Defender/Legends

"I decided the only way we can break the blockade is if I pilot the Defender right into their battleship and take out their commander.''" "What?" "This way, I'm the only one at risk. Besides, the Defender'' is damaged already."

- Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano

The Defender was a Venator-class Star Destroyer that served in the Grand Army of the Republic's navy during the Clone Wars, between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Around 22 BBY, the planet of Ryloth was seized by the Separatists, and a large Confederate fleet, under the command of the Neimoidian Captain Mar Tuuk, was placed over the planet to blockade it. The Defender was part of the Galactic Republic's task force of three Venator-class cruisers to eliminate the Confederate blockade, led by the Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, along with the cruisers Resolute and Redeemer.

Upon the arrival of the Star Destroyers in the Ryloth system, Tuuk was able to lure the Republic forces into a trap, and Tuuk's summoning of Confederate reinforcements forced the cruisers to retreat, but not before the Resolute and Defender had sustained damage. The Redeemer was destroyed altogether under heavy fire. Regrouping, Skywalker devised a plan to pilot the heavily damaged Defender into Tuuk's lead ship, leaving Tano to command the Resolute and eliminate the remaining frigates in the blockade. Skywalker and the astromech droid R2-D2 piloted the Defender into the system, and put the Defender on course before fleeing in an escape pod. With the blockade down, the Republic's invasion forces, commanded by High Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu, were eventually able to liberate the planet.

Description
The Defender was a Venator-class Star Destroyer that served in the Grand Army of the Republic's navy during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Defender had turbolasers, a hyperdrive, and at least one shield generator equipped. It also featured a pair of command towers, eight engines, and was outfitted with escape pods.

First assault
"Our blockade is impenetrable. When the Republic attacks, they will get quite a surprise."

- Captain Mar Tuuk, on his trap for Skywalker's task force

Around 22 BBY, the planet of Ryloth was invaded by the Techno Union foreman and Separatist Council member, Wat Tambor, and its Twi'lek inhabitants were subjugated to a harsh rule. Tambor also blockaded the planet and placed Mar Tuuk, a Neimoidian captain, in charge of the Confederate fleet. In response, the Republic dispatched Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan, Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, to breach the Confederate blockade and make way for Republic invasion forces&mdash;under the command of High Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu&mdash;to land and liberate the planet. The Star Destroyer Defender, along with the Resolute and the Redeemer, was assigned to Skywalker's task force, while Admiral Wullf Yularen accompanied Skywalker and Tano aboard the Resolute.

When Skywalker's task force arrived out of hyperspace in the Ryloth system, the battle group immediately engaged the Confederate fleet. Tano led Blue Squadron&mdash;a V-19 Torrent starfighter squadron&mdash;on an attack run against Tuuk's Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship and the two Munificent-class star frigates flanking it. The three Venator cruisers remained behind and provided heavy support fire. Blue Squadron managed to cut a path through the Confederate Vulture droid starfighters to Tuuk's command ship; however, Tuuk summoned Confederate reinforcements in the form of four more Munificent frigates, and began to fire upon the Republic fleet, causing heavy damage to all three of the Star Destroyers.

With the Republic fleet outgunned and outmaneuvered, Admiral Yularen ordered a full retreat from the system, and called Tano and her squadron back to the Resolute to give fighter cover. However, Tano disobeyed orders, believing that she could reach Tuuk's Lucrehulk flagship and destroy it. Without Tano's assistance, the Defender and the other two Star Destroyers were heavily damaged by Vulture droid suicide attacks. After losing most of her squadron, Tano returned to the Republic task force, and the Defender and the Resolute were able to retreat to hyperspace. However, the Redeemer had taken heavy damage and broke apart in space.

Second assault
"All cannons, fire! Fire!''" "''We can't stop it. What should we do?"

- Confederate Captain Tuuk and an OOM command battle droid, shortly before the Defender rams into their ship

The remainder of Skywalker's fleet retreated from the battlefield to consolidate their forces and treat the injured. The Defender itself had lost one of its command towers, and large fires had sprouted along its hull. After conferring with Generals Kenobi and Windu via hologram, Skywalker was given one planetary rotation to breach the blockade, even though only half of his original forces remained. Seeking to both complete his mandate and bolster Tano's confidence, General Skywalker devised a plan to evacuate the heavily damaged Defender and then pilot the Star Destroyer into Tuuk's flagship with the help of his astromech droid, R2-D2. Skywalker and R2-D2 would escape the collision in an escape pod, while Tano&mdash;in command of the Resolute&mdash;would engage and destroy the six remaining Confederate frigates.

After the clone troopers and supplies from the Defender were moved to the Resolute, Skywalker and R2-D2 piloted the Defender back to the system. Skywalker opened a hololink to Captain Tuuk and lied to the Neimoidian, stating that he would surrender himself, his crew and the Defender in exchange for the safe passage of food and medical supplies to Ryloth. At first, Tuuk believed the Jedi's deception, but Skywalker's lie was uncovered when a complete scan of the Defender discovered that the Jedi was the only life-form aboard. Skywalker leveled the Defender at the control ship, and gunned the cruiser's engines before he and R2-D2 made their way to an escape pod.

Tuuk's Lucrehulk Droid Control Ship tried to fire at the Defender, but could not stop the battleship or force it to change its course. When it became clear that his flagship would be destroyed, Captain Tuuk fled in an escape pod, leaving the droids in control of the remaining ships in the blockade; the Defender smashed into the center sphere of Tuuk's control ship. The Resolute arrived out of hyperspace to engage what remained of the Confederate blockade, and Tano's forces were able to defeat the frigates. Three Acclamator I-class assault ships&mdash;under the command of Generals Windu and Kenobi&mdash;arrived out of hyperspace, ready to land with the Republic invasion forces. Tano dispatched a Nu-class attack shuttle to pick up General Skywalker's escape pod.

The destruction of the Confederate blockade, due in part to the sacrifice of the Defender, allowed Kenobi and Windu's ground forces to land on the planet. After heavy fighting on Ryloth, the Republic was able to recapture the planet. The Twi'lek people were freed, and the Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor was captured and taken into custody.

Commanders and crew
During the first assault on Ryloth, the Defender sustained heavy damage, and as a result, it had many casualties among its crewmembers. When General Skywalker planned to pilot the Defender into Tuuk's command ship, the remaining crew and supplies were moved from the Defender to the Resolute. The only known commander of the Defender was Skywalker, when he and R2-D2 piloted the ship during the second assault.

Behind the scenes
The Defender was first mentioned in a small entry in the reference book The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, released on December 9 2008. Its background was greatly expanded in "Storm Over Ryloth," an episode in the first season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.

The ramming of the damaged Defender by a skeleton crew into the enemy flagship is highly reminiscent of the evacuation and ramming of the Lusankya into the Domain Hul worldship.

An animation error in "Storm Over Ryloth" showed the Defender with both of its command towers intact, just moments after showing the ship with the starboard tower destroyed.

Notes and references
Defender (Schiff) Defender (Venator-klass)