Intimidator (Executor-class)

The Intimidator measured 19,000 meters in length and was an Executor-class Star Dreadnought, though it was sometimes classified as a Super-class Star Destroyer, a designation shared by other vessels of its type. Compared to standard models, the Intimidator featured modifications, including an extra shield generator positioned along the ship's centerline. During the period it was controlled by the Yevetha, Imperial prisoners from Camp Pa'aal Squadron secretly installed slave circuitry into the Intimidator and the other Black Fleet ships. This circuitry enabled a single individual to remotely command an entire fleet's worth of enslaved vessels. This installation was carried out incrementally over years of captivity, with the final components assembled and delivered to the ships in 17 ABY, in anticipation of an Imperial uprising.

The Yevetha also implemented their own modifications to the Intimidator. Nil Spaar had three detention blocks converted into breederies for his offspring, each containing forty-eight alcoves that functioned as birth-casks. Additionally, three cargo bays of the Star Destroyer were repurposed into large holding cells to house prisoners, equipped with minimal facilities to accommodate up to a thousand individuals. These breederies and holding cells were completed by 16 ABY.

The Intimidator was among three Super Star Destroyers assigned to the Black Fleet of Black Sword Command, a division of the Imperial Military responsible for defending the Core Worlds. In 4 ABY, eight months after the Rebel Alliance's triumph and the death of Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor, the Intimidator was stationed at the Black-15 shipyard above N'zoth, the homeworld of the Yevetha in the Koornacht Cluster. It had been relocated from the Core Worlds, where it was undergoing maintenance, to create space for the construction of another Executor-class vessel. Of the nine ships undergoing repairs at the Black-15 dock, the Intimidator was the only one spaceworthy.

When Jian Paret, the Imperial commander of the garrison, received orders to evacuate all military personnel from the system and destroy any remaining assets, he designated the Intimidator as his command ship for the evacuation, relocating to it within an hour of receiving the directive. With a reduced crew of only one-third capacity and the need to transfer all garrison assets and personnel to the warship before destroying the repair yard, Paret's departure was delayed. To prevent any potential hostile actions from the predominantly Yevetha workforce, Paret disguised the Imperial evacuation as a departure drill.

However, Nil Spaar, a Yevetha resistance leader, was aware of the impending Imperial withdrawal and had planned to seize the Black-15 shipyard and all ships present as part of a five-year-long scheme to rebel against the Imperials. The transfer of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Harridan from patrol to active duty at Notak signaled to Spaar that the Imperials were vulnerable. In Sections 17 and 21 of the Intimidator, over a dozen external hatches were modified to falsely report as secured and sealed during an emergency lockdown. Spaar also implemented additional safeguards to prevent the ship's escape: a package of explosives, disarmed only by a constant signal, was designed to detonate if the shields were activated, blocking the signal. With these measures in place, two Yevetha commando teams—one led by Spaar and the other by his second-in-command, Dar Bille—boarded the Intimidator through the modified hatches. Silently and swiftly, the two teams converged on the bridge without firing a shot. Upon breaching the command deck, they eliminated seven Imperial crew members before securing the remaining personnel.

As these events unfolded, Governor Crollick's shuttle and a convoy of Imperial transports ascended from N'zoth towards the Intimidator as the warship detached from its berth at the shipyard. As the transports decelerated in preparation for docking, Spaar ordered the warship's autotargeting batteries to open fire on the approaching ships, resulting in the deaths of 20,000 Imperials: soldiers, technicians, bureaucrats, and their families. Spaar concluded the bloodshed by executing Paret with his dew claw, a retractable blade unique to the Yevetha. He then announced that the remaining crew were now prisoners of the Duskhan League, the Yevethan government. The other eight Star Destroyers at the shipyard were also captured. The captive Imperials, approximately 300,000 crew members from the entire fleet, were transferred to Pa'aal, N'zoth's primary moon, to serve the Yevetha in operating and constructing their warships.

By 16 ABY, twelve years after the failed Imperial evacuation of N'zoth, the Yevetha had learned to operate the captured vessels using their former oppressors, now prisoners, as instructors. However, unbeknownst to the Yevetha, the Imperials had begun installing slave circuitry in all the former Imperial warships, a clandestine project carried out over years in preparation for a counter-rebellion. The Intimidator was renamed Pride of Yevetha and became the flagship of Nil Spaar, now the viceroy of the Duskhan League. Dar Bille served as the primate of the warship. Spaar's personal staff, including his primary and secondary mates, his first attaché Eri Palle, and Vor Duull, the proctor of information science from the thrustship Aramadia, were also transferred to the Pride of Yevetha. From the bridge of this Super Star Destroyer, Bille, acting on Spaar's orders, initiated the Great Purge, an ethnic cleansing of the Koornacht Cluster. The Pride of Yevetha participated in the extermination of a Kubaz colony at Morning's Bell and the capture of a former Imperial factory farm at Pirol-5, while the rest of the Black Fleet purged the Cluster of foreign "vermin."

Despite Leia Organa Solo, the Chief of State of the New Republic, being appalled by the Duskhan League's actions, the New Republic could not defend the conquered worlds of the Koornacht Cluster, as they were not members of the galactic government. Some members of the New Republic Senate actively opposed Republic involvement, but Organa Solo issued an ultimatum to Spaar: the Duskhan League was to withdraw from the seized worlds, or the New Republic would declare war. Spaar refused to yield, confident that the New Republic was unaware of the League's full military strength and the existence of the Intimidator, which he intended to exploit. The New Republic's initial move, a blockade of Doornik-319, proved disastrous and fueled opposition against Organa Solo within the Senate.

Amidst this internal conflict, several New Republic reconnaissance missions were launched into the Koornacht Cluster to assess the Duskhan League's military capabilities. Lieutenant Rone Taggar of the 21st Recon Group, part of the New Republic Fifth Battle Group's, was dispatched in his Recon-X starfighter Jennie Lee to the N'zoth system to gather statistical data on the Yevethan forces. During the five-minute flight, the Jennie Lee's R2-R unit identified Aramadia-class thrustships, Victory-class and Imperial-class Star Destroyers, and a lone Executor-class Star Dreadnought—the Pride of Yevetha. Taggar's data, along with that from other reconnaissance flights, was transmitted to the New Republic Defense Force headquarters, where it was reviewed by Organa Solo, Admiral Ackbar, and others. Ayddar Nylykerka, a Tammarian officer from the Asset Tracking office, identified the warships of the Black Fleet and confirmed the presence of the Intimidator, recognizing it by its Imperial designation. Nylykerka identified the ship by the additional shield generator tower on its centerline, a feature of all late-production Executor-class ships. The revelation that the Yevetha possessed a Super Star Destroyer, unmatched by anything in the New Republic Navy, shocked those present.

In preparation for war with the Yevetha, the Chief of State sent her husband, Commodore Han Solo, to command the New Republic Fifth Fleet. En route, he was captured by the Yevetha and imprisoned on N'zoth. He was later transferred to one of the Pride of Yevetha's unused cargo bays, where he and other captives were intended to serve as living shields against a New Republic attack. Unbeknownst to the Yevetha, members of the Fallanassi, a Force-based religious order known for their illusions, had rescued most of the prisoners before their transfer to the Super Star Destroyer. A few Fallanassi remained behind to project the illusion that all captives were still present.

Spaar used the bridge of the Pride of Yevetha as the setting for a holorecording intended to mislead the Republic into believing that a "Grand Imperial Union" under a Moff "Tragg Brathis" had formed an alliance with the Duskhan League. Ackbar confirmed that both the Grand Imperial Union and Moff Brathis were fabricated by Spaar, but the presence of numerous Imperial Star Destroyers in the recording still concerned the Republic's leadership.

Meanwhile, the Wookiee Chewbacca and his family, including his son, Lumpawarrump, and cousins Jowdrrl, Shoran, and Dryanta, launched a rescue mission to retrieve Solo from the Pride of Yevetha in the N'zoth system. They utilized information provided by the Yao information broker Formayj from New Republic Fleet Intelligence, including technical readouts of a Super Star Destroyer. Piloting the light freighter Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca used firecracker mines to blind the Super Star Destroyer's sensors, enabling a quick in-system hyperspace jump that positioned him 1,100 meters off the Pride of Yevetha's starboard bow, evading the gun batteries. The Wookiees used a hull-cutting ring to board the warship, and Chewbacca, Shoran, and Lumpawarrump traversed the converted detention blocks, severely damaging the breederies. The strike team reached the cargo hold where Solo was held. After freeing Solo, the group escaped in the Millennium Falcon, leaving numerous Yevetha crew and soldiers dead from the raid.

Following the attack, Spaar focused on replenishing the breederies, but this task was interrupted by the arrival of three Republic stasis probes in the N'zoth system, signaling an impending Republic attack. Spaar rushed to the bridge and ordered the Pride of Yevetha to break orbit to intercept and destroy the probes, despite Tho Voota, the Proctor of Defense, fearing that N'zoth would be left undefended. As the Pride of Yevetha moved forward, the New Republic fleet emerged from hyperspace, just beyond the range of the Yevethan fleet's batteries. General Etahn A'baht seized the opportunity to deliver a final ultimatum to the Yevetha Viceroy.

Major Sil Sorannan, the leader of the Imperial resistance, listened patiently from the flagship's fire control center, impressed by the New Republic's evolution from the guerrilla tactics of the Rebel Alliance. As the Pride of Yevetha neared firing range of the nearest Republic vessel, Spaar issued his own challenge, and simultaneously, Sorannan initiated his revolt. Using the slave circuitry installed during their captivity, Sorannan seized control of the Black Fleet, halting the Star Destroyers. While the Yevethan ships continued their attack, Sorannan, identifying himself as acting captain of the Intimidator, contacted A'baht and announced that his Camp Pa'aal Squadron was withdrawing from the battle. The long-delayed withdrawal of Black Sword Command was finally executed as the Star Destroyers jumped to hyperspace, setting course for the Imperial throne world of Byss in the Deep Core.

With the core of their fleet gone, the Yevetha were outnumbered five to one. Spaar had been aboard the Intimidator when it departed, leaving the Yevetha without leadership. Despite these setbacks, the Duskhan League engaged the New Republic fleet with their remaining forces: D-type fighters and forty-four Aramadia-class thrustships. After inflicting heavy casualties, the Yevethan force was destroyed, ending the Black Fleet Crisis. Spaar was captured by the Imperials aboard the Intimidator. In retribution for years of servitude, Sorannan placed Spaar in an escape pod and launched him into hyperspace, where he perished, his remains never to be recovered. The Black Fleet arrived in the Beshqek system, only to find an asteroid field where Byss had once been, the result of the Galaxy Gun superweapon destroying the throne world six years earlier. After a month, the fleet dispersed, with some elements defecting to the New Republic and others joining surviving Imperial factions. The Intimidator disappeared, only to be discovered four years later near the Unknown Regions, abandoned and irreparably damaged.

Prior to the Yevethan revolt, the Intimidator operated with only one-third of its required personnel. Approximately thirteen years later, while serving the Duskhan League, the Pride of Yevetha's crew comprised over 15,000 Yevetha and 513 veterans from Black Sword Command.

Jian Paret commanded the Imperial garrison on N'zoth in 4 ABY and oversaw Black Sword Command's withdrawal from the N'zoth system. He designated the Intimidator as his command ship during the retreat, as it was the only spaceworthy vessel at the Black-15 shipyard. Paret was captured during the Yevetha takeover and watched helplessly as the Yevetha turned the warship's guns on the evacuation shuttles. Immediately afterward, Nil Spaar executed him with a slash of his dew claw.

Before his appointment as viceroy of the Duskhan League, Nil Spaar was a leading figure in the Yevetha resistance. He spearheaded the very rebellion that led to the capture of the Intimidator. By the year 16 ABY, he had risen to the position of viceroy, where he was revered as the darama, which translates to "chosen one." That same year, he designated the renamed Pride of Yevetha as his command ship. He relocated the majority of his crew from his previous vessel, the thrustship Aramadia, to the Super Star Destroyer. This included his aide Eri Palle, Vor Duull, the Proctor of Information Science, his breeding partners, and his personal guard. The Viceroy had three detention areas on his flagship transformed into breeding facilities for his offspring. Spaar, known for his brutality and xenophobic views, oversaw the systematic "cleansing" of the Koornacht Cluster and skillfully exploited divisions within the New Republic Senate for his own purposes. However, his schemes were unexpectedly disrupted when Imperials from Camp Pa'aal Squadron staged a revolt. They seized control of both the Intimidator and the Black Fleet, taking Spaar as their prisoner. Sil Sorannan then placed Spaar in an escape pod and launched him into hyperspace, and he was never found again.

During the Yevetha uprising, Dar Bille was Nil Spaar's second-in-command. He commanded the second of two commando units during the capture of the Intimidator amidst the failed Imperial retreat from N'zoth. Twelve years later, he held the rank of primate, or commander, of the Pride of Yevetha while it was in active service with the Duskhan League. Bille supervised the Pride of Yevetha's involvement in the Great Purge. He was still in command when Camp Pa'aal Squadron seized the warship during the Battle of N'zoth.

Sil Sorannan held the rank of major within Black Sword Command. Prior to that, he was part of a research team that was experimenting with dropping bombs from hyperspace into realspace. During the Yevetha uprising, Sorannan was among the 300,000 Imperial personnel who were captured and compelled to assist the Yevetha in operating their newly acquired warships, including the Intimidator. Over time, Sorannan rose to become the leader of Camp Pa'aal Squadron, the Imperial resistance movement. He directed the development and distribution of the slave circuit technology that, when activated, would grant him complete control over the Black Fleet. While stationed aboard the Pride of Yevetha—a ship he often had to remind himself was originally the Intimidator—he worked in the Super Star Destroyer's fire control center, maintaining the data server for target registry. Before the Battle of N'zoth could fully unfold, Sorannan initiated his revolt and took command as acting captain of the Intimidator. He activated the slave circuitry, ordering the Imperial warships to jump into hyperspace and proceed to the Imperial throne world of Byss. On the way, he drew upon his experience with hyperspace bombing when he abandoned Nil Spaar in an escape pod in hyperspace.

The Intimidator made its debut in the novel Before the Storm, which is the first installment of The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy. It was authored by Michael P. Kube-McDowell and released in 1996. The warship subsequently appeared in the remaining two books of the trilogy and was referenced in later sourcebooks. These sourcebooks revealed its fate following the Battle of N'zoth. The Intimidator was first visually depicted in The Official Star Wars Fact File 22, which was released in May of 2002, six years after Before the Storm was published.

Throughout the trilogy, the Intimidator is consistently referred to as a "Super-class Star Destroyer." However, the second book in the series, Shield of Lies, was the first to identify the Intimidator and its sister ships as "Executor-class Star Destroyers." More recent sources, such as the StarWars.com Databank's Super Star Destroyer entry and an article on the Wizards of the Coast Web site, have updated the designation to "Executor-class Star Dreadnought." They have also increased the length of the class from 8,000 meters (as stated in the trilogy's books) to 19,000 meters. This article reflects these updates.

While Before the Storm and Tyrant's Test clearly state that the majority of the Intimidator's Imperial crew was captured during the Yevetha revolt, both the Star Wars Encyclopedia and A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded claim that the entire crew was killed during the takeover. This article acknowledges the canonicity of both Before the Storm and Tyrant's Test.