The Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, also known as the Interdictor-class heavy cruiser, or Interdictor-class cruiser was an Interdictor vessel that served as the successor to the Immobilizer 418 cruiser. Developed and used by the Galactic Empire, the craft was capable of emitting an interdiction field to pull passing ships out of hyperspace or prevent them from going to lightspeed. Despite being a relatively rare sight in the Imperial Navy, it was considered a dangerous design by rebel groups that relied on hit-and-run tactics. It was used against the rebellion in 4 BBY, and several featured as part of the 7th Fleet.

Description[]

The Interdictor-class Star Destroyer,^[3] also known as the Interdictor-class heavy cruiser,^[4] or Interdictor-class cruiser^[7] was a class of heavy cruiser^[4] of the Star Destroyer design family.^[3] The ship was the successor model to the Immobilizer 418 cruiser.^[2] The Interdictor-class would ultimately arise, however.^[9]

It possessed four spherical gravity well projectors, which contained equipment to pull a number of ships out of hyperspace. It was 1,129 meters in length and could achieve a speed of 975 kilometers per hour. It was equipped with a class 2 hyperdrive^[1] as well as a deflector shield generator.^[8] The Interdictor-class was armed with twenty quad laser cannons,^[1] and outfitted with escape pods.^[8] It could maintain a complement of twenty-four TIE fighter series starfighters^[1] deployed from one ventral hangar bay opening.^[8] Interdictor-class Star Destroyers were crewed by 2,800 personnel,^[1] including Imperial officers, Imperial weapons technicians, and stormtroopers.^[8]

Role[]

The Interdictor-class heavy cruiser served in the capacity of an interdictor vessel and command ship.^[8] In this role, it was deployed to blockade worlds, investigate suspicious hyperspace routes, and prevent the escape of enemy ships. Interdictor-class vessels typically formed part of small battle groups, supporting heavier lines of capital ships in conjunction with frigates and starfighters.^[4]

History[]

The Interdictor, a prototype Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, was tested in the Del Zennis system^[10] in 4 BBY,^[11] under the command of Admiral Brom Titus. After pulling the rebel ship Liberator out of hyperspace, the crew was imprisoned. However, they escaped and sabotaged the ship, destroying it in the process of their escape.^[8]

In 2 BBY,^[12] two were used by Grand Admiral Thrawn's Seventh Fleet during its assault on Atollon. However, the Star Destroyer under the command of Admiral Kassius Konstantine was drawn out of position by an approaching rebel Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier. The carrier deliberately collided with the Interdictor, destroying both ships, to allow Ezra Bridger's Gauntlet to escape and seek reinforcements. The other Star Destroyer was later destroyed by a Mandalorian strike team from Clan Wren, brought by Bridger.^[6]

During the Galactic Civil War, an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer fought alongside other Imperial forces against an MC75 Star Cruiser, at least two EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates, and other Rebel Alliance forces.^[13] One vessel, called the Interdictor, created an interdiction field around a planet with two other Interdictor-class Star Destroyers that prevented a CR90 corvette from entering hyperspace.^[14] At the time of the Battle of Jakku, one of the last Interdictor-class Star Destroyers, the Spectral, guarded the shipyards of Fondor, before the fall of the planet to the New Republic. The ship left for Jakku, but was brought down by the efforts of Bak Rychuk and his droid Zeetoo-Zeetoo, and crashed on the surface.^[15]

Behind the scenes[]

The Interdictor-class Star Destroyer first appeared in "Stealth Strike," an episode of the second season of Star Wars Rebels.^[8] Although similar in appearance to the Immobilizer 418 cruiser from Star Wars Legends,^[16] it shares the name of the Legends Interdictor-class Star Destroyer.^[17] The 2018 reference book Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles states that the Interdictor-class Star Destroyer had a complement of 24 TIE fighters,^[1] while the 2019 reference book Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition establishes that Interdictor-class Star Destroyers possess a complement of 20 TIE fighters,^[10] As the 2020 sourcebook Starships and Speeders establishes that they had a complement of 24 TIE series fighters of mixed designation, and Starships and Speeders is the most recently published source,^[4] this article assumes Starships and Speeders is correct.

Appearances[]

• Star Wars Rebels — "Stealth Strike" (First appearance)
• Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow (Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars Rebels — "Zero Hour"
• Thrawn: Treason (Mentioned only)
• Thrawn: Treason audiobook (Mentioned only)
• Heir to the Jedi
• Heir to the Jedi audiobook
• "The Ghost Ship" — Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down
• The Legends of Luke Skywalker (Wreckage only)
• The Legends of Luke Skywalker audiobook (Wreckage only)
• "Destroyer Down" — Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down (Wreckage only)

Sources[]

• Star Wars Helmet Collection 6 (Weapons & Uniforms: The Imperial Fleet) (First identified as Interdictor-class)
• Star Wars: Armada — Interdictor Expansion Pack
• Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: The Interdictor - Star Wars Rebels: Retro)
• Star Wars Helmet Collection 26 (Databank A-Z: Imperial Future Council–Inquisitorius)
• Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded (First identified as Interdictor-class Star Destroyer)
• Star Wars: The Rebel Files
• Star Wars Helmet Collection 55 (Databank A-Z: Saesee Tiin–Toydaria)
• Dawn of Rebellion
• Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles
• Star Wars Helmet Collection 70 (Weapons & Uniforms: Grand Admiral Thrawn)
• TIE Fighter Owners' Workshop Manual
• Star Wars: Armada — Rebellion in the Rim
• Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
• Every Type of Ship in Rebels | Star Wars By the Numbers on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (content now obsolete; backup link)
• Starships and Speeders (First identified as Interdictor-class heavy cruiser)
• "Imperial Troops" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars Starships & Vehicles 4 (Starships and Vehicles: Star Destroyers and Siege Dreadnoughts)
• Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy (First identified as Interdictor-class cruiser)
• "A Certain Point of View" — Star Wars Insider 220
• Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire (Indirect mention only)

Notes and references[]

Star Destroyer classes
Star Dreadnoughts Executor-class (Executor I-class · Executor II-class) · Mega-class Battlecruisers Maelstrom-class · Resurgent-class · Secutor-class · Xyston-class Destroyers Imperial-class (Imperial I-class · Imperial II-class · Interdictor-class) Cruisers Acclamator-class (Acclamator I-class · Acclamator II-class) · Interdictor-class Onager-class · Venator-class (Venator I-class · Venator II-class) Frigates Gladiator-class (Gladiator I) · Victory-class (Victory I-class · Victory II-class) Unknown designation Imperator-class · qaz-class · Tector-class
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