Unidentified Imperial II-class Star Destroyer (asteroid collision)
- "Considering the amount of damage we've sustained, they must have been destroyed."
- ―Captain Lorth Needa
An Imperial II-class Star Destroyer served with Sith Lord Darth Vader's Imperial Death Squadron—a task force assembled specifically for finding the headquarters of the Rebel Alliance—during the aftermath of the Hoth campaign of 3 ABY. The Star Destroyer was commanded by a captain. During the hunt for the Millennium Falcon in the Hoth asteroid field, the Star Destroyer's bridge tower was struck by a large asteroid, destroying the warship.
Description
At 1,600 meters in length, this Imperial II-class Star Destroyer carried a combined complement of six TIE Series starfighter squadrons, including one TIE/sa bomber squadron; twenty AT-AT walkers; close to 10,000 ground troops; and additional support vessels, including various repulsorlift craft.[2]
History
Commanded by an unidentified captain, this Star Destroyer was assigned to Darth Vader's Death Squadron—the Sith Lord's personal fleet, which he used to track down the Rebel Alliance's base of operations—in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth.[1]
When Han Solo escaped from the Rebels' Echo Base on Hoth with his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca, Princess Leia Organa, and the protocol droid C-3PO aboard his freighter, the Millennium Falcon, he fled into the nearby Hoth asteroid field to escape the pursuing Imperial Navy. In an effort to capture the freighter, Vader ordered several Star Destroyers, including this Star Destroyer, the Star Dreadnought Executor, and the Avenger, into the unpredictable storm of asteroids to draw the Millennium Falcon and its passengers out of their hiding spot, and into the hands of the Empire.[1]
This Star Destroyer's captain attended a holographic conference of nineteen other battleship commanders, including Captain Lorth Needa of the Avenger, with Vader aboard the Executor to discuss the status of the elusive Millennium Falcon. As the conference progressed, this Star Destroyer's bridge tower was hit by a massive hurtling asteroid,[1] and the warship was subsequently obliterated.[3]
Commanders and crew
This Star Destroyer was commanded by an unidentified captain. When this ship's bridge tower was hit by an asteroid, the captain was killed.[3]
Behind the scenes
Like its unidentified captain, this Star Destroyer first appeared in the 1980 novelization of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. In the film, its destruction is not obvious; however, in the novelization and the junior novelization, the warship is specifically mentioned as being obliterated as a result of the collision. In Star Wars (1977) 42, the destruction of this ship and another unidentified Star Destroyer are shown.
The statistics for this Star Destroyer's military complement come from The Official Star Wars Fact File 4, which describes the complements of all Imperial II-class Star Destroyers attached to Death Squadron during the Hoth campaign.
Appearances
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization (First appearance)
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back junior novelization
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back radio dramatization
- Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars (1977) 42
Sources
- The Empire Strikes Back Notebook
- Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays
- Star Wars: Behind the Magic
"The Ultimate Empire Strikes Back Insider's Guide" – Star Wars Insider 49- The Official Star Wars Fact File 4 (HOT2, The Battle of Hoth) (Indirect mention only)
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 43 (SHI4, Energy Shields) (Picture only)