The Sovereign-class Star Destroyer, also referred to as the Sovereign-class Super Star Destroyer, represented a projected class of Super Star Destroyer. These vessels were to be manufactured by the Galactic Empire under the direction of the Galactic Emperor Palpatine, who envisioned a fleet comprised of these massive fifteen-kilometer-long warships.
Designated as a dreadnaught according to the Anaxes War College system, the Sovereign-class Super Star Destroyer extended fifteen thousand meters in length. The ship required a crew of 601,670 individuals, including 4,075 gunners, and a minimum operational crew of 86,000. Early estimates during its development phase suggested a crew size of 600,000. It possessed the ability to transport up to 400,000 metric tons of supplies and housed 35 squadrons of TIE/IN interceptors, five squadrons of TIE/sa bombers, and 75 All Terrain Armored Transports. A Sovereign-class Super Star Destroyer had the capacity to carry five years worth of provisions and could transport 130,100 soldiers. Similar to the larger Eclipse-class Super Star Destroyer, the Sovereign-class was equipped with an axial superlaser, comparable in power to that of the Death Star. The vessel's expansive 15,000-meter length was dictated by the axial superlaser, as this dimension provided the necessary space for the generators that powered the weapon. Its arsenal also included five hundred heavy laser cannons—200 facing forward and 150 positioned on each side—each requiring two gunners, and five hundred turbolaser batteries—150 in the forward section, 100 in the aft, and 125 on each flank.
Additionally, the Sovereign-class was armed with seventy-five ion cannons distributed evenly between the front and sides, alongside 100 tractor beam projectors, with 55 located in the front, 5 in the rear, and 20 on each side. Completing the ship's weaponry were five gravity well projectors.
The Sovereign-class, along with the Eclipse-class, remained in the development phase around 0 BBY. The intention was for both ship classes to bolster the Imperial Navy well into the future. Information pertaining to both classes appeared in the Imperial Handbook, a reference guide for Imperial officers. The Rebel Alliance remained ignorant of the existence of either class until they obtained a copy of the Imperial Handbook shortly after the Battle of Endor. General Carlist Rieekan was under the impression that the Empire had not achieved significant progress on either Super Star Destroyer design.
Given its slightly smaller size compared to the Eclipse-class, the Empire anticipated that the Sovereign-class would be the first to enter service. Nevertheless, the inaugural vessel of the class, the Sovereign, was still under construction at the shipyards of Byss during Operation Shadow Hand. The resurrected Emperor Palpatine initiated his offensive from aboard the lead ship of the Eclipse-class. Other ships planned for inclusion in this class were the Autarch, the Despot, and the Heresiarch.
- Dark Empire Sourcebook (First mentioned)
- The Jedi Academy Sourcebook
- "Byss and the Deep Core" on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- "Starship Battles Preview 1" on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia , Vol. I ("Sovereign")
- gravity well projector in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- superlaser in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide
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