The attack cruiser known as Retribution belonged to the Discril-class.
Originally, the Retribution was a part of the Daupherm Systems Fleet. It was, however, hijacked by Gorvan Shrulldike and Evram Darkmere, who established themselves as pirates and slavers. Darkmere eventually found slavery to be morally objectionable, resulting in a duel where he overcame Shrulldike and assumed command of the vessel.
Former personnel from the Daupherm Merchant Space Fleet largely comprised the crew of the Retribution. Dexter Thorgrim held the position of First Mate and was responsible for personally choosing the majority of individuals who joined the ship's crew.
The Retribution made its debut in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game (RPG) supplementary material Cracken's Rebel Operatives, which was released in 1994 by West End Games. According to Mike Jackson, the illustrator of the Retribution, the ship's design was among his most cherished creations.