Nemesis - class gunship The " Nemesis " - class gunship was an experimental military vessel that was produced by the Galactic Empire during the early phase of the Galactic Civil War . The gunship boasted an array of heavy weapons , including missile launchers and a heavy repeating cannon . But due to the complexities and firepower incorporated in its design , the gunship came with a very heavy price tag , thus making it affordable only to wealthiest regional governors of the Empire . Barely a year after the onset of the Galactic Civil War , a renegade clone of Darth Vader ' s late secret apprentice , Galen Marek , traveled to Cato Neimoidia to rescue the Jedi General Rahm Kota of the Rebel Alliance . As the rogue clone unleashed a relentless rampage of devastation on Tarko - se and its Imperial garrison , he soon discovered that two " Nemesis " - class gunships were included in the city ' s defense by the planetary administrator , Baron Merillion Tarko . Yet despite their considerable and deadly arsenal , both gunships proved to be no match against the clone ' s extremely powerful command of the Force . Shortly after destroying the gunships , the clone successfully rescued Kota from captivity , resulting in Tarko ' s death and the complete destruction of his city . Characteristics . The " Nemesis " - class gunship was designed to provide close - air support for Imperial forces and to pacify rebellious citizens . Consequently , the gunships of the " Nemesis " design were built as heavy - weapons platforms . Their arsenal incorporated an array of highly advanced weapons , as well as better quality in firepower and greater quantity in ammunition than previous gunships . The " Nemesis " ' primary weapons were the anti - personnel Hellcaster cannon and the anti - armor concussion missile launchers . Another unique feature in the design of the " Nemesis " - class was its engine system . Unlike previous gunships that utilized the usual repulsorlift engines , the " Nemesis " was equipped with a jet - drive system , which produced a turbulent backwash of superheated air that created an extremely high - pitched sound . Due to the vessel ' s angled jet - drives , only specially trained pilots were capable of controlling the " Nemesis " - class gunships . Role . The Galactic Empire ruled through the fear of its citizens , particularly their fear of the relentless Imperial war machine and its unrivaled technology . Therefore , Imperial starships and vehicles were designed to strike terror deep into the Empire ' s enemies , both in appearance and firepower . The " Nemesis " - class gunship was a direct result of the Imperial hardline stance on galactic domination and total war . Like many other vessels in the Empire ' s seemingly unlimited arsenal , the " Nemesis " was built for the purpose of breaking the resolve of enemy units , either through fear of the threat of force , or though the exercising of said force . The " Nemesis " - class gunship was suitable for both military operations against insurgent elements and planetary occupation to suppress discontent civilians . In either capacity , the " Nemesis " was meant to project the might of Imperial power and the futility of rebellion . The " Nemesis " ' performance on Polomie and its role on Cato Neimoidia are testaments to its primary function as a symbol of terror , as well as its effectiveness against enemy units and vehicles . By and large , the " Nemesis " ' greatest strengths were its highly destructive — and incredibly expensive — arsenal and firepower . With its Hellcaster cannon and concussion missile launchers , combined with a large quantity of ammunition , the gunship was one of the most lethal vessels in the Imperial Navy by the year 1 BBY . Although the metal that composed its hull offered strong protection against conventional weapons and attacks , the gunship was extremely vulnerable to its own weapons . During the destruction of Tarko - se on Cato Neimoidia , a wayward clone of Galen Marek destroyed two " Nemesis " - class gunships by redirecting concussion missiles back to their original source . History . Development and testing . Around the time when the Galactic Civil War broke out between the dominant Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance , Cygnus Spaceworks had just completed a new gunship for the Imperial Navy . The " Nemesis " - class gunship was regarded as the most exotically designed military vessel of its time . The " Nemesis " was given its first field test on Polomie where Imperial armed forces were dispatched to destroy a Rebel stronghold . The " Nemesis " ' performance was virtually nothing less than perfection . Aside from exceeding all expectations of its hopeful designers and employers , the " Nemesis " barely retained minimal damage from its first engagement . An unexpected , yet welcomed side - effect of the " Nemesis " ' jet - drive system was discovered during the fighting as well . The gunship ' s jets produced an extremely loud shrieking noise that caused Rebel morale to decrease significantly , to the point where many Rebel troops dropped their weapons and fled in utter terror . Inspector - General Moff Rebu praised the " Nemesis " , especially the characteristics and effects of its exceptionally well - designed weapons system , in his report to the Imperial Department of Military Research . However , despite Moff Rebu ' s full recommendation of the " Nemesis " - class gunship , he was displeased to realize that the unique vessel would never likely see mass production precisely because of its " one of a kind " status . Ironically , the " Nemesis " was far too complicated by its own design . Its use of angled jet drives , rather than repulsors , required specially trained pilots , thus putting too high a demand on manpower . The vessel ' s weaponry were also an issue ; the Hellcaster cannon required heavy elements that made ammunition too expensive and difficult to produce . As a result , only the Empire ' s wealthiest Moffs and governors were able to afford to pay for the " Nemesis " ' extremely high price . Catastrophe on Cato Neimoidia . Moff Rebu ' s prediction of the limited use of " Nemesis " - class gunships were proven to be accurate . Due to their limited numbers , the highly experimental gunships were regulated to Imperial - occupied worlds where the native populations had to be occasionally pacified — a suitable role for the " Nemesis " . One of the Moffs who was able to afford the costs of the gunship was Baron Merillion Tarko , the Imperial governor of Cato Neimoidia . As a former Separatist world that betrayed the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars , the Empire naturally attached a large military garrison to occupy the planet and ensure its loyalty to Emperor Palpatine . Although the Neimoidians were cowards by instinct without the protection of their battle droid army , Tarko nonetheless added two " Nemesis " - class gunships to his private force of stormtroopers , scout troopers , jumptroopers , carbonite war droid s and Imperial Sith Acolyte s . By 1 BBY , a rogue clone of the late Galen Marek , former apprentice to the Sith Lord Darth Vader , escaped from Kamino . Created amongst a series of genetically - imperfect duplicates secretly commissioned by Vader , the renegade clone ' s imprinted memories caused him to share some of the same characteristics as his genetic donor , particularly Marek ' s feelings for Imperial - turned - Rebel Captain Juno Eclipse . As a result of his imperfections , the clone deserted his creator and commandeered an advanced TIE fighter to escape into the galaxy . In his search for Captain Eclipse , the clone decided to travel to Cato Neimoidia and rescue his progenitor ' s Jedi mentor , General Rahm Kota , who had been captured and forced to fight in the Tarko - se arena after failing to assassinate Baron Tarko . As soon as the clone arrived in Tarko ' s city , Imperial troops attempted to kill him when they realized that he was an intruder . The clone proceeded to destroy much of the Imperial garrison , easily overpowering waves of stormtroopers and auxiliary units throughout Tarko - se . In desperation , Tarko unleashed his personal " Nemesis " - class gunship against the clone . The vessel ' s Hellcaster cannon caused the clone to go into a Force - enhanced sprint across a bridge until he escaped into the city ' s casino complex . When the clone utilized a hover train to travel over to the city ' s western arch , the gunship resumed its attack on the clone , firing repeated shots and concussion missiles at the clone and the train . Despite the " Nemesis " ' exceptional armaments , its weapons were utterly useless against the sheer power of the clone and his incredible connection to the Force . The clone was able to use the gunship ' s own weapons against it by repelling its missiles with his lightsabers and telekinetic abilities . The gunship sustained incredible amounts of damage from its own missiles , causing it to explode as the clone reached his destination . As the clone battled his way to the arena ' s entrance , the second " Nemesis " - class gunship was dispatched in a last ditch attempt to stop his progress . After slaughtering the last of the Imperials that stood in his way , the gunship tried to suppress the clone with its missiles and Hellcaster cannon . The clone used the missiles to destroy the cannon and inflict severe damage to the gunship . Through the Force , he seized the " Nemesis " and caused it to crash against the arena bridge ' s support infrastructure until finally destroying the gunship completely . Shortly afterward , the clone succeeded in his objective to rescue General Kota , though his efforts also resulted in the complete destruction of the arena and the death of Baron Tarko . Behind the scenes . The design of the " Nemesis " - class Gunship was developed because the " " ' s design staff , " needed a bigger , more powerful version of the Imperial troop transport — one with a lot more guns , missiles , and engines . " Concept artist Chun Gee did the final render and design , as well a cross - section of the craft . The design team considered the additional detail from the cross - section an , " invaluable piece of reference for artists who were implementing damage effects because Starkiller absolutely punishes the gunship during gameplay . "