Lira Wessex

Lira Wessex, nee Lira Blissex, was the daughter of famous Old Republic engineer Walex Blissex, and an accoplished engineer in her own right.

While her father designed the Victory-class Star Destroyer for Rendili Star Drive, Lira Blissex was heading the development think-tank at Kuat Drive Yards, which designed several wedge-shaped ships inspired by Kuat subsidiary Rothana Heavy Engineering's Acclamator-class Assault Ship. Among these was the Venator-class Star Destroyer, which proved its value in several battles during the Clone Wars.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Lira Blissex had grander projects in mind. Using clout from her successful Clone Wars ship designs, she was authorized to design the test bed for a new class of warship, the Imperator-class Star Destroyer, which would later be renamed the Imperial-class. However, the project, which would be an expensive undertaking, became hotly debated by the elites of the Empire; entire planets had smaller gross domestic products than the cost of a single one of these new warships. Heated debate between the military strategists of the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Military Oversight Commission, and the soon-defunct Senate Budgetary Committee were even said to have risked destroying the Empire. By marrying Denn Wessex, one of Palpatine's new regional governors, Lira Wessex gained the political clout she needed to expand and make the project a priority, ensuring that the technological marvel she designed would play an important role in the New Order.

Lira Wessex later went on to design the Executor-class Star Destroyer.