- "New Republic forces chased the Arbitrator into a black hole."
- ―Ushos O. Statura, in an annotation of The Rebel Files
The Arbitrator was an Executor-class Star Dreadnought in the Imperial Navy. Around the time of the Galactic Civil War, the command ship was considered to be one of the Empire's most critical Super Star Destroyers. In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, the Arbitrator was pursued by several New Republic ships. Attempting to escape them, the dreadnought jumped to erroneous hyperspace coordinates, which resulted in the destruction of the vessel after it was pulled into a black hole.
Description[]
As an Executor-class Star Dreadnought, the Arbitrator measured 19,000 meters long and was armed with 5,000 turbolasers.[1] It was also equipped with engines and a hyperdrive. The ship transmitted tracking data to the Hall of Imperial Register on the Imperial planet Coruscant, allowing for a black box recording of information so it could be discerned what occurred before the ship was destroyed, captured, or surrendered.[2]
History[]
Grand Admiral Rae Sloane learned of the Arbitrator's fate.
The command ship Arbitrator was mentioned in The Rebel Files, a compilation of information, reports, and accounts belonging to the Rebel Alliance,[1] between 0 BBY and 3 ABY,[6] around the time of the Galactic Civil War. It was mentioned in a list compiled by Alliance Admiral Gial Ackbar regarding the Imperial Navy's most critical Executor-class Star Dreadnoughts, both those in service and those under construction.[1] Before the Battle of Endor[2] in 4 ABY,[4] the Arbitrator was one of the Empire's thirteen Super Star Destroyers,[2] a title given to several classes[7] of Imperial capital ships. After the battle, which saw the Alliance defeat the Empire after the Emperor and the second Death Star were destroyed, the Empire fractured, and the Rebel Alliance transitioned into the New Republic.[2]
Sometime after the battle, between[3] 4 ABY[4] and 5 ABY,[5] the Arbitrator was pursued by forces of the New Republic's fleet. In an attempt to escape, the ship made an erroneous hyperspace calculation, causing it to be evaporated after it was sucked into a[2] black hole.[1] In 5 ABY,[5] after the vessel's destruction, Imperial Grand Admiral Rae Sloane of the Executor-class Ravager visited Coruscant to research Gallius Rax, her mysterious superior. While at the Hall of Imperial Register, Sloane discovered that eleven of the thirteen dreadnoughts originally in the Empire's service, including the Arbitrator, had been destroyed, captured or surrendered, with the only two remaining being the Ravager and the Eclipse.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The Arbitrator was first mentioned in the 2016 novel Aftermath: Life Debt, the second entry in Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy, written by Chuck Wendig.[2]
Appearances[]
- Aftermath: Life Debt (First mentioned, simultaneous with Aftermath: Life Debt audiobook)
- Aftermath: Life Debt audiobook (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars: The Rebel Files
Saga-Spanning Trivia from This Week! In Star Wars on StarWars.com (backup link)
This Week! in Star Wars Han and Chewie Team Up with Greedo, The High Republic Turns One, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Star Wars: The Rebel Files
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Aftermath: Life Debt
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Aftermath: Life Debt places the destruction of the Arbitrator between its main story narrative and the Battle of Endor.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Star Wars: Galactic Atlas places the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Aftermath: Life Debt to 5 ABY.
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rebel Files states that The Rebel Files' "Alliance Chron 3" section, which mentions the Arbitrator, was compiled in 19–22 AFE, or nineteen to twenty-two years after the formation of the Galactic Empire, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 19 BBY. Therefore, that section must have been compiled between 0 BBY and 3 ABY.
- ↑ Star Wars: Complete Locations