The Dauntless functioned as an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer for the Galactic Empire. This Star Destroyer was positioned over Jedha City during 1 BBY, following claims from Imperial Intelligence that a lone destroyer could suppress any opposition to the Empire's occupation of Jedha. However, the conflict persisted. The destroyer then left soon following the Battle on Jedha to allow the Death Star to begin a test fire using its superlaser directed at the city.
The initial canon appearance of the Dauntless occurred in the 2016 movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, though its name was not given at that time. Its identification as the Dauntless was revealed later in Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, a companion book for the film authored by Pablo Hidalgo. Its initial appearance within the Star Wars Legends timeline took place in Riders of Maelstrom, a roleplaying game supplement penned by Ray Winninger and released by West End Games back in 1989.