The Guardian-class light cruiser, alternatively known as the Guardian-class Customs corvette, functioned as an Inter-System Customs Vessel. The Galactic Empire was its primary operator.
With its high speed, strong defenses, and impressive armament, the Guardian-class was engineered for unescorted patrols in the distant and dangerous regions bordering Imperial territory, capable of sustained operation. While effective at managing freight movement, suppressing smugglers, and eliminating pirates, the Guardian design lacked the capacity for significant boarding parties, leading crews to favor outright destruction of targets, a common practice within the Imperial forces. To aid in customs enforcement and interdiction, Guardians could be equipped with external docking clamps to carry TIE Fighters; however, these fighters negatively impacted the ship's maneuverability.
The Guardian-class was one of the three primary starship types utilized by the Imperial Customs service, and it was a frequent sight as an Imperial system patrol vessel.
_Guardian_s, having been in service prior to the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, were commonly seen in sparsely populated and isolated systems. Their presence allowed the Galactic Empire to maintain control without incurring the higher operational costs of deploying larger warships for patrol duties. Frequently, these light cruisers would patrol alongside corvette or frigate support ships.
These vessels also found use outside of the Imperial military. The privately owned station called "The Wheel," a gambling hub situated in the Besh Gorgon System, employed a complement of ten cruisers for traffic control within its security forces. Political powers such as the House Pelagia in the Tapani sector also operated these ships. The Reprise was one such vessel.
A specialized version of the Guardian existed as the ISB operations ship. This variant was fundamentally the same design, but modified with the inclusion of holding cells and the addition of light and sensor stealth coatings.
The Guardian 344-class, created later by Sienar Fleet Systems, served as a successor to the original Guardian-class. It specifically addressed the earlier cruiser's deficiency in boarding party capacity.
Pirates such as Shanto Dhil also managed to acquire Guardian-class cruisers. Dhil's Guardian light cruiser, named the Avatar's Needle, was known to impersonate Imperial vessels as a tactic to approach bacta transports undetected, enabling the theft of their valuable cargo.