This warship, known initially as the Accuser, was one of the two Imperial I-class Star Destroyers that the Rebel Alliance seized following the Battle of Endor. Rebel forces, under the leadership of Han Solo and Judder Page, boarded the vessel during that conflict.
Later renamed the Emancipator, the vessel served within the New Republic fleet until its destruction during Operation Shadow Hand.
Originally, the Accuser functioned as a patrol vessel within the Imperial Starfleet. To ensure peak operational speed during critical situations, it underwent extensive modifications. Furthermore, its crew possessed considerable expertise in monitoring both shipping lanes and Imperial port activity.
During 1 BBY, the Accuser was among the ten Imperial Star Destroyers that participated in the Battle of Turkana.
In 0 BBY, the Accuser received upgrades, including more modern weaponry and a potent proton beam cannon. Captain Firmus Piett assumed command of the ship. When Dac aligned itself with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a group of Star Destroyers, including the Accuser, were tasked with attacking the planet. However, a Rebel fleet intercepted them before they reached the system, and the Accuser retreated after the destruction of the rest of the fleet. Prior to his defection following the Destruction of Alderaan, Tycho Celchu served as a TIE pilot aboard the starship.
During the blockade of Yavin 4, Piett's Accuser joined the Death Squadron under the command of Admiral Griff. Several months following the Battle of Yavin, the Accuser encountered the planet Kabal, which claimed neutrality in the Galactic Civil War. However, the Empire discovered that the planet was hosting the Rebel conference. Piett ordered the Accuser to attack Kabal. The Millennium Falcon was among the vessels fleeing the planet. Piett's fighters pursued the Rebel ship until it entered a collapsed dwarf star.
Eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the ship fought against the forces of Warlord Nuso Esva in the Poln system as a component of Death Squadron.
In 3 ABY, the Accuser participated in the Battle of Hoth. Around this time, Piett was promoted to Fleet Admiral and assumed command of the Executor. Following the Duel on Cloud City, Admiral Piett was temporarily reassigned to the Accuser to lead the fleet while the Executor, under the command of Captain Kallic, escorted Lord Vader back to Coruscant.
In 4 ABY, when Bothan operatives returned from the Endor construction site with information on the second Death Star, concealed aboard civilian cargo vessels, the Accuser and the Interdictor cruiser Grappler extracted the convoy from hyperspace in an attempt to locate the spies. A rapid deployment of X-wings from the cruiser Liberty neutralized the Interdictor. Desperate, the Accuser began firing on the civilians to force them to stop. Nevertheless, the Accuser failed to prevent the Bothans' information from reaching the Alliance.
The Accuser was involved in the Battle of Endor, where Rebel forces captured it, along with the Adjudicator. The Rebels managed to seize the ship without firing a single shot. Han Solo and Judder Page's Katarn Commandos utilized the Imperial shuttle Tydirium and stolen Imperial clearance codes to board the Star Destroyer. Solo, disguised in a stolen Imperial general's uniform and posing as an Imperial officer with his stormtrooper escort, entered the bridge and relieved the Accuser's captain of duty. Subsequently, he activated the ship-wide hull breach alarm and instructed the crew to abandon ship.
Shortly after being renamed Emancipator, the vessel served as the New Republic's command ship during the Battle of Saijo. Fighter squadrons launched from the Star Destroyer engaged and defeated Tof starfighters in the battle.
There were plans to deploy Emancipator and Adjudicator (renamed Liberator) in a Borderland campaign between Republic and Imperial territory, with the goal of infiltrating Imperial space and provoking conflict among the various warring Imperial factions. The Rebels dispatched their two captured Star Destroyers to the Hast Shipyards for repairs, but an Imperial fleet attacked the shipyards, severely damaging the vessels.
Following the evacuation of Ciutric, General Laryn Kre'fey employed the vessel as his flagship in an attempt to reclaim Ciutric from Prince-Admiral Krennel. After this operation, it underwent extensive refitting and returned to active duty under the command of Admiral Ragab.
When the Emancipator was finally returned to service, it featured several improvements, including six proton torpedo launchers, enhanced sensors, a faster Class 1.5 hyperdrive, and reduced crew and gunnery requirements. It had also lost its proton beam cannon.
In 6.5 ABY, the Emancipator spearheaded the New Republic forces at the First Battle of Borleias. At Borleias, the Emancipator attempted to use its turbolasers to disable the Imperial base's shields. However, this plan was thwarted when General Evir Derricote reinforced the shields using an Alderaan Biotics facility. The Emancipator sustained damage from an ion bolt during the battle but managed to withdraw. The vessel was subsequently used with the Liberator as a diversion at Ord Mirit to draw the Eviscerator away from the Second Battle of Borleias. Later, the ship participated in the Liberation of Coruscant, fighting on the front lines alongside the Home One and the Liberator.
The Emancipator and Liberator suffered significant damage during the Post-Zsinj campaign and were recalled for extensive repairs at the Hast shipyards.
The Emancipator fought at the Battle of Ciutric in 9 ABY. This battle resulted in the death of Admiral Krennel and the liberation of the Ciutric Hegemony.
In 10 ABY, it participated in the Second Battle of Coruscant, carrying Rogue Wing. Kane Griggs served as its navigator, and Zevulon Veers was its chief gunner.
The Emancipator fought bravely in the Battle of Calamari, leading the New Republic fleet. Under the command of Generals Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles, it destroyed the Imperial command ship Allegiance, providing valuable time to reinforce the desperate defenders. It launched an X-wing and V-wing assault on the Empire's World Devastators. The Republic fleet eventually arrived, but too late to save the Emancipator from being consumed by one of the World Devastators, Silencer-7.
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance and X-Wing: Isard's Revenge both categorize the Accuser as an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, whereas Star Wars: Behind the Magic describes the vessel as a "standard Imperial Star Destroyer." The Dark Empire Sourcebook and the Star Wars: Empire at War: Prima Official Game Guide also identify it as an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer.
Star Wars: Behind the Magic identifies one of the Star Destroyers featured in The Empire Strikes Back as the Accuser.