The Harrower-class dreadnought, sometimes referred to as the Harrower-class battle cruiser, constituted a heavily-armed class of wedge-shaped capital ship. These ships formed the principal component of the Imperial Navy belonging to the re-established Sith Empire for more than eight and a half decades. They actively participated in the Great Galactic War, the Cold War, the Galactic War, and the Third Galactic War against the Galactic Republic, in addition to the conflict against the Eternal Empire. These dreadnoughts, manufactured by Taerab Starship Manufacturing, were approximately eight hundred meters in length and featured heavily-reinforced hull plating and shield generators. Each Harrower-class dreadnought accommodated over one hundred starfighters, bombers, and shuttles, requiring a crew of 2,400 and capable of carrying 7,300 troops. The production of Harrower-class dreadnoughts demanded significant energy and resources. A single dreadnought could independently engage starfighters and smaller warships, particularly when functioning as a command ship for Imperial fleets.
The Harrower-class dreadnought, alternatively known as the Harrower-class battle cruiser, was a sizable dreadnaught measuring roughly 800 meters in length, 433 meters in width, and 151 meters in height. It maintained the wedge-shaped design consistent with Sith Empire warships since the Empire's inception in 4980 BBY. The "point" of the Harrower-class's wedge was bisected for approximately a quarter to a third of the ship's length, creating two prongs. Positioned between these prongs was one of the Harrower-class's hangar bays, featuring two stacked hangar openings protected by force fields. Additional hangars were located on either side of the ship, situated between the forward prongs and smaller "wings" that extended from each side towards the rear. Two of the ship's shield generators were mounted on the upper hull of each wing, with a final hangar located on the dreadnought's underbelly.
A smaller wedge was present on both the top and bottom of the dreadnought toward the rear. The vessel's command tower was situated at the rear, atop this wedge, with wing-like protrusions extending from the upper wedge. The rectangular command tower was constructed at the junction of these "wings." Harrower-class dreadnoughts were equipped with heavily-reinforced hull plating and four shield generators, along with turbolaser batteries, quad laser cannons, ion cannons, proton torpedos, and concussion missile launchers for armament. Most Harrower-class dreadnoughts featured three primary thrusters surrounded by four smaller ones at the rear.
A standard Harrower-class dreadnought carried ninety-five starfighters, predominantly the Imperial Navy's standard Mark VI Supremacy-class starfighter, as well as thirty-two B28 Extinction-class bombers and thirty-five shuttles. These dreadnoughts required a crew of 2,400 and could accommodate 7,300 troops. They were also equipped with escape pods. As the Imperial Navy's largest and most heavily-armed vessel, a single Harrower-class dreadnought could withstand fleets of starfighters or several smaller warships. However, they typically served as the fleet's backbone, coordinating attacks while absorbing and inflicting significant damage. Produced by Taerab Starship Manufacturing, the energy and material cost of constructing a single dreadnought approximated a decade's output from a major planetary mining colony. Following the acquisition of Makeb resources, the Imperial Navy created ships using Isotope-5 reactors, enhancing their speed and strength compared to other vessels. Ships equipped with this technology were identifiable by their green glow.
Throughout their service, the Harrower-class underwent numerous revisions and refits, some of which significantly altered the hull, making them difficult to recognize as Harrower-class vessels.
Tingel Arm-type: As observed during the Assault on the Tingel Arm region, this variant lacked the pronounced split prow of later Harrowers, with the space between the prongs reduced to a narrow slit, thereby obscuring the central hangar bay.
Early-type: This model was utilized during the initial years of the Great Galactic War, such as in the Battle of Korriban. Its frontal prongs were wider than those of the Late-type and featured squared-off ends. Additionally, it had four turrets on both the top and bottom sides of the hull's rear wing structures.
Late-type: This model was the most prevalent throughout the conflict between the Republic and the Sith Empire, including the First Battle of Bothawui. Its frontal prongs were narrower and more pointed than those of the Early-type, and the turrets from the Early-type's rear wing structures were relocated forward, just above the forward hangar bay, forming two rows of four turrets on both the top and bottom of the ship.
Valor Prevails-type: In this variant, the frontal hangar bays were diagonally inset, and the frontal prongs were angled slightly inward, nearly meeting at their tips. The only known vessel of this type is the Valor Prevails.
BSX-5 Dreadnaught: Visually similar to the standard Harrower-class, but smaller at 600 meters in length and possessing a reduced armament and complement. The most famous vessel of this type was the Dominator, flagship of Darth Jadus.
Silencer-type: This variant removed the forward hangar bays to accommodate the Silencer superweapon, a "fleet killer" megalaser capable of destroying a capital ship with rapid recharge. The first ship of this type was the Doombringer, and more were constructed for the Sith Empire under the orders of Darth Nox.
Gauntlet-type: Nearly identical in appearance to the Silencer type, the primary difference was the superweapon mounted between the prongs: the Gauntlet lightspeed cannon, capable of destroying ships in hyperspace. The sole known example of this ship was destroyed by Havoc Squad.
Production of the Harrower-class dreadnought began as early as 3712 BBY, when the Sith Lord Darth Ikoral received an early model Harrower-class dreadnought, the Red Reaper, for his expedition to locate pureblooded Sith outside the Empire. By 3681 BBY, the Harrower-class dreadnought had become the primary capital ship of the Imperial Navy during the Great Galactic War against the Galactic Republic, although the early design, similar to the Red Reaper, was phased out during the war. Harrower-class dreadnoughts were present at the Republic's first contact with the Empire in the Tingel Arm, and over thirty Harrower-class dreadnoughts formed the core of the Imperial fleet that reclaimed the Sith homeworld of Korriban.
In 3678 BBY, several Harrower-class dreadnoughts participated in the Imperial fleet that defended Korriban from a Republic assault. In 3671 BBY, Harrower-class dreadnoughts were part of the Imperial fleet that attempted to capture the Mid Rim world of Bothawui, resulting in a Republic victory known as the First Battle of Bothawui. At least three dreadnoughts were present at the Battle of Alderaan in 3667 BBY, and Harrower-class dreadnoughts were also used during the Rim Campaign of 3661-3660 BBY. At least two dreadnoughts were destroyed at the conclusion of the Battle of Ord Radama in 3660 BBY. A powerful prototype Harrower-class, the Voidstar, disappeared during the Great Galactic War but was later discovered as a derelict during the subsequent Cold War. Harrower-class dreadnoughts, such as the Scream of Ragnos, constituted a significant portion of the fleet that conducted the Sacking of Coruscant in 3653 BBY, leading to the Treaty of Coruscant and the war's end.
Over a dozen Harrower-class dreadnoughts and Terminus-class destroyers were stationed at Vaiken Spacedock, the navy's primary staging area, including the White Nova and the Ziost Shadow. Grand Moff Rycus Kilran commanded the Imperial Fifth Fleet from the Harrower-class Emperor's Glory, which attacked the Republic transport Esseles in 3643 BBY in an attempt to capture the Republic ambassador Vyn Asara. The Emperor's Glory and the rest of the Fifth Fleet later defended the Maelstrom Prison as the Galactic War began, but Kilran was killed aboard the prison and the Emperor's Glory was destroyed.
The design's knowledge persisted for millennia, with the Sith Lord Darth Sidious noting its similarity to his own Imperial Star Destroyers after becoming Galactic Emperor.
The Harrower-class dreadnought was introduced through the multimedia project for Star Wars: The Old Republic, a video game released by BioWare in 2011. However, the design was not finalized when the tie-in webcomic Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace was released in 2009, leading to a different appearance for the starships. The Oppressor, a Harrower-class dreadnought featured in the Jedi Knight storyline, first appeared in the comic.
Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant, the first in a series of videos detailing the game's backstory, utilized concept art of the Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer from the Legacy era instead of the Harrower-class, as the Harrower-class design was not finalized by the video's release in March 2009. The Harrower-class itself first appeared in Timeline 5: The Battle of Bothawui in October 2009, showcasing an early design with a less prominent split between the ship's prongs and a wider overall vessel.
The Hope cinematic trailer, which debuted on June 14, 2010, included a side view of several Harrower-class dreadnoughts over Alderaan, though the design continued to evolve. The Return cinematic trailer, released in June 2011, featured Harrower-class dreadnoughts that differed from the finalized version in Star Wars: The Old Republic. This rendition was thicker, had a different layout for its dorsal dual turbolaser cannons, included an additional 25 triple turbolaser cannons, featured two extra hangars on the inner sides of its two-pronged nose, and possessed traditional circular engines instead of triangular engine arrays. This version was also depicted in the 2012 reference guide The Essential Guide to Warfare, crediting the design to artist Ansel Hsiao. It is important to note that the ship's in-game appearance varies significantly, including differences in armaments such as dual versus quadruple turbolasers, and variations in in-game size. Harrower-class dreadnoughts are commonly seen in The Old Republic, with several serving as hubs in the Imperial Fleet for Sith Empire players, while others appear in the game's space combat missions. Imperial guilds can acquire their own Harrower-class dreadnought as a "Guild Flagship" as part of the "Galactic Strongholds" digital expansion.