Arquitens-class command cruiser
|
Arquitens-class command cruiser
Production information
Manufacturer
Model
Type
Technical specifications
Engine unit(s)
Navigation system
Armament
Complement
Docking bays
Escape craft
Passengers
Usage
Role(s)
- "Imperial light cruiser. They haven't detected us yet."
- ―Hera Syndulla to her fellowSpectres[10]
TheArquitens-class command cruiser, also known as theImperial light cruiser, was a multipurpose light cruiser used by theImperial Navy, in which it filled roles from detachedpatrol vessel to communications ship tocapital ship support. It was a reworking ofKuat Drive Yards'Arquitens-class light cruiser, though they shared only structural similarities.
Characteristics[]
TheArquitens-class command cruiser[2] was manufactured byKuat Drive Yards for theImperial Navy, initially entering service[1] as a reworking of theArquitens-class light cruiser which had served with theRepublic Navy.[17] The multipurposelight cruiser design served in a variety on roles, protecting remoteImperial assets, performing detachedpatrol duties in theOuter Rim Territories, acting as support tolargerbattle groups, serving as an armedtransport,[1] and as a communications ship.[5]
A heavily armedArquitens-class command cruiser with additional weapons emplacements
Measuring 230meters in length,[4] the command cruiser had several subtle updates in its design despite appearing to be a simple repaint of its predecessor;[17] in reality they shared few characteristics besides the basic hull shape—kite-shaped hulls with two forward spars—and the class name.[1] Structural changes included an enclosed horizontal housing on the three powerful mainengines, as well as the shape of itsbridge tower.[5][1] The Republic variant's side-mountedturbolaser batteries were removed and replaced with eightescape pods,[11] and lateral entry ways near the bow allowed the deployment of ImperialJumptroopers.[10] The vessels also featured a detention block.[18]
TheArquitens-class was armed with four turbolaser batteries, eightquad laser batteries mounted on fourturrets–two dorsal and two ventral, four forward-mountedconcussion missile launchers on the port and starboard[1] and atractor beam projector.[19] However, anArquitens-class could also be armed with three dorsal quad laser battery turrets, two ventral turrets, six twin laser cannon turrets– with two mounted near the engines at the dorsal and ventral hull, and the other four placed above the port and starboard docking tubes on the dorsal and ventral sides. It additionally had a dorsal missile launcher, and its four concussion missile launchers.[20]
Under theClass 546 program, an Arquitens could be adapted for greater speed by becoming aClass 546 Cruiser.[21] TheArquitens-class was protected bydeflector shields[5] and equipped with a class 2hyperdrive with a class 12 backup.[1] The cruiser's small craft launch and recovery systems, positioned between the two spars,[1][5] could dock either aSentinel-class landing craft,[5] twoTIE/ln space superiority starfighters,[6]TIE/sa bombers,[10]TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighters,[8] or threeTIE/IN interceptors.[9]
History[]
Severalyears prior to4 BBY,[22] the Imperial Navy recalled all of theArquitens-class light cruisers still in service to Kuat Drive Yards, where they would be refitted as part of a service life extension program. The result, theArquitens-class command cruiser, featured radically improved speed, agility, combat ability, power output, and other systems, in line with the navy's order of battle. Though this generation of refits would eventually be retired due to age, they would be replaced by production-line command cruiser variants that served well into theImperial Era.[1]
ASentinel-class shuttle docking with anArquitens-class command cruiser
About fouryears before theBattle of Yavin, afterGrand MoffWilhuff Tarkin ordered thedestruction of theplanetLothal'sImperial Communications Center, the localImperialforces used anArquitens-class command cruiser[5] known as theTellstar[23] to capture and relay information from surfacecourier droids brought aboard.[3] It was successfullyinfiltrated by a team of Lothal-based rebels known as theSpectres to discover the location ofKanan Jarrus, aJedi who survived thedestruction of theJedi Order at the end of theClone Wars.[5]
Several command cruisers also responded to anattack byPhoenix Cell on an Imperialconvoy.[24] Later on, during theblockade ofIbaar, at least three of them worked alongside a pair ofGozanti-class cruisers under the command ofImperial Security BureauAgentAlexsandr Kallus to prevent Phoenix Squadron from delivering relief supplies to the starving Ibaarans. The Imperial blockade was successful in driving off the first run of Phoenix Squadron, but was broken in the second run when the rebel fleet was joined by theprototype B-wing fighter, which possessed a beam cannon strong enough to pierce the shielding and armored plating of one of the blockades' threeArquitens-classes. The command cruiser's destruction allowed the rebel cell to make their run and drop the relief supplies before jumping intohyperspace once again.[13]
Above the planetGarel, a command cruiser was on patrol in the system until they received word of atheft of ashuttle fromGarel City Spaceport and was deployed to investigate. Arriving in orbit above Garel the Imperials found the aforementionedtransport docked with theShadow Caster; opening a channel with the ships, the Imperials demanded them to surrender and prepare for boarding. Unknown to the Imperials, the shuttle was taken by Lothal rebel operativeSabine Wren who specialized in explosives and was working alongside her old friend, the bounty hunterKetsu Onyo, Wren devised a plan to escape by overloading the shuttles' hyperdrive while escaping aboard theShadow Caster. Wren alerted theArquitens-class that their ships were damaged and their hyperdrive was in danger of self-destructing; buying the rebels time to plan for an escape on theShadow Caster. Wren then planted explosive charges on the shuttles' control panel and re-activated theshuttles' droid pilot, telling him that his ship was going to come under attack by the command cruiser, and suggesting for it to enact emergency protocols to escape destruction. Wren evacuated aboard theShadow Caster with Onyo,Chopper, andEG-86 while the GX1 shuttle was caught in atractor beam and dragged towards the command cruiser before exploding. The resulting explosion damaged the command cruiser's tractor beam projector, allowing theShadow Caster to break free and escape into hyperspace.[19]
TwoArquitens-class command cruisers were assigned as an escort detail for the prototypeImperial Interdictor under the command ofAdmiralBrom Titus while it was undergoing trial runs in theDel Zennis system. During the trial runs, the Interdictor managed to capture the flagship of the Phoenix rebel cell: theLiberator, along with Ezra Bridger and the cells' commanding officerJun Sato. The victory wasshort-lived however, as the rebels managed to escape capture and sabotage the Interdictor's gravity wells before escaping back aboard theLiberator. Admiral Titus, in a last ditch effort, activated the ship's gravity well to pull the rebels flagship back; but due to Chopper's sabotage to the gravity well generators, the command cruisers were also dragged in towards the Interdictor, crashing into the ship and allowing theLiberator to jump to hyperspace before the Interdictor itself collapsed in on itself and imploded. Agent Kallus arrived shortly afterwards to find Titus in an escape pod, and chastised the admiral for not heeding his advice earlier regarding Ezra.[25]
Following the revelation of the rebel forces being stationed on Garel, the entirety of the Imperial fleet stationed over Lothaldeparted,[26] leaving behind a minimal garrison, including at least one command cruiser under the command of LieutenantYogar Lyste to oversee the planet in case of another insurgency. Lystes' Imperial cruiser later encountered PrincessLeia Organa as she flew in with relief supplies for Lothal on herSphyrna-class Hammerhead corvettes, which she intended todeliver to Phoenix Squadron; after checking her codes, the Princess was allowed to land on Lothal.[27]
Imperial jumptroopers inside anArquitens-class command cruiser
Later, Agent Kallus received word of the Spectres' activity on the planetNixus and departed with AdmiralKassius Konstantine aboard Kallus' personal command cruiser to intercept the rebels, only arriving into the system mere moments before theGhost jumped into hyperspace past them. Using the hidden tracker built intoHondo Ohnaka's communicator he gave to Ezra, Agent Kallus pursued theGhost through hyperspace until reachingWild Space, where he re-encountered theGhost heading towards an implodedstar cluster. Kallus hailed theGhost offering a chance for the rebels to turn themselves in or be pulled in by the star cluster, only for theGhost to fly ahead towards the cluster. Kallus ordered the launch of a pair of TIE fighters to try and slow theGhost down long enough to get them in range of a tractor beam. Due to theGhost being placed under the influence ofGarazeb Orrelios'sbo-rifle, however, the ship remained intact while the TIE fighters were both torn to pieces. Seeing the freighter's success in navigating the cluster prompted Kallus to begin a bombardment with the command cruisers' quad laser turrets, only to have the blasts get pulled into the gravity wells of the stars ahead of them. Kallus then ordered the command cruiser to pull back when he began to see dorsal sections of the hull get torn off and pulled into the stars.[6]
In2 BBY, anArquitens-class command cruiserintercepted a rebel convoy nearTeralov. The cruiser launched three TIE Interceptors which wiped out the convoy.[9] Later,Grand AdmiralThrawn observedCham Syndulla and the Spectresescape from a trap set byCaptainSlavin from the bridge of a command cruiser. He allowed theGhost to escape because he believed the rebels deserved their victory.[28] Later, Admiral Konstatine commanded a single command cruiser, twoGozanti-class cruisers, and several TIE fighters and bombers during askirmish overMykapo. It was badly damaged when the Spectres andIron Squadron dropped amagno-mine over the cruiser's forward compartment.[29]
CaptainBrunson later commanded a command cruiser which attempted tohunt down and destroy theGhost onGeonosis, sending many jumptroopers to attack. However, the Spectres defeated the jumptroopers and usedproton torpedoes to damage the ship and flee into hyperspace.[10]Lieutenant Yogar Lyste later commanded anArquitens-class command cruiser stationed above Lothal whichcaptured the rebel operativeEzra Bridger. However, Ezra's capture was a ruse to rescue the rogue ISB Agent Kallus, who had become a rebel agent known asFulcrum.[18] One command cruiserattempted to capture the roguesenator and rebel leaderMon Mothma but was badly damaged byGold Squadron.[30] Several command cruisers participated in Thrawn'sassault on the planetAtollon, in which they attempted to cut the rebels off.[31]
AnArquitens-class command cruiser, with no equipped turrets.
Soon after the rebel defeat on Atollon, the Rebel Alliance launched amission toJalindi to hijack theoutpost there in order to spy on Imperial fleet movements in1 BBY. This attempt was thwarted by theArquitens-class cruiserMarauder, commanded by Titus. After a skirmish, thePartisans arrived and destroyed the outpost, resulting in a massive explosion that also claimed theMarauder.[8]
Aprison-tug, a modified variant of theArquitens-class command cruiser, pulledAccresker Jail, awreckage-prison, into battle in order for it to deploy itsconvict army. After some deadly spores were discovered in the prison, it was decided that it would be shot into a rebel planet, and the cruiser was sent hurtling into the wreckage.[32] Following theBattle of Endor in4 ABY,Arquitens-class cruisers were already an uncommon sight, largely due to anassault on theFondor Shipyards in the same year that caused the shortage of available cruisers. One cruiser was present on the Imperial worldVardos during askirmish there soon after the Imperial defeat onEndor, and another participated and was destroyed in askirmish onTakodana in5 ABY.[33] OneClass 546 model of this cruiser was under the command ofMoffGideon andhis forces sometime after the Battle of Endor.[15]
Behind the scenes[]
TheArquitens-class command cruiser was originally created for the animated seriesStar Wars Rebels. It first appeared in "Rebel Resolve," the fourteenth episode of the show'sfirst season,[5] which originally aired onFebruary 23,2015.[34] The command cruiser was reworked from theArquitens-class light cruiser that appeared in the earlierStar Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, featuring subtle updates to its design, and was inspired by the transition ofVenator-class Star Destroyers into Imperial vessels seen at the end ofStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith.[17] Various elements of theArquitens-class asset were reused to create theQuasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier[35] andclass four container transport.[36]
Although initially said to be the same as theArquitens-class light cruiser,[3] it was later identified as theArquitens-class command cruiser byStar Wars: Armada'sImperial Light Cruiser Expansion Pack, clarifying the two to be separate models.[2]
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
- Disney Magic Kingdoms
LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Ghost Ship"- LEGO STAR WARS: Celebrate the Season — "Trick-or-Treat"
- LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales(In flashback(s))
- "Button-Smash Clash" —LEGO Star Wars 125
Sources[]
|
Non-canon sources[]
Notes and references[]
|
- Related categories:
- Arquitens-class command cruisers
- Related Categories:
- Arquitens-class command cruisers