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This article covers the Canon version of this subject.  Click here for Wookieepedia's article on the Legends version of this subject. 
For other uses, see Wessex (disambiguation).

Lira Wessex was a famous human female starship designer who was a part of the Galactic Empire. A daughter of the well-known starship designer Walex Blissex, she and her group designed the Venator-class Star Destroyer which was used by the Galactic Republic. Her group additionally developed the as well as the Imperial-class Star Destroyer and Executor-class Star Destroyer that where used by the Empire, with the Imperial Raider I-class corvette being designed by Wessex in 6 BBY.

Biography[]

Venator Databank

Wessex designed the Venator-class Star Destroyer (pictured), which entered service around 42 BBY.

Lira Wessex was a human[1] female[2] well-known ship designer.[3] She was the daughter of the famous starship engineer Walex Blissex.[2] Working at Kuat Drive Yards (KDY),[2] Wessex and her group designed the Venator-class Star Destroyer,[4] which entered service around 42 BBY,[5] and saw action during the Clone Wars from 22 BBY to 19 BBY.[6] Her wedge-shaped design used on the Venator was one the first of many wedge-shaped capital ships that where constructed by KDY.[2] In 19 BBY, KDY built of the Venator-class to create the Imperator-class Star Destroyer, which saw limited service during the Clone Wars.[7]

In 19 BBY, following Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, KDY reworked the Imperator-class into the Imperial-class Star Destroyer,[6] with Wessex,[4] who became part of the Empire,[1] and her group providing the design of the vessel.[4] In 6 BBY, she designed KDY's Raider I-class corvette for fighting other attack craft and anti-starfighter operations. Planned by Imperial strategists as an inefficient frontline warship, the Raider-class nevertheless was critical in countering the starfighters of both pirates and the Rebel Alliance.[3] Wessex and her group additionally designed the Executor-class Super Star Destroyer for the Empire.[4] Manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards, the Executor-class entered service shortly after the Battle of Yavin.[8] The Executor-class Dreadnought was designed in such a way as to attempt to outdo and improve on the Venator-class and Imperial-class, and as such, was deliberately designed to strike fear using the "terror styling" design philosophy, as well as being designed to minimize weaknesses and maximize impact.[4] Wessex and Blissex shared their names with the "Wessex-head" and "Blissex-head" bit-drivers, respectively.[9]

Personality and traits[]

Wessex had brown hair and light skin.[1]

Equipment[]

While looking over hologram schematics for of an Executor-class Star Destroyer, she had brown clothing and used a datapad.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

In the current Star Wars canon, Lira Wessex was first mentioned in the twentieth issue of De Agostini's Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazine, published around May 20, 2015.[10] Wessex was then first pictured on a card part of the Super Star Destroyer Expansion Pack to Star Wars: Armada,[1] released on August 2, 2019.[11]

Lira Wessex originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where she was first mentioned in the[12] November 1987[13] Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game supplement The Star Wars Sourcebook, written by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith.[12] In the Legends continuity, Wessex first appeared in the The Roleplaying Game adventure Starfall, written by Rob Jenkins and Michael Stern[14] and published in June 1989.[15]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Armada Star Wars: ArmadaSuper Star Destroyer Expansion Pack (Card: Lira Wessex)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Build the Millennium Falcon Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 35 (Starship Fact File: Venator-Class Star Destroyer)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Friends Like These
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Build the Millennium Falcon Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 27 (Starship Fact File: Super Star Destroyer–Executor)
  5. Rise of the Separatists states that the Venator-class Star Destroyer was introduced around twenty standard years before the First Battle of Geonosis. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas states that the First Battle of Geonosis occurred in 22 BBY. Therefore, the Venator was introduced in around 42 BBY.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: Timelines
  7. Build the Millennium Falcon Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 20 (Starship Fact File: Imperial Capital Ship)
  8. Starships and Speeders
  9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
  10. The second issue of the De Agostini weekly magazine Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon was set to be published on January 14, 2015, according to De Agostini Publishing: Build the Millennium Falcon Magazine & Model by Wyman, Chris on TheForce.net (January 8, 2015) (archived from the original on November 6, 2016). Therefore, Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 20 was published around May 20, 2015.
  11. FantasyFlightGamesLogo Available Now – August 2 on Fantasy Flight Games' official website (backup link)
  12. 12.0 12.1 The Star Wars Sourcebook
  13. Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, New Edition
  14. Starfall
  15. Cargo Bay Sourcebooks in the StarWars.com Cargo Bay (content now obsolete; backup link)
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