Following the Galactic Civil War, approximately 9 ABY into the New Republic Era, Mon Calamari Shipyards began producing the Defender-class cruiser, a cruiser type vessel. This relatively recent addition to the New Republic Defense Fleet was widely utilized in various capacities, including prisoner transport duties, combat operations, and routine patrols. Some of these cruisers formed part of General Hera Syndulla's New Republic fleet, while others were positioned above Corellia.
The Vesper met with an attack from mercenaries who were loyal to Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth. This event triggered a series of occurrences that resulted in the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn from a far galaxy. Another ship of this class, the Dawnbringer, along with two other Defender-class cruisers, was involved in detaining Syndulla during an incident on Seatos.
The Mon Calamari Shipyards were responsible for the construction of the Defender-class cruiser, classified as a cruiser. Its design featured an elongated, off-white hull accented with blue trim, prominently displaying the Sigil of the New Republic on both the port and starboard sides. The hull's profile narrowed past the midsection before expanding again at the stern, which housed a cluster of eleven sublight engines, including three larger central units. The stern section also featured a dorsal tower, protected by four turbolaser turrets and equipped with antenna. A fin was located on the ventral side of the stern.
The bridge of the cruiser was positioned at the front, beneath a protective canopy. Offering a broad field of vision through multiple windows, the bridge was equipped with numerous control stations. The commanding officer occupied a rotating command chair situated at a central console. Communication and navigation stations were also present, with a turbolift accessible through a door at the rear of the bridge. A mid-ridge ran horizontally along the sides of the prow section, leading to the ship's four hangars, two on each side. These hangars contained a variety of maintenance equipment and could accommodate several starfighters. The cruiser's interior featured white hallways that connected various sections, including a detention level with multiple holding cells. Security alerts were signaled by flashing red lights accompanied by an alarm.
The Defender-class cruiser's construction began with the establishment of the New Republic, forming part of a new defensive fleet. The Vesper was considered a new vessel at the time it faced an attack by Baylan Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati, two Force users aligned with the dark side. Commanded by Captain Hayle, the Vesper was tasked with transporting Morgan Elsbeth, an Imperial warlord, to face justice under the New Republic. While en route to a rendezvous with the MC80A Home One Type Heavy Star Cruiser Home One in Sector G-38, the Vesper encountered Baylan and Shin's Eta-class shuttle and permitted it to dock in one of its four hangars.
Despite Captain Hayle's skepticism regarding Skoll's claim of being a Jedi and his deduction that they were Imperial sympathizers, Skoll and Hati launched an attack on the New Republic security detail, killing Hayle, disabling the bridge, and freeing Elsbeth. The Vesper was subsequently scuttled and destroyed, though Home One rescued a number of survivors upon its arrival. Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi, met with General Hera Syndulla aboard Home One to discuss the attack and continue their search for Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
As part of the ongoing search and investigation, Syndulla and Tano convened on Corellia, where at least eight New Republic Cruisers were in orbit, some docked with an orbital space station. While Tano, the droid Huyang, and Tano's apprentice, the Mandalorian Sabine Wren tracked an Imperial transport from Corellia to the Denab system, Home One joined a fleet consisting of at least five New Republic Cruisers, four EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates, seven CR90 corvettes, and seven Sphyrna-class Hammerhead corvettes.
Under the command of Captain Girard, a fleet of three Defender-class cruisers, including the Dawnbringer, was dispatched to Seatos with orders to escort Syndulla, Captain Carson Teva, and their squadron back to Coruscant, where the Senate Oversight Committee would decide on the permanent suspension of Syndulla's command.
This cruiser made its debut in the live-action web-TV series Ahsoka in 2023. It was initially glimpsed in the teaser trailer revealed during Celebration Europe 2023 and was described as a transport in the audio description of the trailer on Disney+ when available. The reference book Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy, published in 2024, formally identified the starship as the Defender-class cruiser.
Benjamin Last shared concept art and the name "New Republic Cruiser" for the vessel on his social media on August 29, 2023. This design had been previewed earlier at ComicCon 2023 and was guided by Doug Chiang. Last confirmed that the design drew inspiration from the MC30C frigate and that they consistently refer to the aesthetic principles established by Joe Johnston, Ralph McQuarrie, and Doug Chiang.
The cruiser's design bears a strong resemblance to the "Rebel Cruiser" concept art created by Joe Johnston for Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, which in turn influenced the design that ultimately became the basis for the MC30c frigate.