A class of Star Cruiser of Mon Calamari design was used by the Mon Calamari of the planet Mon Cala. Among its equipment was a hyperdrive and seven engines. It had two wings, one on the starboard side and another on the port side, and had three distinguishable prongs on its dorsal surface. Similar to the rest of the Mon Calamari fleet at the Mako-Ta Space Docks, many of the vital systems of the cruisers were refitted with Shu-Torun systems, including the hyperdrive and communications. The Shu-Torun blockers bypassed the hardware of all the cruisers and were susceptible to sabotage, although it was possible to circumvent several systems. Shu-Torun systems were not placed anywhere within the cruisers that could affect the deflector shields.
Despite Shu-Torun blockers, cruisers that were affected by the sabotage were able to broadcast specific signals, and several fail-safes remained operational. Proximity sensors were able to detect certain transponders nearby, and the Shu-Torun systems contained an override code which allowed cruiser systems to be rebooted once a chip containing the code was inserted into a cruiser's terminal.
A cruiser during the mutiny on Mon Cala
The Mon Calamari cruiser was active during the reign of the Galactic Empire, and served in the Mon Calamari monarchy's Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet, which was commandeered by Imperial forces and renamed the Mon Cala Imperial Trade Fleet as they occupied Mon Cala. By the time of the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, these cruisers served in the trade fleet.
After a rebel team led by Princess Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance attempted to persuade Grand Admiral Dors Urtya of the trade fleet to mutiny against the Empire failed, the team managed to record Mon Cala King Lee-Char's final words in prison before he was killed by Imperial stormtroopers. Although Urtya seized the recording, he eventually decided to send the recording to all Fleet Captains of the trading fleet, causing their Mon Calamari crews to mutiny. Several ships were above Mon Cala, including one of the class of Mon Calamari cruiser when they revolted.
The trade fleet was soon met with an Imperial blockade commanded by Admiral Tyrus Meori, although Rebel Alliance forces led by Admiral Gial Ackbar arrived to reinforce the mutineering vessels. After the Aurora Flare managed to break the blockade by sacrificing itself and destroying the Imperial flagship, the Mon Cala and Rebel Alliance starships jumped to hyperspace and retreated. Months later, several of these Mon Calamari cruisers were at the Rebel Alliance Mako-Ta Space Docks, where they and many other Mon Calamari starships had been refitted with Shu-Torun systems and had integrated with the Rebel Alliance Navy.
One of the cruisers being fired upon
The Shu-Torun systems were sabotaged however, as they were provided by Shu-Torun Queen Trios a secret agent of the Sith Lord Darth Vader. When Vader's Imperial Death Squadron arrived and attacked, the Alliance Fleet was caught defenseless. The Imperial fleet attacked various Mon Calamari vessels, including these Mon Calamari cruisers.
Eventually, rebel forces realized that the hangar doors on their vessels would open if it detected a rebel transponder. After Luke Skywalker and the newly created Rogue Squadron managed to launch from the MC80A Home One Type Heavy Star Cruiser Republic, they were able to demonstrate to the rest of the fleet that they could launch starfighters. During the battle, Leia Organa led a team to board the Executor and obtain the codes to bypass the Shu-Torun systems. Eventually, the Republic, managed to break through the sabotage and escape the battle. The Republic regrouped and returned to the battle and managed to transfer the codes to all other surviving rebel starships, allowing the survivors to escape, including several ships of the class.
The Mon Calamari cruiser first appeared, albeit unidentified, in the 2018 canon comic Star Wars (2015) 44, authored by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Salvador Larroca.
- Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing 20
- Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing 62
- Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
- Star Wars: Timelines