The Garrote functioned as an attack cruiser within the Imperial Navy. Following the Battle of Jakku, this cruiser was dispatched to take refuge inside the Queluhan Nebula, accompanied by other ships that were part of the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire. Commander Nash Windrider received a promotion to become the Garrote's Flight Commander. This vessel accommodated TIE fighters inside its docking bay, and Windrider possessed his personal office in close proximity to the hangar. As the Imperial holdouts who were hidden inside the Queluhan Nebula gathered their strength in preparation for a future attack on the New Republic, Commander Windrider observed that although being stationed on an attack cruiser might once have been viewed as a demotion, considering his prior service on Star Destroyers such as the Executor, the Garotte represented a strategically vital asset that Nash was honored to prepare for the coming conflict, seeing it as a move toward gaining his own command.
The Garrote made its initial appearance in the 2015 canon novel titled Lost Stars, which was written by Claudia Gray.