Knight Hammer The Knight Hammer , originally named the Night Hammer , was a black " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought constructed in secret by Superior General Sander Delvardus and appropriated by Admiral Natasi Daala after Delvardus ' s death at her hands . Covered in stealth armor and hosting automated systems that allowed it to run with a fraction of the standard crew size , the " Knight Hammer " was particularly advanced for ships of its class . Daala used the Super Star Destroyer as a symbol of Imperial power , reuniting the remnants of the Empire under its banner as she prepared for an assault against the New Republic . When she decided to use the vessel against the New Jedi Order on Yavin 4 , she rechristened the ship from " Night Hammer " to " Knight Hammer " as a private joke and symbol of its intended role in eliminating the New Republic and Jedi . Daala ' s attack on Yavin 4 was thrown awry when the vanguard fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Gilad Pellaeon was pushed out of the Yavin system by the Jedi amassed on the moon below . Arriving shortly after , the " Knight Hammer " bombarded the moon and the Jedi facilities . The arrival of the New Republic MC90 cruiser " Galactic Voyager " under the command of Admiral Ackbar made the " Knight Hammer " divert its fire from the Jedi , but the Super Star Destroyer ' s firepower and Daala ' s reinforcements were able to hold the Republic forces at bay . Jedi Knight Callista Ming , however , infiltrated her way aboard the ship and rigged its complement of TIE bombers to fire their concussion missiles into the " Knight Hammer " engines . With its engines crippled , the " Knight Hammer " fell into the gas giant Yavin Prime and was destroyed . Description . An " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought , the " Knight Hammer " was advanced for Super Star Destroyers of its class . Plated with heavy black stealth armor , the vessel was nearly invisible to enemy forces . Measuring 19 kilometers , it was the equal of twenty " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers , wielding incredible firepower and having few vulnerabilities . The combination of its size and color gave the " Knight Hammer " potent psychological value , with its commander able to use it to demoralize enemies . It was a symbol of Imperial might , the most powerful ship in its fleet . The scale of the ship had drawbacks as well , though ; the " Knight Hammer " was both very expensive and cumbersome . It had at least 293 decks , and transport tubes ran through the ship to aid in moving around . Simple schematics of the " Knight Hammer " were provided throughout the vessel to help new recruits orient themselves in the massive ship . The " Knight Hammer " could carry a crew of up to one hundred thousand , a relatively small crew for its size . This was made possible by a network of highly redundant automated command systems . It could hold enough forces to serve as an occupation force on a conquered world . Thousands of TIE / LN starfighter s and TIE / sa bombers filled its launching bays , with certain bays in the aft of the ship , directly beside the massive engine systems , dedicated to bomber squadrons . Hundreds of escape pods were available in case an evacuation was required . The " Knight Hammer " featured an extravagant ready room , approximately the size of the command deck of a " Victory " - class Star Destroyer , in which the commander of the vessel could privately strategize . It came with its own sleeping quarters , was equipped with food processing stations , and had access to escape pods for the ship ' s command - level staff . A viewing window looked out onto the stars . History . Commissioning . Following its defeat in the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY , the Galactic Empire fragmented as a number of warlords broke away and founded independent kingdoms . In 5 ABY , one of them , Admiral Sander Delvardus , was driven from his holdings around Eriadu into the Deep Core by Sien Sovv of the New Republic . There he claimed the title " Superior General , " established his own personal satrapy , and began construction on a Super Star Destroyer , the " Night Hammer " . It was rumored that Delvardus called the ship " Night Hammer " in honor of his fallen love , Seledra - Zin , who Delvardus had put in a coma after striking her with a dynamic hammer in a fit of rage . Delvardus funneled away credits from the rest of what remained of the Empire , placing almost all of them into the massive ship ' s development . In 12 ABY , Admiral Natasi Daala had Delvardus and twelve more of the most powerful Deep Core warlords killed to prevent them from tearing apart Imperial unity . Upon investigating Delvardus ' s assets and finding that the warlord had siphoned away a large number of Imperial credits , Daala went to his fortress world to speak with his second in command , Colonel Ivan Cronus . Cronus took her to the edge of the planet ' s system where " Night Hammer " waited , and upon first seeing the vessel , Daala claimed it as her flagship . Daala at first used the " Night Hammer " in her effort to reunite the fragments of the Empire , taking the ship from system to system in order to secure loyalties , forge alliances , and motivate the subjects of the Empire to work harder . Around her new ship , Daala gathered 112 " Victory " - class Star Destroyers and another 45 " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers ; the " Night Hammer " and its accompanying fleet remained docked at a nexus station in the Deep Core as Daala prepared to take action with her new forces . She met with Vice Admiral Gilad Pellaeon in the " Night Hammer " ready room to select their first target ; after concluding that Coruscant was too difficult a fight and putting it off as a later potential target , Daala decided to eliminate the New Jedi Order at their Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 . With the " Victories " , Cronus would occupy the New Republic ' s attention elsewhere , while Pellaeon would lead the first wave of the attack on Yavin with the " Imperials " and Daala would follow in the " Night Hammer " to secure the system . When two Jedi Knights , Kyp Durron and Dorsk 81 , infiltrated Daala ' s muster of the fleet and overheard her plans , the Admiral was forced to move up her schedule . Cronus was dispatched to wreak havoc on Khomm and elsewhere , while Pellaeon was sent directly to Yavin 4 with his fleet of seventeen " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers . Aboard " Night Hammer " , Daala gathered enough of her forces to permanently occupy the praxeum . Daala ' s final order before launching was to rechristen the ship " Knight Hammer " , as a symbol of her planned destruction of the New Republic through the annihilation of the Jedi . The battle of Yavin 4 . Having been warned by the Jedi about the impending attack , Admiral Ackbar of the New Republic took his portion of the fleet , including his flagship , the MC90 cruiser " Galactic Voyager " , and headed for Yavin 4 . Meanwhile , Pellaeon had encountered a setback ; the Jedi had combined forces to push his entire fleet out of the Yavin system . When the " Knight Hammer " arrived in - system , it was to find no forces around Yavin 4 . Daala initiated a scan of the system for Pellaeon ' s fleet , but to no avail . Unwilling to commit her snubfighter s to a battle where the enemy had resources she had not anticipated , Daala ordered the " Knight Hammer " flights of TIE fighters and bombers to stand down . Instead , the " Knight Hammer " jammed communications , dropped into orbit around Yavin 4 , and opened fire on the moon with all its turbolaser batteries , targeting Jedi structures and setting the surrounding forests aflame . The " Millennium Falcon " , carrying Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and Jedi Knight Callista Ming , among others , arrived in the Yavin system mid - bombardment , and the " Knight Hammer " turned some of its guns on the other ship . As the " Falcon " avoided its fire , the " Knight Hammer " dispatched its TIE fighters to bring down the smaller vessel . However , the " Falcon " was able to evade them , too , and got to ground on the moon below , where Skywalker aided in fighting off the Imperial ground forces . Ming , meanwhile , hijacked a TIE bomber and flew it back up to the " Knight Hammer " , where she faked damage and was granted entry into the Super Star Destroyer ' s rear bomber bay , still holding its full complement of bombers . Meanwhile , the " Falcon " , under the command of Han Solo , headed back into space to make a run at the " Knight Hammer " . The Super Star Destroyer ceased firing on the moon below and turned all guns on the " Falcon " , then launched four squadrons from its forward hangar against the ship . It was at this point that Ackbar ' s fleet arrived , consisting of the " Galactic Voyager " and four CR90 corvettes . As the New Republic forces sent the TIE fighters into retreat back to the Super Star Destroyer and provided sanctuary for the " Falcon " , the " Knight Hammer " opened fire on the " Voyager " . Ackbar intended to hold off Daala until New Republic reinforcements reached Yavin , but before he had a chance , Cronus and his fleet of " Victory " - class Star Destroyers arrived in system to join forces with Daala . Catching the New Republic ships off guard , Cronus ' s fleet took out one of Ackbar ' s corvettes . The " Knight Hammer " began indiscriminately firing into the battle , catching one of Cronus ' s ships in the crossfire . One more corvette was taken out , and Cronus himself was killed when a damaged corvette piloted itself into his flagship . The " Galactic Voyager " broke away from the moon and headed for the gas giant Yavin Prime , and the " Knight Hammer " pursued . As they closed on Ackbar ' s vessel , Daala got word from Pellaeon outside the system , where his ships had at last settled . As the battle outside was taking place , Ming locked out the " Knight Hammer " personnel from the bay she was docked in and began rigging each bomber to automatically fire its concussion missiles into the bulkhead separating the bay from the engines . She then fled the bay via transport tube , heading for the ship ' s bridge . As she neared it , the timer ran out and the bombers opened fire . A volley of missile explosions ripped open the aft end of the " Knight Hammer " , and the Super Star Destroyer ' s engines went dead . The power throughout the vessel dropped , a shockwave rippled its way toward the bow , and the ship went dead in space and began to drift directly into the gas giant . The entire rear third of the ship sealed itself off as life support failed throughout the vessel and toxins began leaking into the habitable areas . Out among Daala ' s fleet , panic broke out as the Imperials witnessed the extensive damage done to the " Knight Hammer " . Daala called for assistance from Cronus , but upon learning that he was dead , she was forced to reassess the situation . She realized the " Knight Hammer " was irreparable in the time she had left , and was doomed to fall into Yavin ; what was more , the rest of the New Republic fleet arrived in that moment , vastly outnumbering her remaining forces . At that , Daala ordered an evacuation of the " Knight Hammer " . She remained behind as her bridge crew left , letting them believe she was going down with the ship , then headed for the command escape pods in her ready room . However , she was stopped by Callista Ming , who intended to delay Daala long enough to doom her in the ship ' s death . After fruitlessly shooting at her with a blaster and having her shots deflected by Ming ' s lightsaber , Daala hit Ming with a stun blast , knocking the Jedi unconscious . As the " Knight Hammer " fell into the atmosphere of Yavin , Daala evacuated the doomed vessel . Ming recovered and followed shortly after . The " Knight Hammer " , heated by atmospheric friction and crushed by pressure , exploded as it hurtled into the depths of the gas giant . Commanders and crew . Though the " Night Hammer " was built for Sander Delvardus , Natasi Daala was its first and only commander . Despite her preference for a smaller command post , Daala believed that an officer of her position could have no lesser a ship than the Super Star Destroyer . She used the vessel as a psychological weapon , expecting its arrival in a battle to be a blow to the opposing side ' s morale . Her renaming of the vessel was symbolic of the destruction she hoped it would inflict on the New Republic and Jedi , and to Daala proved she had a sense of humor . The Admiral placed stock in her image and mystique , letting her crew believe she was going down with her ship when the vessel was doomed . With a maximum complement of one hundred thousand , the " Knight Hammer " crew was small for a ship of its size . Despite the usual Imperial policy against females in the military , the vessel under Daala had female officers in its bridge crew . Throughout her travels around the remnants of the Empire in the Super Star Destroyer , Daala was also accompanied by a detachment of Royal Guards . Behind the scenes . The " Knight Hammer " was created for Kevin J . Anderson ' s 1995 novel " Darksaber " . " Darksaber " declares the ship to be as large as the " Executor " , which as of 1995 was eight kilometers ; the novel , in fact , also specifically states the ship is eight kilometers long . Since then , however , the " Executor " and all ships of its class have been retcon ned to nineteen kilometers long .