MC140 Scythe - class main battle cruiser The MC140 " Scythe " - class main battle cruiser was the primary warship of the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet approximately one hundred years after the Yuuzhan Vong War . Designed and produced by the famed Mon Calamari Shipyards , the Scythe was a radical departure from normal Mon Calamari starship design . In addition to the unique front blade , the " Scythe " - class was a mass - produced , standardized design , unlike prior generations of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser . These battle cruisers saw extensive use during the Sith – Imperial War . Following the surrender of the Galactic Alliance government at the end of the Sith – Imperial War , many Scythe battle cruisers saw continued service in the Galactic Alliance Remnant during their operations against the Sith . Characteristics . The " Scythe " - class battle cruiser ' s name was in part due to the massive vertical blade centered on the bow of the warship . The " Scythe " - class was heavily armed with advanced weaponry , including thirty heavy turbolaser batteries , thirty standard turbolaser batteries , twenty ion cannon batteries , and forty proton torpedo launcher batteries with a total 160 - warhead capacity . The majority of the Scythe ' s weapon batteries were mounted on the forward blade . This configuration was referred to as a " cross of fire " by Galactic Alliance officials and Mon Calamari engineers , and allowed the Scythe - class battle cruiser to focus its fire onto a singular point . While the " cross of fire " weapons arrangement proved deadly to almost any warship that fell into its crosshairs , this provided some drawbacks . The heavy concentration of weapons batteries on the forward hull meant that there was limited weaponry on the ship ' s broadsides and stern . Furthermore , massive power conduits from the ship ' s main reactor and numerous auxiliary reactors took up additional space . The Scythe ' s main hull followed standard Mon Calamari design patterns . The forward blade gave the warship a similar appearance to the then - ancient Republic " Hammerhead " - class cruiser . In addition to containing much of the ship ' s weapons , the blade was also the location of several hangar bays . These hangars could carry up to forty eight CF9 Crossfire starfighter s and four " Crix " - class shuttles . A twenty - one meter - long YT - 2400 light freighter could easily fly through the aperture of one of its hangars . Role . As the main capital ship of the Galactic Alliance , " Scythe " - class was capable of engaging the Fel Empire ' s " Pellaeon " - class Star Destroyer in direct combat , despite the fact that the battle cruiser was only a third of the size of the larger Star Destroyer . The " Scythe " - class utilized its powerful engines to maneuver into a position where it could bring the " cross of fire " weapons batteries to bear on an enemy vessel . This massive barrage of turbolaser , ion cannon , and torpedo fire was capable of destroying larger vessels like the " Pellaeon " - class Star Destroyer . The main drawback of the cross of fire was that the Scythe ' s broadsides and stern were lightly armed , which forced a Scythe ' s crew to constantly keep the bow facing an enemy warship - though with its powerful engines , this was rarely a problem . History . The " Scythe " - class battle cruiser was the culmination of a new design and shipbuilding philosophy undertaken by the Galactic Alliance during the years following the devastation of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion . For a time , large multi - kilometer dreadnaught s like the Star Defender saw increased use in Galactic Alliance fleets . However , economic realities changed the Defense Force shipbuilding mindset towards smaller , yet heavily armed and armored vessels . A result of the changing military doctrine , the " Scythe " - class first debuted in 92 ABY . Like the majority of Galactic Alliance warships from prior generations , the " Scythe " - class was designed and constructed at the Mon Calamari Shipyards . The Scythe was part of a larger shipbuilding program that included various other classes of combat starships , including the " ShaShore " - class frigate and the " Sabertooth " - class assault / rescue vessel . The success of the Scythe and the cross of fire design prompted Mon Calamarian engineers to also develop the " Tri - Scythe " - class frigate , a smaller sister - design with a three blade - shaped superstructure . As the Scythe battle cruiser was the Alliance ' s main warship , it saw extensive action during the Sith – Imperial War , starting in 127 ABY . Many of the battle cruisers were part of the combined Alliance fleet that fought at the Battle of Caamas . Caamas proved to be a major Imperial victory and the death knell for the Galactic Alliance government , as Grand Admiral Morlish Veed managed to force Admiral Piers Petan — the overall Alliance fleet commander at Caamas — to surrender . However , the Galactic Alliance Core Fleet , under Admiral Gar Stazi , refused to surrender . The majority of the Core Fleet , including many Scythe battle cruisers , escaped while engaged in a fighting withdrawal from Caamas . After the surrender of the Galactic Alliance at the end of the Sith - Imperial War , the cruisers saw continued use by the remnants of the Defense Force , via the Galactic Alliance Remnant . Scythe battle cruisers were part of the Alliance task force that engaged the Empire ' s Outer Rim Third Fleet during the Battle of Dac . One such vessel , Stazi ' s flagship " Indomitable " , was destroyed when the crippled warship was sacrificed in an effort to severely damage the Mon Calamari shipyards , and prevent them from being used by the Sith for new ship construction . Several Scythes escorted the captured " Imperious " - class Star Destroyer prototype following the battle . Many more battle cruisers were part of a large Alliance fleet under Admiral Stazi that participated in a joint operation with the deposed Emperor Roan Fel ' s forces against the Sith . Behind the scenes . The " Scythe " - class battle cruiser was designed by Sean Cooke , who was the designer for all of the Galactic Alliance and Imperial warships in the " " comic series . The name for the warship was announced by Randy Stradley on the Dark Horse Comics message boards . Stradley also revealed that the wing - like structures housed starfighter launch bays and torpedo launchers . He was also the first to hint that the Scythe battle cruiser was of Mon Calamari design . This was finally confirmed in the " Legacy Era Campaign Guide " .