The Interdictor-class cruiser, also known as the hyperspace interdiction cruiser and the Interdictor-class Sith Destroyer,^[8] was among the most numerous capital ships seen in action with the Sith Navy during^[2] and after the Jedi Civil War.^[9]

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 History 3 Known ships 4 Behind the scenes 5 Appearances 6 Sources 7 Notes and references 7.1 In other languages

CharacteristicsEdit

The Interdictor-class was 600 meters long and featured a hull that split into two structures, one dorsal and one ventral.^[5] The ship was propelled by three main thrusters and four auxiliary thrusters, similar to the Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Each ship was commanded from a sternward tower.^[2]

The Interdictor-class cruiser was armed with 5 medium Turbolaser cannon batteries, 6 light Point-defense laser cannon batteries, 3 Tractor beam batteries, and 1 Gravity well projector. The infamous Interdictor-class cruiser and Sith warship, the Leviathan was equipped with 20 Quad laser cannons, 4 Turbolaser cannons, 2 Ion cannons.^[5] Despite the timespan between designs, the Interdictor-class cruiser was comparable in power to an Imperial Victory II-class Star Destroyer with all the advantages of the Immobilizer 418 cruiser and served a role similar to that of the more modern Star Destroyer designs.^[10]

HistoryEdit

The class name "Interdictor" was first proposed by Admiral Jimas Veltraa. When Veltraa was killed in the Mandalorian Wars, some proposed that the name of the class be changed to honor him, but this was overruled by the Supreme Chancellor. In 3,963 BBY, construction on the Interdictor-class was approved.^[11]

The original prototype Interdictors were manufactured by Republic Sienar Systems.^[1] Like the Inexpugnable-class command ships, the Interdictor-class cruisers were built at Corellian shipyards,^[11] though many more would be constructed by the Star Forge to fuel the growing warfleet of the Sith Lord Darth Revan.^[2]

The most notable Interdictor-class Cruiser was the Leviathan, a Galactic Republic warship that was said to be the only vessel in the class that came out of the shipyards in a space-worthy state. It was commanded by Admiral Saul Karath, who defected with the ship to join the Sith Lords Revan and Malak. The ship was duplicated in the Star Forge and produced by the hundreds.^[6] The Leviathan itself continued to serve as Karath's flagship up until his death.^[5]

Malak, in the Leviathan, brought a fleet of Interdictors to Taris and positioned them around that world in an attempt to stop the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan from escaping. Frustrated that the search for the missing Jedi was taking too long, he ordered his fleet to bombard Taris with their turbolasers, turning the Upper City into slag. Some time later, a number of Interdictors participated in the Battle of Rakata Prime, which bore witness to the destruction of the Star Forge and the mass production of Interdictor-class ships and Sith fighters.^[2]

Despite that, many of the remaining Interdictor-class cruisers were later used to form the core of Darth Nihilus's Sith battlefleet and were seen in action at the Battle of Telos IV.^[9]

Millennia later, the overall design principles survived in the Galactic Republic and later in the Galactic Empire, in the form of the Star Destroyer line of warships. Sienar, known under the Empire as Sienar Fleet Systems, went on to make the Immobilizer 418 cruiser, which was equipped with a superior form of gravity well projector.^[12]

Known shipsEdit

• Dying Sun^[13]
• Leviathan
• Darth Revan's flagship

Behind the scenesEdit

According to the Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, the Interdictor-class was built by Sienar Fleet Systems, a company which would not exist until the formation of the Galactic Empire. The company at the time of the Mandalorian Wars was still called Republic Sienar Systems.

Interestingly, Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo (later to be known as Grand Admiral Thrawn) commented on the grav-well projector as if he had never seen it before when he encountered it for the first time in the hands of the Vagaari fleet in 27 BBY, saying that the idea had been proposed, but not implemented, by Chiss engineers. Jorj Car'das, who was accompanying Thrawn at the time, did not seem to recognize it either. This would point to the conclusion that the Vagaari originally developed the technology, and that Thrawn later brought it to the main galaxy during his period of service to the Galactic Empire. The seeming contradiction could be resolved if you assume that since Car'das was relatively young and inexperienced at the time, he had not yet encountered any grav-cone projectors, but it is unlikely that he would have been unaware of a technology almost four thousand years old. An alternative theory is that the gravity well projector technology was lost at some point in the four thousand years between Knights of the Old Republic and the events of the Thrawn Trilogy, then somehow rediscovered by the Empire between the events of A New Hope, and Heir to the Empire.

The 1998 PC program Star Wars: Behind the Magic includes a glossary entry for the "Interdictor-class cruiser." However, as this entry notes, the term is intended to apply to the Immobilizer 418 cruiser and should not be confused with the Interdictor-class cruiser of the KotOR series.^[14]

AppearancesEdit

• The Admiral's List: Jimas Veltraa Memorial Edition (Mentioned only)
• The Betrayal of Darth Revan
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (First appearance)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
• Timeline 8: The Jedi Civil War (Appears in hologram)

SourcesEdit

• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
• Chronicles of the Old Republic
• The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
• Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Legacy Era Campaign Guide
• Galaxy of Intrigue
•  Leviathan in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)

Notes and referencesEdit

Sienar starship classes
Transports Lambda-class T-4a shuttle · Martial-class shuttle · Mu-class Model 1 Shuttle · Mu-class Model 2 Shuttle · Mu-class Model 3 Shuttle · Sentinel-class landing craft · Scimitar · TIE lander · TIE/sh shuttle · WR-542 Shooting Star Patrol ships Bayonet-class light cruiser · Guardian-class light cruiser · IPV-1 Patrol Craft · Warden-class light cruiser Frigates Enforcer-class picket cruiser · Immobilizer 418 cruiser · Interdictor-class cruiser · Vindicator-class heavy cruiser Battleships Sienar Battleship
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