Venator - class Star Destroyer / Legends The Venator " - class Star Destroyer , also known as the Venator " - class Destroyer , Republic attack cruiser , and later Imperial attack cruiser , was one of the capital ships used extensively by the Galactic Republic during the later parts of the Clone Wars , as well as by the Galactic Empire . It was designed and constructed by Kuat Drive Yards and Allanteen Six shipyards . Characteristics . Dimensions . A stock ship was 1 , 137 meters long , making it one of the largest capital ships capable of atmospheric operations , landing on planets to load and unload troops and vehicles . The " Venator " - class was born from the success of the " Acclamator " - class assault ship and was designed by Lira Blissex for the purpose of serving as a medium - sized , versatile multi - role warship . Roles . While designed primarily for ship - to - ship combat , the " Venator " had secondary roles ranging from starfighter carrier , to military transport and battleship escort . The expanded carrier role made the " Venator " - class popular amongst Jedi starfighter aces . As a popular multi - role warship of the Republic Navy , the " Venator " was considered heavily armed and armored enough to lead assaults on Rim worlds like Utapau as well as fast enough to chase down blockade runner s . Due to being relatively less self - sufficient than other ships in the fleet , the " Venator " - class often relied upon supply lines to aid long - range campaigns . These vessels also sported the red color of diplomatic immunity all Republic ships sported ; by the beginning of the Galactic Empire , the hulls were deprived of this symbol of the Republic , giving them a dull Imperial - gray appearance . Offensive and defensive systems . The armament of a single " Venator " - class Star Destroyer consisted of eight DBY - 827 heavy dual turbolaser turret s , two medium dual turbolaser cannons , fifty - two point - defense dual laser cannons or turbolasers , and four heavy proton torpedo tubes . The " Venator " - class ' s eight heavy dual turbolaser turrets were its main weapons and had two tracking modes . In its precise , long - range tracking mode , the DBY - 827 could hit a target vessel at a range of ten light minutes . During close - range fights , the turrets could rotate in three seconds with their fast - tracking mode . In terms of firepower , these weapons rivaled the main battery on the later " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyers . The DBY - 827 had seven different power settings . This allowed the " Venator " pilots and gunners to select a range of destruction , from a small strike to a vaporizing blow . As a true warship , the " Venator " - class Star Destroyer could divert almost all of its reactor output to its heavy turbolasers when needed . As a result of this , a flotilla of " Venator " s could break through the shields of a Trade Federation battleship with ease . At the suggestion of Anakin Skywalker , a heavy SPHA turbolaser cannon was installed within the ventral hangar bay of some " Venator " - class ships of the Open Circle Fleet . These weapons were meant to protect the Star Destroyers while they opened their long ventral doors to the army complement bays . They would be used to considerable effect during the Battle of Coruscant . Propulsion systems . " Venator " s were equipped with powerful engines , a Class 1 hyperdrive with an effective range of 60 , 000 light year s . Its main reactor could annihilate up to 40 , 000 tons of hypermatter fuel per second , producing at maximum 3 . 6 × 10 watts of power . This power was routed to four primary thrusters , two secondary thrusters and two tertiary thrusters , with four on either side of the hyperdrive mounting . The main engine room had several vertical power cylinders littering the room , with walkways on different levels providing access to onboard personnel . Complement . Despite possessing powerful weaponry and being on par with the " Victory " - class , the " Venator " - class was designed with an additional starfighter carrier role in mind . Its hangars were far larger than those on other Star Destroyers like the " Victory " - class and later models like the " Imperator / Imperial " - class . Prior to the formation of the Galactic Empire , a typical Republic Venator carried a complement of 420 fighters : 192 V - wing or V - 19 Torrent starfighters , 192 Eta - 2 " Actis " - class interceptors , and at least 36 ARC - 170 starfighters . The ship also typically maintained a variety of shuttles in its hangars . Since it was capable of entering a planet ' s atmosphere and landing on its surface , the pre - Imperial " Venator " - class had a standard complement of 40 LAAT / i gunships and 24 military walkers for planetary operations . The cruiser was also capable of holding one prefabricated garrison base for long term battles on planets . In addition to a standard ventral hangar bay , the bow of a Venator could open up to reveal a half kilometer long dorsal flight deck . This flight deck enabled the " Venator " - class to rapidly launch hundreds of fighters . However , the slow opening and closing of the armored bow doors could leave the ship extremely vulnerable . Although strong shielding was used to compensate for this weakness , this design aspect would be entirely omitted from later Star Destroyer designs , such as the " Imperator / Imperial " - class . On ships in the Open Circle Fleet , a SPHA turbolaser cannon was positioned near the ventral hangar opening for the purpose of protecting the ship along the ventral arc . The " Venator " - class also had hangar - openings on its port and starboard side . These were used to dock with space stations , mooring towers , and larger starships , for the purpose of transferring troops and materials . Command tower . Because of its carrier role , the " Venator " - class featured a novel dual bridge tower design . The port tower was the starfighter command bridge , while the starboard tower served as a standard helm and command bridge . On future designs , this dual bridge design was also employed . A similar dual - tower design was also seen on the " Secutor " - class Star Destroyer . The command bridge was designed with dual crew pits where operators would be stationed to control the ship ' s various functions . Officers would patrol walkways above and have a panoramic view to the outside . This bridge design would become a standard feature on most Imperial warships . On top of each tower was a hyperwave communications and scanner module . Its function was similar to the scanner globes on the " Imperial " - class and other KDY vessels , but it had a flat shape . Flagships in " Venator " flotillas had red - painted conning towers to separate them from others . History . Republic origin . The " Venator " - class shared some design - characteristics with a warship class that served in the Mandalorian Neo - Crusader fleet thousands of years before the Clone Wars . " Venator " - class Star Destroyers were deployed in many battles during the Clone Wars , most notably during the Battle of Coruscant when upwards of a thousand such ships helped protect the capital , and played pivotal roles in the repulsion of the CIS forces and the rescue of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine . Separatist forces categorized this kind of vessel as Cruiser - class , to contrast the Escort - class designation for smaller vessels , like the " Arquitens " - class and " Consular " - class . These warships were fast enough to pursue blockade runner s , while also being large enough to lead independent operations , such as the Battle of Cato Neimoidia , Battle of Kashyyyk , and the Battle of Utapau . They could be used to land troops on planetary surfaces , and serve as escorts for larger battleships , but their primary role was as mainline cruisers and starfighter carriers . As ships of the line , they were often grouped in lines of three to four ships . Imperial period and beyond . By the end of the Clone Wars , it had become the most popular capital ship of the Republic , although shortly after the formation of the New Order , it was eclipsed by designs inspired by the " Victory " - class . Despite this , " Venator " s were used to great effect in the early years of the Empire . In the Empire , these ships were stripped of the colorful markings of the Republic models . At least two " Venator " s were involved in pursuing the L - 4000 smuggler ship " Uhumele " alongside a contingent of fighter squadrons . Eventually , more robust vessels such as the " Imperator " - and " Tector " - class became favored , and the " Venator " and its variants were phased out . This was partially due to its over - reliance on starfighters , as it went against the prevailing Tarkin Doctrine and due to its prominent position in the Republic Navy , which the Empire attempted to distance itself from . This led to even more fringe groups obtaining " Venator " s , as well as several Imperial Moffs , who used them in their private defense fleets , and for their various militias . The Mandalorian Supreme Strategist commanded a " Venator " Star Destroyer during the early years of the Galactic Civil War . It was destroyed during an engagement above Mandalore with a Zann Consortium fleet . The Imperial Navy used several " Venator " s as flight schools for military pilots , alongside several " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers and captured " Lucrehulk " - class battleships . The " Vensenor " was a notable vessel that served in this role . Imperial " Venator " s were also used as part of the security cordon for the Sanctuary Pipeline to the Endor system during the construction of the Death Star II . At least one " Venator " served in Admiral Daala ' s Maw Irregular Fleet in 40 ABY to 44 ABY . At least two were used in the Evacuation of Dac in 137 ABY . Behind the scenes . The engine room of the " Venator " - class is modeled after the Gravity Control System of the SDF - 1 Macross , from the first anime series . In " " , the " Venator " - class is described both as serving the part of a destroyer escorting larger Republic battleships , and described as a battleship itself ( the latter in the section on the " Invisible Hand " ) . This is most likely a reference to different classification systems being in use , one of which labels Star Destroyers like the " Victory " - and " Venator " - classes being medium - sized destroyers , while another labels them as battleships . In the same book , the Utapaun s are said to use " downscaled " warships , such as the " Dreadnaught " - class heavy cruiser . This explains why the " Dreadnaught " - class is often referenced as a cruiser rather than a frigate ( even when many were rebuilt into assault frigates ) , despite being smaller than both the Empire ' s Star Destroyers and their Star Cruisers . A similar system would be described by New Republic scholars as the Imperial Classification System in many of the West End Games sourcebooks . In the early development of " " , the " Venator " - class was seen in at least one or two promotional screenshots . It was then featured in the demo but was cut from the final game , though it can be modded back into the game completely . The unit was eventually included in " Empire at War " expansion pack " " and can be purchased in the game ' s Skirmish free - play mode ; it is not available , however , in story - related scenarios .