Braha'tok-class gunship
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| Braha'tok-class gunship | |
|---|---|
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Class | |
| Technical specifications | |
| Length |
90 meters[1] |
| Armament |
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| Crew |
75[1] |
| Usage | |
| Role(s) |
Anti-starfighter gunship[1] |
| Era(s) | |
| Affiliation | |
The Braha'tok-class gunship was a capital-class gunship that was constructed by the Dornean Braha'ket Fleetworks Conglomerate for use by the independent Dornean Navy. Designed purely for military use, the ninety-meter long craft bristled with weaponry, including turbolasers and concussion missile launchers. At first, the gunships were used to defend Dornea from the Imperial Navy, but in 4 ABY, two of them were sent to Sullust to join Admiral Ackbar's Alliance Fleet, which was poised to strike at the Empire's second Death Star over Endor.
The two ships were the Braha'tok, under the command of Kiles L'toth, and the Torktarak, commanded by Etahn A'baht. During the Battle of Endor, both of the Dornean gunships engaged the Imperial Carrack-class light cruiser Eminence, overcoming and destroying the vessel. However, the Braha'tok had been heavily damaged during the fighting, and Ackbar ordered that it be scuttled. The Dorneans protested against the order, and had the Braha'tok shipped back to their home planet, where it served as a war museum.
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[edit] Characteristics
A class of capital warship, the Braha'tok series of gunship was designed purely for space warfare; to that end, it possessed no accommodations for ground-based infantry, and included only a small hangar deck. The class of vessel measured ninety meters in length, and was armed with eight double-turbolaser cannons and eight concussion missile launchers. The optimal crew number was seventy-five beings, with operations such as fire control, maneuvering, and command all centralized at stations within the ship's bow. The vessel's prow was crescent-shaped, and connected to the main hull by a relatively thin neck, thus resembling the head of a rounded hammer.[1]
[edit] History
Developed and built by the Dornean Braha'ket Fleetworks Conglomerate during the Galactic Civil War, two of the Braha'tok-class gunships were sent to join the Alliance Fleet that was massing around the Outer Rim world of Sullust in 4 ABY. The Dornean Navy, which had been successfully holding off forces of the Imperial Navy for years, were nonetheless able to spare these vessels. The Braha'toks had been unseen outside of the space surrounding Dornea before 4 ABY, and so as to not arouse the suspicion of Imperial Intelligence, the Dornean government claimed that the two ships were undergoing a "shakedown cruise."[1]
The two ships were the Braha'tok and the Torktarak, commanded by Kiles L'toth and Etahn A'baht respectively.[1] They successfully met up with the Rebel Alliance fleet at Sullust, which was poised to strike at the construction site of the Imperials' second Death Star over Endor.[1][2] There, the fleet, under the command of Admiral Ackbar, was met by a substantial Imperial fleet under the command of Admiral Firmus Piett, and was subsequently caught in a trap that had been devised by Emperor Palpatine.[2]
When the Death Star II's superlaser destroyed the MC80 Liberty type Star Cruiser Liberty, several other craft were severely damaged or destroyed by the ensuing explosion. As rescue craft scrambled to pick up the survivors, L'toth moved the Braha'tok into a position to provide a defensive screen. In doing so, his ship was set upon by the Carrack-class light cruiser Eminence, a warship three times the size of the Braha'tok-class. In spite of the natural advantage that the Eminence possessed, L'toth was at first able to successfully hold the Imperials at bay.[1]
The Braha'tok eventually sustained heavy damage, prompting the Eminence to move in for the kill. Before it could do this, however, A'baht brought the Torktarak to the Braha'tok's aid, attacking the Eminence from the vessel's rear quarter. In doing so, he was able to destroy the Imperial craft, and defend the waylaid Braha'tok as recovery operations continued. Following the battle, the Torktarak, which had received little damage, returned to Dornea. Meanwhile, Admiral Ackbar ordered that the severely damaged Braha'tok be scuttled. The Dornean Navy protested the decision however, and had the craft shipped back to Dornea, where it was converted to serve as a war museum.[1]
[edit] Behind the scenes
The Braha'tok-class gunship originally appeared as a background model in Richard Marquand's Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, during the "Battle of Endor" sequence. During production, the kit-bashed model seen in the film was known only as the "ROJ BG ship."[3] In 2006, the ship was identified and elaborated on by "Ello 137" though the StarWars.com Hyperspace feature, "What's the Story?"
Ello 137 saw the "What's the Story?" competition as an opportunity to tie obscure elements of the Expanded Universe with background elements from the movies, prompting his use of the Dornean Navy from "The Black Fleet Crisis" trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell. Initially, Ello 137 conceived of the names Braha'tok and Torktarak as mythical Dornean names, but was unable to fit the information into his final entry. The element of the Alliance searching for craft from independent navies was inspired by scenes from A. C. Crispin's The Han Solo Trilogy.
To determine the size of the ship, Ello 137 studied a brief shot in Return of the Jedi where the Millennium Falcon flies past the gunship, and made comparisons. For the Carrack that the gunships battle at Endor, Ello 137 wanted to use a craft that had already been established in continuity. In doing so, he selected the Eminence: a craft identified in The Essential Chronology as having fought at the Battle of ThonBoka. Remembering depictions of the battle in the book showing Carrack cruisers, Ello 137 incorrectly assumed that the Eminence was of that class; it was in fact a Star Destroyer. Realizing his mistake after submitting the entry, Ello 137 attempted to resubmit, this time using the Integrity from Matthew Stover's novelization of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The original entry was the one selected by StarWars.com.[4]
[edit] Appearances
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (First appearance)
[edit] Sources
Dornean Gunship in the Databank (First identified as Braha'tok-class gunship)
[edit] Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Dornean Gunship in the Databank
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- ↑
Mystery Ship Solved on Hyperspace - ↑
"What's the Story, Ello137? Funny you should ask ..." - "Apocalypse Later", Ello137's StarWars.com Blog
