Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship

Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship

TheInexpugnable-class tactical command ship was a largewarship class used by theRepublic Navy during theMandalorian Wars. Designed and manufactured byRendili Hyperworks andRendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards, theInexpugnable-class was used as aflagship andcommand ship. Often described as a mobilespace station, at 3,100meters in diameter it was one of the largestRepublicspacecraft of itstime. Warships of the class saw combat at a number of battles in theMandalorian Wars, including theBattle of Serroco. TheInexpugnable-class was renowned for its ability to lead massive Republicfleets, employing advanced command techniques such as theVanjervalis Chain to command up to sixty-fourHammerhead-class cruisers simultaneously. Despite its usefulness as a fleet flagship, the ship had several weaknesses, and as such, only sixInexpugnable-class ships were manufactured—one of which, theCourageous, was destroyed in early3963 BBY, shortly following the Republic's involvement in the Mandalorian Wars. They were replaced as Republic command ships by theCenturion-class battlecruiser before theend of the Mandalorian Wars.

Characteristics[]

TheInexpugnable-class tacticalcommand ship was disc-shaped, with an opening in its center.^[1][2] At 3,100meters in diameter, it was often described as a mobilespace station. Thebridge was innovative in design;holograms were projected over a transparent deck on the bridge, providing a merger of electronic and visual data and facilitating command.^[1] This bridge design, referred to as the "wishing well" byRepublichelmsmen, could sometimes produce vertigo.^[2] TheInexpugnable-class was operated by a crew of 4,300 Republicofficers and enlisted personnel. It also carried a total of 2,000troops. The class could carry up to 50,000metric tons of cargo and enough consumables for optimalship and crew operations for two years.^[1]

Vessels of theInexpugnable-class were equipped with five doubleturbolaser batteries, five light turbolaser batteries, two point-defenselaser cannon batteries, and twotractor beam batteries.^[1] Three turbolaser batteries were situated on each side of the main circular superstructure, along with two near the bridge of the vessel.^[2] TheInexpugnable-class was propelled by four large thrusters that were in turn powered byengines deep within the circular superstructure.^[6] Forfaster-than-light travel, it came equipped with a Class 2hyperdrive and a Class 10 hyperdrive as backup.^[1]

The warship had largehangars and a command area located underneath the main superstructure, to the stern. Additional hangar decks were located on the vessel's bow to allow rapid deployment offighters from multiple levels.^[3] In addition to the fighter decks, there was a cargo bay located adjacent to the ship's brig.^[4] The class could carry 144Aurek-class tactical strikefighters and twenty-fourS-250Chela-class starfighters. The ship was also capable of housing smalltransports—twenty-fourConductor-class landing craft and sixMinistry-class orbital shuttles.^[1] In addition, its hangar bays could carry a number of Republic support ships.^[3]

Role[]

TheInexpugnable-class served as a command ship in theRepublic Navy.^[1]Rendili Hyperworks andRendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards designed it in order to sell moreHammerhead-class cruisers to the Republic.^[1][2] Weapons coordination during theMandalorian Wars became a major concern for Republic tacticians, as Republic lines were often defended by dozens ofHammerhead-classcruisers. TheInexpugnable-class was designed with an enhancedsensor package and an innovative bridge design, which allowed a flag officer to command afleet of up to sixty-fourHammerhead-class cruisers at once.^[1] TheInexpugnable-class's many large hangar bays allowed it to rapidly deploy its fightersquadrons, but also made the ship vulnerable to ramming attacks and boarding operations.^[3][4] The role of command ship was later taken up by the smallerCenturion-class battlecruiser.^[1]

History[]

Prior to the Republic's involvement in theMandalorian Wars, the Republic determined the need for a tactical command ship to coordinate the large fleets ofHammerhead-class ships defending its lines. The proof-of-conceptSwiftsure was built at some point prior to the Mandalorian Wars. Less than half a dozenInexpugnable-class prototypes were constructed before the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars,^[1] designed by Rendili Hyperworks and launched from the Rendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards atCorellia.^[1][2] This new line of command ships, at an estimated cost of 70,000,000credits, effectively replaced the Republic'solder command ships, such as theReliance I.^[7] One of those prototypes was theCourageous.^[1] The production line also included theIndefatigable and theTremendous.^[2] They were nicknamed "Inexies" by Republic crewmen.^[1]

At the end of3964 BBY, the Mandalorian Wars finally hit the Republic when Mandalorian fleets attackedVanquo andTaris.^[8]Inexpugnable-class vessels served as large command ships andbattle groupflagships in the Republic Navy during the Mandalorian Wars. TheCourageous, commanded by then-CaptainSaul Karath, ledits battle group against the Mandalorians during theBattle of Vanquo.^[6] In early3963 BBY, atSerroco, following an intenseForce vision,Zayne Carrick, theJediapprentice accused of committing thePadawan Massacre, stowed aboardLieutenantCarth Onasi's ship, theConductor-class landing craftDeadweight, to warn Karath of an upcoming Mandalorian attack. However, Karath immediately recognized Carrick as a fugitive andimprisoned him in theCourageous's brig, ignoring the warning.^[9] As predicted, the Mandaloriansattacked Serroco in force, usingnuclear missiles to destroycities and Republic troops on the planet's surface.^[10] Following the attack, theCourageous was boarded and captured by the Mandalorians. However, Karath, Carrick, and Onasi escaped, as Carrick had usedthe Force todismantle the wall in hisprison cell, allowing them to access theDeadweight in theCourageous's landing bay.^[4] TheCourageous was taken by the Mandalorians and recycled for their own use;Mandalore the Ultimate later claimed thathis battle-axe was forged from theCourageous'shull.^[11] The remnants of theCourageous battle group joined theTremendous andits own battle group, while now-Admiral Karath transferred his flag to theSwiftsure shortly after theFirst Battle of Omonoth.^[12][3] AnotherInexpugnable-class that served was theDiligence, captained byDallan Morvis.^[13]

After the Battle of Serroco, the remainingInexpugnable-class ships, including theSwiftsure, theTremendous, and theIndefatigable, were equipped with a new sensor package that allowed them to use tactics such as theVanjervalis Chain, an advanced sensor system that slaved the controls of up to sixty-fourHammerhead-class cruisers, predicted enemy movements, and adjusted the fleet for maximum efficiency.^[2][14] TheSwiftsure was the first to be fitted with the system by the manufacturers, and became the basis for the production model.^[1] Karath, in command of theSwiftsure, used the Vanjervalis Chain to protect the Republiccapital ofCoruscant from any attack or infiltration, specifically so that Republic and Jedi forces might intercept Carrick, whom theJedi Covenant believed was going to attack their operations on Coruscant.^[3] However,Haazen, the secret leader of the Jedi Covenant, was able to control all Republic ships linked to the Vanjervalis Chain, since he had directed theDraay Trust to purchaseVanjervalis Systems, and integrated fleet remote controls into Haazen'sSith artifact, theGauntlet of Kressh the Younger. He commanded Karath's fleet, including theSwiftsure, to attack the Republic strike team threatening his plans.^[15] Haazen'sVindication, the Jedi Covenant's insurrection against theJedi Order, was stopped when Carrick and his formerMaster,Lucien Draay, retrieved the Gauntlet of Kressh and used it to command theSwiftsure and the Republic fleet to fire upon both Haazen and theDraay Estate on Coruscant's surface.^[16]

Later that year, Karath took theSwiftsure and its task force to anasteroid field not far fromIthor.^[17] Anticipating a Mandalorian attack, theSwiftsure's fleet prepared for an engagement withCassus Fett, a prominent MandalorianField Marshal, and his forces. Fett's fleet fought abrief battle with the Republic, but the attack was a ruse. Carrick and Fett—who owed a debt to Carrick after having warned the Mandalorians of theRakghoul plague onJebble^[18]—arranged for the false attack on Republic forces to draw outthe Crucibleslaver shipGladiator, which Carrick and his friend,Jarael, had previously encountered.^[17][19] When Karath learned of the ruse and its ultimate goal, he directed theSwiftsure's fleet to capture theGladiator and its captain,Dace Golliard. Golliard revealed the position of the planetOsadia, an important Crucible base of operations and where Jarael was being held captive, to the Republic, and Karath detached theHammerhead-class cruiserTestament from his fleet to investigate, taking Carrick and his associate,Marn Hierogryph, along, with the goal of shutting down the Crucible and rescuing Jarael.^[17]

Only sixInexpugnable-class vessels, including prototypes and production models, were ever manufactured, since problems popped up with the design.^[1][20] The rest of the production line was abandoned, and the role of tactical command ship was filled by the smallerCenturion-class battlecruiser.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

TheInexpugnable-class tactical command ship first appeared in theeighth issue of theKnights of the Old Republic comic series.^[6] Along with other new starship classes in the Republic Navy featured in this issue and in the two arcsDays of Fear andNights of Anger, theInexpugnable-class appeared to be from the same design lineage as theHammerhead-class cruiser.^[6][21][22]

TheInexpugnable-class had a slightly different look inissue 31, in which the command shipSwiftsure was shown with a more prominent keel and a smaller, rounder primary hull.^[3] This different appearance was partially due to artistic interpretation, and also because theSwiftsure was the proof-of-concept model.^[23][24]

The names ofInexpugnable-class vessels were derived from real-world naval ships, according to writerJohn Jackson Miller. TheCourageous is named after theFrench shipCourageux, whose design was used to construct four ofLord Horatio Nelson'sLeviathan-class ships, a name shared by Admiral Saul Karath'sown command ship in theStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicvideo game.^[25] TheTremendous was also a British naval vessel during theNapoleonic Wars.^[26] There were also ships in the Royal Navy in the same time period namedIndefatigable^[27] andSwiftsure.^[28] The fifthInexpugnable-class ship,Diligence, was named in the2011 novelKnight Errant, though the sixth remains unnamed.^[24]

Appearances[]

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• Knights of the Old Republic 8(First appearance)
• Knights of the Old Republic 13
• "The Admiral's List: Jimas Veltraa Memorial Edition" — Knights of the Old Republic 13
• Knights of the Old Republic 15
• "The Admiral's List: Remember Serroco! Edition" — Knights of the Old Republic 16
• Knights of the Old Republic 17
• Knights of the Old Republic 18(Mentioned only)
• Knights of the Old Republic 19(Mentioned only)
• Knights of the Old Republic 20(Mentioned only)
• "The Adjudicator Special Report: Tools of the Trade" — Knights of the Old Republic 20(Mentioned only)
• "The Admiral's List: Karath Home Safely" — Knights of the Old Republic 22(Mentioned only)
• Knights of the Old Republic 30(Mentioned only)
• Knights of the Old Republic 31
• Knights of the Old Republic 34
• Knights of the Old Republic 35(Mentioned only)
• Knights of the Old Republic 49
• Knight Errant(Mentioned only)

Non-canon appearances[]

• "The Betrayal of Darth Revan"(Mentioned only)(Unlicensed)

Sources[]

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• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Handbook(First identified asInexpugnable-class tactical command ship)
• Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Timeline 9: The Mandalorian Wars onThe Old Republic'sofficial website(article) (backup link)(Picture only)

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship onStar Wars: The Old Republic Wiki
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #8 onFaraway Press: The Online Home of John Jackson Miller(backup link)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #13 onFaraway Press: The Online Home of John Jackson Miller(backup link)
• KotOR #16 -- We don't negotiate with dead Padawans! by John Jackson Miller onDark HorseMessage Boards (May 2,2007)(original site is defunct)