The Vindicator-class heavy cruiser possessed a hull similar to that of the smaller Surveyor-class reconnaissance frigate, whose own hull was thin and dagger-shaped, and was built upon the same basic superstructure as the Immobilizer 418 cruiser. Unlike the frigate, the Vindicator had a command tower. The cruiser held at least one flight of TIE/ln space superiority starfighters and was manned by crew members.
The Vindicator was used to provide security to star systems and monitor the traffic that passed through them.
An Imperial Vindicator was deployed to Ord Cestus (Ord Cestus pictured on a map).
The Vindicator-class heavy cruiser was utilized by the Imperial Navy of the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War against the Alliance to Restore the Republic. At some point after the Battle of Yavin of 0 ABY, a single Vindicator served to maintain security for the planet Ord Cestus and its system, located in the Outer Rim Territories. The crew of the starship monitored the system's traffic and were vigilant about known smugglers and rebel sympathizers, although the vessel's capabilities were limited even for the low volume of traffic in that system. The crew considered watches to be tedious. Unless an incoming vessel had transponder codes that triggered immediate warnings or was outright hostile, they did not take action.
That Vindicator was fully stocked with TIE fighters. According to standard procedure, a flight of these starfighters was to be deployed from the cruiser to inspect an incoming ship if it was deemed suspicious. If the Imperial base on the planet surface requested reinforcements, the Vindicator's TIE fighters were the most significant military asset readily available to provide additional support.
In the current Star Wars canon continuity, the Vindicator-class cruiser was introduced in the Star Wars Roleplaying sourcebook Lead by Example, which was published by Fantasy Flight Games on February 4, 2016 for the Star Wars: Age of Rebellion roleplaying game system. The vessel was identified as the Vindicator-class heavy cruiser in the sourcebook Forged in Battle, published by Fantasy Flight Games on August 18 of that year for the same roleplaying game series.
In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Vindicator-class heavy cruiser was first mentioned in the sourcebook Starships of the Galaxy, a supplement to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game system created by Wizards of the Coast, written by Owen K.C. Stephens and published by Wizards of the Coast in 2001. The Vindicator later appeared in the Rebellion Developments video game Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron, released in 2009.
- Lead by Example
- Forged in Battle