A science vessel, alternatively referred to as an Imperial research transport, represented a specific class of Imperial transport. These vehicles were employed for the purpose of capturing, holding, and moving various cloning subjects associated with experiments carried out by the Advanced Science Division. They were crewed by Imperial commandos under the direction of Imperial royal guards. One such transport, identified as transport 904, experienced an incident where its Zillo Beast exhibit, labeled "Specimen A", broke free during a hyperspace jump. The escaped creature then wreaked havoc throughout the ship, consuming the crew and damaging essential systems. This forced the ship to exit hyperspace prematurely, resulting in a crash landing on Silla. The reinforced structure of the vessel managed to contain the beast. Later, Clone Force 99 arrived to scavenge any remaining valuable items. They encountered the Zillo Beast, which pursued them and ultimately escaped when they inadvertently created an opening in the wall.
The Imperial research vessel constituted a type of substantial transport utilized by the Galactic Empire's cloning program. Its function was to convey cloned Zillo Beasts from various research sites across the galaxy to the containment zone at Tantiss Base on Wayland. These vessels were operated by Imperial commandos, overseen by an Imperial royal guard commander, and included at least one medical droid for the care of the Beast. To maintain stringent operational security, the destination remained confidential and was not recorded in the ship's computer to prevent the disclosure of Wayland's location to potential enemies. These vessels also lacked identifying markings to prevent identification in the event of a crash.
To restrain the creatures during transport, they were kept in a youthful state within a sizable, transparent glass tube-like enclosure filled with a clear fluid that induced stasis. The walls of the laboratory were strengthened and engineered to endure the Beast's attacks, ensuring containment should it escape its tube. The troopers were equipped with high-voltage electrostaffs capable of inflicting severe damage to the creature. Given that these ships were also used to recapture Zillo Beasts if they managed to escape entirely, they were armed with a single ventral NNJ-40 "Thunderbolt" long-range ion cannon. This weapon fired a potent stun beam that could render the beasts unconscious with as few as three repeated strikes. Specialized intervention teams, consisting of at least three Venator-class Star Destroyers carrying multiple Low Altitude Assault Transports and Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters, were kept on standby to subdue the creature until it could be stunned.