Eclipse (Eclipse-class)

The ***Eclipse*** was the first and only *Eclipse*-class dreadnought ever constructed and the lead ship and prototype of its class. It was built as a flagship for Emperor Palpatine, who commanded orders via hologram from a far-away Sith planet named Exegol. He used it after being reborn into a clone body; albeit commanding via holographic form. Both a powerful technological tool and a potent psychological weapon, the *Eclipse* boasted a planet's worth of weaponry and was almost unstoppable.

The *Eclipse* was equipped with a bevy of weapons and other technologies, including gravity well projectors, but chief among its weapons was an axial superlaser, capable of cracking a planet's crust or destroying a capital ship in a single blow. It was developed as a testbed for the Xyston-class Star Destroyers' superlasers and the enormous size of the future Mega-class Star Destroyer.

For much of its existence, the *Eclipse* was under construction around the planet Byss, where it was taken as the main battlestation and flagship of the Dark Empire even after the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. Its commanding officer was Admiral Shacks.

Around 7 ABY and 8 ABY, the *Eclipse*'s existence was officially revealed to New Republic. It destroyed several New Republic warships during its reign of terror without leaving any trace, leading to Republic officials linking it to the disappearances of several of their vessels at the time. Less than a year afterward, during the conflict between the Republic and the Dark Empire, the ship was successfully destroyed during a massive battle near the Vanqor system, due to onboard sabotage efforts by an infiltration team consisting of Luke Skywalker and a few members of Rogue Squadron with their astromech droids.

## Characteristics

The *Eclipse* was the lead ship of the 17.5 kilometer *Eclipse*-class dreadnought, the prototype of that class, and the only ship of the class to ever be built. Encased in a jet-black durasteel and quadranium alloyed hull, the immense ship was said to be the deadliest capital ship in the galaxy. By volume, the *Eclipse* was one of the largest warships ever built and the largest Star Destroyer ever, though in length it was somewhat shorter than the 19 kilometer *Executor*-class Star Dreadnoughts and *Vengeance*-class dreadnoughts. The ship's hull was also designed to resemble naval warships of eras long past.

The interior of the *Eclipse* was similar to that of a Star Destroyer, though it was also outfitted with repair facilities and docking bays reminiscent of those found on space stations. The vessel had several war rooms suitable for high-level meetings of Imperial Navy staff. Troop quarters were located near the bow, at the aft end of the keel-like structure. The fore launch bay and hangar sat approximately midships, and about 2.5 kilometers behind them lay the aft launch bay. The vessel had other, smaller hangars throughout the ship as well, suited for shuttles and the like. The large hangars on the *Eclipse* were big enough to hold a *Victory*-class Star Destroyer. In practice, they were occupied by 600 TIE Interceptors, organized into fifty squadrons, and 96 TIE bombers, comprising eight squadrons. The *Eclipse*'s fighter escort alone could take on almost any New Republic fleet.

In offensive weaponry, the *Eclipse* was outfitted with 550 heavy laser cannons, 500 turbolasers, 75 ion cannons, and a superlaser mounted along the spine of the ship, the equivalent of a planet's worth of weaponry. The *Eclipse* was one of the most heavily-armed starships ever built, and was in fact capable of holding off an entire New Republic fleet by itself. Its fighting ability was unmatched, and were it not for the unconventional means by which it was destroyed it is likely that it would have been a formidable power for the Empire even without accompanying starships. Other combat-oriented technologies included ten gravity well projectors, able to prevent enemy ships from entering hyperspace, 100 tractor beams, and an enhanced shield system. The shield systems, combined with the design of the hull were also powerful enough to be capable, without hesitation, of ramming enemy vessels and not suffer any major damage to the hull.

Though the *Eclipse* was primarily designed for space combat, the vessel was geared for ground assaults as well. Every trooper stationed aboard the *Eclipse*, 150,000 in total, was specially selected. Five prefabricated garrison bases and 100 All Terrain Armored Transports rounded out the *Eclipse*'s ground assault forces. 708,470 crew were assigned to the vessel as well, including 4,175 gunners, though the ship could run with as few as 88,500 crew members. The *Eclipse* had a tonnage of 600,000 metric tons, consumables capable of lasting 10 years, and was entirely self-sufficient.

The ship's communications tower sat atop the bridge, its main communications array jutted from the tower's side, and the long-range communications system extended downward from the prow. The communications systems on the Eclipse were powerful enough to broadcast over all frequencies and drown out other signals. The bridge tower of the *Eclipse* was asymmetric, with the main sensor array on the other side of the bridge from the communications array, and the deflector shield command perched on top of the bridge tower.

An array of six drive engines on the *Eclipse*'s stern gave it a sublight acceleration of 940G, and the ship's hyperdrive was rated at 2x—the backup hyperdrive, 6x. Both sublight and hyperdrive were enhanced to give the *Eclipse* maximum reaction speed.

The most important development in the design of the *Eclipse* was its main weapon, a concealed superlaser running along the spine of the ship. Based on the technology of the Death Star, the *Eclipse*'s single superlaser could fire at two-thirds the power of one of the Death Star's superlaser components, a feat made possible by advances in superlaser focusing and generator technology. The weapon was capable of destroying even the most powerful planetary shields and entire continents in an instant. It could also crack the crust of planets and rip enemy capital ships apart with a single shot, although early in the *Eclipse*'s construction, the laser was prone to breakdowns. The superlaser was difficult to aim, as the entire vessel needed to be aligned with the target for it to do so. According to Admiral Motti in the field manual *Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide*, the superlaser's primary purpose was to penetrate planetary shields as well as destroy cities in a single blast.

## History

### Construction

Intended to serve as a symbol of Imperial power, the *Eclipse* was commissioned directly by Sheev Palpatine, designed to meet his exact specifications. The first and only vessel of a new line of Super Star Destroyers and the most recent of the Empire's plethora of superweapons, the Empire began construction on the *Eclipse* around the time of the Battle of Yavin, above Kuat and later Byss.

### After Endor

The *Eclipse* was seen by many as emblematic of the problems with Palpatine's military policy. The Imperial naval planners did not approve of lavish spending on a single behemoth over several smaller ships of the line, seeing it as a self-aggrandizing waste, and after Palpatine's apparent death in the Battle of Endor it was felt that this kind of purchasing could no longer be justified. Some even suggested scrapping it and using the freed resources to build more Star Destroyers. But Palpatine was not actually dead. While the galaxy believed him to have been killed at Endor, the Emperor had escaped to a clone body on Byss, and under his orders construction on the *Eclipse* continued.

Still, to many it seemed as if construction on the vessel would never end. The *Eclipse* was said to have taken as long to construct as either of the Empire's Death Stars. Over the course of the *Eclipse*'s lengthy construction the builders incorporated decades' worth of the latest achievements in technology, including the gravity well projectors, enhanced ion cannons, and improvements to the sublight engines and hyperdrive.

It became a permanent fixture in orbit around the world of Byss, where construction lasted, aided by slave labor, and was eventually completed even as the Battle of Jakku ended the Galactic Civil War in 5 ABY. In this time it served as an orbital battlestation, where Grand Admirals and other high-ranking members of the Imperial Navy met to plan Imperial strategy. From its deck, Palpatine commanded his fleets via hologram in their campaign against the New Republic, as his clone body was too weak for him to command in person; he retreated to Exegol after his clone body was made. The ship, along with the new Dark Empire itself, was the last step in Palpatine's Contingency.

### Service

In around 7 ABY or 8 ABY, Palpatine at last decided to make his move against the New Republic, and determined that major Republic worlds were to die, entrusting the ship's command in the command of loyal officers such as Major General Maximilian Veers; in an echo to Operation: Cinder which had happened in 4 ABY. The phantom Emperor, despite being stationed afar on Exegol, was determined to destroy those who opposed the Dark Empire. The *Eclipse* was deployed into other battles, often scattering enemy fleets through sheer fear without a single shot being fired. When Palpatine made it his personal flagship though he commanded it from afar, the terrible reputation it already held was increased even further.

As the New Republic began broadcasting emergency commands, the *Eclipse*'s communications systems cut across all frequencies as it destroyed more Republic warships and attacked worlds the Dark Empire sought to conquer. The New Republic High Command began debating the best course of action to destroy it. Eventually, they formulated a plan of onboard sabotage which would be carried out by Luke Skywalker and members of Rogue Squadron. Disguised as Imperials, the squadron infiltrated the ship which was near the Vanqor system by landing aboard a stolen Imperial shuttle and with the help of their astromech droids sabotaged its onboard systems leading to its reactor as the massive battle there raged between the Dark Empire and the New Republic fleets.

During the battle, the *Eclipse* destroyed several New Republic warships with its superlaser, but the weapon would be affected and rendered inoperable by the sabotage done to the vessel by Rogue Squadron, malfunctioning and shortening out when the crew tried to fire the weapon again. After its reactor exploded due to its sabotage, the *Eclipse* veered off course, on the verge of destruction. The bridge crew tried to jump into lightspeed, but the sabotage done to the ship's navigational systems prevented them from doing so as it affected the hyperdrive; the ship had also started to fall apart in the inside though it remained functional as a whole, destroying a few more Republic ships with its other weaponry. The sacrifice of one of the New Republic star cruisers ensured the destruction of the *Eclipse* and prevented any further major losses for the New Republic Navy, as the cruiser rammed into the massive Star Destroyer in lightspeed, destroying itself and heavily damaging the *Eclipse*, creating even more damage and destruction to the flagship, nearly splitting it in half. Nonetheless, in spite of significant damage to the ship, it remained operational even as it started falling apart; evacuations had started. In the end, the destruction of the *Eclipse*'s reactor caused a chain reaction that destroyed the rest of the flagship; all hands who were still aboard were lost. Rogue Squadron was able to escape the flagship after an intense battle with the Imperial forces onboard, aided by New Republic army reinforcements who had landed aboard the vessel to help them fight.

During that same battle, Boba Fett had snuck aboard the ship, hunting for his target, Nien Fenoob, who had stowed away aboard the massive Star Destroyer during the chaos and disguised himself as a Stormtrooper. He encountered Imperials aboard before finally capturing Fenoob; though he would face more of them during his departure. Towards the end of the battle, Fett, without being noticed by the New Republic forces, successfully escaped from the *Eclipse* in his *Slave I* with Fenoob in tow even as the massive Star Destroyer was on the verge of being destroyed.

### Legacy

Despite the *Eclipse*'s destruction*,* several key members of the Dark Empire, including General Veers, who took part in the onboard battle against the New Republic saboteurs, were able to escape the ship before its destruction. This battle as a whole dealt a major blow to the Dark Empire, which was now without its main battlestation/flagship.

The fractured Dark Empire remained at large due to its forces scattered across the galaxy, although some of them retreated into the Unknown Regions. By 9 ABY, General Veers had assumed full control of the remaining elements of the Dark Empire in the known galaxy. The Imperial II-class Star Destroyer *Avenger* and a Gemini-class Star Destroyer later became the new primary flagships of the foundering Dark Empire.

## Trivia

* With the *Eclipse* dreadnought being introduced into the new Canon, it was meant to be something reminiscent of what will become the *Supremacy* and the Xyston-class Star Destroyers, as the *Eclipse* shares common traits with the *Supremacy* and the Xystons. Both the *Eclipse* and the *Supremacy* have a bigger size than all other Star Destroyers, and the *Eclipse* and the Xyston-class Star Destroyers are both equipped with a superlaser, respectively.

## Appearances

* Dark Force Rising (First appearance)
* Shadows of the Empire (Mentioned only)
* Into the Crossfire
* Into the Great Unknown (Mentioned only)