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What is Imperial Star Destroyer?
What is a Star Destroyer in Star Wars?
Who designed the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer?
What is the most iconic Star Destroyer in Star Wars?
Why did the Star Destroyer become a symbol of imperial power?
Who had a Star Destroyer?
Apr 15, 2024 · First appearing in A New Hope, the Imperial Star Destroyer is the second vehicle ever seen in Star Wars – and immediately communicates who the Empire is. Large, imposing, powerful, and looming over the small, rag-tag Rebel Alliance.
- Overview
- Characteristics
- History
- Behind the scenes
- Appearances
- Notes and references
"I am aboard an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer. Built at the Kuat Drive Shipyards. It possesses many useful systems and capabilities."
―The Scourge
The Imperial I-class Star Destroyer was a model of Imperial-class Star Destroyer in the service of the Imperial Navy. A wedge-shaped capital ship, it bristled with weapons emplacements, assault troops, boarding craft, and TIE fighter series starfighters. In the era of the Galactic Empire, its command bridge was staffed by the finest crewmen in the navy.
At first, Star Destroyers were deployed to sectors and systems caught in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, where they would crush any signs of sedition. During the Galactic Civil War the Destroyer's role changed to hunting down high value Rebel targets and bases. They fought in notable battles such as the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor. The Imperial II-class Star Destroyer was a derivative of the Imperial I-class.
Dimensions
With a length of 1,600 meters, the wedge-shaped Imperial I-class Star Destroyer was 445 meters longer than its immediate predecessor, the Venator-class Star Destroyer, which had been developed for the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. In keeping with the Empire's habit of favoring muted colors whenever possible, the hull of the Imperial-class was painted in whitish gray, while the Venator-class of the Clone Wars era had red markings denoting the Republic's diplomatic immunity.
Crew requirements
-class Star Destroyers had over 37,000 crew on board— 9,235 officers and 27,850 enlisted personnel. The complement of 9,700 stormtroopers added to a total of 46,785 crew and passengers. With the bridge being located in the upper half of the ship, the officer's quarters were located right below it. To complement its impressive crew size, every Imperial-class vessel carried consumables for 2 years, with its liquid stores and holds for raw materials being located near its bow. Amidships, crew barracks, gunnery crew quarters, meeting rooms, training areas, and cell blocks were located in the vessels second 'step,' with four gradually upsloping smaller 'steps' eventually leading to the ships 'neck' which connected it to its upper bridge section, deflector shield generators, and communications array. On the "side" of the ship existed the port lateral umbilical restocking vestibule. Like other Star Destroyers, a single Internal Affairs officer was stationed aboard the ship to scan the crew for signs of disloyalty and sedition, as well as interrogate any captured prisoners. As most ships in the Navy, Rebaxan Columni MSE-6 series repair droids were employed to serve as messenger, repair and custodial assistants.
Armament and shielding
"This is an Imperial Star Destroyer. All vital equipment is shielded. Even twenty bombs will do nothing." ―Prelate Verge The Imperial-class Star Destroyer bristled with weapons emplacements. 60 Taim & Bak XX-9 heavy turbolaser batteries, 60 Borstel NK-7 ion cannons, and ten Phylon Q7 tractor beam projectors dotted its whitish gray hull. At the very front of the ship existed the forward pursuit tractor beam array. The ship also featured six dual heavy turbolaser turrets, two quad heavy turbolasers, three triple medium turbolasers, and two medium turbolasers. The Imperial I-class also featured two dual heavy ion cannon turrets that lined the dorsal superstructure flanking the command tower. The turbolaser turrets of an ISD were hooked to large arrays of auxiliary power cells. At both "ends" of the Star Destroyer existed an aft point defense laser cannon. By far the heaviest weapons on the ship were the six turbolaser turrets positioned alongside the two ion turrets. With a diameter of 50 meters, each turbolaser was capable of ripping through heavy armor and overloading shields. Although it was difficult to hit small, fast-moving craft, even a glancing blow would destroy them. On the underside of the very tip of the ISD was the navigational deflector generator. It had heavy shielding strong enough to easily withstand a collision with a GR-75 medium transport with no damage to the hull. The Star Destroyer's targeting computers were produced by LeGrange.
The Imperial-class Star Destroyers were the technological successors of the Venator-class Jedi cruisers used by the naval forces of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. After the Republic was turned into the Empire at the end of the Clone Wars, the self-anointed Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine decreed a massive military buildup. To meet interstellar defense needs, the great shipyards of the galaxy were fired up during the Clone Wars and remained lit well into the Age of the Empire. The enormous construction facilities at Kuat, Corellia, Ringo Vinda, Fondor, and elsewhere were converted from civilian graving docks into military starports capable of churning out Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Building upon the strengths of the Jedi cruisers, the bigger Imperial-class vessels became one of the most instantly recognizable symbols of the Imperial might, and were often titled intimidating names such as Lawbringer, Relentless, and Devastator.
Initially, the new Star Destroyers were deployed to sectors and systems that had once been beyond the reach of Republic law, where they would subjugate them and crush any signs of resistance or rebellion. Imperial Star Destroyers became symbols of this new order. Citizens weary of chaos and war cheered the sight of these giant dagger-shaped warships, while pirates and enslavers quailed at the thought of confronting them. But a few citizens wondered if the imposition of Imperial law was worth the freedoms lost.
Easily becoming the most recognizable symbol of Imperial power, the Imperial-class further demonstrated its tactical versatility by protecting galactic commerce and bolstering Imperial-backed governments. Many admirals, Grand Moffs, ISB agents and senior Imperial commanders utilized these ships as their personal command ship, with the ship's officer often being as intimidating as the ship itself—whose shadow alone could bring results. At the peak of the Empire, over 25,000 Imperial Star Destroyers were in existence with 24 assigned to each of the 1,025 regional sectors to form independent Sector Groups. The Empire's primary source of Star Destroyers and Destroyer-equipped shipyards was located at the industrial manufacturing center of Kuat. Ultimately, these giant craft became the backbone of the Imperial Navy, hunting down Rebel task forces, blockading undisciplined worlds and serving as launch bases for planetary assaults.
Eventually, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer would be replaced by the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer. The Devastator was the last of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyers to lumber out of the Kuat Drive Yards before the facility began production on the Imperial II-class, although it was later upgraded to compete with these more advanced warships.
There are some inconsistencies over the armament of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer. Starships and Speeders states that the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer possessed both light and heavy turbolaser batteries, and two different types of ion cannons. However, Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide does not support different ion cannons o...
Non-canon appearances
•LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Obi-Wan vs Inquisitors" ••
1.Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Star Destroyer - Blueprints)
7.Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 20 (Starship Fact File: Imperial I-class Star Destroyer)
8.Droids in Distress book
9.Ahsoka — "Part Six: Far, Far Away"
12.Star Wars Rebels — "Warhead"
13.Star Wars (2015) 23
The Imperial-class Star Destroyer (ISD) known generally as the Imperial Star Destroyer or as an Impstar, was a product line of massive dagger-shaped capital ships of the Imperial Navy of the Galactic Empire and later the naval branch of the First Order.
The iconic Imperial-class Star Destroyer first appears in the opening scene of Star Wars (1977), where the Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator (carrying Darth Vader) chases the CR90 Corvette Tantive IV (carrying Princess Leia) above Tatooine after the latter had fled from Scarif.
The wedge-shaped Imperial Star Destroyer is a capital ship bristling with weapons emplacements. Turbolasers and tractor beam projectors dot its surface. Its belly hangar bay can launch TIE fighters, boarding craft, land assault units, hyperspace probes, or be used to hold captured craft.
The Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, also known as the Imperial I-class Destroyer or the Imperator-class Star Destroyer, was an iconic class of warships designed by Lira Wessex and built by Kuat Drive Yards.
The star destroyer Tyrant is the first of the Imperial warships blockading Hoth to be struck by the rebels' heavy ion cannon. As the ship's systems fail and the exhaust nozzles flicker dimly, a rebel transport ship and fighter escort make an escape.
