Annihilator (Executor-class)

The Annihilator was an Imperial Executor-class Star Dreadnought under the command of Admiral Gaarn that was active shortly after the Battle of Endor. The Annihilator was sent to pacify the forces of the Zann Consortium, led by the crime lord Tyber Zann, which had recently taken control of the partially-constructed superweapon Eclipse at the Imperial shipyards above Kuat. Joining the Imperial vessels already present, the Annihilator deployed its TIE fighter squadrons and opened fire on both the Zann Consortium forces and the Eclipse. The Annihilator, along with the rest of the Imperal fleet, was destroyed during the battle.

Description
The Annihilator was a 19-kilometer-long Executor-class Star Dreadnought in the service of the Galactic Empire. The Super Star Destroyer boasted many turbolaser and ion cannon emplacements and was equipped with a single tractor beam projector. The warship was also armed with several concussion missile and proton torpedo launchers. It housed numerous squadrons of TIE series starfighters, including fighters, bombers, interceptors, and Defenders. The ship was propelled by thirteen engine units and was protected from enemy fire by deflector shields emitted from two generator domes placed along the ship's command tower.

History
Shortly after the Battle of Endor, the crime lord Tyber Zann launched an attack on the Imperial shipyards at Kuat in an attempt to capture the half-constructed warship Eclipse. The Annihilator, under the command of Admiral Gaarn, led a small fleet of three Imperial-class Star Destroyers to assist the already thinning group Imperial forces spread out above the planet. The Annihilator and its fleet dropped out of hyperspace above Kuat shortly after the Eclipse superlaser, recently hijacked by Zann's forces, malfunctioned.

The Annihilator began assaulting the forces of the Zann Consortium with turbolaser and ion cannon barrages, and launched starfighter squadrons from its hangar. However, the Super Star Destroyer focused its assault on its primary target, the Eclipse, and attempted to destroy the massive warship before it fell into enemy hands. The combined forces of the Zann Consortium were eventually able to destroy the Annihilator and the remaining Imperial ships, allowing Zann to safely access the Eclipse data archives.

Commanders and crew
The Annihilator was commanded by Admiral Gaarn shortly after the Battle of Endor. Gaarn led the Annihilator and a fleet of three Star Destroyers to defend the Imperial shipyards above Kuat, where the entire task force was decimated by the Zann Consortium.

Behind the scenes
The Annihilator was created for the final campaign level of the 2006 LucasArts real-time strategy video game expansion Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption. The Annihilator serves as the Zann Consortium campaign's final boss battle. After the player "destroys" the Millennium Falcon in the game's last level, the Eclipse superlaser will malfunction and the Annihilator and its fleet will jump out of hyperspace, forcing the player to combat this new threat without the help of the Eclipse. The player may destroy the Annihilator with their own ships, or focus their fire on the other Star Destroyers until the Eclipse superlaser is repaired, using the superweapon against the Annihilator for a one-hit kill. This latter tactic is recommended by Prima's official game guide for Forces of Corruption, which continuously refers to the Annihilator as the Executor. However, the level will not end until all remaining Imperial ships are destroyed.

The Annihilator shares the same in-game model as the Executor, as well as a similar weapon payload. Although there are a set number of "hard-points," various destructible emplacements vital to a ship, for each of the Annihilator weapons, this number does not necessarily reflect the total number of such weapons emplacements present on the ship, since a considerably larger amount of weapon's fire can often be witnessed. Additionally, the Annihilator has three shield hard-points placed along its spine, only one of which is located on the dome generators. The Annihilator may deploy an unlimited number of starfighters unless the player destroys either the ship's hangar or the ship itself.

The only mentions of the Annihilator name and Admiral Gaarn are contained within a single information box detailing the ship, which the player may access by placing their cursor above the Annihilator in-game. This box also lists the Annihilator two special abilities, "Tractor Beam" and "Deploy All Squadrons," as well as the ship's strengths and weaknesses. In gameplay, the Annihilator is powerful against capital ships and space stations, but vulnerable against bomber squadrons.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption

Notes and references
Annihilator