Imperial escort carrier/Legends

Imperial escort carrier "Imperial escort carriers!" "Imperial what?" "They're not part of the regular Imperial Navy. They're exclusive to the Imperial storm commandos."

- Crix Madine and Wedge Antilles upon seeing an escort carrier

The Imperial escort carrier was a type of capital ship used by the Galactic Empire's storm commandos.

Characteristics


The Imperial carrier had no obvious connection to the standard escort carrier of the Imperial Navy. It was a nimble, narrow-hulled ship, with a flared arrowhead bow, and three sublight thrusters mounted in a vertical row on the stern. Its most prominent weapons were two single-barrelled cannon mounted in superfiring turrets on the dorsal centerline, with a wide field of fire ahead, above, and to either flank. There were also two double-barrelled weapons mountings on the ventral centerline, fore and aft of the hangar bay, while two small turreted cannons were mounted on the very tip of the bow.

Like normal carriers, it was capable of deploying TIE starfighters into battle, including the advanced TIE Hunter, and it had a large hangar opening on each side of the hull, but it was also capable of engaging in combat on its own account. Ships of this type were used to attack medium-sized craft and transports of the Rebel Alliance, boarding and seizing the Rebel starships and their crew.

As the storm commandos were regarded as elite infantry, these ships were capable of deploying troops for planetary assault. The warship carried a complement of three escape pods in case of an emergency.

History
Imperial escort carriers were known to have guarded the Fondor construction yards, and fought during the Battle of Fondor.

Storm commando officer Captain Sarkli flew a modified escort carrier with an improved hyperdrive, in which he abducted scientists during the First Battle of Bakura. He later fled to Geonosis, where Wedge Antilles shot his craft down, starting the Second Battle of Geonosis of the Galactic Civil War.

Behind the scenes


Concept art for the Imperial escort carrier depicts a brighter vehicle, with T-shaped wings that tie it more to the TIE line. It is also more lightly armed, more streamlined, and lacks a hangar bay. The original concept art emphasizes the speed of the craft and atmospheric capability, suggesting the original design could have been a transport rather than a capital ship.

The Imperial escort carriers being exclusive to the storm commandos is ambiguous, as Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike depicts soldiers in stormtrooper armor as part of Captain Sarkli's ship's complement. These troops may have simply been storm commandos in stormtrooper armor, or the Imperial escort carriers may have been exclusively commanded by storm commandos and had a complement of standard stormtroopers.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike

Notes and references
Imperiales Geleitschiff