Star Dreadnought / Legends Star Dreadnought , sometimes spelled Star Dreadnaught , was a formal designation for some of the largest and strongest battleships in the starfleets of regional and galactic governments . Under the Anaxes War College System , " Star Dreadnought " referred to any warship in excess of five kilometers in length . The term " Super Star Destroyer " was also applied colloquially ( and sometimes derisively ) to some of these ships by the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire . In these cases , Star Dreadnoughts were noted as being the largest Super Star Destroyers . In turn , the lower - case term star dreadnought could be used to describe Super Star Destroyers in general . Various classes of Star Dreadnoughts were known to have served in the Kuat Drive Yards defense fleets , the Republic Navy , the Imperial Navy , the New Republic Defense Fleet and the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet . Their sizes eclipsed most conventional warships , peaking with the " Executor " - class at 19 km in length , and the " Eclipse " - class , with its unequaled mass and weaponry . History . Private service . During the centuries leading up to the Clone Wars , important and rich galactic sectors were protected by private self - defense forces . The Kuat sector had among its arsenal the eight - kilometer " Mandator " - class Star Dreadnaught , a class that entered service at some point prior to 39 BBY . They were large battleships equipped with heavy firepower , but had a limited range on their hyperdrives . " Mandator " s were primarily used to protect the valuable Kuat Drive Yards , as well as defend the general sector . Clone Wars era and beyond . By the start of the Clone Wars , seven of what KDY classified as Star Dreadnoughts were in service : three defended Kuat , while the Azure , Ixtlar , Alsaka and Humbarine sector s had one each . As the Clone Wars raged , heavier warships as well as increased loyalty were demanded , and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine pushed through legislation that made all home fleets fall under the centralized command of the restored Republic Navy . The Kuat Drive Yards produced the faster , more heavily - armed and - armored " Mandator II " during this period . Three new " Mandator II " s were built , while three earlier " Mandator " s were uparmored and refitted . All of them saw use in defending the Core Worlds against Separatist incursions . Following the war ' s end , the new Imperial Navy began the Sarlacc Project , to build a new huge warship design to serve as a flagship for the entire Navy . This Super Star Destroyer prototype , twelve kilometers in length , was destroyed by early Rebel elements over Byss before its completion . Despite its destruction , it managed to inspire future Star Dreadnaught designs , and the Empire ordered the construction of four new dreadnoughts , each nineteen kilometers in length . Galactic Civil War era . The Star Dreadnought concept was not without opposition in the Imperial Navy . Many traditionalists saw the enormous ships as far too expensive and inefficient in comparison to patrol boats , frigates and cruisers for policing space . Likewise , the Navy ' s growing number of Star Destroyers carried unmatched firepower should the Imperial Navy fight a fleet battle . To traditionalists , battlecruisers and dreadnoughts , lumped together under the derisive tag " Super Star Destroyers " ( which later spread to the Rebellion through Imperial defectors ) , seemed to be egotistical constructions rather than pieces of a coherent military strategy . As the Galactic Civil War heated up , various new Star Dreadnought designs were shelved mid - production due to countless credits and talented engineers being diverted to the creation of the Death Star , with its destruction being the only reason they were able to continue . Skeptical of superweapons like the Death Star , the Imperial Navy worked hard to come up with reasonable alternatives that could hold their own in the face of massive centralization of power , and reluctantly embraced the Star Dreadnought . With the Death Star ' s destruction , they became the Empire ' s mightiest weapons , designed to be so powerful that the mere threat of their deployment would pacify multiple sectors . Among the achievements of this era was the " Executor " - class design . By this point , the Star Dreadnought designation was known to Imperial oversight committees as representing extraordinarily large and heavily armed warships . In order to avoid controversy in the Imperial Senate , naval documents simply classified the new Star Dreadnought as a new class of Star Destroyer , understating its size , role and armament . The Star Dreadnoughts were also viewed by the Galactic Empire as useful for psychological warfare purposes , to cow various systems . This made the ships ' development worth the expenses . When fielded , these ships gained notoriety as command ships for large - scale forces as well as being heavy weapons platforms , with the lead vessel serving as Darth Vader ' s personal flagship . These ships were some of the largest in the galaxy , second only to battlestations like the Death Star . Though their sluggish speed , massive size , and poor maneuverability proved to be severe weaknesses , they were unmatched in firepower by any other frontline ship and incredibly resilient to direct assaults . Another design , the " Eclipse " - class , which began construction around the time of the " Executor " early deployment , became dreadful weapons of terror , as each ship was equipped with a superlaser for penetrating planetary shields and pulverizing enemy ships . As the Empire split into warring factions following the Emperor ' s death , its formidable fleet of Dreadnoughts was divided up between various Warlords . Despite the imposing threat of these classes , most were either destroyed by sabotage or in battle , or captured by the New Republic , leaving few rogue Star Dreadnoughts still active at the end of the Civil War . New Republic counterparts . The New Republic initially regarded Star Dreadnoughts as inflexible and inefficient , preferring a combination of smaller - platform capital ships and starfighters for its fleets . Consequently , the New Class Modernization Program did not include new battlecruiser or dreadnought designs . However , the experience of Operation Shadow Hand , where some twelve Star Dreadnoughts led a renewed Imperial assault out of the Deep Core , the Orinda campaign , where they proved to have no counter against the Imperial Remnant ' s " Reaper " , " Megador " and " Dominion " dreadnoughts , and finally the Black Fleet Crisis , the New Republic realized the need for bigger and stronger capital ships to deter would - be attackers . Running low on captured vessels of this size , new dreadnought classes were designed that were meant to be Republic counterparts to the Star Dreadnoughts . The Mon Calamari " Viscount " - class Star Defender s were new directions for Republic ship - building , away from the compact designs of the New Class program . They were among the largest classes produced by the New Republic and saw heavy duty in the Yuuzhan Vong War , becoming part of the Galactic Alliance Navy , when the New Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances . At some point following the Second Galactic Civil War , heavy warships like the Star Defender s and Star Dreadnoughts were phased out of service , citing the expenses in operating the various designs . By 130 ABY , neither the re - emergent Galactic Empire nor the remainder of the Galactic Alliance used the term for their present ships , though the " Pellaeon " - class Star Destroyer was known to have combined some aspects of the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer and the " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought . Known Star Dreadnought designs . " Assertor " - class Star Dreadnought . The " Assertor " - class was a Star Dreadnought used by the Imperial Navy . A known example of this class was the " Wrath " , which participated in a Base Delta Zero operation . It ' s primary role was acting as a sector command and control ship . " Bellator " - class dreadnought . The " Bellator " - class dreadnought was a successor design to the " Mandator " - class and " Mandator II " - class Star Dreadnoughts , being built primarily with speed in mind in contrast with its " cousin , " the " Mandator III " - class dreadnought . Several ships of this class were seen at Naval Station " Validusia " , a fleet gathering between Ozzel ' s promotion and the Battle of Hoth , and in the forces of the resurrected Emperor Palpatine in 10 ABY . A " Bellator " - class was escorted by a " Procursator " - class Star Destroyer in orbit of Byss . " Eclipse " - class dreadnought . The 17 . 5km " Eclipse " - class was fitted with a superlaser as its primary armament and its reactor took up much of the interior space . Two vessels were constructed in secret over a ten year period , and fielded during Operation Shadow Hand . Both were destroyed . According to the " Imperial Handbook " , the official field manual for the Imperial Military , the " Eclipse " - class as well as its sister design the " Sovereign " - class were intended to revolutionize naval combat and ensure Imperial dominance through the next century . " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought . The " Executor " - class was a successful line of Star Dreadnoughts that came in several variants , and was believed to be the " ultimate " in Star Dreadnought design in its time . The 19km battleship model was considered a valuable prize to many commanders , and receiving command of a ship was a high honor , sometimes bestowed upon an officer as a gift by Emperor Palpatine himself . Over a dozen ships were built and fielded . " Mandator " - class Star Dreadnaught . The " Mandator " - class served in the private sector fleets of the Kuat sector , being designed and fielded in the final decades of the Galactic Republic . " Mandator II " - class Star Dreadnaught . The " Mandator II " - class was a new model of the " Mandator " design and served as part of the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars . Its power - generation facilities matched that of almost 1 , 000 light Separatist destroyers . " Mandator III " - class dreadnought . The " Mandator III " - class was a newer model of the " Mandator " design and served in the Galactic Empire . Unlike the previous " Mandator " or its " cousin , " the " Bellator " - class dreadnought , the " Mandator III " - class was specifically designed to act as a heavy weapons platform , and had a length of 12 , 000 meters . " Sovereign " - class Super Star Destroyer . The " Sovereign " - class was based on the " Eclipse " - class and meant to be a smaller , cheaper design for mass - production . Construction on the first four ships began around 0 ABY , but they were all ultimately destroyed around the time of Palpatine ' s final death and the Destruction of Byss . According to the " Imperial Handbook " , the official field manual for the Imperial Military , the " Sovereign " - class as well as its sister design the " Eclipse " - class were intended to revolutionize naval combat and ensure Imperial dominance through the next century . Sarlacc Project . The Sarlacc Project was aimed at developing a flagship for the then - newly created Imperial Navy in 19 BBY . The end result was a warship 12km long , covered in various armaments . The vessel was destroyed in a partially - completed state , a few years after its construction began . Despite the loss , it was used as inspiration for the later " Executor " - class . " Vengeance " - class Star Dreadnought . The " Vengeance " - class was a 19km long Star Dreadnought line with at least three vessels produced . They had a sleeker design than the Executor class Dreadnought . The " Vengeance " was the flagship of Dark Jedi and Imperial Inquisitor Jerec from before the Battle of Endor to his death in 5 ABY . The " Javelin " anchored one of the fleets to reconquer the Core Worlds during 10 ABY , but was destroyed during the Imperial Civil War when it rammed a Torpedo Sphere that guarded the planet Chasin . Star Dreadnought analogs . " Death Star II " . Although not a dreadnaught in the general sense , the Death Star II , due to its heavy firepower and powerful role , was frequently referred to by both Rebels and Imperials as being comparable to such during the Battle of Endor . " Eye of Palpatine " . The Eye of Palpatine was a dreadnaught larger in overall size than the largest Super Star Destroyers , fielded in 18 BBY , although in terms of length was comparable in size to the " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought and " Vengeance " - class dreadnought at 19 kilometers . It was meant to pick up Imperial forces along a secret route that lead to a planet where Jedi were in hiding , but malfunctioned due to Jedi sabotage and disappeared . Decades later , the ship was reactivated in a ploy to get more power for the Imperial Remnant , but was ultimately destroyed by the New Republic . " Tarkin " . The Tarkin superweapon was developed as a superlaser bed , a intermediary between the DS - 1 Orbital Battle Station and the Death Star II . It was created from the hull design of an " Eclipse " - class dreadnought prototype . " Viscount " - class Star Defender . One of several Star Defender classes , the " Viscount " - class was built by Mon Calamari and fielded by the New Republic and Galactic Alliance . Yuuzhan Vong Kor Chokk grand cruiser . The Grand Cruiser was a Yuuzhan Vong analog of heavy Super Star Destroyers and used in fleet battles during the Yuuzhan Vong War . Behind the scenes . In Naval terminology , dreadnought is generally synonymous with battleships constructed after and influenced by . This term was sometimes used for great ships in " Star Wars " , like the " Executor " , the " Eye of Palpatine " and the " Death Star II " . The designation " Star Dreadnought " was first explicitly used in " " for the " Mandator " - class , and the " Executor " - class was given the designation in " Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy " . " Inside the Worlds " also stated that " Super Star Destroyer " was used in " Rebel slang " , while " Starship Battles Preview 1 " explained that the term was invented and popularized by Imperial personnel . The term " Star Dreadnought " ( or " Star Dreadnaught " ) is disliked by some fans who prefer the term " Super Star Destroyer " , which already referred to many different ships . Since the Expanded Universe renaissance introduced by West End Games had sources specifically divide warships into different types depending on their size and power , some fans welcomed what they saw as a necessary additions to explain all the differently sized Super Star Destroyers seen throughout decades of publishing . Others considered the various redesignations and redefinitions contradictory and unnecessary , accepting the use of Super Star Destroyer as a general category . Despite different naval nomenclature being used by various authors , Curtis Saxton was widely seen as responsible for the change in designations . Much of the criticism towards the term " Star Dreadnought " stem from the belief that it ' s applying terminology to ship names that were not originally created to fit with the English naval hierarchy and that only recent authors like Saxton have used it in such a fashion . I . e . a Star Destroyer and a Star Cruiser are not analogous to a naval Destroyer and a naval Cruiser and are equivalent in size and role , ships of size comparable to Star Dreadnoughts like the " Subjugator " - class heavy cruiser lack the description , and the existing " Dreadnaught " - class ship is smaller than all three . As well , the term Star Dreadnought was initially seen as largely redundant with the pre - existing term Super Star Destroyer , as at the time the term Star Dreadnought was first used , Super Star Destroyers categorized as Star Cruisers and Star Battlecruisers have neither been introduced nor were they specifically identified , leaving Star Dreadnoughts the only category within Super Star Destroyer with any ships in it .