Helmsman (battlecruiser)

This Star Destroyer was an enormous battleship commanded by Admiral Mils Giel which served as his flagship sometime in the year preceding the Battle of Endor.

It was used to transport the bizarre Teezl creature to Coruscant, where it would be installed and used to coordinate the entire Imperial Starfleet. One of the largest fleets ever assembled by the Empire accompanied the flagship on its long journey, but failed to prevent an attack by the Rebel Alliance which resulted in the partial destruction of Giel´s ship and the death of the creature.



It is unknown what later became of the vessel and if there were more ships of this class, but an accompanying Imperial carrier did appear to share its design-roots.

Behind the Scenes



 * Early concept art for the Executor was used as inspiration for Giel´s ship, including copying at least one picture to use as a frame in the comic.


 * Due to the hammerhead-bridge area, there is some speculation that the Corellian Engineering Corporation was behind the vessel´s construction, as well as a similar-looking carrier class. Additionally, as a fun tie-in with the films, this kind of ship may have been what Han Solo referenced when he uttered "I can outrun Imperial starships. Not the local bulk cruisers, mind ya, I´m talking about the big, Corellian ships." No official source has confirmed these possibilities.


 * With its large hull and powerful engines, Giel's ship is well within the Super Star Destroyer-range of warships. Its extensive network of turbolaser and its massive armored hull outranks similar warships like the Vengeance and smaller battlecruisers like the ones used by General Tagge and Captain Wermis, making it a good candidate for an Imperial battleship. Indeed, Imperial battleships that are larger than the Imperial-class Star Destroyer have been noted in canonical sources. This article uses that term as a provisional name, until an official classname manifests itself.


 * In its only canonical appearance, Giel's ship was referred to as a "flagship".

Appearances

 * Marvel Star Wars 60: Shira's Story
 * Marvel Star Wars 61: Screams in the Void