The Praetor-class Star Battlecruiser, also known as the Praetor-class battle cruiser,^[3] was a large and powerful warship class that came into use sometime before the rise of the Galactic Empire.

Characteristics

The Praetor-class was designed with multiple reactor systems that were more powerful than those of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer^[5][2]. The Praetor was subsequently larger in size than contemporary Star Destroyer designs,^[6][7] with ships of the class measuring 4 kilometers in length.^[1]

The size and firepower allotted its designation as a Star Battlecruiser by Kuat.^[2][8] Like its predecessor designs, this battlecruiser class was capable of long-range, independent missions. Coupled with its size, this made it fit the criteria of a "battlecruiser"-type warship, as defined by the Anaxes War College System.^[1]

The class was fitted with several cannons that could deliver devastating barrages of firepower at enemy warships.^[1] The vessel also had means of transporting crew to or from other vessels in space, either by docking tube or hangar bay.^[4]

History

Clone Wars

The Praetor-class Star Battlecruiser was produced for service in the Galactic Republic.^[3][1] It was one of several successor-designs to the Procurator-class Star Battlecruiser, a series of large warship models used by rich and powerful sectors in the Core and Colonies.^[1]

Battlecruisers of the Praetor-class served in the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars. The battlecruiser Quaestor was one of several Republic battlecruisers spearheading strikes deep into Separatist territory in the Outer Rim during the conflict. It was destroyed in 19 BBY at the Battle of Pammant. The ship suffered a hyperdrive mishap due to Separatist droid infiltration and crashed into the industrial planet.^[1] Pammant's core was fractured and the world was flooded with radiation. The underground shipyards and factories used by the Separatists were devastated as a result.^[9]

Imperial era

Following the end of the Clone Wars, the battlecruiser Battalion hunted Separatist remnant forces, participated in the conflict known as the Sy Myrthian Insurrection and helped destroy a faction at Trasemene.^[1] While stationed in the Dalchon sector, the ship's commander, Adar Tallon, had grown disenfranchised with the Empire and defected from military service with a loyal crew. To cover their escape, Tallon arranged to have the Battalion be destroyed by his friend, the pirate captain Quist, in a mock rescue attempt of a freighter under attack by pirates.^[4]

The Praetor-class was eventually surpassed in design by other battle cruiser models.^[10] Shortly after the Declaration of a New Order, KDY even unveiled the Praetor Mark II-class. Despite new lines of production, battlecruisers in general were disfavored by the Imperial Navy, as their focus turned towards Star Destroyers and larger dreadnaughts. The latter was a bigger, more heavily armed type of Super Star Destroyer that better fit the Doctrine of Fear the Imperial Military wanted to implement.^[1] Despite being outdated by the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Praetor-class still continued in limited Imperial service.^[3]

During the Galactic Civil War, a derelict Praetor was cannibalized by Rebel forces and its reactors were installed on the frozen planet Hoth to power the facilities of Echo Base, including its defensive systems.^[11] The power equipment was buried deep underground, where they utilized the surrounding planet as a heat sink, increasing the reactors' efficiency. This provided the area encompassing the base with enough protection from bombardment by an Executor-class Star Dreadnought and several Imperial-class Star Destroyers. It also supported a v-150 Planet Defender ion cannon that brought down multiple Star Destroyers during the battle.^[2]

This use of reactors from a Star Battlecruiser was an upgrade from the similar setup for Massassi Station on Yavin 4. There, the Rebels used reactor equipment scavenged from an Imperial-class Star Destroyer. This could withstand a single, large battleship,^[5] but was not enough against the Executor once it arrived to break the Rebels' defenses.^[12]

Behind the scenes

The word "Praetor" has its origin in Latin, where it meant "leader", "chief; a magistrate".^[13]

Appearances

•  Tatooine Manhunt (First mentioned) (Retcon)

Sources

• Rebellion Era Sourcebook (Indirect mention only) (Retcon)
• Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy
• Star Wars: Complete Locations
• Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections (Retcon)
• Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections (Retcon)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• Jason Fry's tumblr account - EG to Warfare Endnotes Pt. 7.
• Jason Fry's tumblr account - EG to Warfare Endnotes Pt. 11. (Indirect mention only)

Notes and references