The Forager was a specialized thorilide collection vessel, uniquely crafted by Count Denetrius Vidian and designed for this specific purpose. In the year 11 BBY, this vessel, the Forager, was dispatched to Cynda, which serves as a moon orbiting Gorse, with the mission of gathering the thorilide deposits present within the lunar body. Its existence came to an end at the conclusion of what became known as the Gorse Conflict.
Specifically designed for thorilide harvesting, the Forager was a custom-built ship characterized by seven prominent, spherical black pods aligned along a central, elongated axis. Imperial Captain Rae Sloane likened the Forager's appearance to that of a segmented insect. The vessel was equipped with sixteen electrostatic towers, extending along its entire length and resembling antennae. During thorilide mining activities, these towers were deployed to capture thorilide molecules, which were attracted to the tower spokes and subsequently directed into the ship's interior. Each of the seven pods housed automated processing centers. Furthermore, the rearmost pod contained landing bays to facilitate the shipment of processed thorilide. The ship could produce pure thorilide in just one hour.
Denetrius Vidian's headquarters, situated at the Calcoraan Depot, served as the base of operations for the Forager. Although fortified by a robust deflector shield, the ship possessed a vulnerability near its rear, which could be exploited by a starship traveling at high velocity. The Forager's crew members wore cybernetic headsets, which enabled them to stay informed about mining operations across the galaxy. The ship also featured a transmission tower, granting Vidian the ability to remotely operate a Detonation Control Uplink, a capability also available to the Imperial Navy.
The Forager functioned as a dedicated thorilide harvesting vessel for the Imperial industrialist Count Denetrius Vidian in 11 BBY. It was stationed at the Calcoraan Depot, his personal headquarters, which orbited the planet Calcoraan. During the Gorse Conflict, Vidian prepared the ship for a thorilide harvesting mission within the Gorse system. To fulfill the Emperor's revised thorilide production targets, Vidian devised a plan to destroy Cynda, the moon of Gorse, to accelerate the production rate. Lieutenant Kanna Deltic, an Imperial science officer, while visiting the Calcoraan Depot, was impressed by the starship and discussed its capabilities with her superior officer, Captain Rae Sloane.
After Count Vidian's mining fleet had acquired its supply of baradium-357, the Forager went with the fleet back to the Gorse system. From his command center on the ship, Vidian intended to begin the detonation of Cynda. While the cargo fleet was unloading its cargo onto Cynda, a small rebel group consisting of Hera Syndulla, the underground Jedi and freighter pilot [Kanan Jarrus](/article/kanan_jarrus], the dissenting miner Skelly, and the former surveillance operator Zaluna Myder harassed the freighters and their TIE fighter escorts. Kanan successfully penetrated the Forager's shields and landed his freighter Expedient in one of the Forager's rear hangar bays.
The four rebels fought their way through the ship's orbital refineries. While Skelly became separated from the group, the other three rebels managed to reach the command center. Zaluna attempted to send a distress signal but was intercepted by Vidian. Kanan and Hera then engaged the cyborg Count in combat but were unable to defeat him. Determined to proceed with the detonation, Vidian refused to allow anything to impede his plan. However, Captain Sloane intervened, having received orders from the Emperor to halt the planned destruction of Cynda. Thanks to the rebels, the Empire had discovered that Vidian had manipulated his test results to conceal the fact that detonating Cynda would damage the moon's thorilide crystals. Vidian's intention in detonating Cynda was part of a complex scheme to discredit his business rival Baron Lero Danthe. Because Vidian's actions would have harmed Imperial assets, Sloane ordered his immediate apprehension.
Upon Vidian's revelation that he could still remotely control the Detonation Control uplink, Captain Sloane instructed the stormtroopers aboard the Forager to kill Vidian's crew. She also commanded the Imperial fleet to bombard the Forager. The Imperial bombardment destroyed the ship's transmission control, disabling access to the Detonation Control link. Vidian then tried to destroy Cynda using the rebels' freighter Expedient, which was loaded with explosives, but Skelly killed him, sacrificing himself in the process. Hera, Kanan, and Zaluna managed to escape the derelict Forager in an escape pod. The Gorse conflict and Vidian's aspirations of power ended with the destruction of the Forager.