I-class Star Destroyer

Classification	Star Destroyer
Length	900 meters
Crew	5,200 crewmen
Onboard Compliment	2,700 troopers 24 starfighters (2 squadrons) 10 AT-AT walkers 15 AT-ST walkers
Weaponry	10 quad turbolaser batteries (5D) 40 double turbolaser batteries (2D) 80 concussion missile launchers(9D) 10 class II tractor beam projectors 850D per salvo
Hull Plating	1520 U
Deflector Shielding	3200 U
Total Defense	4720 U

Victory II-class Star Destroyer

Classification	Star Destroyer
Length	900 meters
Crew	5,200 crewmen
Onboard Compliment	2,700 troopers 24 starfighters (2 squadrons) 10 AT-AT walkers 15 AT-ST walkers
Weaponry	10 quad turbolaser batteries (5D) 40 double turbolaser batteries (2D) 80 enhanced ion cannons (4D) 10 class II tractor beam projectors 450D per salvo
Hull Plating	1520 U
Deflector Shielding	3200 U
Total Defense	4720 U

The Victory-class Star Destroyer was designed by Rendili Stardrive to compete with Kuat Drive Yards and the successful Acclamator-class long-range military assault transport. They were the most powerful medium combatants of the Galactic Republic's military machine during the Clone Wars. The Republic bought both the Victory-class and KDY's competing Venator-class ships in great numbers.

Ships of the Victory class are 900 meters long. Depictions of the engines vary: some sources show the Victory possessing three primary ion drives for sub-light propulsion; others show two. However, they are somewhat sluggish spacecraft and even later refits never really fixed that design flaw. The first flight of ships was capable of independent flight in atmosphere; in one of the most infamous examples of this capability, then-Captain Tarkin landed his vessel on a crowd of protestors in what would later be called the Ghorman Massacre. The second flight was not capable of effective atmospheric operations.

The Victory-I subclass included eighty concussion missile tubes, while the rarely produced Victory-II subclass lacked them in favour of ion cannons. The Victory-II also had faster sublight drives for better space-to-space combat and lost its atmospheric capability, perhaps making it an even closer predecessor to the Imperial-class Star Destroyers that followed. All ships carried two squadrons of star-fighters. Presumably there are heavy weapons turrets flanking the command tower, but they have never been explicitly shown in the official literature.

With the rise of the Empire, the Victory was replaced in general service by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, a much more capable design. Many Victory-class ships were sold off (many to the Corporate Sector) or decommissioned. Nonetheless, Victory-class ships still saw much action against Rebels and pirate groups. After the end of the civil war, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer was seen by some in the New Republic government as too much a reminder of the Empire. Under Mon Mothma, the New Republic concentrated on developing new ships based on the Victory-class design - which was seen as more of a product of the Old Republic that preceded the Empire. The design lineage lives on in the Republic-, Nebula-, and Defender-classes Star Destroyers in service with the New Republic. Grand Admiral Thrawn also made significant use of the Victory Star Destroyer to overcome his limited number of capital ships.

One notable feature of the Victory-class is that it is one of the largest ships capable of operating effectively in the atmosphere of a planet. This gives it an advantage over its larger cousins in planetary assault scenarios, where it can be used to provide close-support for ground forces, and to intimidate the enemy. This advantage did not prevent it from being phased out and replaced by new classes as the main warship of the Empire, but it did ensure that the Victory was often assigned to invasion or policing fleets to make use of this ability.

The Victory Star Destroyers also have a faster hyperdrive than the succeeding Imperial-class vessels; this enables the former to respond faster to uprisings and incidents.

The Victory-class Star Destroyer was originally described in West End Games' The Star Wars Sourcebook in the 1980s (But the design existed since conceptual art of ANH. However, the Victory was never seen in the original Trilogy or Episode III, despite being widely recognized as the direct predecessor to the Imperial-class in this and many later sources (including The Essential Guide to Vessels and Vehicles, published before the release of The Phantom Menace). It was perhaps because the Victory's wings and bridge/tower nodes seem like ugly additions to the otherwise sleek design and clean lines of the Imperial-class (otherwise, the Victory is very similar to the Imperial in looks). The Acclamator and Venator-class ships, however, were created for Episodes II and III, and never existed in any literature prior to the release of those movies.

Ironically, the Victory I-class Star Destroyer, with its absolutely devastating compliment of 80 concussion missile launchers (of which a single salvo could down the shields of an Imperator-class Star Destroyer or a Mon Cal cruiser), is more formidable than its Victory II-class successor, where the concussion missiles were all replaced by enhanced ion cannons.

Venator-class Star Destroyer

Venator-class Star Destroyer

Classification	Star Destroyer
Length	1,136.99 meters
Crew	7,400 crewmen
Onboard Compliment	~3,900 troopers 420 starfighters (35 squadrons) 40 LAAT/i gunships 24 AT-TE walkers
Weaponry	8 heavy turbolaser batteries (10D) 2 double turbolaser batteries (2D) 52 point-defense laser cannons (0.125D) 4 heavy proton torpedo tubes (90D) 450D per salvo
Hull Plating	~1675 U
Deflector Shielding	~3350 U
Total Defense	~5025 U

Also known as "Republic Attack Cruisers," Venator-class Star Destroyers were the successors of the successful tradition of the Acclamator-class assault transports and the Victory-class Star Destroyers. While the Acclamator was primarily an armed troop transport and the Victory was a jack-of-all-trades, the Venator was primarily a starfighter carrier/destroyer.

The Venator-class destroyer was 1,137 meters long and carried a crew of 7,400. Its main reactor could consume up to 40,000 tons of fuel per second and had engines that could accelerate the massive vessel at 30,000 m/s². The ship was capable of operating within atmospheres and landing for docking as well retrieving/disembarking the ground forces.

The Venator-class carried 420 starfighters in its large hangar bays, a feature phased out of successor destroyer designs in favor of heavier weapons on the ships themselves. Standard fighter complement was 192 V-Wing starfighters, 36 ARC-170 starfighters, and 192 Eta-2 Actis Jedi Interceptors. 40 LAAT/i gunships and 24 AT-TE walkers were carried for ground operations. Combined with its fighters, the Venator's powerful engines, strong deflector shields and armament consisting of 8 heavy turbolaser turrets, 2 medium dual turbolaser cannons, 52 point-defense laser cannons, 4 heavy proton torpedo tubes, and 6 tractor beam projectors made it one of the most powerful and fearsome medium warships of the time. Some Venator-class ships also carried SPHA-T turbolaser walkers in their hangar bays, which were used to provide extra close-range firepower and to defend the open hangar bays, the most vulnerable part of the ships.

Venator-class Star Destroyers were deployed in a number of battles during the Clone Wars, most notably during the Battle of Coruscant when upwards of a thousand of the ships helped protect the capital. As the Galactic Republic transformed into the Galactic Empire, the Venator ceased production in favor of the newer Imperator-class and Tector-class Star Destroyers. Thousands of Venators procured during the Clone Wars were slowly mothballed over the succeeding decade. Even though the "Imperator" and "Tector" classes fit the Imperial policy of rule through terror better than the Venator, many tacticians and fleet commanders preferred the older design of Star Destroyer, due to its carrying capacity and sleek appearance, and would have opted for an upgraded design of the Venator rather than the new Imperator.

The Venator-class is established as a destroyer, an escort, and a lighter vessel in the Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections fact book. The name Venator comes from Latin and translates to both "Hunter" and "Skirmisher".

Confederacy of Independent Systems Star Destroyers

The cigar-shaped Separatist cruisers seen in Revenge of the Sith have been called Star Destroyers by some fans (and in one instance, by George Lucas on the ROTS commentary track), even though no canonical sources refer to them as such. While their capabilities and power levels are comparable to Old Republic and Imperial Star Destroyers, they are depicted solely as components of the CIS starfleet. For purposes of this article, such ships are considered to be Star Destroyers.

Providence-class destroyer

See Trade Federation Cruiser

A type of ship used by the Trade Federation and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, this class was not the standard and more effective "dagger" shape favored by the Republic and later Empire. Instead it was a tapered cylinder, looking more like a Coruscanti skyscraper laid on its side then a warship. At 1,088 meters in length it was larger then the Republic's Victory class but smaller than Star Destroyers later fielded by the Republic. The standard ships apparently had limited hangar facilities, a limitation corrected in some variants. The variants had extended hangars at the expense of engine space, but were capable of 2,500 Gs in open space and 2,000 km/h in atmosphere. It has been claimed that these craft lacked direct power feeds from the reactor to the guns. However their offensive armament included a large number of proton torpedo launchers.

The reactor power of the Invisible Hand (12,000 tons per second fuel annihilation) is within the band of vessels classed as Destroyers (e.g. between Venator with 40,000 tons/s and Recusant-class with 8,600 tons/s), rather than the lower power of Star Frigates (e.g. Munificent with 2,300 tons/s).

Invisible Hand-type

See Trade Federation Cruiser

With a known production run of 3 ships, this Providence variant saw limited use in the Clone Wars. When Viceroy Gunray commissioned this ship, he had them remove the aft reactors, fuel stores, and some of the engine components to make room for a massive hangar. The result was a significant weakening of the ship in return for an extravagant hangar facility. When General Grievous assumed command of Confederacy's armed forces, he seized this ship as his personal vessel to insult the Viceroy, who had previously and repeatedly insulted him. Two sister ships were commissioned, the Lucid Voice and Collicoid Swarm, and they were used in a disinformation campaign to keep Republic spies unable to pinpoint Grievous' exact location.

The modifications to this ship left it with a reduced and weakened armament. It now carried only 14 quad turbolaser turrets, 34 dual laser cannons, 2 ion cannons, 12 point-defense ion cannons, 102 proton torpedo launchers, and an unknown number of point-defense flak cannons. It carried 240 droid starfighters, 160 Mobile Troop Transports, and 280 assorted droid vehicles. For infantry duty it caried up to 1.5 million deactivated droids, and had a crew of 600.

In Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections, it is called in what is apparently intended to be a technical capacity a "Modified Providence-class carrier/destroyer".

Galactic Empire Star Destroyers

The most renowned user of Star Destroyer-type ships was the tyrannical Galactic Empire. The menacing profile of a huge Star Destroyer became a symbol of Imperial might and domination, and many Rebel convoys and even militarized armadas were punished by Imperial-class warships acting as sector defense ships and blockade enforcers, either with impoundment or total destruction (and sometimes both, as evidenced by the off-record capture and annihilation of the Tantive IV, consular ship of Princess Leia Organa). At nearly all major engagements of the war, Star Destroyers were present. The Navy's standard Imperial-class ship was 1,600 meters long, but the term "Star Destroyer" was also loosely applied as slang to larger ships, including massive star battleships stretching more than ten miles from bow to stern.

Tector-class Star Destroyer

The existence of the Tector-class was established in the Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections fact book, and was presumed to have existed prior to that due to observations of a singular ship in Return of the Jedi. When asked, Lucas Licensing continuity checker Leland Chee [confirmed] that this ship was a Tector-class Star Destroyer.

The identified vessel appeared similar to the Imperial-class, but lacked the ventral hangar bay and a visible reactor-bulb. For this reason, it is hypothesized that ships of this class were dedicated attack ships, and not hybrid carrier/transport/attack ships like those of the Imperial-class. Tector-class Star Destroyers would labor on for decades in Imperial service, alongside Imperial-class Star Destroyers. The two classes supplanted the former roles of the Venator-class, causing it to become phased out of frontline duty.

Harrow-type

A Star Destroyer featuring Victory-like "wings" but an Imperial-class grade of hangar bay (fairly large) as well as several other cosmetic differences, the Harrow measured about the length of a Victory-class vessel (900 meters or thereabouts) and may have been a Kuat Drive Yards attempt to shoo competitor Rendili StarDrive's still-successful Victory out of the market with their own niche-fitting light Star Destroyer. Rogue Squadron encountered the Harrow, which seems unlikely to be a one-of-a-kind vessel, in orbit of Tatooine some months after the Battle of Endor, though with the confusion and chaos in the Imperial war machine following the Emperor's death, it would appear doubtful that the Harrow was constructed and put into service in the time following the Battle of Endor (meaning that it likely was introduced to the fleet during or before the height of the Galactic Civil War).

The starship Harrow possessed two main sub-light engine drives and then two smaller ones between them stacked vertically. It was commanded as of the Tatooine mission by Captain Semtim, and judging by its mission (to recover supplies hidden by Grand Vizier Sate Pestage on Tatooine), size, and design similarities to the Victory-class Star Destroyer, was probably capable of travel through a planet's atmosphere. However, as with the conjecture on when it was introduced, there is no solid proof in one direction or the other.

Galactic Alliance Star Destroyers

After the dissolution of the New Republic following the doctored election of Cal Omas into office as Chief of State, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances was formed under a new constitution. After finally defeating the despicable Yuuzhan Vong Empire and retaking their seat of government at Coruscant, they began to build a more modern and more flexible military arsenal, drawing on new technologies developed and provided for them by such companies as Tendrando Arms. By the time of the Battle of the Murgo Choke, the GFFA was ready to face the Killiks with a newly updated and equipped fleet. Among this fleet's components numbered new Star Destroyer types.

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Named after Ackbar, deceased former Supreme Commander of the New Republic Armed Forces, the Admiral Ackbar seems to be a Victory-class Star Destroyer with extensive modifications, probably enough to push it into being at least a subtype, not the least of which is a giant turret-mounted tractor beam generator sufficient enough to seize ships at a considerable distance and tow them in for handling by smaller and more precise beam generators capable of guiding them to the hangar bay, as well as fifty turbolaser batteries. Commanded by Admiral Nek Bwau'tu, it captured the Millennium Falcon with Jedi and renowned heroines Leia Organa Solo and Saba Sebatyne aboard and impounded them for attempting to run a blockade against Killik-held worlds on the edge of the Unknown Regions. The Gorog Dark Nest of Killiks attacked and overwhelmed the Ackbar, using carefully planted assassin bugs inside the ship to incapacitate much of her crew during the assault, and Raynar Thul, ex-Jedi and leader of the "Colony" of Killiks, came aboard the ship to take personal command. Though Bwau'tu, Organa Solo, and Sebatyne escaped along with many crew members, a large fraction of the ship's personnel was not so lucky. Crew members unlucky enough to get in the assassin bug swarms' way were usually badly wounded, sometimes sickened, and often killed, and the Ackbar came under Killik control.

Although the class of Ackbar is unstated as of The Unseen Queen, it seems that this flagship is not a unique vessel. Noghri bodyguard Cakhmaim identifies the Victory-class update as "one of the new pirate hunters" upon seeing it, implying that Admiral Ackbar isn't the only ship of this class. Given the substantial modifications, this type might be classified as Victory III-class Star Destroyers.

Chiss Ascendancy Star Destroyers

Recently, it has been revealed that the Chiss Ascendancy, too, has begun building their own Star Destroyer designs. Some of these vessels saw action in the Swarm War against the Killik Colony.

Chiss Unnamed Star Destroyer Type 1

An unnamed example of a Chiss-built Star Destroyer was sighted at Qoribu and Kr in The Joiner King. It is said to be somewhat larger than a Victory-class Star Destroyer, to which class Jaina Solo at first thought this ship belonged. However, its lines are notably more organic than the Victory-class', and it is slightly more tapered, among other cosmetic dissimilarities. This ship carries an unknown complement of Chiss Clawcraft and is armed with conventional turbolaser weaponry. It appears that they can also be fitted with cloaking devices, which were noted as protruding from their hulls at the battle for Kr. They also carry tractor beams capable of locking on and drawing in swarms of fighters. Usage of the term "a" in the Star Wars literature denotes that this class is being actively produced, and there are multiple vessels.

Chiss Unnamed Star Destroyer Type 2

During the Battle of Tenupe in the The Swarm War, there were also other Chiss Star Destroyers, which carried a wing of Chiss Clawcraft fighters. An example of this class is the Fell Defender. It also has capability to travel in atmosphere, contains several interrogation modules, and contains a contingent of troops. There are at least three of these vessels, which leads to the probable conclusion that these are being actively produced as well.

Super Star Destroyers

The term "Super Star Destroyer", often abbreviated SSD, is a general term used to refer to any ship in the Galactic Empire's Starfleet using the wedge/dagger design aesthetic which is larger than the 1,600m long Imperial-class. As such, several ships can be termed as a "Super Star Destroyer", whatever its more formal designation, and this is the most commonly taken path by Star Wars characters regardless of their alignment.

Predecessors and relatives

Many ships similar to the Star Destroyers existed, either predating the line (and probably influencing it) or accompanying it in similar form, though officially not classed as Star Destroyer-type vessels.

Interdictor-type

Formerly an Old Republic flagship, Admiral Saul Karath took the Leviathan with him when he defected to the forces of the Sith Lord Darth Malak almost four thousand years BBY. A 600-meter-long interdictor with probably the first known example of gravity-well projector devices in the known galaxy, the Leviathan was the pride of the Republic until its defection, which was taken as a crushing blow to fleet morale. At the Battle of the Star Forge, the Forge produced Interdictor-type warships to combat the huge Republic war fleets assaulting it. The Leviathan itself was attacked by the crew of the Ebon Hawk prior to the engagement, but the fate of the legendary cruiser is unknown.

Ravager-type

See Ravager

This starship was used by the Old Republic around four thousand years BBY, most notably at the Battle of Malachor V. The only known ship of this type seen, the Ravager, was destroyed during the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars. The Sith Lord Darth Nihilus later used the Force to rip the Ravager from its graveyard orbit, and used it as his mobile command center during the Sith's shadow war against the Jedi until the ship was destroyed above Telos. A dagger-shaped warship, it seems to have been the design inspiration for the Victory-class Star Destroyer, despite the fact that it would have been in service roughly four millenia prior to the inception of the Victory class. From in-game cinematic evidence, the Ravager was about twice the length of Leviathan-class destroyers.

Rand Ecliptic-type

See Rand Ecliptic

This Imperial frigate was a variant of the Acclamator-class assault ship, intended primarily for patrol and space combat rather than planetary assault. They could be distinguished visually from Acclamator-class ships by their four ventral hangar bays. The most notable of these ships was the Rand Ecliptic, which defected to the Rebel Alliance after a mutiny by Rebel sympathizers including Derek Klivian and Biggs Darklighter.

Procurator-class Star Battlecruiser

Battlecruisers of this kind were stated to be part of the Kuat Sector Defense Fleet at the start of the Clone Wars, according to the factbook. A Procurator´s reactor was large enough to be visible from outside the hull, protruding with a ventral bulb. This was unlike its smaller sibling, the Acclamator-class assault ship, whose reactor was small enough to fit inside the main hull.

Its name bore several meanings, including "[a viceroy] under the empire, [a financial agent or under-governor]." This could indicate the Procurators were used as command ships for smaller fleets.

Praetor-class Star Battlecruiser

The reactor equipment used to power Echo Base and all its defences on the planet Hoth was scavenged from a Star Battlecruiser of this class. It was stated in the Inside the Worlds of the Original Trilogy factbook, that similar equipment taken from a Star Destroyer and used to power Yavin Base and its defences on Yavin IV, could only defend against one large battleship. Since the Praetor's reactors generated enough power to hold off an entire fleet, this made that class a more powerful type of warship (like a real-life battlecruiser when compared with a destroyer).

Its name held several meanings possibly hinting at its role(s): A) "Senior Roman magistrate. During republic, commander of minor military forces." B) "Commander of allied contingent." Like the Procurator, it could have had a command role for smaller space forces.

Mandator-class Star Dreadnought

These massive dreadnaughts helped form the Kuat Sector Defense Fleet, working alongside Procurator-class Star Battlecruisers (according to the AOTC ICS book.) The main reactor was large enough to have a ventral bulb protruding from the "belly" of the ship, differentiating it from the smaller Acclamator-class Assault Ships. Mandator-class ships were very powerful, but also had very limited range and thus were suitable only for defending planets within the Kuat Sector. There is known to be a Mandator-class Mark II model developed for the Republic Starfleet by the time of the Battle of Coruscant. It was said to be powerful enough to withstand the assault of up to 1,000 of the Confederacy's Recusant-class light destroyers. The Mandator-class Mark II model under Republic service is established in the Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections fact book. Another postulation of fans is that Emperor Palpatine forced a demilitarization of Kuat to have the Mandator-class ships either ceded to the Empire or destroyed. This is also not embraced by canon and remains a simple fan-based theory. It is however known that all sector defense fleets were folded into the Republic navy during the Clone Wars.

Since the Executor-class were said to be the largest ships at the time of Hoth, it can be inferred that the Mandators were either slightly smaller or completely extinct.

Vindicator-class Heavy Cruiser

The Vindicator-class heavy cruiser was the standard 600 meter-long "heavy cruiser" of the Imperial Starfleet. It was intended for use in situations in which Imperial-class Star Destroyers were unavailable, and smaller ships were not powerful enough. The ship was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems, and designed by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin himself. It is possible that Tarkin gave the Vindicator design to Sienar as a favor to his old friend, Raith Sienar.

The ship's armament consisted of 25 light turbolasers, 20 light quad turbolasers, 10 point-defense laser cannons, 20 light point-defense ion cannons, and 3 tractor beam projectors. The Vindicator was equipped with a class 2 hyperdrive. It carried 400 troops and a crew of 2,551. Most Vindicators were specifically configured so that they could carry a full TIE starfighter wing and operate independently without the need for support ships.

Although the Vindicator was designated as a "heavy cruiser," it was smaller than the Acclamator-class assault ship as well as the Munificent-class frigate.

The Immobilizer-418 Interdictor cruiser was designed using the same basic hull as the Vindicator. In addition to manufacturing new Immobilizer-418s, the Empire converted a number of Vindicators into Interdictor cruisers. The Vindicator hull was used again to build the Enforcer-class picket cruiser, a patrol ship used by the Pentastar Alignment.

Detainer CC2200

Another Interdictor cruiser, complete with gravity-well projectors. It appears in Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, in which Imperial troops under Lord Vader's command, very soon after his loss to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, attack the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk. The Detainer is used to prevent merchants, and especially escaped Jedi, from escaping the planet. It is eventually destroyed by the self-destruct of a robotic Separatist ship reactivated by the Jedi.

Enforcer-class picket cruiser

A lighter starship based on the Vindicator-class hull used by the Pentastar Alignment splinter group in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor. Presumably, Enforcers are about 600 meters in length.

Appearances

Movies

Imperial/Imperator-class Star Destroyers were seen in all three movies of the original trilogy. However, the Imperial Star Destroyer had been slightly redesigned for "The Empire Strikes Back", and that variant is known as the Imperial-II, making the "A New Hope" vessels the Imperial-I. The "Super Star Destroyer" Executor was seen in ' and '. A Tector-class Star Destroyer and the Communications Ship were briefly seen in Return of the Jedi.

The Acclamator-class assault ship was seen in '. The Venator-class Star Destroyer was seen in '.

Expanded Universe

Star Destroyers of various other classes occur throughout Expanded Universe material, most notably in Dark Empire. All Executor-class ships listed after the Executor itself, had their origins in the Expanded Universe. There is a small amount of controversy, especially over a large number of ~1600 m long Star Destroyer classes seen in comic books; some believe them to be separate classes, others believe them to be poorly-drawn Imperial-class ships. Even in Star Wars:Empire #55 the Victory-class Star Destroyer is seemingly too big and a few details remain un-depicted.

In the Thrawn Trilogy written by Timothy Zahn, when Skywalker, Solo, Bel Iblis, and Leia Skywalker were trying to capture the Katana Fleet, Imperial Star Destroyers were involved in a battle. It was said that the forward ventral sensors were knocked out, thus giving the pirates "free rein of the Star Destroyer's underside". This implies that there are only two sensor stations that are solely responsible for targeting and detection.

Games

Star Destroyers have featured prominently in many Star Wars computer games, primarily as targets to be destroyed by starfighters, as in the X-Wing computer game series. The Doomgiver in the second Jedi Knight game can also be presumed to be a "Super Star Destroyer" of an as yet unnamed class. In the game , Star Destroyers are controllable on the Empire Faction. In , Star Destroyers serve as spawnpoints for Imperials during space battles. Star Destroyers are prominent in several Star Wars real-time strategy games.

Lego

In 2002 the Lego Group released the Imperial Star Destroyer. The model is made up of 3,104 pieces and at more than three feet long, the scale is roughly 1/1600. At the time of its release it was, piece-wise and length-wise, the largest set Lego had ever produced. Its piece count has since been surpassed by a model of the Death Star II released in 2005. A second, smaller Star Destroyer that opens up to reveal a playset was released in May 2006.

External links

• on Wookieepedia: The Star Wars Wiki

• [Lego Star Destroyer]

 

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