Champion, also known as Champ, was a Bothan Assault Cruiser of the New Republic that saw action during the Yuuzhan Vong War. In 26 ABY, under the command of Brevet Admiral Glie'oleg Kru, the 850-meter-long cruiser was tasked with safeguarding a convoy of refugee starships as they fled the doomed planet of Kalarba when it faced an assault by the Yuuzhan Vong species. During the space battle above the Kalarba system, the Yuuzhan Vong employed a [gravity](/article/gravity/legends]-altering dovin basal to redirect Hosk Station, a space station circling Kalarba, towards a destructive impact with the planet. After the hard-pressed Champion had its deflector shields disabled, the Bothan Assault Cruiser suffered a catastrophic explosion due to the damage received, with the resulting blast engulfing several New Republic starfighters and their respective pilots.
Champion was an 850-meter-long Bothan Assault Cruiser manufactured by Bothawui Shipyards. The cruiser featured a shiny hull, a deflector shield generator, multiple starfighter hangar bays located on its starboard side, and a propulsion section that included drive nacelles.
Champion saw service during the Yuuzhan Vong War, a conflict that erupted when the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong species launched an invasion of the galaxy, and was deployed by the New Republic as part of its defensive measures during the war. Sometimes nicknamed Champ by starfighter pilots, Champion was under the command of Brevet Admiral Glie'oleg Kru in 26 ABY, during which the Bothan Assault Cruiser provided cover for refugee starships escaping from the planet of Kalarba. The Yuuzhan Vong had positioned a [gravity](/article/gravity-legends]-manipulating dovin basal on Kalarba's surface, causing the space station Hosk Station to be pulled from its orbit and sent hurtling towards the planet. While Rogue Squadron pilots and other squadrons engaged the attacking enemy coral skippers that were swarming Champion and targeting vulnerable areas such as the cruiser's drive nacelles, the Bothan Assault Cruiser came under attack from a newly arrived Yuuzhan Vong capital ship, which was slightly smaller than a Star Destroyer.
Adding to the dire situation, the Yuuzhan Vong forces disabled Champion's deflector shields, and the plasma weaponry fired by the enemy capital ship quickly resulted in the explosion of Champion's engines. The internal explosion caused cracks to appear on the ship's exterior, through which light emanated, before the Bothan Assault Cruiser was completely destroyed in a massive explosion. The resulting blast engulfed some members of Rogue Squadron, with Jedi pilot Jaina Solo suffering severe magnetic field exposure after being ejected from her crippled X-wing starfighter, leading to temporary blindness.
Champion made its debut appearance in the The New Jedi Order novel titled Balance Point, which was authored by Kathy Tyers and published in 2000.