VZ-114

VZ-114, also known as Rampart's Star Destroyer, was a Venator-class Star Destroyer that served within the naval forces of the Galactic Empire under the command of Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart. In 19 BBY, the Venator-class Star Destroyer was utilized as part of the Empire's operations to seize control over the technological advancements of the Kaminoan species on the planet Kamino. Following the acquisition of the cloning technology and the Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se, the Star Destroyer alongside two other Venators was ordered by Rampart to commence an aerial bombardment on the planetary capital of Tipoca City under instructions from Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin. After the city's destruction with its submersion into Kamino's oceans, the Vice Admiral ordered his and the two other Star Destroyers to rendezvous with the rest of the Imperial fleet located elsewhere.

Description[]

As a Venator-class Star Destroyer, the Star Destroyer possessed two command bridges,^[2] each of which contained hyperwave comm scanners, and was propelled by a series of eight ion drive thrusters^[4] located at the vessel's stern. One of the vessel's bridges provided its command crew with a 180-degree view of the surrounding space through a series of viewports, while also possessing two separate pits for its crewmembers.^[2] In addition the bridge contained Databanks which stored information, including the Command log.^[1]

The Star Destroyer was also equipped with a ventral hangar bay that contained a single Rho-class transport shuttle. Along the warship's exterior hull,^[2] the Venator was also armed with four port and four starboard DBY-827 heavy turbolaser turrets alongside two medium dual turbolaser cannons, one located port and another located starboard.^[4]

History[]

Destruction of Tipoca City[]

In 19 BBY,^[8] following the reorganization of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, the Imperial government had begun to cede its cloning contracts with the ruling government of the planet Kamino and its Prime Minister, the Kaminoan Lama Su, as a result of the costs necessary to produce clone troopers for the reorganized Imperial Army, which could be diverted towards the training of conscripted soldiers.^[9] Sometime later in that same year, the Empire established operations on Kamino in order to seize control of the Kaminoan species' cloning technology and essential medical personnel, along with the reassignment of the remaining clone troopers in the capital of Tipoca City away from the planet. Amid their operations on Kamino, led by Imperial Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart, the Empire positioned a force of three Venator-class Star Destroyers in the planetary orbit, while the rest of the fleet was stationed elsewhere.^[2]

VenatorsDestroyTipocaCity-RtK — VZ-114 and its accompanying Star Destroyers fire on Tipoca City

Not long after, with the withdrawal of all remaining essential personnel from the city alongside the acquisition of the cloning technology and the Kaminoan Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se, Rampart informed Imperial Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin of their successful operations on Kamino. As a result, Tarkin instructed Rampart to commence an aerial bombardment on Tipoca City when the Star Destroyers were ready, prompting the Vice Admiral to order his fleet to move into firing position.^[2]

Attacked on Coruscant[]

Months following the attack, which was covered up by the Empire as the result of a cataclysmic storm, the Venator returned to the Coruscant shipyard on the capital planet of Coruscant for repairs and maintenance. During the return trip, clone officer Slip made a copy of the ship's command log for future use and stored it in the ship's backup databanks. Later, Slip and his fellow trooper Cade went to 79's, a cantina catering to off-duty clones, where Cade revealed that he had secretly messaged Rampart about his decision to reveal Tipoca City's destruction to the Imperial Senate. As the duo were leaving the bar, a Clone X trooper sent by Rampart, Clone X shot and killed Cade, although Slip managed to escape.^[10]

Frightened and enraged by the incident, Slip decided to go public with the reveal like Cade intended. To that end, he contacted Senator Riyo Chuchi who had taken over as representative of the clones in the Senate during the voting of the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill. Chuchi discussed Slip's claims with fellow Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and agreed to help Slip testify; before he could be extracted by her guards though he too was killed by X who had caught up with them. Chuchi managed to escape thanks to Slip's contact, Clone Captain Rex.^[10] After hearing her story, Rex decided that the only way to prove Rampart's actions was to recover the command log copy Slip had made, and called the renegade Clone Force 99 for help.^[1]

Vz-114 destroyed — VZ-114 lies in the bottom of the shipyard trench

Hunter, the team leader, along with Rex and Echo who knew Coruscant's secret Lower Level passages, formulated an infiltration plan. They entered the shipyards through one such passage and climbed to the ship's hull after hijacking a droid-operated repulsor platform. They then made their way to the bridge after taking out the security detail still present on board, but Tech discovered that to access the databanks they had to reactivate the power in the bridge. In doing so, they made their presence known to shipyard personnel who dispatched a unit to check on the ship. The team was taken out by the Force, but not before one of them could notify shipyard security of the intruders. This resulted in a firefight both inside and outside the ship, as V-wing starfighters were also launched against the ship but taken down by Wrecker and Echo who hijacked the turbolasers. To escape the shipyards, Echo activated the ship's thrusters which caused it to break through the structural supports holding it in place and to fall to the surface of the shipyard trench; the team then escaped using escape pods and left the facility through the lower level passages, leaving VZ-114 severely damaged.^[1]

Commanders and crew[]

The Venator-class Star Destroyer served under the command of Imperial Vice Admiral Rampart during the time of the Empire's operations on Kamino. In addition, the Star Destroyer was also operated by several clone navigation officers, clone stormtroopers, and Imperial officers.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

Rampart's Venator-class Star Destroyer was introduced in "Return to Kamino,"^[2] the fifteenth episode of the first season of the Star Wars: The Bad Batch television series, which aired on August 6, 2021.^[11]