Star Destroyer · Galactic Empire

Imperial-class Star Destroyer

The Empire's mile-long wedge of a warship, first seen filling the screen in the opening shot of A New Hope.

Model: Imperial I-class Star Destroyer
Maker: Kuat Drive Yards
Length: 1,600 m
Width: 985 m
Height: 455 m
Crew: About 37,000 officers and crew
Passengers: 9,700
Top speed in atmosphere: 975 km/h
Speed in space: 60 MGLT
Hyperdrive: class 2, backup: class 8
Shields: yes
Armament: 60 XX-9 heavy turbolaser batteries · 60 NK-7 ion cannons · 10 Q7 heavy tractor beam projectors · 72 TIE fighters in its hangars

Overview

The Imperial-class Star Destroyer is a capital ship of the Galactic Empire: a grey, wedge-shaped hull about 1,600 metres long, with a raised bridge tower near the stern and a pair of shield generator domes on top. That is about a mile from bow to stern, nearly five Eiffel Towers laid end to end^[1].

Kuat Drive Yards built the first Imperial I-class ships as a much larger successor to the Republic's wedge-shaped Venator-class^[3]. About 37,000 officers and crew work aboard, and another 9,700 stormtroopers are carried for ground assaults^[3].

The opening shot of A New Hope is a Star Destroyer chasing a small rebel ship, and the class returns across the saga: the original trilogy, Rogue One, Star Wars Rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, with wrecks scattered over Jakku in The Force Awakens^[1]^[11]. Darth Vader commands the Devastator, and Grand Admiral Thrawn commands the Chimaera^[5]^[6].

Side and top views to scale. For comparison: Millennium Falcon

How it flies and fights

The hull is a flat, tapering wedge, with the bridge tower and the engines at the stern^[1]. Its main guns are 60 XX-9 heavy turbolaser batteries, backed by 60 NK-7 ion cannons and 10 heavy tractor beam projectors that catch ships trying to flee^[3].

A Star Destroyer fights with more than guns. Its hangars hold 72 TIE fighters and 8 Lambda shuttles, and troop transports and walkers can be sent down to the surface of a world^[3]. A class 2 hyperdrive, with a class 8 backup, takes the ship between systems, and in an atmosphere it manages about 975 km/h^[3].

Who flew it

Darth Vader
Owner
Uses the Devastator as his personal flagship until he moves to the much larger Executor, and is aboard it in A New Hope and Rogue One^[5].
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Commander
Takes the Chimaera as his flagship, rising from his early commands to Grand Admiral of the 7th Fleet^[6].
Arihnda Pryce
Commander
In Star Wars Rebels she takes command of the Chimaera for a short time during the ground assault on Atollon^[6].
Alexsandr Kallus
Commander
An Imperial Security Bureau agent who serves aboard Imperial ships such as the Chimaera in Star Wars Rebels^[6].

Chronicle

Key moments in the ship's life, in story order. Spoilers stay hidden until you mark the title as watched in the timeline.

19 BBY

The first Imperial I-class ships enter service. Kuat Drive Yards builds them as a much larger successor to the Republic's wedge-shaped Venator-class^[3].
9 BBY

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Reva tells Vader where the Path is hiding on Jabiim. The Devastator moves in and launches Inquisitor forces to attack the hideout^[12].
2 BBY

Star Wars Rebels

Spoiler from Star Wars RebelsShowyou've watched it
Thrawn's Chimaera leads the Imperial fleet against the rebel base on Atollon. The rebels abandon the base after heavy losses^[6].
1 BBY

Star Wars Rebels

Spoiler from Star Wars RebelsShowyou've watched it
The Chimaera bombards Lothal's capital while the rebels hold the planetary shield. At the end, purrgil carry the Chimaera into hyperspace with Thrawn and Ezra aboard^[10].
0 BBY

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Episode IV — A New Hope

Spoiler from Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowyou've watched it
Vader's Devastator drops out of hyperspace over Scarif, then chases the Tantive IV and captures it above Tatooine in the opening scene of A New Hope^[5].
3 ABY

Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back

Star Destroyers of Vader's fleet hunt the rebels on Hoth, then chase the Falcon into an asteroid field^[1].
4 ABY

Episode VI — Return of the Jedi

Spoiler from Episode VI — Return of the JediShowyou've watched it
Star Destroyers join the Imperial fleet that fights the rebels above Endor, and many are lost once the second Death Star falls^[3].
5 ABY

Episode VII — The Force Awakens

In the last great Imperial fleet battle, the Executor-class Ravager is dragged down into the desert, and wrecked Star Destroyers are left to rust, as The Force Awakens later shows^[11].
≈ 9 ABY

Ahsoka — Season 1

Spoiler from Ahsoka — Season 1Showyou've watched it
Stranded on Peridea with Thrawn's crew, the damaged but working Chimaera is later able to leave with help from the Eye of Sion^[6].

Where it flew

Where to see the Imperial-class Star Destroyer

Films, series and games with the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, in story order.

Variants

Imperial II-class
Almost the same outline and size, with heavier weapons and a stronger hull and shields. A communications tower sits between the shield domes where the Imperial I has a tractor beam targeting array. Rebels call it 'Impstar-Deuce'^[4].
Devastator (upgraded Imperial I)
Darth Vader's flagship before the Executor, an Imperial I refitted with a split hangar under the hull and a communications tower where the tractor beam targeting array was^[5].
Chimaera (modified Imperial I)
Thrawn's flagship, an Imperial I modified with eight turbolasers around the bridge tower, eight-barrel turrets instead of the big double ones, two facing hangar bays and a large chimaera emblem engraved on the underside^[6].

Behind the scenes

The opening shot of A New Hope, about 13 seconds of a Star Destroyer chasing the Tantive IV, was the first effects shot ILM finished and tested the new motion-control camera. The model was 91 cm (36 in) long, about half the size of the Tantive IV model^[7].
Early drafts had four Star Destroyers chasing the rebel ship, but cost left Lucas with one enormous ship. Colin Cantwell built an early model that ILM refined, and Joe Johnston has said the aim was a fortress look rather than a naval one^[8].
Sound designer Ben Burtt built many of the film's ship sounds, Star Destroyers included, from recordings of racing planes passing close overhead at the Reno air races, which gave the ships a natural, gritty feel^[9].

Did you know

A typical Imperial I also carries 20 AT-ATs, 30 AT-STs or AT-DPs and 15 troop transports, on top of its 9,700 stormtroopers^[3].
A skeleton crew of about 2,000 can run an Imperial I, although its full complement is about 37,000 officers and enlisted crew^[3].
Its 72 TIE fighters are a mix of 48 standard TIE/ln fighters, 12 TIE bombers and 12 TIE interceptors^[3].