MC80a Star Cruiser The MC80a Star Cruiser , also known as MC80A Star Cruiser , was a general classification for a group of early MC80 Mon Calamari Star Cruiser s converted from luxury starships into warships . Characteristics . Built initially as massive pleasure craft by Mon Calamari shipyards , the MC80a Star Cruisers received a series of crucial upgrades to allow them to operate against Imperial warships . The addition of the Mon Calamari provided the Rebel Alliance with their first consistent source of large , powerful capital warships . Rounded and organic in appearance , most MC80a cruisers were oblong cigar - shaped vessels . The surface of the cruisers were dotted in pods and bulges that contained sensor arrays , weapons batteries , deflector shield generators , and observation decks . Their thrusters were arranged with several on the ventral side close to the bow and several on the dorsal side close to the stern . The MC80a Star Cruiser ' s role as the center of most Rebel Alliance fleet formations often pitted it against the larger and more powerful " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer , which , while unable to match the Star Destroyers in weaponry , was able to outlast in terms of defense due to triple layered shields , multiple redundant back - up shield generators , and double redundancy critical systems . These features , combined with a heavily armored hull and structural fortification , allowed an MC80a to absorb large amounts of damage while other fleet elements either fled or engaged enemy vessels . Despite this incredible defensive ability however , the MC80a required extensive pre and post battle maintenance . This task that was exceedingly difficult for resource strapped Alliance engineers especially due to the Mon Calamari penchant for artistry , aesthetics , and uniqueness of each ship : extensive time had to be given to understand each ships unique systems and operations before it could be repaired . This was eventually rectified in the standardized MC90 Star Cruiser design . Subclasses . While no two MC80 series vessels were exactly the same , most Star Cruisers shared a similar baseline level of protection , weaponry , and features . There were even subclasses among the designs . Most MC80a cruisers measured approximately 1 , 200 meters in length and required a crew of roughly 5 , 400 . A TriLuna 400 MGS Stardrive and Hyperdrive Motivator achieved a Class 1 hyperdrive rating , while a Serridge SEAL Shielding System provided up to 240 SBD in shield ratings . Weaponry was guided by a Plat Dromma targeting computer , and included 20 ArMek SW - 7 ion cannon batteries , 6 front - mounted Phylon Q7 tractor beam projector s , and 48 Taim & Bak XV9 turbolaser batteries . MC80a cruisers also included at least six starfighter bays and one auxiliary bay . These bays housed several shuttlecraft and freighters and six starfighter squadrons , which generally included one squadron of interceptors , two space superiority fighter squadrons , and three bomber squadrons . A light ground assault force was also common , which included a mixture of repulsor tanks , light assault vehicles , and 1 , 200 troops . The standard fighter complement included one A - wing , two X - wings , and three Y - wing squadrons . A larger MC80a subclass was distinguished by a sleeker profile . They were 1 , 300 meters in length . The amount of crew was bigger than on other MC80a models , with 200 additional gunners operating the ship ' s weaponry . Each vessel carried 1 , 200 troops and three starfighter squadrons . Another subclass , exemplified by the " Naritus " , had no dorsal thrusters , but instead what appeared to be a command pod near its stern . Yet another subclass shared its design with the MC80 " Liberty " type Star Cruiser , without the extended wing - sections , thus cutting down on the amount of shield and tractor beam projectors as well as gun batteries . The lightened cruiser countered with an extra thruster at the rear , in place of the ventral main sensor array , that increased its maneuverability . Many of these vessels were used by the Rebel Alliance at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY . They made up the bulk of the heavy warships , along with the MC80 " Liberty " type and the MC80 " Home One " type . Behind the scenes . The information on MC80a cruisers is contradicting : some sources say it ' s a design found before the Battle of Yavin , while others say it was a New Republic design and therefore at least post - Battle of Endor . The text above is a combination of the information from both sources : the history is from pre - Yavin sources , the stats from post - Endor sources . A summary on the different MC80a sources : While working on the film " Return of the Jedi " , ILM model artists wanted to pad out the Rebel fleet . This was achieved by modifying their original wingless model into the " Liberty " type by adding wings and replacing one engine with another pod .