The Aggressor-class destroyer represents one of the several warship types that Tyber Zann's faction deployed during the era of the Galactic Civil War.
These vessels had a size roughly equivalent to the Galactic Empire's Imperial-class Star Destroyers. They featured a pair of interconnected, high-powered cannons on the forward hull. These cannons unleashed a substantial ion burst, immediately followed by a massive, swirling plasma projectile. The purpose of the ion blast was to weaken shields, enabling the plasma blast to inflict maximum damage. Turbolaser emplacements were also present on the vessel's wings. However, with its primary cannons rendered inoperable, the vessel became considerably vulnerable to conventional capital warships due to only having a single turbolaser battery on each flank.
Furthermore, these destroyers possessed the capability to bombard ground-based enemy positions from orbit using their formidable weaponry. It was a powerful naval asset, but also quite expensive.
Despite the presence of heavy armor, the class was unwieldy in combat and needed protection from faster capital ships and their complement of starfighters. These ships were known to activate their self-destruct systems in situations where sacrificing the ship could inflict significant damage on the enemy during a losing engagement.
The design for what would become the Aggressor-class originated within the Galactic Empire sometime before the Battle of Yavin. These schematics were stored aboard the first Death Star for analysis, alongside designs for other advanced warships. Following the station's destruction, the plans were secured within a data pod, which Tyber Zann later recovered.
Zann stole the prototype ship from Imperial hands, then he modified the original designs to create his personal flagship, named the Merciless. Subsequent Aggressor-class destroyers were constructed based on these revised blueprints. They were integrated into Consortium fleets and proved to be effective against other large warships, but were susceptible to fighter attacks. During their service to the Consortium, they gained notoriety as "Underworld Capital Ships".
The original designation for the Aggressor-class destroyer was "Krayt-class destroyer". This earlier name persists in the game's internal data files. The 2009 edition of The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia mistakenly refers to the ship as the Aggressor-class "Star Destroyer".