MC80 Star Cruiser/Legends

MC80 Star Cruiser The MC80 Star Cruiser was the first class of Mon Calamari Star Cruisers put into service for the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War.

Characteristics


Like most Mon Calamari designs, each vessel was individually unique, which caused headaches for Rebel technicians. As with other Calamari designs during the Galactic Civil War, all warships in this group were standardized as much as possible to aid non-Calamari crewmembers, something the artistic Mon Calamari accepted begrudgingly.

The vessels were crewed by various species of Rebel personnel, though the command crew was exclusively Mon Calamari, due to the nature of the bridge display screens being designed for the Mon Calamari viewing spectrum.

While their armaments, which varied from ship to ship, were less than those found on the Galactic Empire's mile-long Star Destroyers, their shielding capability was far more advanced. The multiple backup shields and multiple shield generators ensured that a Calamari cruiser could last in combat against more heavily armed opponents.

The standard fighter complement on a MC80 was three squadrons. The typical makeup of a three squadron wing on a MC80 included one X-wing, one Y-wing, and one A-wing squadron.

Some MC80 cruisers had their wing-sections shortened and were equipped with an additional engine.

History


This class was composed of the initial group of starliners modified for combat duty by Mon Calamari and Rebel techs. The cruisers represented the first line of large capital ships deployed by the Rebel Alliance.

The entry of the Mon Calamari into the Alliance ensured that the undergunned and outnumbered Rebel fleet would possess the firepower to deal with Imperial-class Star Destroyers, and when grouped, even heavier combatants. This was shown during the climactic Battle of Endor, when a flotilla of Mon Calamari ships attacked the massive command ship Executor and brought down its shields.

The cruiser stayed in frontline service for several years in the New Republic fleet, eventually getting outclassed by the MC80B, MC90, Mediator, and Viscount designs. Many were reconverted back into starliners, medical ships, evacuation cruisers, etc. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, many of the remaining ships were taken out of mothballs and pushed back into service, quickly being outclassed by the enemy ships.

Known ships

 * Alliance
 * Ardent
 * Autonomy
 * Endeavor
 * Liberty
 * Mantan Wanderer
 * Maria
 * Mon Delindo
 * Mon Karren
 * Orthavan
 * Ossus Day
 * Reef Home

Behind the scenes



 * Though no two MC80 cruisers appear to be the same, the MC80 class would appear to be sub-divisible into at least two sub-classes, based on the designs seen in Return of the Jedi. The first is the winged, "Liberty-type", whose appearance is similar to Liberty. The other variant lacks the wings, but has an extra engine (clearly visible as the ship next to Home One as the fleet prepares to enter hyperspace) and is tentatively labeled the "Reef Home-type" by some fans.

Appearances

 * The Farlander Papers
 * Star Wars: X-wing
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Tag and Bink Are Dead
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * X-wing: Solo Command
 * Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood