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1. Star Destroyer Map
2. Victory 1 Class Star Destroyer

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Victory I-class Star Destroyer

Production information

Technical specifications

Armament

• Quad turbolaser batteries (10)^[6][2][7]
  • 5 port^[6]
  • 5 starboard^[6]
• Double turbolaser batteries (40)^[6][2][7]
  • 10 fore^[6]
  • 15 port^[6]
  • 15 starboard^[6]
• Concussion missile tube launchers (80)^[6][2][7]
  • 20 fore^[6]
  • 20 port^[6]
  • 20 starboard^[6]
  • 20 aft^[6]
• Tractor beam projectors (10)^[6][7]
  • 6 fore^[6]
  • 2 port^[6]
  • 2 starboard^[6]

Alternate configuration

• Light Turbo Quadlasers (10)^[3]
• Heavy Double Turbolaser Cannons (20)^[3]
• Assault concussion missile tubes (20)
  • 80 heavy concussion missiles total^[3]
• Tractor beam projectors (10)^[3]

Complement

• TIE Series starfighters (24)^[4][2][7]
• Dropships^[2][7]
• Troop transports^[2][7]
• AT-AT walkers^[2][7]
• Juggernauts^[2][7]
• HAVr A9 Floating Fortresses^[2][7]

Usage

Role(s)

• Planetary defense^[2][7]
• Planetary assault^[2][7]
• Ground-troop support^[2][7]
• Ship-to-ship combat^[2][7]

Affiliation

• Galactic Republic^[8]
• Galactic Empire^[4]
• Corporate Sector Authority^[9]

The Victory I-class Star Destroyer, also known as the Victory I-class Destroyer and Victoria I-class Star Destroyer, was a warship designed for planetary defense, planetary assault, ground troop support, and ship-to-ship combat. It was used by the Galactic Republic during the mid-Clone Wars,^[8] the Galactic Empire and the Corporate Sector during the Galactic Civil War^[10] and the Confederation during the Second Galactic Civil War.^[11]

CharacteristicsEdit

DimensionsEdit

Victory I-class Star Destroyers were 900 meters long, just over half the size of the later Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Like later Star Destroyer designs, the Victory possessed the ability to enter the upper levels of a planetary atmosphere. This gave the ship a decided advantage of added precision when engaging in the ground attack operations the class was designed to carry out. In addition, the Victory could also pursue other vessels hoping to escape by diving towards a planet.^[10] A set of atmospheric maneuvering surfaces were located along the ship's flanks as well.^[2] Some Victory variants dispensed with the atmospheric maneuvering surfaces altogether. Star Destroyers of this kind fought in the Operation Shadow Hand, notably in the Battle of Balmorra.^[12]

Offensive and defensive systemsEdit

Despite being several decades old at the time, the shields and hull armor of Victory I-class ships were still quite heavy compared to the other vessels used during the Galactic Civil War. They were equipped with 10 quad turbolaser batteries, 40 double turbolaser batteries, 80 concussion missiles tubes, and 10 tractor beam projectors.Due to being clad in 9095-T8511 grade durasteel,^[2] a Victory-class vessel was said to be capable of fighting a Dreadnaught-class cruiser to a stand-still.^[13]

ComplementEdit

A single Victory I-class Star Destroyer required 4,798 crew members and 402 gunners for optimal operation and could transport up to 2,040 troops, 8,100 metric tons of cargo, several ground vehicles like the AT-AT, and two squadrons of starfighters.

Propulsion systemsEdit

The Victory I-class Star Destroyer's biggest disadvantage was its underpowered LF9 ion engines, which could not produce sufficient acceleration to pursue newer and faster ships, allowing them to escape ship-to-ship combat. This flaw was rectified in the limited Victory II-class, produced shortly before the advent of the Empire.^[2]

Some variants of the Victory-class were designed with three main thrusters and four auxiliary thrusters, like the larger Imperial-class. Others, like the Harrow and the Protector, had two main thrusters and two auxiliary thrusters wedged in-between.^[14][15]

The Victory Star Destroyer's Class 1.0 hyperdrive was superior to that of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, allowing Victory ships to reach their destinations in half the time.^[10]

HistoryEdit

Republic originEdit

At the start of the Clone Wars and the introduction of the Acclamator-class assault ship, the Arch-Provost of Rendili ordered industrial spies and ship-designers to come up with a way to curb Kuat's lead on new contracts with the Galactic Republic.^[16]

The two rival shipbuilders, Rendili StarDrive and Kuat Drive Yards, later embarked on a collaborative design-project while the war was still in its early phases.^[7] This was called the 'Victor Initiative Project', which resulted in the Victory-class. This design by Walex Blissex became a direct challenge to Kuat's Venator-class.^[8]

An early batch of Victory I-class Star Destroyers were deployed to defend Sector 0 against the Techno Union'sfleet of Bulwark Mark Ibattlecruisers, which had escaped the blockade of Foerost.^[8]This resulted in the deployment of the 'Victory Fleet' six months ahead of schedule. Despite this, the majority of the initial commission group was not deployed until Palpatine had already dissolved the Galactic Republic and established his Imperial rule.^[8]

A subclass known as the Victory II was introduced later in the Clone Wars.^[17] Refitted with new ion engines by Hoersch-Kessel Drive to replace the underpowered LF9s, and trading the concussion missiles for ion cannons and extra turbolasers; this variant was designed with an emphasis on space combat. This newer class was externally very similar to its predecessor. Very few Victory II's were built, as they were introduced not long before the Imperial-class, which essentially supplanted it in the space combat role.

Imperial serviceEdit

The abundant number of Imperial-class Star Destroyers, and the growing popularity of the Imperial-series amongst the Imperial Starfleet, led to many Victory-class Star Destroyers being decommissioned or sold to groups like the Corporate Sector Authority, which purchased 520.^[9] Most of the Victory-series Star Destroyers still in Imperial service near the height of the Empire were often assigned to planetary defense roles.

Within the Imperial Navy, Victory-class Star Destroyers were considered second only to Imperial-class Star Destroyers for most operations in the Outer Rim Territories against pirates and Rebels. The order of battle considered one Victory-class Star Destroyer the equivalent of two Strike-class cruisers.

Heavy squadrons often featured Victory-class Star Destroyers; at the systems force level and above, they accompanied larger Star Destroyers, Star Cruisers, and Star Dreadnoughts in major assaults. Such as in the Battle of Ciutric, while other Star Destroyers used their turbolasers to strip the shields and armor of enemy capital ships, Victory Destroyers were called upon to deliver devastating barrages of concussion missiles against their now-unprotected hulls. The ability to pursue enemies into planetary atmospheres also made Victorys an invaluable part of many Imperial squadrons.

A key disadvantage of the Victory I was its low speed which made its deployment difficult and allowed quicker foes to escape pursuit. During the Battle of Denab, the Rebel commander was able to defeat each Imperial squadron separately before they could come to each others aid, otherwise the greater firepower of the Victory ships would have prevailed. After that, Imperial tacticians necessitated assigning support ships, such as Interdictors, Strike cruisers, and Carrack cruisers, to make up for the shortcomings.^[18]

While Thrawn was a Vice Admiral, he had flown his flag on Victory ships such as the Stalwart and the Sceltor, as did Admiral Harkov with the Protector. Most notably, the Bombard and the Crusader all but wiped out the notorious Eyttyrmin Batiiv pirates during the Battle of Khuiumin; the pirates were aware of the impending Imperial attack but were overconfident in their ability to defeat a pair of 'antiquated' Victory Star Destroyers.

When Grand AdmiralThrawn took control of the Empire, this saw a return of the Victory-class to frontline duties, because of a lack of larger and more powerful ships such as the Imperial-class.

Galactic Alliance serviceEdit

Following the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances commissioned an updated version of the Victory for use as pirate hunters across its territories. Some of these new vessels were fitted with large turrets on the upper hull, each housing a huge asteroid-tug tractor beam sold to the Galactic Alliance Defense Force by Lando Calrissian.

Star Destroyer Map

Prior to the Swarm War, the Killiks hijacked a Galactic Alliance Victory-class Star Destroyer called the Admiral Ackbar, which had been used by the Alliance for the blockade of the Utegetu Nebula, for the Killiks' invasion of the Chiss Ascendancy.

Behind the scenesEdit

The Victory I-class Star Destroyer was developed from a prototype Star Destroyer model created by Colin Cantwell for Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.^[19]

The Victory-class Star Destroyer was first mentioned by name in Brian Daley's novel Han Solo's Revenge used by the Corporate Sector Authority Territorial Manager Odumin.

The New Essential Chronology mentioned that the Victory-class was the product of a 'Victor Initiative Project'. This tied the Victory-class into the naming scheme used by other large Republic ship classes of the era, all of which had Latin-based names ending in -tor, such as the Venator-class, the Mandator-class, and the Imperator-class. 'Victor' comes from the Latin verb vincere, meaning 'to conquer', via the supine form victum.

Roleplaying game statistics published by West End Games originally gave the Victory I-class eighty concussion missile tubes, with an unknown number of missiles. This was later adjusted to twenty tubes with four missiles each by the book Starships of the Galaxy, published by Wizards of the Coast. However, in X-Wing: Isard's Revenge, the 'eighty-concussion missile launch tubes' of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Emperor's Wisdom and the comparable missile batteries of her sister ships Selonian Fire and Corusca Fire, play an important role in the storyline.

Star Wars: Empire at War is the first source to depict details on the Victory-class which appear to represent large cannons flanking the bridge superstructure, similar to the Imperial-class and Venator-class Star Destroyers. A comparison using the game's map editing program (which uses the game's own 3-D rendering engine and depicts all three ships in proper proportion to each other) shows these cannons to be roughly half the size of the corresponding units on the larger destroyers. Therefore, the presence of the cannons on the Victory-class in-game model is likely an unforeseen side-effect of it simply being a scaled down and modified version of the Imperial I-class model.

AppearancesEdit

'Mist Encounter'—Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 The Paradise Snare(Mentioned only) Han Solo's Revenge(First appearance) 'Den of Spies'—Twin Stars of Kira 'Mission to Zila'—Star Wars Adventure Journal 3(Mentioned only)

SourcesEdit

Star Wars Customizable Card Game – A New Hope Limited(Card: Victory-class Star Destroyer) Star Wars Trading Card Game - A New Hope (TCG)(Card: Victory-class Star Destroyer) Star Wars: The Official Figurine Collection 1(The Definitive Weapon: Super Star Destroyer) The Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire, Part 2 on StarWars.com(article) (backup link) Star Wars: Armada – Victory-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack

Notes and referencesEdit

1. ↑ ^1.01.1The Essential Guide to Warfare
2. ↑ ^{2.002.012.022.032.042.052.062.072.082.092.102.112.122.132.142.152.16}The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
3. ↑ ^{3.003.013.023.033.043.053.063.073.083.093.10}Starships of the Galaxy
4. ↑ ^{4.04.14.24.34.44.54.64.74.8}Star Wars Sourcebook (Second Edition)
5. ↑ ^5.05.1Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
6. ↑ ^{6.006.016.026.036.046.056.066.076.086.096.106.116.126.136.146.15}Imperial Sourcebook, Second Edition
7. ↑ ^{7.007.017.027.037.047.057.067.077.087.097.107.117.127.137.14}The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
8. ↑ ^{8.08.18.28.38.48.5}The New Essential Chronology
9. ↑ ^9.09.1Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook
10. ↑ ^10.010.110.2Imperial Sourcebook
11. ↑Legacy of the Force
12. ↑Dark Empire II
13. ↑Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire
14. ↑Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: Battleground: Tatooine
15. ↑Star Wars: TIE Fighter
16. ↑Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross-Sections
17. ↑The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
18. ↑The Star Wars Sourcebook
19. ↑Star Wars: Chronicles

Rendilistarship classes
Transports Dwarf Star-class freighter · Field Secured Container Vessel Katarn-class boarding shuttle · Kiltirin-class dungeon ship Lictor-class dungeon ship · Starlight-class light freighter Space stations Bavos-I heavy-duty military space platform · Bavos-II heavy-duty military space platform Derilyn Space Defense Platform · FireStar-class orbital defense station Space Dock · Mobile Spacedock 220 · Type I Light Duty Space Defense Platform Starfighters LT-9000 Rendilii Interceptor Patrol ships Imperial Customs Frigate Corvettes Light corvette Cruisers Assault Frigate Mark II · Invincible-class Dreadnaught Heavy Cruiser · Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser Neutron Star-class bulk cruiser · Vainglorious-class cruiser Star Destroyers Republic-class Star Destroyer · Victory I-class Star Destroyer Victory II-class Star Destroyer
[edit]

Kuatcapital ship classes
Transports Corona-class • Ton-Falk-class • Star Seeder-class • Starwind-class Corvettes Adz-class • Law-class • Raider-class • Vigil-class Frigates Active-class • Auxilia-class • Ardent-class • Corona-class • EF76 Nebulon-B Imperial II-class • Lancer-class • Lupus-class • MedStar-class Munifex-class • Nebulon-B2 · Pelta-class • Star Galleon-class • Surveyor-class Cruisers Acclamator-class • Acclamator II-class • Arquitens-class Broadside-class • Captor-class • Enforcer-class • Pursuit-class Star Destroyers Gladiator-class • Imperial I-class • Imperial II-class Pellaeon-class • Secutor-class • Storm Fleet • Tector-class Venator-class • Victory I-class • Victory II-class Battlecruisers Praetor-class • Praetor II-class • Procurator-class Dreadnoughts Arc Hammer • Bellator-class • Eclipse-class • Executor-class Mandator-class • Mandator II-class • Mandator III-class Sovereign-class • Vengeance-class
[edit]

Star Destroyer
A pair of Imperial Star Destroyers and a group of TIE fighters pursue the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back.
First appearance	Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1976)
Information
Affiliation
Launched	Old Republic era
Combat vehicles	Various bombers, interceptors, and space superiority fighters
Auxiliary vehicles	Various walkers and shuttles
General characteristics
Class	Imperial-class Interdictor-class Mega-class qaz-class Resurgent-class Executor-class Tector-class Venator-class Victory-class
Armaments	Ion cannons, turbolasers, projectile weapons, and tractor beam projectors
Defenses	Deflector shield
Length	Between 1,600 to 1,900 metres
Width	Up to 600 metres
Population volume	Various, ranging from several thousand to tens of thousand crew and troop capacity

Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional Star Wars universe. The Imperial-class Star Destroyer is 'the signature vessel of the Imperial fleet' in numerous published works including film, television, novels, comics, and video games.^[1] Each can be deployed individually as both a forward operating base and as mobile weapon systems platform responsible for safeguarding multiple planets, trade routes and systems, and carried enough firepower to subdue an entire planetary system or annihilate a small rebel fleet. Besides the ubiquitous Imperial-class, there are another numerous other classes of Star Destroyers sharing the basic 'triangular' hull; the successful v-shaped designs are explained in Legends as originating from Sith influence, and have been adapted by numerous factions for a wide variety of applications.

Numerous Star Destroyer models and toys have been released. The iconic scene in Star Wars (1977), featuring the Imperial Star Destroyer's first appearance where it pursues a Corellian Corvette has been called a milestone in special effects history.

• 2Depiction
• 5References

Concept and design[edit]

Victory 1 Class Star Destroyer

In draft scripts for the film that would become Star Wars, the term 'Stardestroyer' refers to two-man fighters flown by what would become the Galactic Empire.^[1] The film's second draft features four Star Destroyers chasing a single Rebel ship,^[2] but the tremendous costs incurred by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) when production began helped lead Lucas to use a single 'terrifyingly large' Star Destroyer instead of four.^[3] ILM built a 91-centimeter (36 in) shooting model that was about half the size of the model for the Tantive IV the Star Destroyer was chasing.^[1] Lucas asked ILM to build a larger Star Destroyer model to match the Tantive IV's scale, but ILM convinced him that the Dykstraflex camera invented for the film made this unnecessary.^[4] Nevertheless, they added additional hull details to the Star Destroyer model.^[4] The 13-second opening shot was the first special effects piece ILM completed,^[4] and its success was an essential test for the Dykstraflex.^[4]

ILM built a 259-centimeter (102 in) Star Destroyer, equipped with internal lighting to provide a better sense of scale, for The Empire Strikes Back (1980).^[1] During production, Lucas decided that every Star Wars film would open in space with a shot of a Star Destroyer.^[5]The Empire Strikes Back also introduces the 'Super Star Destroyer', also referred to as a 'Star Dreadnought' or 'Star Dreadnaught'.^[6] The shooting model for the Super Star Destroyer Executor in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) was 282 centimeters (111 in) long.^[7]

The design of the Venator-class Star Destroyers appearing in Revenge of the Sith (2005) are meant to bridge the appearance of the Acclamator-class transports in Attack of the Clones (2002) and the Imperial class in the original trilogy.^[8]

The Imperial I-class Star Destroyers are white, as shown in A New Hope, Rogue One, and Solo. The Imperial II-class Star Destroyers in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are grey.^[9]

Popular Mechanics has pointed out that the Star Destroyer's triangular shape is useless in space physics, and would only be useful in a planetary atmosphere as seen in Rogue One. Despite being freed from the 2D battle constraints of a planetary battle, Popular Mechanics has noted that Star Wars does not go by a true 3D environment in space battles.^[10]

Depiction[edit]

Films and television[edit]

Star Destroyers of varying factions have appeared in every Star Wars film and television production except Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

The iconic Imperial Star Destroyer first appears in the opening scene of Star Wars, where the Imperial I (Imperator)-class Star Destroyer Devastator of Darth Vader, chases the CR90 Corvette Tantive IV carrying Princess Leia above Tatooine. This appearance shows the Imperial ship's massive size in comparison to the RebelTantive IV. Star Destroyers of the Imperial II subclass (nicknamed the Impstar-Deuce in Legends) are seen in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi including the opening sequences of both films; the Imperial II has numerous changes (cosmetic and functional) compared to the Imperial I. According to both canon and Star Wars Legends (see below), Imperial I Star Destroyers including Devastator still remain in service as of the events of The Empire Strikes Back but have been refitted so they appear cosmetically identical to the Imperial II. The Empire Strikes Back also introduces a massive Super Star Destroyer, the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Executor, that serves as Vader's flagship of the Death Squadron where it dwarfs the Devastator and other Imperial-class Star Destroyers escorting it. The Executor, under the command of Admiral Piett, is the Imperial flagship at the climax of Return of the Jedi.

Other Star Destroyer varieties appear in the Star Wars prequel films. The final moments of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones depicts clone troopers being loaded into large Acclamator-class Republic transgalactic assault ships that are highly similar in appearance to Star Destroyers, perhaps signifying that the Acclamator as a precursor. Venator-class Star Destroyers are introduced in Revenge of the Sith and later appear throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2019). Venator-class ships initially appear with a red and gray Republic color scheme. However, toward the end of Revenge of the Sith the Venators are dull gray, signifying the Empire's rise to power. (Star Wars creator George Lucas calls the cigar-shaped Separatist cruisers visible at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith 'Star Destroyers' in the movie's DVD commentary track, although this is likely a misnomer. Separatist cruisers and frigates, with their organic shapes and bulges that contrast sharply with the angular lines of Star Destroyers, are the forerunners of the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers and Nebulon-B Escort Frigates used by the Rebel Alliance in the films Rogue One, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.)

In the first installment of the sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens (2015), set over 30 years after the fall of the Empire, the wrecks of the Empire's Star Destroyers appear on the surface of the desert planet Jakku. Rey scavenges material from the crashed Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Inflictor, and pilots the Millennium Falcon through the wreckage of the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Ravager. The Force Awakens and its sequel, The Last Jedi (2017), also introduce new Star Destroyers making up the forces of the First Order, such as Kylo Ren'sResurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer, the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought Fulminatrix, and Supreme Leader Snoke's flagship, the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy.

Novels and other media[edit]

Star Destroyers appear in novels, games, and other media set during various periods in the Star Wars universe. Novels state the Empire had a dozen Super Star Destroyers in service during the time of the Battle of Endor in addition to Darth Vader's Executor. The final surviving Super Star Destroyer, the Executor-class ship Ravager, is the vessel whose wreckage appears in The Force Awakens. The Ravager's crash onto Jakku is depicted in the game Star Wars Battlefront (2015).

The Victory-class Star Destroyer first described in the early Star Wars novella, was initially designed as a direct predecessor to the Imperial-class during the development of A New Hope, which would make it a follow-up to the Venator-class seen in Revenge of the Sith. The Victory appears very similar in appearance to the Imperial-class which succeeded it; albeit the Victory being considerably smaller in scale (900 meters in length versus 1600 meters), adds atmospheric maneuvering 'wings' on the port and starboard sides (according to Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game sourcebooks, the Victory I-class can enter a planetary atmosphere which is a unique attribute not found in the Victory II and Imperial'-class Star Destroyers), and a shorter conning tower with different elements on the command bridge. The Victory-class was developed from a prototype Star Destroyer model created by Colin Cantwell for A New Hope, with the final design being used for the basis of the Imperial-class.^[11][12][13] Ending up the Victory-class Star Destroyer did not make it to the films and for a long time featured only in Star Wars Legends (see below). It first appeared in the new Star Wars canon in the 2014 novel Tarkin, written by James Luceno, and was first depicted in Darth Vader 6: Vader, Part VI, a 2015 comic book written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Salvador Larroca. The Victory Star Destroyer is the Imperial Navy's starting vessel in the core set of Fantasy Flight Games's Star Wars: Armada, a table top miniatures game released on March 27, 2015.^[14][15]

Star Wars Legends[edit]

In April 2014, most of the licensed Star Wars novels, games, and comics produced since 1976 (and prior to 2014), were rebranded by Lucasfilm as Star Wars Legends; and therefore declared non-canon to the franchise.^[16][17]

Star Destroyers feature in numerous Legends publications, with a considerable amount of additional notable information. According to West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game sourcebooks and other texts, Imperial-class Star Destroyers are constructed by Kuat Drive Yards and hold a distinguished place in the Imperial Navy, symbolizing the Empire's military might with a peak number of more than 25,000 vessels.^[18] Like the Venator and Victory-class ships that precede it, the Imperial-class is a multi-role capital ship combining the roles of a battleship, starfighter carrier, and troopship. Notable for its massive size and overwhelming firepower compared to its fore-bearers; a single Imperial-class ship is capable of singlehandedly taking on a fleet of enemy vessels or 'reducing the surface of a planet to a slag' (known as 'Base Delta Zero'), and its mere presence is often enough to deter rebellion.^[18] At 1,600 meters (5,200 ft) long, Imperial-class Star Destroyers are crewed by 9,235 Officers, 27,850 enlisted personnel, and 275 Gunners. The Imperial I is armed with 60 turbolasers, 60 ion cannons, and 10 tractor beam projectors for space combat.^[18] The standard complement is 72 TIE fighters (including 12 TIE Bombers and 12-24 TIE Interceptors), and a variety of support craft including shuttles and transports. Unlike other comparable capital ships like the Mon Calamari MC80 Star Cruiser of the Rebel Alliance (later New Republic), an Imperial Star Destroyer carries a full array of ground forces (including 9700 stormtroopers, 20 AT-ATs and 30 AT-STs) with dropships for rapid deployment to planetary surfaces, plus a prefabricated base if a permanent planetary garrison is required.^[18]

Though the Imperial Navy also has smaller capital ships like Nebulon-B Escort Frigates and CR90 Corvettes (the films show these vessels being used exclusively by the Rebel Alliance), Imperial-class Star Destroyers are usually the default choice for frontline deployments. At the Battle of Endor the Rebel Alliance captured two Imperial-Star Destroyers and added them to the New Republic fleet; they serve alongside Mon Calamari Cruisers in General Han Solo's task force as told in the X-wing series of novels and Dark Empire comics.^[19] Although the New Republic eventually upgrades its starfleet with newer ship types, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer remains in service well into the New Jedi Order era and fights during the Yuuzhan Vong War.^[20]

Described in A Guide to the Star Wars Universe (1984) as being 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) long, Executor-class Super Star Destroyers were later described as being 19 kilometers (12 mi) long.^[21] In addition to Vader's command ship Executor, Star Wars novels introduce the prison ship Lusankya and stealth-armored Knight Hammer as other in the class.^[22][23]Kevin J. Anderson's novel Darksaber describes a Super Star Destroyer as being 'worth twenty Imperial Star Destroyers'.^[23]

The description 'Star Destroyer' and 'Super Star Destroyer' are applied to several other massive dagger/triangle-shaped warships in Star Wars, such as the Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer in the Legacy comic series (2006–2010), and the reborn Emperor Palpatine's flagships Eclipse and Eclipse II Super Star Destroyers in the Dark Empire series (1991–1995). The Eclipse-class was perhaps the ultimate Super Star Destroyer or Star Dreadnought in the Expanded Universe, incorporating a Death Star-type Superlaser but miniaturized and more advanced, and gravity well projectors to prevent enemies from jumping to hyperspace, and having strong enough shields/armor to be able to ram enemy vessels. Curtis Saxton, in the unofficial Star Wars Technical Commentaries (he has since been the author of the official Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross-Sections and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections), has advocated using the term Imperator-class in lieu of Imperial-class. Saxton argues that 'Imperial Star Destroyer' is a somewhat generic term, as the vast majority of Star Destroyer types are operated by the Galactic Empire's Imperial Navy which technically means they are all 'Imperial Star Destroyers', although the Imperator/Imperial-class Star Destroyers are by far the most common type. Similarly the 'Super Star Destroyer' moniker has been used for numerous unrelated vessels of varying sizes and classes, so fans have suggested labeling the class instead by the lead ship such as Executor-class and Eclipse-class, with some referred to them instead as a 'Star Dreadnought' (sometimes spelled 'Star Dreadnaught') to emphasize their massive size relative to Star Destroyers.^[24] Author Jason Fry introduced the 'Anaxes War College System' which specifically divide warships into different types depending on their size and power, which explain all the differently sized 'Super Star Destroyers' appearing in the Expanded Universe (now Star Wars Legends), supplementing the contradictory classification systems used in Star Wars lore previously, becoming reference material in the Star Wars Sourcebooks by West End Games.

Merchandise[edit]

Lego has released numerous Star Destroyer kits, including a 100-centimetre (39 in) 3,104-piece Imperial-class Star Destroyer^[25] and a 125-centimetre (49 in) 3,152-piece model of the Executor.^[26]

The Super Star Destroyer has also been merchandised. Kenner wanted to use a less ominous name than Executor for the toy playset of Darth Vader's meditation chamber.^[7] An advertisement agency's list of 153 alternatives included Starbase Malevolent, Black Coven, Haphaestus VII, and Cosmocurse;^[7] ultimately, the toy was labeled 'Darth Vader's Star Destroyer'.^[7] In 2006, Wizards of the Coast created an Executor miniature as part of its Star Wars Miniatures Starship Battles game.^[27] An electronic Super Star Destroyer toy released by Hasbro 'is the rarest among Hasbro's Collector Fleet'.^[28]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcd'Star Wars: Databank: Imperial Star Destroyer'. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
2. ^Taylor, p. 115
3. ^Taylor, pp. 121-22
4. ^ ^abcdTaylor, p. 171-73
5. ^Taylor, pp. 247-48
6. ^Fry, Jason; Paul R. Urquhart (2012-04-01). Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare. Titan Publishing Company. p. 117. ISBN978-1781161401.
7. ^ ^abcd'Star Wars: Databank: Super Star Destroyer'. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
8. ^'Star Wars: Databank: Republic attack cruiser'. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
9. ^https://www.theverge.com/2016/4/7/11383684/rogue-one-star-wars-trailer-theory
10. ^https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/news/a28088/star-wars-the-last-jedi-dreadnought-star-destroyer/
11. ^https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Chronicles
12. ^Daley, Brian. The Han Solo Adventures. Random House. p. 354. ISBN978-0-307-79548-9.
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Sources[edit]

• Taylor, Chris (2014). How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise (eBook). Basic Books. OCLC889674238.

External links[edit]

• Imperial Star Destroyer in the StarWars.com Databank
• Super Star Destroyer in the StarWars.com Databank
• Executor in the StarWars.com Databank
• Finalizer in the StarWars.com Databank
• Star Destroyer on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
• Super Star Destroyer on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
• Venator Star Destroyer on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
• Category:Star Destroyers on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki