Super Star Destroyer

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Fondor

• Size:
  19,000 meters

• Weapon:
  Over 5,000 turbolasers and ion cannons.

• Affiliation:
  Empire

• Type:
  Star Dreadnought

• Manufacturer:
  Kuat Drive Yards

• 

From the Movies

The Super Star Destroyer is one of the largest, most powerful Imperial vessels ever created. It follows the same basic dagger-shaped design of the Imperial-class Star Destroyers, but magnified to much larger scale. A smooth hull presents an arrowhead shaped profile when viewed from above. Resting in the center of this hull is an "island" of habitable volume. Weapons emplacements bristle on the layered city-like surface. The trapezoidal command tower stands near the aft end of this island, capped with two geodesic communication and deflection domes. The underside is a busy network of engineering and superstructure. Thirteen colossal engine thrusters glow blood red as they push the immense craft through space.

Though there are several command ships, the most distinguished of these Star Destroyers is Lord Vader's flagship, the Executor. This vessel led the Imperial Death Squadron after the Battle of Yavin. It also served as the command ship at the Battle of Endor.

At that critical engagement, its officer, Admiral Piett, was tasked with preventing Alliance warships from escaping the battle. He did not expect the unorthodox Alliance strategy of engaging the Imperial Fleet at point-blank range. The Executor was a prime target for repeated barrages from Alliance vessels. Eventually, the Rebel ships were able to penetrate its powerful bridge shields. A wayward A-wing starfighter, crippled and out of control, spun directly into the Executor's bridge. Its control systems destroyed, the Executor was embraced by the second Death Star's gravity well, and the two collided in a colossal explosion that destroyed the flagship.

From the Expanded Universe

The Executor was the first of a new generation of immense warships, lending its name to the Executor-class Star Dreadnought. Its difficult-to-comprehend size and destructive power led many to borrow superlatives popularized during the Clone Wars, and simply call it a Super-class Star Destroyer, though this was by no means an official label. Constructed in secret at the starship yards of Fondor, the Executor was a crowning achievement for both the Imperial Navy and Kuat Drive Yards. During the construction phase of its existence, the whole operation was under the command of Admiral Griff.

The Executor's maiden voyage was both a military mission and a political one. It was a demonstration to the Rebellion and the galaxy that the Alliance's success over the Death Star was pure chance. This new weapon, of which there would be many, would be unstoppable. Once leaving dry-dock at Fondor, the Executor destroyed the Rebel outpost at Laakteen Depot.

The warship then set forth to Yavin 4, where the Rebels were in the midst of a rushed evacuation. The use of rare power gems allowed several Rebel ships to penetrate the Executor's shields and momentarily cripple the craft. During the mass exodus of Yavin to Hoth, Admiral Griff miscalculated his task force's hyperspace jump, bringing the three Destroyers out on top of the Executor. The angle and shielding was sufficient to protect the Super Star Destroyer, but the other three vessels were annihilated.

The surface of the Executor was dotted with all sorts of weaponry, bristling with more than 5,000 turbolasers and ion cannons. The Executor carried wings of starfighters and two pre-assembled garrison bases ready for deployment.

Behind the Scenes

The size of a Super Star Destroyer has vacillated in numerous publications, starting with an eight-kilometer length in 1984's A Guide to the Star Wars Universe. The latest measurements peg the craft at about 19,000 meters. The miniature used for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi was 282 centimeters long.

When Kenner was crafting a playset to simulate Darth Vader's meditation chamber aboard the Executor, they sought to distance themselves from using the ominous ship name on toy packaging. Its ad agency came up with a list 153 potential names to use instead of Executor, including Starbase Malevolent, Black Coven, Haphaestus VII and Cosmocurse. The final toy name, not included in the list, was pretty straightforward: Darth Vader's Star Destroyer.

Though the name "Super Star Destroyer" is spoken in the films, it is now revealed that the correct nomenclature to describe the ship type is "Star Dreadnought," not to be confused with the Dreadnaught heavy cruisers also found in the Imperial fleet.