Imperial II-class frigate



Class II Frigates were large warships employed by the Galactic Empire.

These vessels had two extensive hangars on both sides of the hull, which accommedated for a number of TIE fighters. Their weapons-complement is unknown.

Judging by the intended use of the Rand Ecliptic, these ships could perform several tasks, such as patrolling shipping lanes and engaging rebel or pirate forces, or simply doing support work for the Starfleet. However, heavy fleet-engagement did not seem on the agenda for such ships, as supported by the fact that officers fresh out of the Imperial Academy were being assigned as junior-staff on board the Rand Ecliptic.

Behind the Scenes
Measurements of the Rand Ecliptic made it out to be more than 2 kilometers long, longer than an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, which made it's designation as a 'frigate' quite puzzling.

In SW: Empire #9, it was referred to on one page as both a 'cruiser' and a 'battle cruiser', while in SW: Empire #8 and #12 it was referred to as a 'frigate'.

The explanation is probably composed of several reasons:


 * The use of 'cruiser' and/or 'battle cruiser' as an overall term for warships bigger than 400 meters (according to WEG sources).


 * The RL historic designation of some ships, that had more in common with destroyers, cruisers or even battleships, as 'frigates'. At least two of these frigate-types were later reclassified as 'cruisers' and 'destroyers', respectively.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Empire 8: Darklighter, Part 1
 * Mentioned as the type of ship Biggs Darklighter would be assigned to.
 * Star Wars Empire 9: Darklighter, Part 2
 * Star Wars Empire 12: Darklighter, Part 3