Executrix

For other uses, see Tarkin's Star Destroyer.

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"The least the Empire can do to compensate you for the loss of the Carrion Spike."

―Darth Sidious^[3]

Executrix was an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer belonging to the starfleet of the Galactic Empire. It served as Wilhuff Tarkin's personal flagship during his service as Moff and later Grand Moff, from 18 BBY, up until Tarkin took command of the Death Star in 1 BBY, where the Governor was killed.

Characteristics[]

Besides its several tactical rooms equipped with immense battle analysis holotables, it was the only capital ship in the Imperial fleet with a containment field room.^[3]

The Executrix featured a command tower bristling with laser turrets and antennae. It carried with it TIE fighters and transports, including transport three-six-six.^[4]

History[]

Incident on Agaris[]

Orbital monitering[]

"Executrix, this is C-patrol. We've finished our sweep, there are no ships out here. Whatever happened to those men it's the compound's problem, not ours."
"Stow that talk, C-patrol. Or I'll have you reassigned to planetary scout duty. How would you like that?"
"R-roger that, Executrix. Um, please inform Governor Tarkin that our sensors are clean. But we'll do another sweep just in case."
"That's better, C-patrol. Make this a double shift and perhaps we can forget about your…inappropriate comment."

―A TIE fighter pilot and an officer on the Executrix —

Listen (file info)^[4]

Tarkin-K-4D8 — With the *Executrix* in orbit, Tarkin remained on Agaris' Imperial compound.

A Star Destroyer serving the Imperial Navy, the Executrix was under the command of Wilhuff Tarkin^[8] by 18 BBY. That year,^[9] Tarkin traveled to Agaris, a planet deep in Wild Space, with the intention to have shipments of the world's quadanium sent back to Sentinel Base. With Tarkin on the planet's Imperial mining compound, the Executrix remained in orbit over the world. Some time after Tarkin's arrival, the rebel children Lina and Milo Graf also traveled to the world in order to rescue their parents, the cartographers Rhyssa and Auric Graf, who had been kidnaped by the Empire. At the time of the Grafs' arrival, sixteen Imperial patrols had vanished in the past eight days, which, unbeknownst to the Empire, was the work of Agaris' sentient species, the Agarians.^[4]

While the children were anchored to Agaris' moon in their stolen Imperial scout ship, the Star Herald, the Executrix glided out of Agaris' shadow. Although the Star Herald's systems had been powered down, meaning the Star Destroyer could not detect it, the two Grafs asked their monster droid, CR-8R, to patch Imperial transmissions through. The group then heard a man on Imperial transport three-six-six requesting departure from the Executrix. Another man then confirmed the request and prepared to release docking clamps. Transport three-six-six then departed from the Star Destroyer's ventral hangar, flanked by two TIE fighters, and descended to the compound on Agaris.^[4]

Just as the transport departed, C-patrol, another pair of TIE fighters, contacted the Executrix as they angled towards the ship. One of the patrol's pilots reported to an officer on the Star Destroyer that they had not encountered any ships on their sweep. The pilot then said that whatever had happened to the missing men was the compound's problem, not theirs. However, the officer abruptly ordered him to stow such talk, threatening reassignment to planetary scout duty. Apologetic, the pilot then asked for Tarkin to be informed that although their sensors were clean, they would do another sweep to be safe. Satisfied, the officer maintained that if the pilot managed a double shift, his inappropriate comment may be forgotten.^[4]

Rebel escape[]

"Should we open fire?"
"Let them go. The planet is ours."
"I'm picking up a ship leaving Agaris. It's an Imperial craft, but all our ships are accounted for."
"The family Graf. Good. Send a fighter squadron to intercept."

―An Imperial and Wilhuff Tarkin, regarding the escaping Agarians and detected rebels —

Listen (file info)^[4]

As the Executrix continued to orbit Agaris, the planet's moon, and with it the Star Herald, moved out of the Empire's range, allowing the scout ship to detach. Lina then momentarily brought its engines online, giving them enough thrust to descend to the planet. However, the group then heard the C-patrol pilot contact the Executrix again, stating that on their second pass, the TIE fighters had picked up something on their scanners. The pilot sent the report to the Star Destroyer, but the officer dismissed it as a meteorite, speculating that, even though it was made of metal, it was either a meteorite with an iron core or a hunk of space debris from last time the Executrix dumped its garbage. As such, the officer ordered C-patrol to continue their sweep. Despite this, the pilot reported the TIEs would go to check it out, wary of the consequences from Tarkin should they miss something important.^[4]

After hearing the entire exchange, and fearful of the Imperials discovering them, Lina brought the Star Herald's systems online and made for the planet, with the TIE fighters in pursuit. However, the ship crashed in the forests of Agaris, with the two TIE pilots pursuing the rebels on foot. After loosing the Imperials in the forest, the children managed to rally a group of Agarians to attack the Imperial compound. With the Imperials succumbing to the Agarian gas attacks, Tarkin boarded the Carrion Spike to evacuate the world. Shortly after, several Imperial transports ferrying the surviving Imperial troopers from the facility returned to the Executrix in orbit.^[4]

Agaris-escape — The *Star Herald* flees the *Executrix*'s pursuing TIE fighters.

As Tarkin would commence an orbital bombardment on Agaris, the Agarians decided to abandon the world in spores, causing the planet to erupt in a debris field. This forced the Executrix to take evasive action, angling out of the planet's orbit. Tarkin decided to let the spores go, knowing that Agaris was now his. Then, an Imperial informed the governor that an Imperial craft had been detected leaving the world, despite all their forces being accounted for. Tarkin, realizing it was the Grafs in the Star Herald, ordered a fighter squadron to intercept them. Four TIE fighters then emerged from the Executrix to pursue the rebels, managing to land several laser blasts on the enemy ship before it fled into hyperspace.^[4]

Campaign at Salient[]

In 17 BBY,^[10] the Executrix was commanded by Tarkin at the Campaign at Salient. This battle took many standard weeks, but ultimately led to the defeat of Captains Has Obitt and Saw Gerrera, who led the rebelling factions on Salients I and II. After the capture of captain Obitt, Tarkin used the ship's medical station to nurse the smuggler back to health, so that he could spy on Orson Krennic.^[6]

Pursuing the Carrion Spike[]

In 14 BBY,^[11] the Executrix was deployed to the Obroa-skai system after a jump from Lantillies. Accompanied by a task force consisting of three Interdictor vessels, a Detainer CC-2200, a CC-7700 frigate, an untested Immobilizer 418 cruiser, and several other frigates, pickets, and gunboats, the Executrix waited for the arrival of the Carrion Spike, a corvette belonging to Moff Wilhuff Tarkin but had been hijacked by a rebel cell. During the operation, the fugitive corvette was absent, which prompted Tarkin to not only interrogate the crew of the Reticent with Darth Vader, but also enter one of the Executrix's tactical rooms, where he accessed a multitude of top-secret Republic and Imperial databases situated on Coruscant as the Executrix held its position on the Obroa-skai system. Through the databases, he discovered the identity of several of the insurgents, including Berch Teller, and their relationship to the Antar Atrocity.^[3]

With Tarkin still on board, the Executrix arrived at a star system close to the Gulf of Tatooine where Teller's insurgents attacked once again, that time to destroy a convoy carrying components for the hyperdrive of one of the Empire's top secret projects, the Death Star. On Tarkin's orders, the Executrix lumbered between the warship's starfighters and the Nebulon-B frigate, and the Imperial cargo ships going to Sentinel Base, turning the tide of the battle as it protected the convoy and deployed its V-Wing starfighters to attack the insurgents' ships. As the Executrix's turbolasers disabled the warship, the Compliant and the Enforcer, arrived from Pii only to see the battle had ended. Following the rebel's capture (except Teller), Tarkin left the Executrix for Coruscant, where he spent three weeks.^[3]

The Emperor himself, Palpatine, awarded the Executrix to Tarkin to compensate him for the loss of the Carrion Spike. In addition to the thousands of troops and technicians who staffed and crewed the massive ship, he had a personal bodyguard of thirty-two stormtroopers who accompanied him wherever he went. Aboard the Executrix, Tarkin traveled from the Core to the Greater Seswenna sector, and Eriadu, in his tour of the major systems of the Outer Rim after being promoted to Grand Moff of the aforementioned oversector.^[3]

The Death Star's completion[]

Rebel intelligence[]

"Commander, you asked me to coordinate intelligence reports. I hope you won't be disappointed that I've gone one step further. With help from a friend in Intelligence, I assembled the attached report tracking the movements of Director Krennic and the frequency of his communications to Tarkin's Star Destroyer Executrix as well as to Tarkin's homeworld of Eriadu. Please see attachment YN-13."

―Hendri Underholt, in a transmission to Mon Mothma^[12]

Executrix-GoH — The *Executrix*, flagship of Grand Moff Tarkin

As the Death Star continued to be built, Tarkin regularly supervised the construction progress from the bridge of the Executrix.^[8] Orson Krennic, now director, also made frequent communications to both the Executrix and Eriadu at this time.^[12] At some point between 5 BBY and 2 BBY,^[13] Rebel Alliance commander Mon Mothma's aide, Hendri Underholt, was asked to coordinate intelligence reports by Mothma. Going one step further, Underholt, with help from a friend in Alliance Intelligence, also assembled a report tracking the movements of Director Krennic and the frequency of his communications with the Executrix and Eriadu.^[12]

When sent a transmission containing Underholt's report, Mothma, although impressed with her aide's drive, ultimately warned her of the dangers of running such investigations unauthorized. The pair's communications on the matter were later preserved in The Rebel Files, a non-electronic central data repository of sensitive rebel information.^[12] In 1 BBY,^[14] Rebel Alliance member Hostis Ij sent an intel briefing to Mothma, which compiled evidence pointing to a major Imperial weapons test that was imminent. Ij reported that, according to rebel agents, Director Krennic had been visiting planets deeply involved in Imperial weapons research in recent months, with the Alliance possessing verified communications between those planets and both Eriadu and the Executrix. The intel briefing was later gathered in a dossier concerning the Empire's battle station.^[5]

Krennic's summons[]

"Most unfortunate about the security breach on Jedha, Director Krennic."
"I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"After so many setbacks and delays—and now this. We've heard word of rumors circulating through the city. Apparently you've lost a rather talkative cargo pilot."
"And what does a cargo pilot know that's of consequence to us? You acknowledged yourself that secrecy was becoming an impediment to progress some time ago. Rumors were bound to spread—"
"The rumors are not the concern. The concern is proof. If the Senate gets wind of our project countless systems will flock to the Rebellion."

―Grand Moff Tarkin and Director Krennic —

Listen (file info)^[15]

TarkinAndKrennic — Grand Moff Tarkin summoned Krennic to the bridge of the *Executrix*.

Later that year,^[16] the Death Star was nearing completion, and the Executrix was one of several Star Destroyers positioned around the battle station as its superlaser was installed.^[17] As this was occurring, Director Krennic arrived on Tarkin's flagship per the Grand Moff Tarkin's orders, much to the annoyance of the director, who ought to have been personally overseeing the weapon's installation.^[15] As Tarkin was observing the station from his ship's bridge, Krennic arrived, along with his^[17] aide, Captain Dunstig Pterro,^[2] and two of his death trooper guard,^[17] who were a failed intimidation tactic against the governor.^[15] Joining Tarkin at the fore of the bridge, the director was then chastised by the Grand Moff about a recent security breach on the moon Jedha, especially in light of the Death Star's history of setback and delays.^[17]

Tarkin then elaborated that according to rumors circulating Jedha City, an Imperial cargo pilot from the Death Star project had deserted there. Krennic dismissed the threat of the pilot, doubting that he knew anything of importance, and reminded Tarkin that the governor himself had said secrecy was becoming an impediment to the Death Star's progress. Trying to elaborate that such rumors were inevitable, Tarkin interrupted him, warning that proof was the concern, not rumors, and that if the Senate learned of the Death Star, countless systems would flock to the Rebel Alliance. Krennic then rebounded that the Senate would be of no concern once the station was complete. Tarkin, stating that its completion was imminent, told the director that the Emperor would tolerate no further delays, and scolded Krennic for making time an ally of the Rebellion.^[15]

Tarkin takes center stage[]

"I suggest we solve both problems simultaneously with an immediate test of the weapon. Failure will find you explaining why to a far less patient audience."
"I will not fail. A test of the weapon to wipe Jedha clean."

―Grand Moff Tarkin and Director Krennic —

Listen (file info)^[15]

KrennicStormsOff-RO — Krennic storms from the *Executrix*'s bridge, furious.

Krennic, enraged at Tarkin's accusation, then wished to turn the Death Star on the Executrix and then see how much of a failure the Emperor considered him. Shooting his idea down with a condescending smirk,^[18] Tarkin then stood over Krennic, and suggested both problems be solved simultaneously with an immediate test of the Death Star's superlaser. The Grand Moff then warned the director that failure would have him explaining why to a far less patient audience. Furious, Krennic vowed that he would not fail,^[17] promising to wipe Jehda clean^[15] before storming from the bridge with his entourage.^[17] Tarkin, turning away in dismissal and disinterest,^[17] then returned to the bridge's forward viewports to continue observing the Death Star.^[17]

Soon after, Tarkin left the Executrix to join Krennic on the Death Star's overbridge, where the director made good on his earlier promise to Tarkin and used the station to annihilate Jedha City. Knowing then that the station was completely operational, and with no more risk of setbacks being blamed on him, Tarkin immediately seized control of the Death Star from Krennic.^[17] Later, under Tarkin's command, the Death Star travelled to Yavin in order to destroy the rebel base located on one of the planet's moons.^[19] Tarkin's hubris caused the Death Star to be unaccompanied on its way to Yavin, despite the availability of both the Executrix and the Devastator, Vader's flagship. Because the station had now proven itself, additional firepower was not needed.^[20] However, Tarkin was killed shortly after, when the Death Star was destroyed by a rebel attack before it had chance to annihilate their base.^[19]

Behind the scenes[]

Notable appearances[]

The Executrix first appeared in the new Star Wars canon in Tarkin, a 2014 novel written by James Luceno.^[3] The Star Destroyer originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, first appearing in Luceno's 2005 novel, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.^[21]

In the new canon, the ship was first pictured on April 7, 2016, in the teaser trailer for the 2016 Star Wars Anthology film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Executrix was not identified in the trailer itself,^[22] and the teaser's shot of the vessel was not used in the final film,^[17] although an image of the ship from the trailer's shot was used in Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, which identified it as the Executrix.^[2]