Ships

Interdictor Star Destroyer

The Interdictor Star Destroyer was a variant of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer equipped with gravity well projectors. They were used exclusively by the Empire.

Sienar Fleet Systems already produced an Interdictor, the Immobilizer 418 cruiser based on a 600 meter Vindicator-class heavy cruiser. Though it was decently armed for its size, it was a high priority vessel that was generally unable to hold its own in combat, especially if the battle involved Imperial Star Destroyers and comparable vessels. 

Kuat Drive Yards decided to produce their own Interdictor offering to rival that of Sienar Fleet Systems by using an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer hull as a base. To make room for the gravity well projectors, half of the turbolasers and ion cannons, as well as eight of the Phylon Q7 tractor beam projectors found on the original Imperial-class Star Destroyer, had to be removed. The Interdictor Star Destroyer's reduced hangar held four squadrons of TIE fighters. As such the Interdictor did not make an excellent combat destroyer. 

The Interdictor Star Destroyer did not require additional support when performing patrol and customs duties. Some bold commanders such as Loka Hask even used the ship to pull armed convoys out of hyperspace and destroy them. 

Nonetheless, like the Immobilizer, the gravity wells remained a major drain on the ship's main reactor. This had the potential to compromise the ship's defenses in heavy combat. For instance, while Loka Hask's Dominator had interdicted and was destroying a New Republic Convoy, Rogue Squadron's X-wings counter-attacked by hitting Dominator with a salvo of proton torpedoes. While an Imperial Star Destroyer's shields would have easily held up against such an assault, Dominator's shields partially collapsed and the hull took some damage, prompting its commanders to call off the battle. (Rogue Squadron also successfully used this tactic on the Immobilizer 418 cruiser Aggregator which caused it to retreat.) 

Ever since its conception, the Interdictor played a significant role in the Empire. Commanders frequently used these ships against pirate insurrections, and small pockets of resistance. Because this ship's capabilities prevented other ships from escaping, these vessels were also extensively used in raids and invasions. 

A ship of this class was used as a command ship by Lord Darth Vader in the months immediately after the Battle of Yavin, but it was destroyed above Jazbina by Rebel pilot Jal Te Gniev. 

An Interdictor Star Destroyer participated in the First Battle of the Graveyard against Renegade Squadron. The Star Destroyer's gravity well projectors, which kept the Rebel fleet from fleeing, were destroyed. A few participated in the Attack on Bannistar Station. 

In the months immediately after the Battle of Endor, ships of this class, such as Dominator and Binder, seemed to have been specifically deployed in Imperial efforts to defeat the Rebels' legendary Rogue Squadron. 

Nine years after the Battle of Yavin, Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet at the Battle of Bilbringi included a number of Interdictor Star Destroyers. It is possible that Imperator and Wrack were also ships of this design. 

Thrawn used these ships in many of his attacks in his campaign against the New Republic. Thrawn ingeniously used these craft on multiple occasions to pull his own ships out of hyperspace, making the jump more efficient, because the incoming vessels could scramble into a situation with almost unprecedented precision.

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