Eclipse - class dreadnought The Eclipse " - class dreadnought , also known as the Eclipse " - class Super Star Destroyer , was a class of Imperial Super Star Destroyer manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards and mainly used around six years after the Battle of Endor . Like the " Sovereign " - class , they were regarded as a new generation of Super Star Destroyer . Characteristics . Size . The " Eclipse " - class vessels were among the largest dreadnought - scale ships / Super Star Destroyers ever to be fielded within Galactic history . Although technically being dwarfed in length by both the " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought and the " Vengeance " - class dreadnought by 1 . 5 kilometers , the " Eclipse " - class nonetheless exceeded even the " Executor " - class in terms of overall mass and volume . Its size was large enough for it to be classified as a space station . Offensive and defensive systems . The most deadly weapon carried by " Eclipse " - class ships was an axial superlaser , similar to but significantly less powerful than one of the component beams used in the Death Star ' s superlaser . This superlaser was the pinnacle of Imperial destruction in their fleets . An " Eclipse " superlaser easily had the power to destroy other Super Star Destroyers , as the " Annihilator " found out when Tyber Zann seized the " Eclipse " incredible power above Kuat . The axial superlasers were capable of slashing through any planetary shield to crack open a planet ' s crust and sear entire continental landmasses . The massive superlaser was more widely used to destroy enemy capital ships and space stations during combat . According to Admiral Conan Antonio Motti in the " " , the superlaser ' s intended use was to penetrate planetary shields as well as vaporize cities with a single blast . The class benefited from the most significant weaponry - improvements of the last few decades . This included gravity well projectors and improved ion cannons , the former of which were the same types included on the " Interdictor " - class Star Destroyers . Additionally , these behemoths were armed with hundreds of heavy laser and turbolaser mountings . In addition to its firepower , the " Eclipse " - class ' s hull armor and shields were so strong that it could ram enemy ships without hesitation . Propulsion systems . The " Eclipse " - class was more mobile than the Death Star , being equipped with both an enhanced hyperdrive and fast sublight engines . Complement . An " Eclipse " - class vessel carried 600 TIE / IN interceptors and 96 TIE Bombers , divided into 58 squadrons ; for ground assault , they carried 150 , 000 Imperial soldiers , 100 AT - ATs , and five prefabricated bases . The hangars were located at the sides of the vessel , with the fore and aft launch bays closely spaced underneath this area , towards the middle of the ship . Each ship of the class was crewed by over 700 , 000 personnel , and " Eclipse II " also carried a complement of Shadow Droid starfighters . Troop quarters were located on the lower frontal section of the vessel , in front of the hangar areas . Bridge tower . The bridge tower contained the main communications array and sensor array , located on the port and starboard sides , respectively . In addition to containing the main command station for the ship on the lower portion of the tower , it also housed the deflector shield command center , on the top area . The bridge tower was closer to the hull than that of traditional Star Destroyers of the " Imperial - I " and " Imperial - II " class . Variances . There were several variances between the two known vessels of this class , the " Eclipse I " and the " Eclipse II " : The " Eclipse I " possessed six engines on the back , whereas the " Eclipse II " possessed eight . In addition , the " Eclipse I " had the engines separate from each other and to the sides , whereas the " Eclipse II " engines were grouped together in a manner similar to other Star Destroyers . Lastly , the " Eclipse II " had a command bridge tower directly over the superlaser weapon that the " Eclipse I " lacked . History . While the lead ship , the " Eclipse " , was being built , the Empire also constructed an " Eclipse " - class prototype to use as a weapons testbed . This craft was later converted to become the battlestation " Tarkin " . The " Tarkin " was eventually destroyed by a Rebel sabotage team in 3 ABY . The " Eclipse " , alongside its sister ship , the " Eclipse II " , began construction early in the Galactic Civil War , around 0 ABY . The ship class , alongside that of a similar Star Dreadnought class called the " Sovereign " - class , were planned to revolutionize naval combat as well as ensure the dominance of the Imperial Navy up to the next century of its existence . Details of the planned design were included in the " " , an official " aide - memoire " for Imperial commanders . The " Eclipse " was built above Kuat , whereas the " Eclipse II " was built over Byss . The appearance of both ships ' hulls was derived from ancient nautical warships . By 4 ABY , both the " Eclipse " and the " Eclipse II " had its superlaser main weapon installed and in functional condition . However , both ships ended up significantly delayed in terms of completion thanks to Palpatine ' s demise and the power vacuum that ensued . The then - fledgling New Republic remained unaware of the " Eclipse " - class ' construction : through the New Republic Intelligence Service acquired a copy of the " Imperial Handbook " just after the Battle of Endor , this was the only information they received on the class and General Carlist Rieekan believed that the Empire had not made progress on the design . In addition , the crime lord Tyber Zann wanted to access records on the ship , and if possible steal the ship , so he attacked Kuat and took control of the ship , and used to it to damage an Imperial and rebel fleet ( with his manipulating the latter group into granting him access ) . Afterwards , Zann had no further use for the vessel , finding its size to be more cumbersome for laying low to even the Rebel Alliance , and left it adrift , until the New Republic attacked and destroyed the " Eclipse " Later on , this ship was completed and became the reborn Emperor Palpatine ' s flagship , with its sister ship " Eclipse II " assuming the same role after the original ' s destruction . Approximately 17 . 5 kilometers long on the keel , these jet - black battleships were among the largest Super Star Destroyers ever built , and among the most heavily armed warships of all time . In terms of scale , they were the successors to dreadnoughts like " Eye of Palpatine " and the Kuati Star Dreadnoughts that preceded the New Republic era . " Eclipse " took almost as long to construct as either of the Empire ' s Death Star battlemoons , and for most of her career , she served as an orbital battlestation at Byss . At some point later , the " Eclipse " came out of hyperspace , to which its black hull caused some New Republic forces to initially believe that it was a ghost ship , although they quickly realized that the ship was in fact real when it opened fire to which only the information officer , Nara Dun , survived and managed to inform New Republic forces about the devastating surprise attack . She was destroyed along with the reborn Emperor in 10 ABY , during an Imperial attack on Pinnacle Moon in the Da Soocha system , when Luke Skywalker and his sister , Princess Leia Organa Solo , managed to disrupt the Emperor ' s control of a titanic Force storm , a massive conflagration of dark side energy that the Emperor had summoned in order to wipe out the massed New Republic fleet . After this catastrophe , the " Eclipse II " replaced the original . It was slightly different than its predecessor , with different thrusters . Above the planet Onderon , Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles led a small boarding party against the mighty battleship , and R2 - D2 was able to override " Eclipse II " computer banks . The astromech droid then sent " Eclipse II " hurtling through hyperspace on a collision course with the superweapon Galaxy Gun . " Eclipse II " rammed the Galaxy Gun , destroying both . One last projectile was pulled by Byss ' gravity and impacted the planet , the resulting explosion annihilating Byss and the clones of Emperor Palpatine . Behind the scenes . The " Dark Empire Sourcebook " states that " Eclipse " was 17 . 5 kilometers long ; this contradicts the description given in " Dark Empire " , where the ship is said to reach " ten miles from stem to stern " , or 16 kilometers . The author of the " Dark Empire Sourcebook " has apparently suggested that an additional 1 . 5 kilometers was added to the first ship of this class . This is supposed to indicate that particular ship ' s customization and personalization , with the standard design being only 16 kilometers long . Alternatively , " ten miles from stem to stern " might be merely a vague , rhetorical figure , or the discrepancy may be the result of the long and spasmodic construction period , or it may represent a difference between " Eclipse " and " Eclipse II " . To add to the confusion , the " Eclipse " entry in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " states a length of 17 . 5 kilometers , where the Star Destroyer entry has the length at 16 kilometers , which could be a typo since the Star Destroyer is 1 , 600 meters long . Regardless of size , considering the initial statements of the size of " Executor " - class Star Dreadnoughts , it ' s clear that the Eclipse was intended to be much larger than them . With later statements about the size of Executor ships , the Eclipse is actually shorter , though still likely more massive and more destructive . There is also an apparent contradiction in the information on for " Eclipse " construction . According to the " Dark Empire Sourcebook " , design work on " Eclipse " was begun after the Battle of Hoth , while " Byss and the Deep Core " claims that she was under construction for as long as either Death Star , hinting a timeframe of decades ( it should be noted that , at the time " Byss and the Deep Core " was written , the timescale of Death Star construction was believed to be much shorter , on the order of years ) . " Byss and the Deep Core " further hints that " Eclipse " was parked in orbit at Byss before the Battle of Endor , as it is only in this timeframe that she could have served as a rendezvous point for meetings of the Grand Admirals as claimed in the text ( although the Grand Admirals referred to may be a new group that postdates the original 12 ) ; but " The Essential Chronology " says that she was built at Kuat and only moved to Byss four and a half years after the Battle of Endor , when she was stolen in a partially - completed state by Lira Wessex and her design team shortly before the shipyards surrendered to the New Republic . There are several ways of explaining these perceived discrepancies , but it is possible that , as with " Executor " and her sister - ship " Lusankya " ( also originally named " Executor " ) , " Eclipse " and " Eclipse II " were constructed simultaneously in two different shipyards , with the existence of each being kept secret from the people working on the other . The potential discrepancies in timeframe may be a matter of in - universe error , with the fictional authors who serve as the real - world writers ' proxies being unaware of the true length of construction . Some fans regard the stated power of " Eclipse " superlaser as paradoxical . It is described as not powerful enough to destroy a planet , but as capable of overpowering planetary shields and as 2 / 3rds the power of the Death Star ' s prime weapon ; but some fan calculations suggest that a weapon of such power would be more than sufficient to destroy a planet , and some fans believe that planetary shields are actually harder to destroy than planets . Those who wish to reconcile these beliefs with the canon statements suggest that the " 2 / 3rds " figure refers instead to the magnitude of the energy release as opposed to the total value ; this would put the main weapon below the threshold necessary to destroy a planet . Another possibility , as the Death Star ' s superlaser consisted of eight individual beams which combined into a single larger beam after firing , is that the " Eclipse " - class ' superlaser had 2 / 3rds the power of " one " of the Death Star superlaser ' s component beams . Alternatively , it may be that the fan - calculations are in error ; the exact destructive mechanism of a hypermatter - fueled superlaser isn ' t fully understood other than it being a direct energy transfer weapon . With " The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels " mentioning it as being made to penetrate a planet ' s crust , this is still far less than what either Death Star was capable of , which was pulverizing an entire planet . Another suggestion is that perhaps " Eclipse " could destroy a planet , but not if the shot ' s power is depleted by having to travel through a planetary shield .