COUNTDOWN: Top 5 Star Destroyers

Whether you have a Galactic Republic to defend or are an Imperial force subjugating thousands of worlds you need superior firepower. You need a Star Destroyer. In this list we will be looking at Star Destroyer types that exist in both the movies and the expanded universe of novels, games and TV series.

So here goes…

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5. Venator-class Star Destroyer

The backbone of the Republic Forces during the Clone Wars the Venator-class set the standard for the Star Destroyers that followed in the time of the Empire. The Venators were part capital ship, part carrier and had a large complement of fighters and landing ships. While large numbers of these class were under the overall command of the Jedi their clone soldiers and crews eventually turned on the Jedi and the type helped Palpatine, now Emperor, enforce his control on the galaxy.

 

4. Pallaeon-class Star Destroyer

A warship of the Fel Empire the Pallaeon-class was probably one of the most powerful warships the galaxy has ever seen (with the notable exception of the two Death Stars). Entering service 100 years after the Battle of Endor these ships fought the very best the New Republic fleets had to offer and hunted down Jedi refugees killing them mercilessly. Often used as command ships they served on both sides during the Second Imperial Civil War.

 

3. Interdictor-class Star Destroyer

Superior firepower doesn’t have to be in the form of high energy weapons or missiles. The Interdictor-class featured gravity well projectors that simulated the immense gravitational force of a celestial body such as a planet. This rendered starships unable to enter hyperspace to escape making them an extremely useful tool in trapping an enemy force. Unfortunately these generators drained so much power that compared to other Star Destroyers the Interdictors were not as heavily armed or protected and could be disabled by large numbers of X-Wings alone. When used in conjunction with regular Star Destroyers for protection however they proved devastating.

 

2. Viceroy-class Star Destroyer

Easily one of the most attractive Star Destroyer classes with its smoothed off surfaces the Viceroy-class was one of the most advanced designs of its kind and as such proved incredibly expensive to build. While it introduced a whole host of improvements it didn’t offer the advantages in combat to justify the expense making them prized by Imperial Flag Officers as flagships of small formations. One advantage the class did bring however was the Proton Bomb launcher at the front. This was in-effect a super heavy proton torpedo that was powerful enough to crack open the hull of the strongest protected ship making them lethal capital-ship killers.

 

 

1. Imperial II-class Star Destroyer

Of course this was going to be my number one. This was the design that started it off back in 1977. From the moment the movie begins we see this immense vessel and know we are in a universe that is under subjugation and it has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the franchise. Even with the newer types introduced in the expanded universe this class remains one of the most powerful designs and for those reasons it tops my list.

Thanks for reading…

COUNTDOWN: Top 5 Star Wars Expanded Universe novels

With news that the expanded universe is being disregarded in the new movies Mark Berryman counts down his top 5 Star Wars Expanded Universe novels.

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5. Heir to the Empire

Five years after the Death Star was destroyed and Darth Vader and the Emperor were defeated, the galaxy is struggling to heal the wounds of war, Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins, and Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of new Jedi Knights. But thousands of light-years away, the last of the Emperor’s warlords—the brilliant and deadly Grand Admiral Thrawn—has taken command of the shattered Imperial fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the New Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to create.

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4. Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina

An anthology of stories compiled by Kevin J Anderson and written by a collection of celebrated sci-fi authors it was the first in a trilogy of anthology collections that shed light on all those lessor characters seen in the background of the movies. Set in a far off corner of the universe, on the small desert planet of Tatooine, there is a dark, nic-i-tain-filled cantina where you can down your favorite intoxicant while listening to the best jizz riffs in the universe. But beware your fellow denizens of this pangalactic watering hole, for they are cutthroats and cutpurses, assassins and troopers, humans and aliens, gangsters and thieves.

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3. The Han Solo Trilogy

Set before the events of Episode IV, the Millennium Falcon is “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.” So when Han Solo wins it in a game of sabacc, he and Chewbacca become kings of the smugglers–uncatchable, unstoppable. But with the Empire clamping down, Han knows his luck can’t last. Still, when an old girlfriend who is now the leader of an insurgent Rebel group offers him a shot at an incredible fortune, Han can’t resist. The plan seems a sure thing. The resistance will be light and the take enormous. Han and his friends will divide it equally with the Rebels. Too bad for Han that the planet of Ylesia is far from a pushover, that the Rebels have an agenda of their own, and that smuggler friends can often turn into enemies…quicker than lightspeed.

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2. Shadows of the Empire

It is a time of crisis. Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, is being taken to the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt. As Princess Leia mounts a rescue mission and Darth Vader scours the Galaxy for Luke Skywalker, another sinister figure emerges. Cunning and ruthless, leader of a powerful crime syndicate, he will pit himself against Vader for the favor of their mutual master…the dreaded Emperor.

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1. Darth Plagueis

Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.

Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor. Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?”