Steadfast (Imperial-class)

The Steadfast was an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer in the Imperial Navy during the Imperial Era. Imperial officer Enric Pryde was assigned to the ship in 6 BBY. At one point, Commodore Freylon who served as commander of the Star Destroyer was killed during the Battle of Ponolapo by 0 BBY. Commodore Scaanos then replaced Freylon and served as Pryde's superior.
During 4 ABY's Battle of Endor, Pryde served as ship captain before Scaanos ordered him to join the ground assault on the moon's surface. In the Battle of Jakku of 5 ABY, the Steadfast was commanded by Pryde before it was destroyed. He abandoned the vessel and fled to the Unknown Regions as a result.
==Description==
As an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, the Steadfast measured 1,600 meters long.
==History==
Commissioned by 6 BBY, the Steadfast was in service to the Imperial Navy during the Imperial Era. Following an advanced placement at the Alsakan Academy and within five years of receiving both training and education for the role of an Imperial officer, Enric Pryde was posted to the vessel in 6 BBY. Commodore Freylon was serving as commander of the Star Destroyer and was killed during the Battle of Ponolapo by 0 BBY. That year, Commodore Scaanos replaced Freylon, in addition becoming Pryde's superior officer.
At some point between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, states that the events of Star Wars: Darth Vader, including Darth Vader (2020) 42, take place between the events of and , which are dated to 3 ABY and 4 ABY, respectively, by Star Wars: Timelines. Pryde, by then a lieutenant commanderDarth Vader (2020) 43 was temporarily assigned to the Star Destroyer Impervious on an inspection duty to Zee-Nine City Seven in Hutt Space.Darth Vader (2020) 13 By 4 ABY, Pryde was serving aboard the Steadfast once more. He operated as the ship's captain during the Battle of Endor of 4 ABY against the Rebel Alliance. In the battle, he was ordered by Scaanos to leave the ship and join the fight against the rebels on the Forest Moon of Endor's surface while the Imperials battled the Alliance's fleet above. The battle ended with an Imperial defeat.
Pryde later commanded the ship during the Battle of Jakku of 5 ABY, where the Galactic Empire fought against the New Republic,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary the successor to the Rebel Alliance. During the battle, the Steadfast was shot down and destroyed, upon which Pryde abandoned the Star Destroyer and then fled into the Unknown Regions; the Empire itself capitulated after losing the battle. Pryde later helped in the founding of the First Order, the Empire's successor, and rose within its ranks. Eventually, he was issued command of a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer in 28 ABYStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary dates Enric Pryde being given command of the Steadfast to six years prior to the Hosnian Cataclysm. As Star Wars: Timelines dates the latter event to 34 ABY, Pryde was issued the ship in 28 ABY. by the First Order's Supreme Leader, Snoke, who also named the command ship Steadfast in honor of Pryde's old Star Destroyer.
==Commanders and crew==
Enric Pryde was posted to the Steadfast in 6 BBY, spending his entire Imperial career there and becoming the ship's longest-serving crewmember by the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY. He later commanded the ship in the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. Commodore Freylon served as the ship's commander until his death at the Battle of Ponolapo by 0 BBY, leading to him being replaced by Commodore Scaanos that year, who also became Pryde's superior in the process. A number of Imperial officers were also posted to the ship by the Battle of Endor.
==Behind the scenes==
The Steadfast was first mentioned in the current Star Wars canon in the 2019 reference book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo, which accompanied the sequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. The Steadfast was originally created for the Star Wars Legends continuity, first appearing in the fourth issue of the Star Wars: Crimson Empire comic-book series. The issue was written by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley, illustrated by Paul Gulacy, and released by Dark Horse ComicsCrimson Empire 4 on March 18, 1998.
According to The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, Enric Pryde was posted to the Steadfast in 6 BBYStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary dates Enric Pryde's posting to the Steadfast to forty years prior to the Hosnian Cataclysm. As Star Wars: Timelines dates the latter event to 34 ABY, Pryde's posting to the ship must have occurred in 6 BBY. and served aboard it until its destruction in 5 ABY, meaning he must have spent eleven years serving on the Star Destroyer. "The Steadfast Soldier," Adam Christopher's short story published in the 2023 anthology From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi, which takes place in 4 ABY, further supports this date by stating Pryde had served aboard the ship for ten years. However, the April 20, 2021 Star Wars Encyclopedia booklet "The First Order" states that Pryde served the Steadfast for five years for Imperial officer training. The 2022 English translation rectified this error by stating he was posted to the ship within five years of receiving that training.
==Appearances==
*Darth Vader (2020) 42 
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==Sources==
*Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary 
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*Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
==Notes and references==
Category:Imperial I-class Star Destroyers
Category:Starships of the Galactic Empire