The Corona-class armed frigate, alternatively referred to as the pirate saucer mothership, was a substantial, saucer-shaped combat frigate utilized by the Ohnaka Gang from Florrum, under the leadership of pirate chief Hondo Ohnaka.
This Corona-class armed frigate boasted a significant arsenal of offensive weapons, including missiles and laser cannons. Furthermore, it possessed the capability to seize and board smaller vessels by employing tractor beams coupled with grappling harpoons. Additionally, it could accommodate and dispatch smaller Flarestar-class attack shuttles to facilitate transportation needs.
During the period of the Clone Wars, the Weequay pirate head honcho Hondo Ohnaka, along with his pirate crew, launched an attack on the Crucible with the intention of procuring valuable Kyber crystals. Their scheme was foiled by Ahsoka Tano alongside a group of younglings, aided by their droid professor Huyang, who instructed them in the use of the lightsaber.
In later years, specifically during the apex of the Galactic Civil War and the pursuit of Han Solo, the bounty hunters Dengar and Beilert Valance acquired one of these frigates; however, it sustained extensive damage inflicted by fellow bounty hunter Zuckuss piloting his starfighter, the Mist Hunter. Concerned that their return was being monitored, the pair abandoned the crippled frigate on Nar Shaddaa and journeyed to Canto Bight aboard a commercial transport.
The design of the Corona-class armed frigate drew inspiration from 1950s cinematic interpretations of flying saucers (UFOs), exemplified by those featured in the 1956 film Earth vs. The Flying Saucers. Commentary from "Dooku Captured" revealed that the production team had contemplated incorporating a flying-saucer-esque spacecraft into the prequel trilogy era since the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, potentially as Alderaanian ships or Trade Federation vessels. However, it was not until the development of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series that they had the opportunity to realize this concept.