The Imperator-class Star Destroyer represented a Star Destroyer design. Kuat Drive Yards produced it starting in 19 BBY, and it entered service near the conclusion of the Clone Wars within the Galactic Republic. Its presence was limited, seeing only brief action before the end of the war. Subsequently, Kuat Drive Yards refined the Imperator-class into the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, which then became the core element of the Imperial Navy. The historian Beaumont Kin discussed the Imperator-class within his publication The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire.
Designed to be a large, potent, and versatile warship, the Imperator-class Star Destroyer was constructed by Kuat Drive Yards. It stood as one of the largest warships within the Republic Navy, surpassing the Venator-class Star Destroyer in size and armament.
In 19 BBY, KDY expanded upon the architecture of the Venator-class Star Destroyer to develop the Imperator-class, with collaborative design input from the Galactic Republic. Finalized in the same year, the Imperator-class Star Destroyer was deployed late in the Clone Wars, appearing in small numbers and experiencing limited combat engagements prior to the end of the conflict. After the Battle of Coruscant and the transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire, KDY secured a contract as the exclusive supplier of Star Destroyers to the Imperial Navy.
Later during 19 BBY, KDY revamped the Imperator-class, renaming it the Imperial-class. Production of this enhanced Star Destroyer was then ramped up under the Galactic Empire. The Imperial-class became a fundamental asset of the Imperial Navy and enjoyed a prominent operational history. Due to its capacity to devastate entire planets, the Imperial-class served as the Empire's primary enforcer, effectively rendering its predecessor, the Imperator-class, obsolete.
In 35 ABY, Beaumont Kin, the historian and Resistance paramilitary member, made several references to the Imperator-class Star Destroyer within his book titled The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire. Confidential KDY records obscured the exact moment they were informed about the forthcoming change from Imperator to Imperial. Kin questioned whether KDY had prior knowledge of the impending galactic geopolitical shifts. Kin later referenced a redacted document titled "Renaming Protocol" within the Imperator-class Star Destroyer section of the Kuat Archives.
The Imperator-class Star Destroyer was initially referenced in current Star Wars canon within the twentieth issue of De Agostini's Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazine, released around May 20, 2015. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Imperator-class Star Destroyer served as the original designation for the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, as detailed in the 2005 reference book Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross-Sections by Curtis Saxton. In Latin, "imperātor" translates to "commander," "general," or "emperor."
Although established as a distinct Star Destroyer class, the seventy-fourth issue of the magazine, as well as "Starships of the Empire and the Rebellion," indicates that the Imperial-class was initially known as the Imperator-class. Given that Star Wars: Timelines, released in 2023, reaffirms the Imperator-class as a separate Star Destroyer, this article operates under the assumption that the seventy-fourth issue of Build the Millennium Falcon and Star Wars Encyclopedia are inaccurate.
- Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 20 (Starship Fact File: Imperial Star Destroyer) (Initial mention)
- Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 23 (Starship Fact File: Star Destroyer Deployment)
- Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 74 (Secrets of Spaceflight: Military Starship Classification Part 1)
- " Jedi Master's Quiz " — Star Wars Insider 196
- " Starships of the Empire and the Rebellion " — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Timelines
- Star Wars: Millennium Falcon 20 (Starship Fact File: Imperial I-class Star Destroyer)
- Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire