Super Star Destroyer

The Super Star Destroyer, a large mobile craft in the fictional Star Wars universe, is a truly gargantuan spaceship carrying thousands upon thousands of crew, shown in the movies as around 17.6 kilometres long though often quoted at only 8 or 12 km in secondary sources. Darth Vader's command ship, the Executor, was the only such vessel featured in the movies. It was involved in the siege of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, and the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. The ship was destroyed by the Rebels as part of the Battle of Endor, colliding with the second Death Star after its bridge was destroyed by a crashing A-wing fighter.

Several other Super Star Destroyers have been featured in the Star Wars novels:

• Lusankya - This Super Star Destroyer was the sister-ship to the Executor. Both ships were built at the same time at separate facilities, both under the name of Executor. When they were completed, one went on to become the ship seen in the movies, the other was renamed Lusankya and somehow ended up burried under the surface of Coruscant. The ship was given to Ysanne Isard, who used it to flee Coruscant after it was conquered. The ship was eventually captured by Wedge Antilles over Thyferra, and became a vessel in the New Republic's fleet. The ship was finally destroyed around 25 years after the Battle of Endor, when it was sent on a suicide mission to ram a Yuuzhan Vong Worldship.

• Iron Fist - This ship was the flagship of Warlord Zsinj's fleet. It was the symbol of the warlord's power, and he used it to terrorize worlds into submission. This ship was eventually destroyed over the planet Dathomir.

• Razor's Kiss - Although it was built by the Empire at their Kuat Drive Yards, this ship was never seen in service to the Empire. When it was nearly completed, a commando force sent by Warlord Zsinj took control of it, and begain shooting their way out of the Shipyards. When the Imperial ships stationed there moved to intercept it, Warlord Zsinj brought his fleet led by another Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist in to protect it untill they jumped out of the system. Unfortunately for Zsinj, one of his commando force was a spy, who destroyed the shield generators and planted a program in the ships computers that told the New Republic's fleet where it escaped to. The ship was destroyed by the New Republic before ever seeing a real battle.

• Knight Hammer -Seeing the inefficiencies of the Emperor's heirs, Admiral Daala murdered most of the warlords who had risen to power after the fall of the Empire. Consolidating command over the remaining Imperial military, Admiral Daala took command of the Super Star Destroyer Knight Hammer, which had been built in secret by one of the murdered warlords. In an ill-advised strike against Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy on Yavin 4, the Knight Hammer fell victim to sabotage and was subsequently destroyed.

See also : Star Wars