Devastator/Legends

"The Devastator is mine, and those who oppose me will meet a swift end."

- Darth Vader

The Devastator was an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer of the Imperial Navy famous for its participation in the capture of the Tantive IV and as Darth Vader's flagship for a time.

Characteristics
At some point in its service life, the Devastator was structurally altered from its original design to hold an increased amount of armament and munitions.

History
In 7 BBY, the Devastator was serving with Darth Vader's personal fleet. When a secret biological weapons research laboratory on Falleen required containment, Vader ordered the Devastator to bombard the surface with turbolaser fire, despite Captain Bolvan's preference for a ground assault.

By 0 BBY, the Devastator was acting as Lord Tion's flagship in his campaign against Rebel outposts. Under Tion, the Devastator also participated in the pacification of Ralltiir.

Following Tion's death, Vader raised his flag on the Devastator and began his pursuit of the Rebel who had stolen the plans to the first Death Star. Vader caught the Tantive IV at Toprawa and chased it to Tatooine, where it was successfully captured by the Devastator. Vader quickly dispatched a TIE/br boarding shuttle filled with the troops of the 501st Legion, and boarded the Tantive IV. Later the crew of the Devastator attached a portable accessway to the corvette. The Devastator also targeted and destroyed any escape pods that were launched in order to ensure none of the Rebels escaped. The sole exception was R2-D2 and C-3PO's escape pod&mdash;which even then was only because they didn't detect any life signs in the pod, and dismissed it as a malfunction.

During those events, Blue Squadron of the Anchorhead Base moved to intercept it. Rookie One and Ru Murleen were called from Kolaador and joined with Thurlow Harris against the Devastator. They intercepted the TIE/LN starfighters moving against them while Rookie One destroyed the Star Destroyer's emplacement cannons, destroyed its shield generators and managed to damage its bridge.

It was the Devastator forces, including the famed 501st Legion, that defeated the Rebel forces on Tatooine and gave chase to the fleeing Millennium Falcon. Captain Mulchive Wermis served Vader as the vessel's captain throughout this time period and in the following months, during the blockade of the Gordian Reach, the assault on Ultaar, and other missions.

The next year, the vessel served in the Blockade of Kashyyyk.

Later history and destruction
"Rest easy, gentlemen. Your fears betray you. I am not here to take command of this ship again."

- Darth Vader, to the command staff of the Devastator

When the Executor completed construction, Vader transferred his flag, but the Devastator remained a part of his roving, Rebel-hunting Death Squadron.

Prior to the completion of the Executor, the vessel was commanded by Captain Nevik. Agent Sollaine, head of the Imperial Security Bureau and Vader's rival, commandeered the ship to track down undercover Rebel spies. Nevik and Sollaine came to a clash of opinion, Sollaine believing the agents to be on Corulag while Nevik believed they were in the Alfestril system. Sollaine executed Nevik to have his way, but Vader intercepted the vessel at Corulag and killed Sollaine for executing Nevik.

Eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the ship fought Warlord Nuso Esva's forces in the Poln system as part of Death Squadron.



Around 2 ABY an ISB captain Jeffren Brek arrived to the Devastator to present a report to his superior, General Nevar. The Devastator had participated at the Battle of Hoth under command of an unnamed captain as part of the Death Squadron.

It was finally destroyed during the events of the Battle of Endor, under a concentrated attack of A-wings and B-wings.

Behind the scenes
Although the Devastator was Darth Vader's flagship prior to the Operation Skyhook, the authors of X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide mention that Vader was on Immortal.

A Devastator appears in the game Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance, but it is an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer. The limited context doesn't provide enough information to determine whether this is a blooper or a different ship altogether.

In Death Star, the Devastator is, at one point, erroneously identified as a Super Star Destroyer. This may be a mistaken reference to Darth Vader's Star Dreadnought flagship, Executor, which was called a Super Star Destroyer by the Rebel Alliance's Admiral Ackbar.

The Devastator was the second ship seen in the entire series, after the Tantive IV. Although in-universe it dwarfed the Tantive IV, its production model for filming was half the size of the Tantive IV production model.

Non-canon stories
In the non-canon story Tantive IV, originally published in Star Wars Manga: Black issue of Tokyopop's Star Wars Manga, the Devastator mistakenly captures Tantive V over Tatooine, a decoy ship masquerading as Tantive IV and manned entirely by Gungans. Vader soon realizes the mistake and captures the real Tantive IV less than an hour later.

Non-canon appearances

 * Tag & Bink Are Dead
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * Trooper
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Tantive IV
 * Star Wars: Visions of the Blade
 * ''LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty