Super Star Destroyer

Star Dreadnought · Galactic Empire

Super Star Destroyer

Darth Vader's flagship: the 19-kilometre Executor, built to dwarf the Star Destroyers around it.

Model
Executor-class Star Dreadnought
Maker
Kuat Drive Yards
Length
19 km
Passengers
38,000
Hyperdrive
class 1, backup: class 10
Shields
yes
Armament
Turbolaser batteries · Ion cannons · Tractor beam projectors · Assault concussion missile launchers · Quad laser cannon turrets

Galactic EmpireCompare on the scale

Overview

The Super Star Destroyer is a wedge-shaped Imperial dreadnought, officially the Executor-class Star Dreadnought. The ship that gives the class its name, the Executor, is 19,000 metres long — nineteen kilometres from bow to stern — and in The Empire Strikes Back it dwarfs the five Star Destroyers sailing around it[1][3][4].

Darth Vader pushed for the project, and the Executor became his flagship and personal command[4]. From its bridge he leads Death Squadron, the fleet sent after the Rebel Alliance, in The Empire Strikes Back, and the ship returns in Return of the Jedi[1].

The Executor is not the only ship of its kind. The Ravager is a sister ship, and its wreck lies in the Jakku desert in The Force Awakens. The Rebel Alliance estimated that more than a dozen of the class were built[4][6].

Length 19 km

Side and top views to scale. For comparison: Imperial-class Star Destroyer

How it flies and fights

The Executor is a Star Destroyer stretched to an extreme: a long wedge of hull, a command tower near the stern and thirteen engine thrusters across the back[2]. Its weapons are counted in thousands — turbolaser and ion cannon batteries and tractor beam projectors, backed by assault concussion missile launchers and quad laser cannon turrets[4].

A ship this size works as a flagship. Darth Vader commands Death Squadron from the Executor, and its tractor beams try to hold the Millennium Falcon when the freighter runs for Bespin[1]. Its crew is counted in the hundreds of thousands[4].

Who flew it

Chronicle

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

  1. ≈ 0 BBY

    The Executor-class enters service. Darth Vader has championed the project, and the Executor becomes his personal flagship[4].

  2. 3 ABY

    Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back

    Spoiler from Episode V — The Empire Strikes BackShowyou've watched it

    Admiral Ozzel brings the fleet out of hyperspace too close to Hoth, which lets the rebels raise their shield. Vader kills him and Piett takes over[5].

  3. 3 ABY

    Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back

    The Executor leads Vader's fleet after the Millennium Falcon into the asteroid field, and Vader speaks to the Emperor from aboard the ship[5].

  4. 3 ABY

    Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back

    The Executor follows the Falcon to Bespin and tries to hold it with tractor beams, but the freighter escapes into hyperspace[1].

  5. 4 ABY

    Episode VI — Return of the Jedi

    Spoiler from Episode VI — Return of the JediShowyou've watched it

    At Endor a damaged rebel A-wing smashes into the Executor's command bridge. The ship loses control and crashes into the second Death Star[1].

  6. 5 ABY

    Episode VII — The Force Awakens

    At the Battle of Jakku, the Executor's sister ship Ravager is brought down and crashes in the desert[6].

  7. 34 ABY

    Episode VII — The Force Awakens

    Escaping Jakku, Rey flies the Millennium Falcon straight through the wreck of the Ravager[6].

Where it flew

Where to see the Super Star Destroyer

Films, series and games with the Super Star Destroyer, in story order.

Variants

Behind the scenes

  1. For The Empire Strikes Back, ILM built the Executor as a miniature about 282 cm long, its surface detail made from etched brass plates lit from inside[3][7].
  2. To get a Super Star Destroyer and ordinary Star Destroyers into one shot, ILM modelmaker Paul Huston built a tiny brass Star Destroyer, about 33.5 cm long, with room inside for a hot lamp[3].
  3. The script and art book for The Empire Strikes Back said only that the new ship was larger than the five Star Destroyers around it. Its exact length was fixed later; the figure used today is 19,000 metres[3].

Did you know

Super Star Destroyer: questions and answers

How big is the Super Star Destroyer?

The Executor is 19,000 metres long, which is nineteen kilometres — about 58 Eiffel Towers laid end to end. In The Empire Strikes Back it dwarfs the five Star Destroyers around it[1][3].

Who commands the Executor?

Darth Vader, who made the Executor his flagship and personal command[1]. Admirals Kendal Ozzel and, later, Firmus Piett serve as the ship's commanders under him[1].

Why is it called a Super Star Destroyer?

Because it is a Star Destroyer on a far bigger scale. 'Super Star Destroyer' is the common name for the type; officially it is the Executor-class Star Dreadnought, named after its best-known ship[2][4].

Same fleet

Sources

  1. Executor — StarWars.com Databank
  2. Super Star Destroyer — StarWars.com Databank
  3. Star Wars Mysteries: Exacting Executor Measurements — StarWars.com
  4. Executor-class Star Dreadnought — Wookieepedia (read via archivum.wiki mirror)
  5. Executor — Wookieepedia (read via archivum.wiki mirror)
  6. Ravager — Wookieepedia (read via archivum.wiki mirror)
  7. Star Destroyer — Wikipedia