Vindicator-class heavy cruiser

The Vindicator-class heavy cruiser was the standard 600 meter-long "heavy cruiser" of the Imperial Starfleet.

It was intended for use in situations in which Imperial-class Star Destroyers were unavailable, and smaller ships were not powerful enough. The ship was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems, and designed by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin himself.

The ship's armament consisted of 25 light turbolasers, 20 light quad turbolasers, 10 point-defense laser cannons, 20 light point-defense ion cannons, and 3 tractor beam projectors. The Vindicator was equipped with a Class 2 hyperdrive. It carried 400 troops and a crew of 2,551. Most Vindicators were specifically configured so that they could carry a full TIE starfighter wing and operate independently without the need for support ships.

The Immobilizer 418 Interdictor cruiser was designed using the same basic hull as the Vindicator. In addition to manufacturing new Immobilizer 418s, the Empire converted a number of Vindicators into Interdictor cruisers. The Vindicator's hull was used again to build the Enforcer-class picket cruiser, a patrol ship used by the Pentastar Alignment.

Although the Vindicator was designated as a "heavy cruiser," it was smaller than the Acclamator-class Assault Ship as well as the Munificent-class Star Frigate. Since its derivative design, the Immobilizer 418, was designated a 'frigate', the Vindicator would be in this category as well.

Behind the Scenes
While the Vindicator was the original ship in-universe, and its existence had been implied for years, it was only recently given a name and description in the book Starships of the Galaxy, published by Wizards of the Coast. Because of this, the derivative Interdictor cruiser is far more well-known.