Tector-class Star Destroyer/Legends

Tector-class Star Destroyer The Tector-class Star Destroyer was a hangarless Star Destroyer class in service with the Galactic Empire.

Characteristics
It was a 1.6-kilometer-long dagger-shaped vessel, similar to the Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Unlike most other vessels in the Imperial Navy, the Tector-class was designed without any hangar bays, opting instead for an increase in armor that covered the areas normally used as hangar openings.

This would make the design more efficient in ship-to-ship combat, as it had less access to internal weak-spots. However, it also limited its usefulness in other roles, as it would not be able to perform boarding actions or planetary deployments. Being without hangars, it also required carriers to provide any starfighter support during larger engagements.

History
The Tector-class was first produced in the final days of the Clone Wars, alongside the Imperator-class (later Imperial-class). These two designs supplanted the less robust Venator-class in the years following the end of the Galactic Republic, eventually leading to its phasing out of frontline duty.

With the class serving the Galactic Empire for decades, at least one vessel was available to participate in the climactic Battle of Endor.

Behind the scenes

 * The first official reference to the Tector-class Star Destroyer occurred in Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections. The inspiration for the Tector-class was a ship that was briefly spotted in Return of the Jedi.




 * During the Battle of Endor, Millennium Falcon flew over the ventral side of an inverted warship which did not have the two ventral hangars standard on Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Additionally, the reactor bulb was covered up by armored plating and was not visible. Curtis Saxton, the author of the RotS: Incredible Cross-Sections, had catalogued this ship as anonymous star destroyer #5 long before his contributions to canon.


 * Other sources, such as the Return of the Jedi novelization, supported the idea that Millennium Falcon did in fact fly over the underside of a hangarless ship. The concept art featured in this book corresponds with the scene in the film itself, with the text showing both matching dialogue and action between the film and novelization.


 * On May 5th, 2006, Leland Chee confirmed on the Official Message Board that the hangarless ship seen briefly in Return of the Jedi is a Tector-class Star Destroyer.

Trivia

 * The word "Tector" is Latin for "coverer" or (note the root) "protector". This is fitting for a ship with extra-heavy armor.


 * In the Roman army, a Tector was a type of cavalryman carrying an exceptionally large shield. In the most common usage, however, the word referred to the Roman equivalent of a housepainter.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Customizable Card Game: Death Star II Limited (See this card)