Praetor-class battlecruiser

Praetor-class Star Battlecruiser The Praetor-class Star Battlecruiser, also known as Praetor-class battle cruiser, was a large and powerful warship class that came into use sometime before the rise of the Galactic Empire.

Characteristics
The reactor systems of the Praetor-class were more powerful than those of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer and the class was larger in size than contemporary Star Destroyers, being designated a Star Battlecruiser.

History


The Praetor-class was produced for service in the Galactic Republic. It was eventually surpassed in design and was outdated by the Galactic Civil War. Despite this, the class continued in limited Imperial service.

Reactors stolen from a derelict Praetor by the Alliance to Restore the Republic were used as the main power sources for the Echo Base on the frozen planet Hoth. These reactors also powered the defenses protecting the base, such as the DSS-02 shield generator, and also fed power to the v-150 ion cannon, powering the generator system attached to the weapons system. The power equipment was buried deep underground, where they utilized the surrounding planet as a heat sink, increasing the reactors' efficiency.

The generated shield alone was strong enough to hold off a bombardement by the massive Star Dreadnaught Executor and a flotilla of accompanying Imperial-class Star Destroyers, while the planetary ion cannon managed to disable multiple Imperial-class vessels. It had a firing rate of one shot per six seconds.

By way of comparison, reactor equipment was stolen from an Imperial-class Star Destroyer and utilized in the same way by the previous main Rebel base, Massassi Station on Yavin 4. These defenses were said to be capable of holding off a single large pre-Executor battleship. In fact, the Imperial military proved incapable of mounting a successful assault on the moon for several months, in part awaiting the completion and deployment of the new Executor-class.

Behind the scenes
In real life, "praetor" was a title for Roman magistrates, governors, and military commanders.