The Conqueror was an Imperial-class Star Destroyer that boasted a superlaser and saw action during the Galactic Civil War. It was designed to supersede the Galactic Empire's planet-destroying superweapon, the Death Star, which was lost at the Battle of Yavin. The Conqueror's purpose was to undermine the progress of the rapidly expanding Rebel Alliance. The Star Destroyer's superlaser component was manufactured at an Imperial research facility located on Naboo, overseen by Imperial storm commandos. It was estimated that the Conqueror's superlaser, once fully operational, would be capable of shattering a small moon or splitting a continent in two. By the year 1 ABY, the weapon was installed on the Conqueror, and the Star Destroyer was stationed in the Mustafar system under the command of Admiral Victor Strang. There, the Star Destroyer's superlaser underwent a successful trial run on a small planetoid.
Not long after this, the Alliance's Renegade Squadron stumbled upon information regarding the Conqueror while conducting several raids on Imperial installations on Naboo, leading them to embark on a mission to eliminate the vessel. Following the hijacking of a shuttle on Mustafar en route to the Conqueror, the Renegades managed to infiltrate the Star Destroyer and strategically placed timed explosives on the ship's reactor core, designed to detonate and destroy the vessel. Strang and the Imperial forces aboard were unable to prevent the Rebels' actions. After a confrontation with Emperor Palpatine's enforcer, Darth Vader, who had recently arrived on the ship, the Renegades successfully evacuated the Conqueror just before its destruction.
The Conqueror was a starship of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer line, measuring 1,600 meters in length. This class of Imperial-class Star Destroyer included a spacious hangar bay, large enough to accommodate multiple Lambda-class T-4a shuttles, a TIE Advanced x1 starfighter, and an Incom X4 Gunship. The Star Destroyer's reactor core was located in the aft section of the vessel. To ensure security in case of an emergency, the ship was equipped with blast doors, an alarm system, and red emergency lights lining the ship's corridors.
A defining characteristic of the Conqueror was its superlaser, which bore resemblance to the one installed on the first Death Star battle station. This superlaser was integrated into the vessel's bow, occupying a considerable portion of the surrounding area and essentially bisecting the forward section of the Star Destroyer. The superlaser comprised several beam generators arranged around a concave circular dish situated on the ship's prow. Upon firing the weapon, beams would emit from the generators, converging into a single green laser capable of obliterating a small moon, or at the very least, cracking a continent in half and melting cities, with claims suggesting its potential to destroy entire planets.
The Conqueror was envisioned as a successor to the Galactic Empire's original Death Star, a superweapon with the capability to obliterate planets, which was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance during the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY. However, experimentation on the concept, and to a lesser extent the retrofitting of the Conqueror itself, began as early as 0 BBY. It was even included in the official field guide for Imperial Military officers, titled Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide. During this period, the project faced challenges related to miniaturization, power output, and the development of additional Star Destroyers equipped with superlasers. With the Rebels gaining ground in the Galactic Civil War, Emperor Palpatine sought to quickly suppress the uprising through a devastating counterattack designed to demoralize the Alliance. The development of the Conqueror's superlaser was spearheaded by the Empire's elite storm commandos, under the leadership of Admiral Victor Strang, who intended to employ the weapon to destroy worlds aligned with the Alliance.
The superlaser's development took place at an Imperial research facility on Naboo, guarded by the Imperial-allied Sith Acolyte Namman Cha. Ultimately, the weapon was integrated into the Conqueror, and by 1 ABY, the Star Destroyer was placed under Strang's command and stationed in the Mustafar system. Imperial Intelligence became involved in the project, with Intelligence Director Ysanne Isard herself overseeing the operation in collaboration with the Blackguard, a dark side cult based on Mustafar. At some stage, the Conqueror successfully tested its superlaser, annihilating a small, uninhabited planetoid within the system. This test was documented and sent to the research facility on Naboo.
Shortly thereafter, the Alliance became aware of the Conqueror's existence following a raid on an Imperial weapons depot on Naboo, conducted by the Alliance's elite Renegade Squadron, led by Commander Col Serra. The team uncovered datafiles containing information about the Star Destroyer. The Renegades located and infiltrated the research facility where the superlaser was developed, defeating Namman Cha and gaining access to the computer consoles. Upon discovering the recording of the Conqueror's weapons test and ascertaining the ship's location, they headed to Mustafar and commandeered one of the Imperial supply shuttles that routinely traveled between the Conqueror and the planet's surface. Their intention was to use it to board the superweapon and destroy the vessel.
The Renegades were successful in providing the correct identification codes to dock with the Conqueror. Upon arriving in the ship's hangar, they initiated an attack on the surrounding stormtroopers, alerting the Imperials to their presence and triggering the ship's alarm system. Proceeding to the Conqueror's vital reactor core, the Renegades aimed to destroy it using thermal detonators, thereby causing the ship to explode. En route, they encountered Strang and his storm commandos. Serra and the Renegades defeated them and eventually reached the reactor core, placing timed detonation charges around it. Simultaneously, Emperor Palpatine's enforcer, Darth Vader, arrived aboard the vessel to oversee the superweapon's safe delivery to the Emperor. After ten minutes of combat through the ship's corridors, the Renegades reached the hangar, intending to escape on the same shuttle they had arrived in. There, they were confronted by Vader and a group of storm commandos. Serra and the Renegades gained the upper hand in the ensuing firefight and escaped the Conqueror as the detonators exploded and destroyed the ship. Despite their success, two Imperial vessels, including Vader's, managed to escape the destruction.
Crix Madine later verified its destruction in the Imperial Handbook after a copy was provided to the Rebel Alliance following the Battle of Endor.
When stationed in the Mustafar system, the Conqueror was captained by Admiral Victor Strang, a former leader of storm commandos. Strang maintained a personal guard of storm commandos on the Star Destroyer, who accompanied him during his encounter with Renegade Squadron on board the vessel. He was deeply protective of his ship, disliking the prospect of it being stolen or destroyed, and personally confronted the Renegades when they attempted to do the latter. Shortly before the Conqueror's destruction, an Incom X4 Gunship, possibly carrying Strang, escaped the doomed Star Destroyer.
Alongside Strang's storm commandos, the Conqueror housed numerous stormtroopers and Imperial Navy troopers. Stormtroopers were present in the ship's hangar upon Renegade Squadron's initial arrival, and Navy troopers attempted to impede Serra and his Renegades as they advanced toward the ship's reactor core. The Renegades also encountered stormtroopers and Navy troopers at various critical points throughout the ship as they made their way back to the Conqueror's hangar. Additionally, several groups of workers were dispersed throughout the expansive hangar bay at the time.
The Conqueror was created for the 2010 Threat of the Conqueror expansion set of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, developed by Sony Online Entertainment. The Star Destroyer was featured in the Light Side scenario campaign for the set, where the player character joins Renegade Squadron to uncover information about the ship and destroy it. It also received its own card in the set, an item card usable only by Imperial players, and was referenced on several others. Artist Derek Herring provided the illustration for the Conqueror.
Promotional material on Sony's website regarding Threat of the Conqueror suggests that the Rebel Alliance specifically tasks Renegade Squadron with targeting and destroying the Conqueror. However, the Light Side scenario campaign depicts the Renegades attacking an Imperial weapons depot and incidentally discovering information about the Conqueror, which then motivates them to destroy it. A description of the campaign within the game also mentions the involvement of the Jedi in the mission to search for the Conqueror, although they are never mentioned in the campaign itself. Furthermore, promotional material indicates the Conqueror's involvement in the Dark Side scenario campaign as a weapon used by the storm commandos, but the Conqueror neither appears nor is mentioned in the narrative of that campaign.
The destructive capability of the Conqueror's superlaser is only witnessed during the test on the rogue planetoid in the Light Side scenario campaign. However, promotional material on StarWars.com suggests that the Star Destroyer's superlaser can destroy entire planets, as does the in-game synopsis for the overall campaign and the quote provided for Victor Strang on his card.
The only images of the Conqueror, featured on the Star Destroyer's card and on Sony's website, depict the ship hovering over a city with its superlaser firing while Strang and his troops are engaged in combat on the ground. However, this scene is entirely absent from the Light Side scenario campaign. In the campaign, the Conqueror is only seen stationed in the Mustafar system, where its weapon is tested, and is destroyed by Renegade Squadron shortly afterward.