Shepherd The Shepherd was a " Pursuit " - class light cruiser that served in the Imperial Navy as of 0 ABY . That year , it traveled to the Inner Rim ' s Hapes Cluster under the command of Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik , accompanied by eight gunships . The Imperial force then proceeded to the planet Andalia , where it was ordered to engage the Hapan forces due to Teshik ' s failure to apprehend Rebel - affiliated privateers who had previously captured Imperial Advisor Coh Veshiv . However , the larger and more heavily - armed Hapan opposition soundly defeated the Imperial attack force , with the " Shepherd " being obliterated after its forward deflector shields were taken down and its main reactor core destroyed . Description . A Kuat Drive Yards – manufactured " Pursuit " - class light cruiser , the " Shepherd " was 500 meters long and equipped with both deflector shields and a hyperdrive , as well as a main reactor core . The bridge tower could accommodate multiple officers and had enviro - suit s stored near it , though the light cruiser itself was equipped with life support . At the time of its last mission , the " Shepherd " carried two squadrons of TIE / LN starfighter s . History . The " Shepherd " was part of the Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic . Around 0 ABY , Rebels kidnapped Imperial Advisor Coh Veshiv from the planet Esseles , in the oversector commanded by Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik . Angered at Teshik ' s failure , Emperor Palpatine sent him to the Inner Rim ' s Hapes Cluster aboard the " Shepherd " , carrying two squadrons of TIE fighters and accompanied by eight gunships , supposedly as a recon patrol . Teshik ' s force was then commanded to engage the Hapan forces at the planet Andalia , but before Teshik and the crew even met the Hapan fleet , the Grand Admiral knew that the Emperor was sending him and his crew to die . The " Shepherd " faced heavy opposition — five Hapan Battle Dragon s and eight " Nova " - class battle cruisers — which had been tipped off about the Imperials ' arrival . Although the " Shepherd " crew thought they would flee , Teshik had the TIEs launch to attack the opposition , as he knew this confrontation was the Emperor ' s reprisal . The " Shepherd " was the last surviving Imperial craft , with all the gunships and TIE fighters destroyed . Once the " Shepherd " forward deflector shields failed , the lead Battle Dragon launched a salvo of torpedoes that hit the " Shepherd " main reactor , causing the " Pursuit " - class cruiser to blow apart . The explosion took with it all hands but Teshik , who was pulled out of the " Shepherd " by a hull breach while wearing an enviro - suit , before being picked up by a snoopship sent by Palpatine to ensure that the Emperor ' s wrath was recorded . Teshik later recounted the tale of the " Shepherd " to his Rebel captors in 4 ABY . Commanders and crew . Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik helmed the " Shepherd " during its ill - fated trip to the Hapes Cluster , with multiple officers crewing the bridge tower , including a deck officer . When the bridge tower crew realized they would die , they showed reactions ranging from begging Teshik for new orders to sitting catatonic at their stations . The entire crew , save Teshik , was killed when the " Shepherd " was destroyed . Behind the scenes . The " Shepherd " was mentioned in the introduction of 2012 ' s " The Essential Guide to Warfare " , an extensive dedicated to the galaxy ' s many conflicts , written by Jason Fry and Paul R . Urquhart .