The 19-kilometer-long Executor-class[1] Star Destroyers were the largest class of ships built by the Empire. (Though a few larger mobile space stations, such as the two Death Stars, were also put into service, they were neither common enough to qualify as a class nor, properly speaking, starships.) Each was equipped to shatter the backbone of enemy fleets, smash planetary defenses, and land enough troops to control important population centers. The only possible weakness of the ships is their lack of point-defense weapons, leaving them potentially vulnerable to massed fighter attacks if they lack escorts.
There is a large discrepancy of information regarding the designation of Star Destroyer and Super Star Destroyer particularly whether they are ship types or classes. As there is far too much to go into here, please visit The Star Destroyer Designation subpage for more clarification.
Some confusion exists about the official name of the Super Star Destroyer classes (see sidebar), much of it rooted in the idea that nothing 19 kilometers long qualifies as a mere “destroyer,” super or not. This misunderstanding is based in the fact that the term Star Destroyer does not indicate a Destroyer-class[2] vessel that happens to be a starship (unlike the terms star cruiser and star dreadnought). A Star Destroyer is named after the idea of a ship that has the power needed to destroy entire star systems, an ominous naming convention tat goes back to the days of the Old Republic. Any ship that follows the design basics of those early ships (including a combination of massive firepower and a dagger shape to focus that firepower forward) can be a class of Star Destroyer. For this reason, the term Star Destroyer is always capitalized, unlike star frigate or star cruiser. A typical Star Destroyer qualifies as a star cruiser, and a Super Star Destroyer qualifies as a star dreadnought.
Super Star Destroyers sometimes served as mobile repair bases, starfighter carriers, or communications ships (carrying dozens of HoloNet transceivers), but most served the standard Super Star Destroyer role of sector command ship and mobile headquarters. Two Super Star Destroyers that fit this model are the Executor (seen below) and the Vengeance. The latter vessel served as the command ship for the Dark Jedi named Jerec, and though visually distinctive it had the same specifications as other Executor‑class Super Star Destroyers. The Lusankaya is the sister ship of the Executor and is a minor variant.
The Executor
When extremely large ships—such as Super Star Destroyers and Mon Calamari Star Defenders—enter the fray of battle, they can pose an incredible threat to other starships. The high number of weapons they can bring to bear makes it statistically probable that several of their attacks will result in critical hits. Smaller ships, such as space transports and starfighters, will almost certainly be wiped out instantaneously thanks to the likelihood of one of these massive capital ships scoring a critical hit, since no size disparity can save them. When using these massive vessels in an encounter, Gamemasters should be careful to limit the number of attacks originating from these ships that are aimed at vessels occupied by player characters, and important NPCs. Instead, consider placing other large, threatening targets on the battlefield for these ships to shoot at. If these massive vessels are tied up attacking one another, they will spare few shots for passing space transports and starfighters, allowing player characters to move about the battlefield without the risk of errant critical hits.
The Executor is Darth Vader’s command ship, and the flagship of the Death Squadron. Built in secret at Fondor Shipyards, the Executor was designed as a terror weapon just a surely as the Death Star was. Although it lacked the Death Star’s planet-destroying super weapon, the Executor became a harbinger of Imperial aggression and Darth Vader’s personal attention to a problem. More than one Rebel force fled a mission as soon as the Executor arrived in system, making the ship in practice a more successful tool of fear than the Death Star.
The destruction of the Executor came at the Battle of Endor, when Admiral Ackbar had the entire firepower of the Rebel fleet directed at the Executor alone. Although the assault managed to breach the Executor’s shields, the ship survived even that apocalypse in functional condition. It was not until an A-wing fighter smashed into the Executor’s bridge that the ship lost functional control. It fell into the second Death Star and was destroyed on impact.
Capabilities
The mass of the Executor is an advantage in terms of the power of the shields it can carry and the weapons it can mount, but it’s a drawback in terms of keeping the ship supplied. More than one hundred times as massive as an Imperial‑class Star Destroyer, the Executor can hold far more resources then the Empire normally has available to fill it. The massive hangar of the ship can hold thousands of fighters and a not inconsiderable number of small capital ships, but such an arrangement is rarely advantageous. Standard practice sets the compliment of the Executor at 144 TIEs of various types, 200 support ships, three pre-generated garrisons and hundreds of heavy walkers. In theory, the ship can carry many times that number of troops and vessels, but such resources are never available.
Nor is it realistically necessary. The Executor always has at least a few escort ships with it, giving it whatever ground support is required. In space battle, the Executor is unmatched by anything the Alliance can bring to bear short of a massed fleet, which the Rebels are unlikely to risk in conflict with Vader’s ship.
Tactical Fire: Super Star Destroyers of all kinds are exceptionally dangerous foes that can eradicate almost any enemy in mere moments. As a standard action, a Super Star Destroyer can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 3-square radius around itself. All allied starships within that area gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and deal +1 die of damage on a successful attack.
Executor (CL 40)
Starships of the Galaxy, page 137.
Colossal (station) space station
Initiative: −4; Senses: Perception +6
Defenses: Fort 74, Ref 18 (flat-footed 18) ; ++18 armor, Vehicular Combat
Hit Points: 3,000; DR: 20; SR: 400; Damage Threshold: 574
Speed: fly 2 squares (starship scale)
Ranged: 25 heavy turbolaser batteries +15* (see below) and
25 turbolaser batteries +15* (see below) and
25 heay ion cannon batteries +15* (see below) and
8 tractor beam batteries +15* (see below) and
25 heavy concussion missle batteries +15* (see below)
Fighting Space: 2×2 (starship scale); Cover: total
Base Attack: +2; Grapple: 86
Abilities: Str 138, Dex 10, Con —, Int 20
Skills: Initiative −4, Mechanics +6, Perception +6, Pilot −4, Use Computer +6
Crew: 280,734 (skilled); Passengers: 38,000 (troops)
Cargo: 250,000 tons; Consumables: 6 years; Carried Craft: 144 strfighters,various support craft
Payload: 50,000 heavy concussion missiles
Hyperdrive: ×2 (backup ×10), navicomputer
Availability: Military; Cost: not available for sale
* Apply a −20 penalty on attacks against targets smaller than Colossal size.
Heavy turbolaser battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +15 (−5 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 11d10×5
Turbolaser battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +15 (−5 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 8d10×5
Heavy ion cannon battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +15 (−5 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 5d10×5 ion
Tractor beam battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +15 (−5 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: — (grapple +86)
Heavy concussion missile battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +15 (−5 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 10d10×5, 4-square splash
Footnotes and References
Please see the following pages or sites for further information:
- ↑ The text in the book incorrectly lists the class as Super. This is inconsistent with already established lore as well as the previous mention in the Imperial‑class Star Destroyer section.
- ↑ This is technically incorrect. It should actually read “destroyer type”. See Wikipedia: Ship Class for clarification.