The Esteemed was a Venator-class Star Destroyer that belonged to the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars. Back in 22 BBY, the Esteemed received orders to depart from Coruscant, the Republic's galactic capital, and was placed under the command of the Phuii Jedi General Ares Nune for the purpose of patrolling the Phu system in search of Separatist presence. While engaged in patrol duties, the Esteemed's group, which included at least two additional Star Destroyers, came under attack from the Malevolence, a Confederate warship armed with dual ion pulse cannons on each side. Piloted by the Confederate General Grievous, the Malevolence utilized its ion cannons to disable the shields of the entire Republic fleet. Following this action, the Malevolence proceeded to annihilate Nune's group, including the Esteemed, by employing its turbolasers to decimate the vulnerable ships.
The Esteemed was a Venator-class Star Destroyer constructed by Kuat Drive Yards and operated by the Galactic Republic Navy during the period of the Clone Wars fought between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Its arsenal included fifty-two laser cannons, eight DBY-827 heavy dual turbolaser turrets, a pair of medium dual turbolaser cannons, four proton torpedos launchers, and half a dozen tractor beam projectors. The Esteemed measured 1,137 meters in length and was outfitted with escape pods and a duo of command towers.
Back in 22 BBY, the Esteemed, while stationed at the drydocks located within the Republic's galactic capital of Coruscant, was assigned to the command of the Phuii Jedi General Ares Nune. General Nune was in charge of a Republic task force, which comprised at least two other Venator-class Star Destroyers, with the mission to patrol the Phu system for any Separatist presence. Nune himself utilized the Esteemed as his flagship while operating within the system. The departure of the Esteemed from Coruscant was observed by the clone shock troopers Rys and Jek, who were situated near the drydocks while awaiting their subsequent assignment.
During their patrol, the initial scans conducted by the Esteemed's task force indicated no signs of enemy activity. From the bridge of the Esteemed, Nune issued an order for a repeat scan of the surrounding area to guarantee that nothing had been overlooked. While these secondary scans were in progress, Kite, a clone commander stationed on the Esteemed, initiated a discussion with Nune on the bridge regarding the mission.
However, a new Confederate weapon lay hidden from the Republic task force: the Malevolence, a Subjugator-class heavy cruiser commanded by the Confederate General Grievous. As Kite and Nune concluded their conversation on the bridge, Grievous ordered the firing of the ion pulse cannons of the Malevolence at the Republic task force, which resulted in the deactivation of the shields of the entire Republic fleet. The Malevolence then proceeded to destroy the Esteemed, along with the rest of the Republic fleet, resulting in the deaths of Kite, Nune, and everyone else aboard.
The loss of the Esteemed and the remainder of Nune's battle group was subsequently reported in a press release by HoloNet News. An audio recording from a clone trooper stationed on the Esteemed during the attack survived and was played during the broadcast. Despite the swift destruction of the Esteemed, the recording indicated that an evacuation attempt via its escape pods had been initiated, but the crew was not fast enough.
The last commander of the Esteemed was General Ares Nune, who was in command of the Star Destroyer at Phu. The crew of the Esteemed included Clone Commander Kite and numerous clone troopers. The entire crew of the Esteemed, including Kite and Nune, was killed by the Malevolence in the Phu system.
The Esteemed made a brief appearance in The Clone Wars webcomic Prelude, which served as a prelude to "Ambush," the inaugural episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. The Esteemed was featured more prominently in the webcomic Shakedown, which preceded "Rising Malevolence," the second episode of The Clone Wars television series. The demise of General Nune's task force was covered in the in-universe HoloNet News — A Galaxy Divided, the first episode of the online Holonet News podcast series, which took place before the events of "Rising Malevolence."