The Nonvideor-class minelayer represented a compact, stealth-capable warship designed for minelaying. Operated by a team of just twenty individuals, these vessels were utilized by the Galactic Alliance's naval forces during the Second Galactic Civil War. Outfitted with potent hyperdrives and substantial loads of space mines, the Galactic Alliance deployed five of these minelayers to establish two mine fields encircling the planet Fondor in 41 ABY. However, before they could complete their objective, their hyperspace exit coordinates were leaked to the enemy, leading to their destruction.
Nonvideor-class minelayers were small warships built with stealth technology and equipped with remarkably powerful hyperdrives relative to their size. Manned by a crew of twenty, this class of minelayer carried a payload of Merr-Sonn Vigilante space mines that employed a self-deployment network. This system significantly reduced the time required to distribute the full complement of mines, eliminating the need for traditional mine-laying procedures. These vessels also possessed communications systems, although establishing contact with a Nonvideor-class minelayer was impossible while it was operating in stealth mode.
The primary function of the Nonvideor-class minelayer was to leverage its high-powered hyperdrive to quickly approach a target area, deploy its mine payload, and then retreat back into hyperspace as swiftly as possible. The vessel's stealth capabilities, combined with the self-deploying mines' ability to accelerate the mine-laying process, were crucial in allowing the starships to accomplish their missions without detection.
The Galactic Alliance's navy began using the Nonvideor-class minelayer in the years following the conclusion of the Swarm War in 36 ABY. In 41 ABY, as the Galactic Alliance fought against the Confederation and the Jedi Coalition during the Second Galactic Civil War, Darth Caedus, the Galactic Alliance's Chief of State and a Sith Lord, aimed to recapture the shipyards located on the planet of Fondor after the world joined the Confederation. Before a task force from the Galactic Alliance Fourth Fleet arrived, five Nonvideor-class minelayers were sent to create a double ring of mines around Fondor, isolating the planet before the Fourth Fleet launched its attack a week after the mines were laid. The Nonvideor-class minelayers were designed to deploy their full loads within a single hour of arriving in Fondorian space.
However, Cha Niathal, the co-Chief of State, betrayed the Galactic Alliance's strategy for Fondor to Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Grand Master. Consequently, instead of completing their mission undetected, all five minelayers were ambushed at their hyperspace exit points as they emerged to begin deploying their mines. Each vessel sustained direct hits, causing the detonation of their mine payloads and resulting in the destruction of the minelayers and the deaths of their crews. When the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Anakin Solo and the Fourth Fleet task force reached Fondor, they discovered the wreckage of the Nonvideor-class minelayers at the reversion points, leading Caedus to realize that they had been betrayed. The ensuing Second Battle of Fondor resulted in a victory for the Jedi Coalition, with Niathal defecting to their side with a third of the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet's strength.
The remnants of Nonvideor-class minelayers made their initial appearance in Karen Traviss' Legacy of the Force: Revelation, the eighth installment in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novel series, which was released in 2008. Subsequently, the minelayer class received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, also published in 2008.