Endar Spire

"We lost the ship, and a lot of good people. And for what?"

- Carth Onasi

The Endar Spire was a Hammerhead-class cruiser that served with the Galactic Republic Navy during the Jedi Civil War. It was assigned in 3,956 BBY to Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, and crewed by, among others, veteran commander Carth Onasi, Ensign Trask Ulgo, Revan, and several Republic soldiers. It was part of a larger Jedi battle fleet, designed to stop the invasion fleet of Darth Malak Sith Empire.

While traveling over the planet Taris, the Endar Spire came under attack by the Sith, under the command of their leader Darth Malak. Malak's forces, led by Darth Bandon, boarded the ship, aiming to capture Shan alive. Those Sith troopers and Dark Jedi killed most of the Endar Spire crew, while Sith warships and starfighters kept the ship intact as the boarding team attempted to take Shan prisoner. Revan, Ulgo, and Onasi, among the crew, engaged the Sith and attempted to fight their way to the ship's main bridge, in search of Shan. Shan was able to escape the Endar Spire, and shortly thereafter Revan and Onasi got in an escape pod and fled as well, with Ulgo sacrificing himself so that Revan and Onasi would survive. Realizing that Shan was no longer aboard the ship, the Sith fleet opened fire on the Endar Spire, completely destroying it.

Specifications and layout
The Endar Spire was a Hammerhead-class cruiser in the navy of the Galactic Republic. It was manufactured by Rendili Hyperworks. At 315 meters long, the ship was armed with four double light turbolaser batteries, 2 medium turbolaser batteries, 2 point-defense laser cannon batteries, and a tractor beam battery. The ship's deckplan was an identical to another Hammerhead-class cruiser, the Harbinger. The engines and bow were painted red, while the main body was predominantly white in color.

The Endar Spire crew included Republic soldiers, which could defend the ship against enemy boarding teams. Many of these soldiers, and at least two Jedi, the ship's Commander, Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, and one Jedi Master, were present when the Endar Spire was attacked by the Sith Empire in 3,956 BBY. At the time of the attack, other members of the crew included Revan, who had recently lost the memories of his life as a Jedi Knight and Sith Lord, as well as Republic Captain Carth Onasi and Ensign Trask Ulgo. The ship also contained at least one droid, which could be programmed for combat. The hallways of the Endar Spire were colored white, with maroon strips running across them, while the floor was colored gray. The ship was lit by illuminated panels. A series of blast doors within the ship's corridors could be magnetically sealed to protect against an attack from an enemy boarding operation. Crew quarters were equipped to house two crewmen, but due to rotating shifts, it was rare for roommates to see each other. The Endar Spire bridge, located in the bow of the ship, was home to the ship's navigation computer. Computer terminals lined the outside walls of the bridge, with a chair positioned in front of each one. A large viewport stretched around the front, port, and starboard sides of the bridge, providing a view into space in three directions. The escape pods were located on the command deck, accessible from a door on the bridge. There were at minimum four escape pods.

Republic mission
"Now that you've signed on for this mission you're part of the Republic fleet. And Bastila needs all the troops at her side during this attack!"

- Trask Ulgo

During the Jedi Civil War, the Endar Spire was assigned to transport the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan. The amnesiac former Sith Lord Revan was added to the crew at the advice of the Jedi Council, so that Shan could keep a vigilant watch over him, lest they successfully trigger the return of Revan's memories of the Star Forge, the superweapon used by the Sith Empire. The Endar Spire was assigned to a larger Jedi battle fleet, whose goal was to defeat the Sith Empire's invasion fleet at Taris.

Shan's battle meditation abilities had been vital to the war effort of the Republic. Darth Malak, believing that if he could take Shan alive he would be able to corrupt her and turn her to be his ally, planned an ambush for the Endar Spire. Neither Malak nor the Sith knew Revan was on board at the time. The Sith flagship, Leviathan, was placed above the planet Taris in order to pull the Endar Spire out of hyperspace and board it. The Endar Spire, transporting its crew, was oblivious to the planned ambush. When the Endar Spire was pulled out of hyperspace, the Sith boarded under the leadership of Malak's apprentice, Darth Bandon, with a force of Sith troopers and at least one Dark Jedi.

Attack on the Endar Spire
"This is Carth Onasi&mdash;the Sith are threatening to overrun our position! We can't hold out long against their firepower! All hands to the bridge!"

- Carth Onasi

When the Sith boarded, Republic soldiers on board swiftly engaged them. Revan was awoken by the noise of battle and by Ulgo. Revan, whose memory had been wiped, believed himself to be a normal Republic crewman who had been conscripted onto the Endar Spire prior to the mission. Meanwhile, Onasi called for all available Republic personnel to report to the bridge. While the Jedi engaged the Dark Jedi Bandon had led aboard, Ulgo and Revan hastened to obey Onasi's order. The Sith, wanting to ensure they captured Shan alive, were avoiding using firepower heavy enough to destroy the Endar Spire outright. Shan, realizing her imprisonment was the primary objective of the Sith attack, made her way to the starboard escape pods in an effort to guarantee the Sith lost their prize. When Revan and Ulgo reached the bridge, they found the last of the Republic soldiers aboard being cut down by a Sith squad. They killed the squad, but were faced by Darth Bandon. Ulgo, buying time for Revan to reach the escape pods and Onasi, who had just ordered the ship abandoned, engaged the Sith Apprentice, sacrificing himself for Revan's benefit. Revan, reaching the pods, entered the last capsule alongside Onasi, and escaped from the dying ship. By this time, Shan, as well as at least three Republic soldiers, had already abandoned ship. Realizing their target was no longer aboard, Bandon returned to the Sith fleet, and the Sith opened fire on the Endar Spire, destroying it seconds after Onasi and Revan capsule had jettisoned.

Legacy
"We met on a Republic warship, called the Endar Spire. It was being attacked over Taris, and the Sith had stormed the ship..."

- Carth Onasi

The only crew to survive the Endar Spire destruction were Shan, Revan, Onasi, and three Republic soldiers, all of whom reached the surface of Taris by escape pod. These escape pods were being hunted by Revan and Onasi in search of survivors, the Sith in search of prisoners, as well as the Exchange and local Swoop gangs in search of loot. Shan, Onasi, and Revan escaped Taris before the Sith obliterated the planet from orbit by stealing the Ebon Hawk, a Dynamic-class freighter owned by Exchange leader Davik Kang. Of the remaining survivors, one Republic soldier was bitten by a Rakghoul, contracting Rakghoul Plague, but was cured when Revan gave him Rakghoul serum. He was attacked and killed by other Rakghouls following his meeting with Revan. Zelka Forn recovered the other two soldiers, who were dying, and tried to ease their suffering in their final moments by putting them in Kolto tanks in his medical facility In 3,951 BBY, on Citadel Station in orbit of Telos IV, Onasi would tell the Jedi Exile of how he met Revan, mentioning the destruction of the Endar Spire.

Behind the scenes
The Endar Spire first appeared in the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, by BioWare. Encountered in the first playable level, the beginning of the level on the Endar Spire contains an introduction to the gameplay and timeline featured in the game. Composed of two separate sets of maps and multiple rooms, the areas include the command deck, escape pod bay, and crew quarters. Unlike most environments encountered in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, there is very little the player can do to change the way he or she interacts with their surroundings aboard the Endar Spire. The gameplay choices featured on the Endar Spire span only methods of killing enemies and different choices of speech to characters in the game. Nothing the player does will affect the fate of the Endar Spire or its crew in any way.

Though only the one ship is seen, Chronicles of the Old Republic Part XI states that the Endar Spire was part of a much larger Jedi battle fleet, whose purpose was to halt Darth Malak's invasion force at Taris. No further details of this fleet were provided in any source.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords