Eclipse ( Eclipse - class ) The Eclipse was the first " Eclipse " - class dreadnought ever constructed and the lead ship and prototype of its class . It was built as a flagship for Emperor Palpatine , who used it after being reborn into one of his clone bodies . Both a powerful technological tool and a potent psychological weapon , the " Eclipse " boasted a planet ' s worth of weaponry and was almost unstoppable . The " Eclipse " was equipped with a bevy of weapons and other technologies , including gravity well projectors , but chief among its weapons was an axial superlaser , capable of cracking a planet ' s crust or destroying a capital ship in a single blow . For much of its existence , the " Eclipse " was under construction around the planet Kuat . Crime lord Tyber Zann captured the vessel from Imperial forces in 4 ABY to retrieve data from its memory banks , and abandoned it shortly thereafter , realizing that it would present far too big of a target to both Imperial and Rebel forces . The ship was later moved to Byss , where the reborn Emperor Palpatine took control of it as his personal battlestation and flagship . The " Eclipse " led an assault on the New Republic stronghold of Da Soocha V in 10 ABY , and in the battle was destroyed by one of Palpatine ' s Force storms . Specifications . The " Eclipse " was the lead ship of the 17 . 5 kilometer " Eclipse " - class dreadnought , the prototype of that class , and one of only two ships of the class to ever be built . Encased in a jet - black durasteel and quadranium alloyed hull , the immense ship was said to be the deadliest capital ship in the galaxy . By volume , the " Eclipse " was one of the largest warships ever built and the largest Star Destroyer ever , though in length it was somewhat shorter than the 19 kilometer " Executor " - class Star Dreadnoughts and " Vengeance " - class dreadnoughts . The ship ' s hull was also designed to resemble naval warships of eras long past . The interior of the " Eclipse " was similar to that of a Star Destroyer , though it was also outfitted with repair facilities and docking bays reminiscent of those found on space stations . The vessel had several war rooms suitable for high - level meetings of Imperial Navy staff . Troop quarters were located near the bow , at the aft end of the keel - like structure . The fore launch bay and hangar sat approximately midships , and about 2 . 5 kilometers behind them lay the aft launch bay . The vessel had other , smaller hangars throughout the ship as well , suited for shuttles and the like . The large hangars on the " Eclipse " were big enough to hold a " Victory " - class Star Destroyer . In practice , they were occupied by 600 TIE Interceptors , organized into fifty squadrons , and 96 TIE bombers , comprising eight squadrons . The " Eclipse " fighter escort alone could take on almost any New Republic fleet . In offensive weaponry , the " Eclipse " was outfitted with 550 heavy laser cannons , 500 turbolasers , 75 ion cannons , and a superlaser mounted along the spine of the ship , the equivalent of a planet ' s worth of weaponry . The " Eclipse " was one of the most heavily - armed starships ever built , and was in fact capable of holding off an entire New Republic fleet by itself . Its fighting ability was unmatched , and were it not for the unconventional means by which it was destroyed it is likely that it would have been a formidable power for the Empire even without accompanying starships . Other combat - oriented technologies included ten gravity well projectors , able to prevent enemy ships from entering hyperspace , 100 tractor beams , and an enhanced shield system . The shield systems , combined with the design of the hull were also powerful enough to be capable , without hesitation , of ramming enemy vessels and not suffer any major damage to the hull . Though the " Eclipse " was primarily designed for space combat , the vessel was geared for ground assaults as well . Every trooper stationed aboard the " Eclipse " , 150 , 000 in total , was specially selected . The soldiers on the vessel included a CompForce Assault Battalion , a newly created legion of Royal Guards , and a group of Imperial Sovereign Protector s as Palpatine ' s personal guard . Five prefabricated garrison bases and 100 All Terrain Armored Transports rounded out the " Eclipse " ground assault forces . 708 , 470 crew were assigned to the vessel as well , including 4 , 175 gunners , though the ship could run with as few as 88 , 500 crew members . The " Eclipse " had a tonnage of 600 , 000 metric tons , consumables capable of lasting 10 years , and was entirely self - sufficient . The ship ' s communications tower sat atop the bridge , its main communications array jutted from the tower ' s side , and the long - range communications system extended downward from the prow . The communications systems on the Eclipse were powerful enough to broadcast over all frequencies and drown out other signals , as Emperor Palpatine did during his invasion of the Cyax system in 10 ABY . Palpatine had a private command console on the vessel that could be used to access his personal records . The bridge tower of the " Eclipse " was asymmetric , with the main sensor array on the other side of the bridge from the communications array , and the deflector shield command perched on top of the bridge tower . An array of six drive engines on the " Eclipse " stern gave it a sublight acceleration of 940 G , and the ship ' s hyperdrive was rated at 2x — the backup hyperdrive , 6x . Both sublight and hyperdrive were enhanced to give the " Eclipse " maximum reaction speed . Superlaser . The most important development in the design of the " Eclipse " was its main weapon , a concealed superlaser running along the spine of the ship . Based on the technology of the Death Star , the " Eclipse " single superlaser could fire at two - thirds the power of one of the Death Star ' s superlaser components , a feat made possible by advances in superlaser focusing and generator technology . The weapon was capable of destroying even the most powerful planetary shields and entire continents in an instant . It could also crack the crust of planets and rip enemy capital ships apart with a single shot , although early in the " Eclipse " construction , the laser was prone to breakdowns . The superlaser was difficult to aim , as the entire vessel needed to be aligned with the target for it to do so . According to Admiral Motti in the field manual " Imperial Handbook : A Commander ' s Guide " , the superlaser ' s primary purpose was to penetrate planetary shields as well as destroy cities in a single blast . Role . The " Eclipse " was equipped with the firepower of an entire planet , making it a powerful foe in standard ship - to - ship combat . But the vessel ' s heavy hull plating and strong shields also made it possible to use the ship as a ramming device against virtually anything , destroying enemies through sheer impact force . According to Admiral Conan Antonio Motti , the " Eclipse " , alongside that of its class as well as its sister ship class " Sovereign " , were intended in early development to be next - generation Star Dreadnoughts for the purpose of solidifying Imperial rule within the next century . Though the " Eclipse " was a powerful warship in its own right , it was also designed as a psychological weapon . Its enormous size and black hull made for a powerful effect against enemies , and in battle it handily demoralized the opposing forces . The vessel ' s resemblance to ancient naval ships further enhanced its fearsome image . In addition to its use as a warship , the " Eclipse " also served for some time as an orbital space station above the Imperial capital of Byss . As well as being a constant symbol of Imperial dominance to the people of Byss , it was used as a meeting ground for officials in the Imperial Navy . History . Early construction . Intended to serve as a symbol of Imperial power , the " Eclipse " , alongside the " Eclipse II " , were commissioned directly by Palpatine , designed to meet his exact specifications . The first of a new line of Super Star Destroyers and the most recent of the Empire ' s plethora of superweapons , the Empire began construction on the " Eclipse " around the time of the Battle of Yavin , above Kuat . Although it was not the only prototype of the " Eclipse " - class dreadnought , with another having been converted into the mobile superlaser platform known as the " Tarkin " , it was the first of the class to be completed . During the early phases of construction , Palpatine visited the vessel several times . However , the " Eclipse " was later delayed in completion thanks to Palpatine ' s demise and the ensuing power vaccuum . Crime lord Tyber Zann , leader of the Zann Consortium , first became aware of the " Eclipse " shortly after Yavin , while following up rumors of secret vaults of treasure belonging to Palpatine . Amidst the wreckage of the Death Star , Zann ' s crew retrieved data pod s with details and construction schedules of the " Eclipse " , and believing that the records he sought were on the warship , Zann vowed to capture it . By a few months after Yavin , Zann had already begun sending out agents to investigate the " Eclipse " , an act that did not go unnoticed by the Empire . An armada of Imperial ships was assigned to guard the " Eclipse " at Kuat , and despite Zann ' s efforts to find a weakness in the Empire ' s blockade , it would be four years until he made his move . The crime lord discovered that the pass key to Palpatine ' s command console on the " Eclipse " was kept in a vault in the Imperial Archives on Coruscant , and even as Palpatine and Darth Vader went to the Death Star II in preparation for the Battle of Endor , Zann launched his raid on the archives . He was successful , and it was not long before he seized his chance to take the " Eclipse " in the chaos that followed the Imperial loss at Endor . The ships that would normally be guarding the warship had to regroup upon their return from Endor , and so Zann took his forces to Kuat . The Rebel Alliance sent a force to the system as well . Zann claimed he wanted to destroy the " Eclipse " , and while the Alliance engaged the forces of the Empire , his fleet made their move towards the vessel . As a heated battle broke out between the Rebels and Empire , Zann ' s crew meanwhile took a boarding shuttle onto the " Eclipse " , wrested control of the warship , and brought the superlaser online . The Consortium turned the superlaser on the amassed fleets , and with their motives revealed , the Rebels turned on them . As the conflict progressed , an Imperial fleet commanded by the " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought " Annihilator " entered from hyperspace to aid the thinning Imperial forces , after the Rebel Alliance navy had retreated . Unfortunately for the Consortium , the superlaser failed at this moment . However , Zann ' s boarding party aboard the " Eclipse " was soon able to reactivate the superlaser and destroy much of the Imperial fleet , after which the Consortium fleet mopped up the rest . Although Zann now had full control of the most powerful ship in the galaxy , after retrieving the pertinent data from Palpatine ' s records he abandoned the " Eclipse " for the Empire to retake . Zann knew the ship was too big of a target for the leading factions to ignore , and so left it to the Empire to complete its construction . After Endor . The " Eclipse " was seen by many as emblematic of the problems with Palpatine ' s military policy . The Imperial naval planners did not approve of lavish spending on a single behemoth over several smaller ships of the line , seeing it as a self - aggrandizing waste , and after Palpatine ' s apparent death in the Battle of Endor it was felt that this kind of purchasing could no longer be justified . Some even suggested scrapping it and using the freed resources to build more Star Destroyers . But Palpatine was not actually dead . While the galaxy believed him to have been killed at Endor , the Emperor had escaped to a clone body on Byss , and under his orders construction on the " Eclipse " continued . Still , to many it seemed as if construction on the vessel would never end . The " Eclipse " was said to have taken as long to construct as either of the Empire ' s Death Stars . Over the course of the " Eclipse " lengthy construction the builders incorporated decades ' worth of the latest achievements in technology , including the gravity well projectors , enhanced ion cannons , and improvements to the sublight engines and hyperdrive . In 8 . 5 ABY , the half - completed " Eclipse " left Kuat for the Deep Core , used by the Kuat Drive Yards staff to evacuate as the planet fell to the New Republic . It became a permanent fixture in orbit around the world of Byss , where construction resumed , aided by slave labor , and was eventually completed . In this time it served as an orbital battlestation , where Grand Admirals and other high - ranking members of the Imperial navy met to plan Imperial strategy . From its deck , Palpatine commanded his fleets in their campaign against the New Republic . Service . In 10 ABY , Palpatine at last decided to make his move against the New Republic , and determined that the world of Mon Calamari would be the first of the major Republic worlds to die . After an initial assault on the planet with his World Devastator s , Palpatine planned to personally lead the final attack on Mon Calamari from the " Eclipse " . He would not get this chance though , as his commander , the defected Rebel Luke Skywalker , sabotaged the Devastators , giving victory of the battle to the New Republic . But the Emperor was determined to destroy those who opposed him . The " Eclipse " was deployed into other battles , often scattering enemy fleets through sheer fear without a single shot being fired . When Palpatine made it his personal flagship , the terrible reputation it already held was increased even further . After the loss at Mon Calamari , Palpatine soon found a new target , the Republic headquarters on Da Soocha V . Accompanied by several Star Destroyer escorts , including two " Allegiance " - class battlecruisers , the " Eclipse " leapt into the Cyax system , almost destroying a Corellian gunship as it plowed by the much smaller vessel . The New Republic instantly identified the massive vessel as Palpatine ' s flagship . As the Rebels began broadcasting emergency commands , the " Eclipse " communications systems cut across all frequencies , transmitting a message from Emperor Palpatine to Leia Organa Solo that demanded she board his shuttle and be taken to the " Eclipse " . Leia was brought to a small hangar near the bow of the vessel , and was escorted off the shuttle to meet the Emperor himself . Through the Force , Leia felt only oppression and the dark side emanating from the ship . Leia met with Palpatine and her brother Luke Skywalker in a room much further aft , close to the bridge . Leia , despite Palpatine ' s efforts , was able to convince Luke to turn against the Emperor . In response , Palpatine summoned a Force storm , an enormous conflagration of dark side energy , and turned it on the massed New Republic fleet . Using their own powers of the Force , Luke and Leia created a wave of light side energy that stunned Palpatine and disrupted his control of the storm . The Force storm , its energies no longer directed by Palpatine , began consuming the " Eclipse " . As the pair of Jedi escaped the doomed flagship , the storm destroyed the last of it . Post - destruction . After Palpatine ' s return from his second death , he utilized a replacement vessel of the same class as the original , christened the " " Eclipse II " , " until it was destroyed by R2 - D2 sending it on a collision course with the Galaxy Gun . Behind the scenes . " Dark Empire " describes the " Eclipse " as " ten miles long from stem to stern " ; the " Dark Empire Sourcebook " and subsequent sources have clarified its length as 17 . 5 kilometers , or slightly less than eleven miles . The total design and construction time of the " Eclipse " is uncertain . Most sources , such as the " Dark Empire Sourcebook " , indicated that it had been under construction ever since the Battle of Hoth . However , " " , and " " , which references the game , show the " Eclipse " as already being under construction since the Battle of Yavin . Additionally , " Dark Empire Sourcebook " states that the ship was in construction as long as either Death Star ; since the publication of that and other sources that repeat the same information , the Death Star I was revealed to have been under construction for at least 19 years . However , the 2007 edition of " Starships of the Galaxy " explicitly states that the " Eclipse " began construction around the time of the Battle of Yavin .