The Shell-cracker experimental model represented an Imperial research and development starship. Following the Battle of Yavin at The Hammer, it was created for Operation: Shell-cracker. The intention of this prototype was to destroy opposing starships. It possessed an intricate shield system, incorporating grid-shaped ionic energies intended to interfere with particle and ray shields, and to deploy a sequence of explosives onto the designated target.
An Alliance Special Forces raid targeted it. Although its shield technology was functional during this event, the explosive devices had not yet been implemented.
The Shell-cracker is featured within "Operation: Shell Game," an adventure found in Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Beta. The epilogue states that if the player characters successfully acquire it, Alliance Intelligence will confiscate it.