Avenger / Legends The Avenger , full name CVS 1401 " Avenger " , was a prestigious " Imperial II " - class Star Destroyer of the Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War . History . Development . It was developed by Kuat Drive Yards , with Sienar Fleet Systems , Cygnus Spaceworks , and Taim & Bak providing secondary contracting elements to its design . Its basic blueprints , or SpecPlate , had been drawn up by Raith Sienar and designed by Louis Solis . It had been commissioned by Lorth Needa under special orders . It was developed by a team under the Imperial Navy Research , Development and Engineering Center , composed of the Chief Naval Architect Lira Wessex ; Chief Project Engineer J . Johnston , Senior Structural Engineer C . Cantwell ; Senior Construction Designer S . Gawley ; Chief Design Engineer R . McQuarrie ; and Systems Engineering Director D . Beasley . Its keel had been laid , with it undergoing a naming ceremony shortly thereafter . Afterwards , it underwent the stepping of the mast , and was launched . It eventually underwent christening of the name " Avenger " , and had a pre - commission crew man the ship to undergo various trials . It then underwent dock trials , fast cruises , space trails , and contractor fitting out . Eventually , it was delivered to Captain Lorth Needa , and was fitted with an active service crew alongside it undergoing a shakedown cruise before it underwent official commissioning . Upon completion and undergoing its official commissioning ceremony , it had a commemorative SpecPlate placed on the bulkhead until the event where it was stricken from the registry . Imperial Period . One of the " Avenger " ' s earliest missions was the attack on the CR90 corvette " Karinne " , carrying a Twi ' lek delegation to the Rebel Alliance . The " Avenger " launched three flights of TIE / sa bombers against the " Karinne " , and entered hyperspace . The intervention of two Alliance BTL Y - wing starfighter s saved the diplomatic vessel . In 0 BBY , the " Avenger " was under the command of Moff Kalast . When he betrayed the Galactic Empire , the Moff used his ship to secretly support the Rebel Alliance . But after giving secret informations about the Death Star to the rebels , his identity was discovered . Darth Vader tracked Kalast to Thyferra , Atzerri and other systems in the galaxy but the Moff and the " Avenger " always escaped . Eventually Vader managed to capture the " Avenger " thanks to an Immobilizer 418 cruiser . The ship was severely damaged in the battle and Kalast forced to surrender . The " Avenger " was subsequently returned to Imperial service . At an unknown point , the " Avenger " was presented with the Superior Service Award , the Legion of Merit , the Valor Under Fire Citation , the Combat Victory Accreditation , and the Meritorious Service Award by the Commander Fleet Operations . As early as 0 ABY , the " Avenger " was commanded by Captain Lorth Needa . Under Needa ' s command , the " Avenger " earned a reputation for subjugating planets in the Outer Rim Territories , participating in the subjugation of over 436 worlds . After the discovery of an Alliance intelligence facility on Dankayo , the " Avenger " participated in the brutal subjugation of the world . Alongside the " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyers " Devastator " and " Relentless " , the " Avenger " executed Base Delta Zero against Dankayo , incinerating its atmosphere and reducing its surface to slag . Eight months after the Battle of Yavin , the ship fought Warlord Nuso Esva ' s forces in the Poln system as part of Death Squadron . In 1 ABY , Rebel agents destroyed an Imperial depot that contained a large number of space mine s intended for shipment to the " Avenger " . The " Avenger " was later reassigned to Death Squadron and served as the lead attack ship at Hoth . During the course of the battle , the " Avenger " was disabled . However , its functions had been restored by the time that the " Millennium Falcon " departed from the planet during the Rebel evacuation . The " Avenger " unsuccessfully pursued Han Solo ' s fast freighter , a failure which resulted in Needa ' s execution by Darth Vader . Nevertheless , despite Needa ' s failure , the " Avenger " gained a reputation from the chase as it managed to continuously pursue the " Millennium Falcon " past the Hoth asteroid field while other ships in Death Squadron lagged far behind . During the Battle of Kothlis , the " Avenger " arrived alongside the " Executor " to disrupt a Rebel transfer with Bothan agents to acquire the Death Star II plans . The " Avenger " captured the CR90 corvette " Razor " , which held the battlestation plans . However , the " Avenger " ' s attempt was in vain , as the crew escaped with the plans and delivered them to the Alliance . The " Avenger " remained with Vader ' s Death Squadron and served as a communications ship during the Battle of Endor . When Vader arrived at the Death Star II to put its construction back on schedule , his personal shuttle was launched from the Avenger . Operation Shadow Hand . The " Avenger " survived the Battle of Endor and later fought during the Operation Shadow Hand . Under Executor Sedriss QL , the ship led the Imperial fleet in the Battle of Balmorra . Behind the scenes . Although first seen in 2 BBY , the " Imperial II " - class Star Destroyer wasn ' t introduced until 0 BBY . The Industrial Light & Magic model of the " Avenger " used in " " was 2 . 59 meters long and detailed with thousands of parts from model kits . " " identifies the " Avenger " as the Star Destroyer that launched the Viper probe droid that discovered Echo Base . This appears to have been based on dialogue between Captain Needa and a subordinate that did not make the final cut of the the radio dramatization of " The Empire Strikes Back " . However , the Star Wars Customizable Card Game later contradicted this , as did the " Star Wars Encyclopedia " and the PC program " " . These sources identify the " Stalker " as the Star Destroyer holding this distinction . Further adding to the confusion , " " also identifies the " Avenger " as the Star Destroyer that launched the probe droid . Attempting to clarify the discrepancy , " The Essential Atlas " states that both ships were responsible for deploying probe droids , though does not state with absolute certainty which ship is seen in the film . " Star Wars : Behind the Magic " also identifies the " Avenger " as the Star Destroyer that launched Vader ' s shuttle at the beginning of " " . In the 6th mission of Battle 4 of " " , " Protect Imperial Computer " , one bonus objective is to destroy the Avenger .