Thrawn ' s fleet Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn was the last of Emperor Palpatine ' s original college of Grand Admirals , who took command of the scattered forces of the Galactic Empire five years after the deaths of Palpatine and Darth Vader by the Rebel Alliance at the Battle of Endor . After returning from the Unknown Regions , Thrawn took control of the remnants of the Empire as its new supreme commander , with the intention of waging war against the New Republic , the galactic government the Rebel Alliance had formed into . Reorganizing the Imperial military war machine , Thrawn used the fleet as part of his campaign against the New Republic . Launching attacks into New Republic controlled space , he was able to reconquer as much as a third of the galaxy in a matter of months , before his death at Bilbringi , which saw his fleet lose a lot of its impetus and power in the galaxy . Such success would have been impossible without a fleet to command , which saw Thrawn ' s fleet as a vital part of his campaign against the New Republic . History . Beginnings . Roughly five years after the Battle of Endor , the Battle where the Empire had been defeated by the Rebel Alliance and the Emperor killed , Thrawn returned from the Unknown Regions of the galaxy . On his return from the Unknown Regions , for the second time in his life , Grand Admiral Thrawn was a high ranking officer of the Imperial military , holding the position of Grand Admiral . Described by such historians as the young Devaronian history student Pollo Tipn as one of the most capable and cunning soldiers the Emperor commanded , Thrawn ' s tactical abilities saw him rise to the position of Grand Admiral despite being a Chiss , and despite the Emperor ' s xenophobia . Having had command of ships prior to the Battle of Endor , as a Grand Admiral , the defeat and scattering of the Empire saw Thrawn ' s access to a large fleet removed . Thrawn , however , still attempted to retain a number of ships , and to ensure he was able to take control of the Imperial Remnant , the Remnant of the Empire , as Grand Admiral and leader . Despite the fact that a number of commanders and warlords considered themselves above him in terms of importance , tactical prowess and ability , Thrawn was able to gather a fleet small in comparison with that of the Empire prior to the Battle of Endor , however large enough so as to be regarded as the new leader of the Empire , accepted by the Moffs , the governor ' s of Imperial sectors , and the Ruling Council , the Council composed of numerous Imperial Advisor s . The core of Thrawn ' s fleet , which he was beginning to build , was his personal armada , built around his flagship " Chimaera " and five other " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers . Beginning the offensive . The first beginnings of the campaign involved a number of Imperial missions to the planet Bimmisaari , to capture the pregnant Leia Organa Solo , the sister of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and a member of the ruling body of the New Republic at the time , the Provisional Council . Thrawn , unknown in both name and position to the New Republic at the time , began mobilizing the Imperial Remnant , and his fleet . The first combat a member ship of Thrawn ' s fleet saw was on the planet Nkllon , where the " Judicator " attacked the mobile mining facility , Nomad City . This facility was owned by the human Lando Calrissian , friend to Organa Solo and a former General in the Rebel Alliance during the Battle of Endor . During the Raid on Nomad City , the outpost was raided and the Empire stole fifty - one mole miners , large mining devices . Criminal boss Talon Karrde rescued Luke Skywalker from searching Imperial forces , before subduing him and imprisoning him in their base on the planet Myrkr . Han Solo , husband of Leia and former criminal , and Lando Calrissian attempted to find Karrde , and were tipped off by a member of his organization as to the location of the base on Myrkr . After Skywalker ' s escape from his imprisonment , the " Chimaera " came out of orbit above the planet at the same time that a member of Karrde ' s organization gave pursuit . Landing craft were dispatched by the " Chimaera " to Karrde ' s camp . Patrols were sent to capture Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade , member of Karrde ' s group . Planning from Karrde ' s group , Han and Lando allowed Skywalker and Jade to be rescued , the Empire and the " Chimaera " not taking them prisoner . The next time the fleet saw action was in the first major battle of Thrawn ' s campaign , the raid on the planet Sluis Van , in an attempt to gain a number of ships for his cause . Using a cloaking device from the Empire ' s private storehouse on the planet Wayland , Thrawn cloaked his warships and the mole miners stolen from Nkllon and infiltrated the shipyard . Using the mole miners to burn into the command centers of the ships , Thrawn would have been able to steal the entire fleet from the New Republic , however Calrissian activated the mole miners thrusters , using a control code , to render the ships Thrawn was trying to steal inoperable . Of Thrawn ' s fleet , five of the six Imperial Star Destroyers of were present at the battle . The ship missing from the engagement was the " Judicator " , being refitted after the strike on Nkllon . These five ships were supported by a close support squadron of twelve " Strike " - class medium cruisers , and a picket line of twenty - two " Carrack " - class light cruisers , with thirty TIE squadrons deployed in the fighter screen . The main offensive . After the Battle of Sluis Van , Han Solo discovered former Rebel General Garm Bel Iblis and his private militia . Part of the ships in Bel Iblis ' militia were made up of those from the " Katana " fleet , a fleet of ships supposedly lost for some time . The Empire , however , wished to expand their ships , as Thrawn had procured the technology to be able to grow clones . Needing ships to be crewed by the clones , Thrawn jumped at the chance to gain such ships . Reaching the man who knew the location of the ships , Hoffner , first , the Empire were able to make their way to the location of the " Katana " fleet . The New Republic , however , eventually learnt of the location , and so were able to reach the location too . Finding the Empire already there , the Battle for the " Katana " fleet ensued , with the " Judicator " participating as part of Thrawn ' s personal Armada , in addition to the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Peremptory " . With the Empire ' s benefit of having reached their first , they managed to move most of the ships before the New Republic had arrived . The New Republic ' s tactical victory saw the " Judicator " , in terms of Thrawn ' s personal armada , driven off , and the " Peremptory " destroyed . This saw Thrawn ' s fleet expanded , allowing the incoming clones to have a great deal of ships they were able to crew . With these new ships , Thrawn stepped up his campaign a gear , launching a three pronged attack on the planets Crondre , Ando , Filve and Ord Pardron . A great majority of the ships in Thrawn ' s fleet participated , the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Bellicose " attacking Ando , Filve being attacked by the " Judicator " and Crondre the " Nemesis " , an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer from Thrawn ' s personal Armada . Thrawn ' s flagship , the " Chimaera " , attacked the planet Ukio , in addition to the attack . With the main aim of the three pronged attack being to exhaust the New Republic base on Ord Pardron , so it could be easily taken , the attacks were a success . Insane clone of a long dead Jedi Master , Joruus C ' baoth , had been calling for Thrawn to capture Leia Organa Solo and her unborn twins for him so he could " train " them . After a strike team sent to the New Republic capital of Coruscant failed , Thrawn agreed to take the fleet there in person . Launching an attack on Ord Mantell to ensure the Republic failed to anticipate the attack on Coruscant , Thrawn took the " Chimaera " and another " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer in his personal Armada to Coruscant . In addition to the other ships , this made a strong attack force on the New Republic capital . Laying siege to Coruscant , using asteroids orbiting the planet to stop ships daring to enter or leave , Thrawn and his fleet were able to cut off Coruscant from the rest of the galaxy . Having launched a successful second attack on Calrissian ' s Nomad City , attack on Generis and on Xa Fel , the next major battle was the Battle of Bilbringi . All of Thrawn ' s personal Armada participated in this battle , in addition to the two Immobilizer 418 cruisers " Sentinel " and " Constrainer " . Despite , at first , the battle seemingly going well for the Empire , it soon turned around . The assassination of Thrawn at the hands of his Noghri bodyguard Rukh saw the Empire leaderless , and Thrawn ' s second in command , Captain Gilad Pellaeon , gave the order to retreat . This saw the end of the Thrawn campaign , with the " Chimaera " , the former flagship , now being under the control of Pellaeon . Key ships of the fleet . Thrawn ' s personal armada . Thrawn ' s personal armada consisted of six " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers . The first , " Chimaera " , was the flagship and prime ship of Thrawn ' s personal armada and , indeed , Thrawn ' s fleet in general . Commanded by Thrawn himself , with Pellaeon as his deputy , the " Chimaera " saw action in numerous battles of the campaign . " Death ' s Head " , under the command of Imperial Captain Harbid , saw action at such battles as the assault on the New Republic base of Ord Pardron , the Siege of Coruscant and the Battle of Bilbringi , where it made it ' s last appearance . The third ship in Thrawn ' s personal armada , " Inexorable " , saw action at the battles of Bpfassh , Sluis Van and Bilbringi . The Captain of the " Inexorable " wasn ' t known . The fourth ship in the fleet , " Judicator " , was under the command of Captain Brandei , and saw action in three battles of the campaign . Having been one of the only ships in Thrawn ' s personal armada to have seen action at the Battle of Endor , " Judicator " first saw action under Thrawn with the attack on Nomad City . " Judicator " was also present at the Battle for the " Katana " fleet , where Captain Brandei became incensed at the New Republic for the destruction of the " Peremptory " . The final battle " Judicator " saw in the campaign was , like many of the fleet , the Battle of Bilbringi . The penultimate ship in Thrawn ' s personal armada , the " Nemesis " , saw action only at Sluis Van and Bilbringi . The final ship in Thrawn ' s personal armada , the " Stormhawk " , saw action in exactly the same battles as the " Nemesis " . Other " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers . Three other " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers were part of the main fleet yet not of Thrawn ' s personal armada . The first , the " Bellicose " , was Captained by Imperial captain Aban . The three pronged attack on Ukio saw the " Bellicose " strike at the world of Filve . The second ship in such a category was the " Peremptory " . It was destroyed by Han Solo in the battle for the " Katana " fleet . The final ship , the " Relentless " , was Captained by Imperial captain Dorja . This ship too , along with the " Judicator " , saw action at the Battle of Endor . The " Relentless " was first part of the battle over New Cov tangling with three of Bel Iblis ' s dreadnaught cruisers . Later , it would assist in the diversionary attacks necessary to take Ukio . The ship ' s final appearance was at the Battle of Bilbringi , where the Thrawn campaign came to an end . " Victory " - class Star Destroyers . Two " Victory " - class Star Destroyers were a part of Thrawn ' s fleet , neither seeing much action under Thrawn . The " Adamant " , the first of the two , was dispatched to the planet Abregado - rae to intercept Mara Jade . It saw very little combat under Thrawn , however remained as a part of the fleet . " Interdictor " - class Star Destroyers . Three " Interdictor " - class Star Destroyers were a part of Thrawn ' s fleet , none of them being a part of Thrawn ' s personal Armada . Commanded by Imperial Lieutenant Dezon , the " Constrainer " was first used in Thrawn ' s first attempt to capture Luke Skywalker , who he felt was a vital part of the New Republic . This attack was unsuccessful , however the " Constrainer " saw action again in the attempt to capture Talon Karrde on Myrkr , however was unsuccessful in that venture too . The final battle the " Constrainer " participated in was the Battle of Bilbringi , and the defeat of Thrawn ' s fleet . The second " Interdictor " - class Star Destroyer was the " Rampart " , a cruiser in the Imperial Navy . The third , and final , was the " Sentinel " , which participated too in the Battle of Bilbringi . Organization . The armada was mainly used by the Grand Admiral as a personal flying column for planetary conquests and long - range strikes , as at the planets Sluis Van or Ukio , which could also combine with other forces in campaign warfare , and serve as the centrepiece of larger fleet formations for major set - piece battles . All in all , Thrawn ' s armada can perhaps be compared for its size and significance to Darth Vader ' s Death Squadron — albeit without a Super Star Destroyer command ship . His amassed fleet was noted as being only a small portion of the Empire ' s once unimaginably vast war fleet , which made its great success against the New Republic all the more astounding . Nevertheless , many details still remain unclear . Even the armada ' s operational designation is unknown , and while " Chimaera " had apparently been serving for the previous five years as command ship for the remnants of the fleet deployed at Endor , it is uncertain what relationship this armada bore to that once - larger formation ; Captain Brandei of the " Judicator " was likewise a veteran of Endor , but during the intervening years , at least one of the Star Destroyers in the squadron , " Inexorable " , had apparently been serving with the Grand Admiral in the Unknown Regions . Needless to say , Thrawn ' s front - line fleet was not limited to a half - dozen Star Destroyers . Other " Imperial " - class and " Victory " - class Star Destroyers are known to have operated in direct support of the armada , and as tactics required , the ships of the armada could be intermingled with additional forces . For example , in a series of synchronized strikes against planets near Sluis Van , in the preliminaries to the assault on the shipyard described above , the ships of the armada were grouped with other Star Destroyers and then temporarily reorganized into three battlegroups of four , with each Star Destroyer being escorted by a dedicated task force of approximately five smaller ships . As the campaign progressed , additional resources were deployed to reinforce the fleet , such as the first wing of Scimitar assault bomber s and the 178 recovered Katana fleet " Dreadnaught " - class heavy cruisers . One image , probably representing a point late in the campaign , shows a mustered force of at least two dozen " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers , supported by " Dreadnaught " heavy cruisers . Away from the battle plane , of course , further elements of the Imperial military remained deployed in defensive roles . For instance , the Chazwa system , a transport hub , had the Interdictor cruiser " Rampart " as its guardship , while the Ubiqtorate base at Tangrene warranted a minimum squadron of two " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers and ten smaller warships , sometimes upgraded to more than fifty capital ships . The ground forces of Thrawn ' s fleet were that of Stormtroopers , AT - STs , and AT - ATs . The 501st Legion was under the control of Thrawn during his campaign . Despite having the Stormtrooper corp under his commend , there was a shortage of personnel for Thrawn ' s fleet . To solve this Thrawn used Spaarti cloning cylinder s from Wayland , and was able to clone legions of stormtroopers , TIE pilot s and Imperial officers as crews for his starfighters and capital ships , as well as for action in his ground assaults . Following Thrawn ' s death at Bilbringi , Gilad Pellaeon took command of the fleet and withdrew it to the edge of the Unknown Regions ; they were approached by the Ciutric Hegemony , and appear to have subsequently participated in Operation Shadow Hand ( specifically the capture of Duro ) . Behind the scenes . The " Chimaera " along with " Inexorable " , " Death ' s Head " , " Stormhawk " and " Nemesis " appear together in mission 6 : 2 of " " .