An Imperial II class Star Destroyer
- "Sir, the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer—"
- ―C-3PO
The Imperial II class Star Destroyer, also known as the Imperial II class Destroyer and colloquially the "ImpStar Deuce", was a Star Destroyer model that was derived from the Imperial I class Star Destroyer.
Characteristics[]
Imperial II sideview with notable features highlighted.
"Have you ever seen what a Star Destroyer can do to the surface of an unshielded planet? Stones run like water and sand turns to glass."
- ―Carnor Jax to Mirith Sinn.
Several differences existed between the Imperial I and Imperial II, including the replacement of the tractor beam targeting array between the command tower's sensor globes with a communications tower, as well as the removal of point defense weaponry.
The Imperial II was built with a heavily reinforced hull, stronger deflector shields, and greater firepower than the original Imperial Iclass. The prominent quad heavy turbolaser and heavy ion cannon turrets flanking the surface of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer were also replaced with batteries of eight-barreled turbolasers or ions in unarmored barbette mountings. Another new feature included two parallel "claws" for grappling smaller starships placed in the ventral secondary docking bay.
The Imperial II-class Star Destroyer had many problems. The Errant Venture, formerly the Virulence, was continually breaking down. During the height of the Rebellion, an Alliance Special Operations officer said that the Star Destroyer had 174,000 design flaws waiting to be exploited. Despite these flaws as well as the vast resources required to maintain and crew the vessels, they nevertheless remained formidable front line units, even when compared to more efficient and modern designs such as the Nebula class and Turbulent class Star Destroyers.
History[]
Octuple turbolaser mountings line the flank of an Imperial II's command tower.
The class began with the prototype Imperial II known as the Empire, commanded by Admiral Feyet Kiez. The vessel was more powerful than later vessels of the line and was said to have amassed a reputation similar to that of the Executor. The first operational ships of this class began to appear in service shortly before the Battle of Yavin.
Many participated at the Battle of Hoth, in which at least one, theTyrant, was disabled by the Rebel's V-150 anti-orbital ion cannons. During the final years of the Galactic Empire under Emperor Palpatine's rule, this starship was instrumental in the implementation of the Tarkin Doctrine.
This class remained in service for a significant length of time, despite more advanced starship designs being available. These warships were considered advanced or simply extremely powerful even during the Yuuzhan Vong War, being used for both offensive and defensive roles in critical missions. However, this type of warship was not just used by the military.
[1]Comparison between the and the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer. During the events of the Second Galactic Civil War, the class remained operational, as Jacen Solo commanded the Anakin Solo, a heavily upgraded and modified vessel which was in the service of the Galactic Alliance Guard.
When the Imperial Remnant finally entered the war, it was able to field a fleet of these vessels, showing the type's prolonged service to the Empire. It should be noted, however, Gilad Pellaeon chose the Bloodfin, a newly built Turbulent-class Star Destroyer, as the Imperial flagship, possibly indicating the iconic Imperial-class had reached the twilight of its service life.