Starhawk-class battleship

For other uses, see Starhawk.

The Starhawk-class battleship^[4] was a class of battleship used by the New Republic late during the Galactic Civil War and was produced at the Nadiri Dockyards.^[5] It consisted of three variants: A prototype, the Mark I Starhawk, and the Mark II.^[2]^[1]

Three Mark Ones participated in the Battle of Jakku against the Galactic Empire.^[6] Many years later, as the Resistance U-55 orbital loadlifters were being destroyed by the Supremacy after they evacuated from the Raddus, General Leia Organa tried to imagine a miracle where Inferno Squad returned from^[7] their mission to find the Resistance's allies in the Outer Rim Territories^[8] with a task force of Starhawks.^[7]

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History[]

Prototype creation[]

Construction[]

With the destruction of the Second Death Star and deaths of both Sheev Palpatine and Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Galactic Empire became fractured and set on the backfoot, allowing the Rebel Alliance to reorganize into the New Republic. An initiative began in the fledgling New Republic to design a new line of battleships for the New Republic Defense Force in order to combat the Imperial Navy.

By mid-4 ABY, construction of an early prototype of the class, the Starhawk, was underway at the secret Nadiri Dockyards, and overseen by a number of rebel officers, including general Hera Syndulla. However, during the contruction process, the Empire learned of its existence, and per the orders of admiral Rae Sloane, Imperial forces, spearheaded by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Overseer and Titan Squadron, began a hunt for the vessel in order to destroy it.^[1]

Concurrent to the hunt for Nadiri and the Starhawk, the New Republic’s Vanguard Squadron was working to help with the final stages of construction. The Starhawk was built using the durasteel hulls of Imperial-class Star Destroyers, one of which, the Victorum, Vanguard aided in capturing and returning to Nadiri.

First test[]

Upon its completion, the Starhawk departed from Nadiri Dockyards to the Zavian Abyss to attack the Overseer, which was close to finding the project. Using three GR-75 transports as bait, the New Republic drew in the Star Destroyer so the Starhawk could strike it with its colossal forward tractor beam weapon. The Overseer suffered heavy damage from collisions with asteroids in the Abyss and was forced to retreat.

Destruction[]

After the battle, the Starhawk returned to Nadiri. The Overseer, however, would return to strike again on the vessel, now having found the dockyard’s coordinates. Arming bombers with special Baradium missiles, the Overseer and Titan Squadron assaulted Nadiri and massacred its defenders, while also crippling the Starhawk, which made a retreat from the battlefield, escorted by the MC75 Star Cruiser Temperance.

With a crippled hyperdrive and engines, the Starhawk slowly limped away in an attempt to flee the Empire. However, Titan Squadron decimated the reinforcements by ambushing them in the Ringali Nebula debris field and routing them into the Ringali Nebula. While Vanguard Squadron was able to summon reinforcements to aid them in the Battle of Galitan, Rae Sloane deployed her own forces to occupy them, leaving Starhawk unguarded, save for the Temperance.

Imperial TIE pilot “Titan Three” was deployed by the Overseer’s captain, Terisa Kerrill, to finish off the vessel by detonating an unexploded Baradium missile still lodged into the armor plating near the tractor beam core. Anvil Squadron, led by captain Lindon Javes, attempted to stop Titan Three, but were all defeated by the Imperial pilot, with Javes’ T-65B X-wing crashing into the Starhawk. Javes, however, survived, and his ship, though damaged, was intact and still flyable. Three proceeded to maneuver their TIE inside the Starhawk and shot the reactor core, causing catastrophic damage to the vessel.

Victorious, Kerrill's forces left the battle, and Titan Three was promoted to Flight Baron for his accomplishments. However some of Imperial fleet remained to continue the fight. Hera Syndulla, who had been commanding in the battle, accepted the fate of the stricken Starhawk, but also acknowledged that there was still one last service it could perform.

Syndulla hatched a plan to evacuate the crippled battleship of its crew and engineers, then send the Starhawk on a collision course with the exposed core of the nearby moon, Galitan. This required CR90 corvettes to tow the Starhawk using a still functional tractor beam. Vanguard Squadron fought off waves of TIEs to protect the corvettes, and once it reached its optimum velocity, the Starhawk crashed into the moon's core and the unstable tractor beam mechanism detonated. This was in turn amplified by the energy of the moon's core and resulted in a colossal explosion of molten rock and subsequent shockwave that destroyed all nearby Imperial ships caught within it. Just before the explosion, Javes escaped from inside the hull of the Starhawk.^[1]

Further service[]

Despite the loss of the prototype, the Starhawk-class was able to continue production elsewhere, as its crew and engineers were safely transported to Chandrila to continue their work and construct more Mark I Starhawk-class battleships.^[1] Before the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY, the Starhawks Amity, Concord, and Unity, had finished construction and were able to participate in the final battle of the war. However, both Amity and Concord were destroyed in the fighting, with Amity destroyed after being rammed by the Star Destroyer Punishment and Concord being destroyed by the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Ravager, though managing to drag the latter down to the surface of Jakku in a final act with its tractor beam.

More of the Starhawk-class were also produced during the New Republic Era, including the Mark II, of which at least one was produced, and flew over the New Republic capital of Hosnian Prime at one point, alongside many T-65 X-wings.^[2]

Legacy[]

Many years later, as the Resistance U-55 orbital loadlifters were being destroyed by the Supremacy after they evacuated from the Raddus, General Leia Organa tried to imagine a miracle where Inferno Squad returned from^[7] their mission to find the Resistance's allies in the Outer Rim Territories^[8] with a task force of Starhawks.^[7]