The new official Clone Wars timeline has not yet been established by Lucasfilm. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is currently unknown.
The Consular-class space cruiser was a starship designed and manufactured by the Corellian Engineering Corporation and used by the Galactic Republic to transportJedi and diplomats to troubled spots across the galaxy.[1][4] Civilian models of the Consular-class cruiser were used for straight-forward transportation and were indistinct. Crafts of the Consular class in diplomatic service were painted red to declare their diplomatic immunity and to also serve as a warning not to attack. Red was the color of ambassadorial relations and neutrality for capital ships of the Republic and had been so for many centuries. During the Clone Wars, these cruisers were painted the same colors as Republic attack cruisers. Any ship hailing from Coruscant would be painted entirely red; others would only have stripes.[1]
The Republic cruiser was equipped with a salon pod that served as a secure meeting area for Republic representatives and leaders of groups in conflict. There was also a variety of salon pods that catered to different alien species.[1]
In emergency situations, the entire salon pod could eject from the mother craft, and with its own sensors, life support equipment, and engines, protect the diplomatic crew on board. The craft also carried a number of escape pods.[1]
The cruiser's total capacity was 9 crew and 16 passengers. For increased security on diplomatic missions, the organic crew was kept to a minimum, with many ship functions attended to by droids.[1]
Consular cruisers entered service late in the time period of the Republic. An early version of the ship was built after the Ruusan Reformation and was put into service by 990 BBY.[9] They were created due to budget cuts that required the building of new utilitarian and unostentatious starships; it was that quality of them that attracted the Jedi to their use.[9]
An adapted Consular-class cruiser with war-time paint scheme.
During the Clone Wars, some Consular-class ships went through the Charger c70 retrofit, having weapon batteries added and serving as small frigates in the Republic wartime Navy.[11] They possessed a combination of firepower and speed that made them valuable components of the Navy.[5]
The early designs of the Consular-class cruiser had a smooth, "Coruscant-look" to it. After several iterations, George Lucas and Doug Chiang decided that the cruiser should have a strong visual link to the original trilogy. With that direction, Chiang and the Art Department devised a ship with a more rectilinear profile that echoed the design of A New Hope's blockade runner. One of the last additions to the cruiser was the small antenna array that rests above the cockpit. Lucas felt that the ship needed "a little extra something" to guide the audience's eyes to that section of the ship.