Sovereign - class Super Star Destroyer The Sovereign " - class Super Star Destroyer , alternatively named the Sovereign " - class Star Destroyer , was a Super Star Destroyer produced by the Galactic Empire at the behest of the Galactic Emperor Palpatine , who envisioned a fleet of the fifteen - thousand - meter - long vessels . History . Along with the " Eclipse " - class , the " Sovereign " - class was still under development around 0 BBY , with both ships intended to strengthen the Imperial Navy into the next century . Information on both classes was included in the " " , an " aide memoire " for Imperial officers . Despite this , the Rebel Alliance was unaware of the existence of either class until they captured a copy of the " Imperial Handbook " just after the Battle of Endor , and General Carlist Rieekan believed that the Empire had not made progress on either Super Star Destroyer design . Since they were slightly smaller than the " Eclipse " - class , the Empire anticipated that the " Sovereign " - class would come into service first . Despite this , the first of the ships , the " Sovereign " , was still under construction at the shipyards of Byss by the time of Operation Shadow Hand , and the Reborn Emperor Palpatine launched his offensive aboard the lead ship of the " Eclipse " - class . Other planned ships in the class included the " Autarch " , the " Despot " , and the " Heresiarch " . Description . A Super Star Destroyer variant measuring fifteen thousand meters long , the " Sovereign " - class was classified as a dreadnaught under the Anaxes War College system . The " Sovereign " - class hosted a crew of 601 , 670 , with 4 , 075 gunners , and required a skeleton crew of at least 86 , 000 . During development , it was estimated to require a crew of 600 , 000 . It could carry up to 400 , 000 metric tons of cargo and hosted a complement of 35 TIE / IN interceptor squadrons , five TIE / sa bomber squadrons , and 75 All Terrain Armored Transports . A " Sovereign " - class Super Star Destroyer carried five years ' worth of consumables and could carry 130 , 100 troops . Like the larger " Eclipse " - class Super Star Destroyer , the " Sovereign " - class featured an axial superlaser on par with the Death Star . The axial superlaser was also the reason why the ship ' s helm was designed to be 15 , 000 meters , as the size allowed for the minimum space required to house the generators powering the superlaser . It also hosted five hundred heavy laser cannons — 200 to the front and 150 to the left and right — which each required two gunners , and five hundred turbolaser batteries — 150 front , 100 to the rear , and 125 each on the left and right . In addition , the " Sovereign " - class possessed seventy - five ion cannons split equally between the front and sides , and 100 tractor beam emplacements , wth 55 to the front , 5 to the rear , and 20 each to the left and right . Five gravity well projectors rounded out the vessel ' s armament . Behind the scenes . " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " mistakenly states that the " Sovereign " was under Warlord Zsinj ' s command ; however , Zsinj died in 8 ABY , well before the ship began construction .