A man-of-war represented a specific class of warship utilized by the Chiss Ascendancy, which is the governing power of the Chiss species. These vessels saw action during and following the Clone Wars, a major conflict involving the Galactic Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Within the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, three distinct types of man-of-war existed: the Firewolf, the Groundlion, and the Nightdragon. Their size increased in that exact order, from smallest to largest. These man-of-wars were equipped with both engines and a hyperdrive for propulsion and hyperspace travel, and employed electrostatic barriers functioning as shields. Their offensive weaponry consisted of spectrum lasers, plasma spheres, and breacher missiles, while the hull of the ship was constructed using nyix-alloy.
During the years 19 and 18 BBY, Admiral Ar'alani held command of the Vigilant, a Nightdragon man-of-war. This vessel was the largest ship serving within the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, and it played a role as part of Picket Force Six. Around the same years, Admirals Dy'lothe and Ers'ikaro belonging to the Chiss Defense Force were in command of the Groundlion man-of-war Venturous and the Firewolf man-of-war Bellicose, respectively.
Within established Star Wars canon, the man-of-war made its initial appearance in the 2020 novel titled Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising. This book is the first entry in Timothy Zahn's series, The Ascendancy Trilogy. Conversely, in Star Wars Legends continuity, the man-of-war received its first mention in the Heir to the Empire Sourcebook. This sourcebook was published in 1992 by West End Games and was written by Bill Slavicsek. The name is shared with a real-world type of warship, the man-of-war.