Question: Which ship is smaller than a Destroyer in Star Wars?

Star Destroyer



Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional Star Wars universe. The Imperial Star Destroyer, which first appears in the first seconds of Star Wars (1977), is "the signature vessel of the Imperial fleet".[1] Each star destroyer functioned as a forward operating base 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. The term "Star Destroyer" also refers to other "triangular" vessels in the franchise; 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, and the iconic scene featuring the vessel's first appearance pursuing Princess Leia's starship has been called a milestone in special effects history.
Concept and design

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 (36in) 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</i>'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 (102in) 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".[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 (111in) 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]
Depiction
Films and television
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 Star Destroyer first appears in the opening scene of Star Wars, as an Imperial starship part of Darth Vader's Death Squadron, the Imperial I (Imperator)-class Star Destroyer Devastator, chases the Tantive IV above Tatooine. This appearance shows the Imperial ship's massive size in comparison to the Rebel Tantive IV. The original trilogy also features a massive Super Star Destroyer, the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Executor, that serves as Vader's flagship in The Empire Strikes Back. The Executor, under the command of Admiral Piett, is the Imperial command ship 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 Acclimator-class Republic transgalactic assault ships that are highly similar in appearance to Star Destroyers.  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. Venator-class Star Destroyers are introduced in Revenge of the Sith and later appear throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2014). Venator-class ships initially appear with a red and grey Republic color scheme. However, toward the end of Revenge of the Sith the Venator</i>s are medium gray, signifying the Empire's rise to power.
The wreckage of Imperial Star Destroyers appear in the first installment of the sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens (2015), set over 30 years after the fall of the Empire. Rey scavenges material from the crashed Imperial-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 commanded by the First Order, such as Kylo Ren's Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer, the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought, and Supreme Leader Snoke's flagship, the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy.
Novels and other media
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 Ravager, is the vessel whose wreckage appears in The Force Awakens. The Ravager</i>'s crash onto Jakku is depicted in the game Star Wars Battlefront (2015).
Star Wars Legends
In April 2014, most of the licensed Star Wars novels, games, and comics produced since 1977 (and prior to 2014), were rebranded by Lucasfilm as Star Wars Legends; and therefore declared non-canon to the franchise.[9][10] However, Star Destroyers feature in numerous Legends publications, with a considerable amount of additional notable information.
According to Star Wars roleplaying books 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.[11] Like the Victory- and Venator-class ships that precede it, this Star Destroyer is notable for its massive size and overwhelming firepower; a single Imperial-class ship is capable of overwhelming most starships or devastating a hostile planet, and its mere presence is often enough to deter rebellion.[11] At 1,600 meters (5,200ft) long, Imperial-class Star Destroyers are armed with turbolasers, ion cannons and tractor beam projectors.[11] They carry 72 TIE fighters, numerous ground forces (including stormtroopers, 20 AT-ATs and 30 AT-STs), a prefabricated base for rapid deployment to planetary surfaces, and a variety of support craft.[11] After the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance captured several Imperial-class ships and added them to their own fleet.[12] 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.[13]
Kevin J. Anderson's novel Darksaber describes a Super Star Destroyer as being "worth twenty Imperial Star Destroyers".[14] Described in A Guide to the Star Wars Universe (1984) as being 8 kilometers (5.0mi) long, Executor-class Super Star Destroyers were later described as being 19 kilometers (12mi) long.[15] In addition to Vader's command ship, Star Wars novels introduce the prison ship Lusankya and stealth-armored  Knight Hammer as ships in the class.[16][14]
The labels "Star Destroyer" and "Super Star Destroyer" are applied to several other massive Star Wars warships, such as the Pellaeon-class in the Legacy comic series (2006–2010), the reborn Emperor Palpatine's flagships Eclipse and Eclipse II in the Dark Empire series (1991–1995), and the Victory class first described in the early Star Wars novella Han Solo's Revenge (1979).[17][18]
Merchandise
Lego has released numerous Star Destroyer kits, including a 100-centimetre (39in) 3,104-piece Imperial-class Star Destroyer[19] and a 125-centimetre (49in) 3,152-piece model of the Executor.[20]
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.[21] An electronic Super Star Destroyer toy released by Hasbro "is the rarest among Hasbro's Collector Fleet".[22]
See also
Star Wars spacecraft
Star Wars starfighters


Sources


 in the StarWars.com Databank
 in the StarWars.com Databank
 in the StarWars.com Databank
 in the StarWars.com Databank
 on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
 on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
 on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
 on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki