The MC140 Scythe-class main battle cruiser served as the primary warship for the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet approximately a century after the conclusion of the Yuuzhan Vong War. The celebrated Mon Calamari Shipyards conceived and constructed the Scythe, which represented a dramatic shift from typical Mon Calamari starship architecture. Beyond its distinctive frontal blade, the Scythe-class distinguished itself as a standardized, mass-produced design, a departure from earlier iterations of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser.
These cruisers participated heavily during the Sith–Imperial War. After the Galactic Alliance government's capitulation at the close of the Sith–Imperial War, numerous Scythe battle cruisers continued to function within the Galactic Alliance Remnant as they performed operations against the Sith.
The Scythe-class battle cruiser's designation stemmed, in part, from the imposing vertical blade situated centrally on the warship's bow. The Scythe-class boasted substantial armament, featuring advanced weaponry that included three heavy turbolaser batteries, six standard turbolaser batteries, two heavy ion cannon batteries, and forty proton torpedo tubes arranged into four proton torpedo batteries, accommodating a total of 160 warheads. The majority of the Scythe's weapon systems were integrated into the forward blade. This setup, dubbed a "cross of fire" by Galactic Alliance officials and Mon Calamari engineers, enabled the Scythe-class battle cruiser to concentrate its firepower onto a specific target. While the "cross of fire" arrangement was devastating to almost any warship caught in its focus, it also presented certain disadvantages. The significant concentration of weapon batteries on the forward hull resulted in limited weaponry along the ship's sides and rear. Furthermore, extensive power conduits from the primary reactor and numerous secondary reactors consumed considerable internal volume.
The Scythe's primary hull adhered to typical Mon Calamari design principles. The forward blade lent the warship a resemblance to the ancient Republic Hammerhead-class cruiser of old. In addition to housing a significant portion of the ship's armaments, the blade also contained multiple hangar bays. These hangars had the capacity to accommodate 36 CF9 Crossfire starfighters and four shuttles. A YT-2400 light freighter, measuring twenty-one meters in length, could easily navigate the opening of one of its hangars.
As the Galactic Alliance's primary capital ship, the Scythe-class possessed the ability to engage the Fel Empire's Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer in direct combat, despite the fact that the battle cruiser was only about one-third the size of the larger Star Destroyer. The Scythe-class leveraged its potent engines to maneuver into positions that allowed it to bring its "cross of fire" weapon batteries to bear on an enemy vessel. This intense barrage of turbolaser, ion cannon, and torpedo fire proved capable of obliterating larger vessels, such as the Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer. The main downside to the cross of fire was that the Scythe's sides and rear were only lightly armed, which meant that the Scythe's crew had to constantly keep the bow facing an enemy warship - though with its powerful engines, this was rarely a problem.
The Scythe-class battle cruiser represented the high point of a novel design and shipbuilding approach adopted by the Galactic Alliance in the years following the destructive Yuuzhan Vong invasion. For a period, massive multi-kilometer dreadnaughts, such as the Star Defender, saw increased deployment within Galactic Alliance fleets. However, economic realities prompted a shift in the Defense Force's shipbuilding philosophy towards smaller, yet heavily armed and armored vessels. As a result of this evolving military doctrine, the Scythe-class was first introduced in 92 ABY.
Similar to the majority of Galactic Alliance warships from previous generations, the Scythe-class was conceived and constructed at the Mon Calamari Shipyards. The Scythe was an element of a broader shipbuilding initiative that encompassed various other classes of combat starships, including the ShaShore-class frigate and the Sabertooth-class assault/rescue vessel. The success of the Scythe and the cross of fire design inspired Mon Calamarian engineers to also create the Tri-Scythe-class frigate, a smaller, related design featuring a three blade-shaped superstructure.
Given its status as the Alliance's primary warship, the Scythe battle cruiser saw extensive combat during the Sith–Imperial War, commencing in 127 ABY. Many of these battle cruisers were part of the combined Alliance fleet that participated in the Battle of Caamas. Caamas turned out to be a major Imperial triumph and a fatal blow to the Galactic Alliance government, as Grand Admiral Morlish Veed successfully compelled Admiral Piers Petan—the supreme Alliance fleet commander at Caamas—to surrender. However, the Galactic Alliance Core Fleet, under the command of Admiral Gar Stazi, refused to capitulate. The majority of the Core Fleet, including numerous Scythe battle cruisers, escaped while engaging in a fighting withdrawal from Caamas.
Following the Galactic Alliance's surrender at the conclusion of the Sith-Imperial War, these cruisers continued to be utilized by the remnants of the Defense Force, through the Galactic Alliance Remnant. Scythe battle cruisers were part of the Alliance task force that engaged the Empire's Outer Rim Third Fleet during the Battle of Dac. One such vessel, Stazi's flagship Indomitable, was destroyed when the crippled warship was sacrificed in an effort to severely damage the Mon Calamari shipyards, and prevent them from being used by the Sith for new ship construction.
Several Scythes escorted the captured Imperious-class Star Destroyer prototype following the battle. Numerous additional battle cruisers were part of a large Alliance fleet under Admiral Stazi that participated in a joint operation with the deposed Emperor Roan Fel's forces against the Sith.
The Scythe-class battle cruiser was the creation of Sean Cooke, who also designed all of the Galactic Alliance and Imperial warships featured in the Star Wars: Legacy comic series.
Randy Stradley announced the warship's name on the Dark Horse Comics message boards. Stradley also disclosed that the wing-like structures housed starfighter launch bays and torpedo launchers. He was also the first to suggest that the Scythe battle cruiser was of Mon Calamari origin. This was subsequently confirmed in the Legacy Era Campaign Guide.