The Starhawk-class battleship was a battleship type utilized by the New Republic towards the end of the Galactic Civil War, manufactured at the Nadiri Dockyards. This class included three distinct variations: the initial prototype, the Mark I Starhawk, and the Mark II model.
In the Battle of Jakku, three Mark I versions engaged forces of the Galactic Empire. Years afterward, as the Resistance's U-55 orbital loadlifters faced destruction by the Supremacy following their departure from the Raddus, General Leia Organa envisioned a hopeful scenario: Inferno Squad returning from their mission with a task force composed of _Starhawk_s, alongside allies from the Outer Rim Territories.
Following the destruction of the Second Death Star and the deaths of both Sheev Palpatine and Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Galactic Empire experienced fragmentation and a weakened position. This allowed the Rebel Alliance to reform as the New Republic. The New Republic then initiated a project to create a new series of battleships for the New Republic Defense Force, intended to challenge the Imperial Navy.
Around the middle of 4 ABY, construction of the Starhawk, an initial prototype for the class, began in secret at the Nadiri Dockyards, overseen by several rebel officers, including General Hera Syndulla. However, the Empire discovered the project, leading Admiral Rae Sloane to order Imperial forces, led by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Overseer and Titan Squadron, to locate and destroy the vessel.
Simultaneously, the New Republic’s Vanguard Squadron was assisting with the final stages of the Starhawk's construction. The Starhawk was constructed using durasteel hulls from Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Vanguard Squadron aided in the capture and return of one such vessel, the Victorum, to Nadiri.
Upon completion, the Starhawk left Nadiri Dockyards for the Zavian Abyss to confront the Overseer, which was nearing the project's location. The New Republic used three GR-75 transports as bait to draw the Star Destroyer into range of the Starhawk's powerful forward tractor beam weapon. The Overseer sustained significant damage from collisions with asteroids in the Abyss, forcing it to retreat.
Following the engagement, the Starhawk returned to Nadiri. However, the Overseer returned to attack the vessel, now knowing the dockyard's location. The Overseer and Titan Squadron assaulted Nadiri, using bombers armed with special Baradium missiles, massacring the defenders and crippling the Starhawk. The Starhawk then retreated from the battle, escorted by the MC75 Star Cruiser Temperance.
With a damaged hyperdrive and engines, the Starhawk slowly attempted to escape the Empire. However, Titan Squadron ambushed and decimated the reinforcements in the Ringali Nebula debris field, driving them into the Ringali Nebula. While Vanguard Squadron managed to call for reinforcements to assist in the Battle of Galitan, Rae Sloane deployed her own forces to engage them, leaving the Starhawk vulnerable except for the Temperance.
Imperial TIE pilot “Titan Three” was ordered by the Overseer’s captain, Terisa Kerrill, to destroy the vessel by detonating an unexploded Baradium missile embedded in the armor plating near the tractor beam core. Anvil Squadron, led by captain Lindon Javes, tried to stop Titan Three, but the Imperial pilot defeated them all. Javes’ T-65B X-wing crashed into the Starhawk. Javes survived, and his ship, though damaged, was still flyable. Titan Three then maneuvered their TIE inside the Starhawk and shot the reactor core, causing catastrophic damage.
After their victory, Kerrill's forces departed, and Titan Three was promoted to Flight Baron for their actions. Some of the Imperial fleet remained to continue the battle. Hera Syndulla, in command during the battle, accepted the Starhawk's fate but recognized one final purpose it could serve.
Syndulla devised a plan to evacuate the crippled battleship's crew and engineers, then send the Starhawk on a collision course with the exposed core of the nearby moon, Galitan. This required CR90 corvettes to tow the Starhawk using its remaining tractor beam. Vanguard Squadron defended the corvettes from waves of TIEs, and once the Starhawk reached the optimal velocity, it crashed into the moon's core, detonating the unstable tractor beam mechanism. This detonation was amplified by the moon's core energy, resulting in a massive explosion of molten rock and a shockwave that destroyed nearby Imperial ships. Javes escaped from inside the Starhawk's hull just before the explosion.
Despite the loss of the prototype, production of the Starhawk-class continued elsewhere, as its crew and engineers were safely transported to Chandrila to continue their work and construct more Mark I Starhawk-class battleships. Before the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY, the Starhawks Amity, Concord, and Unity were completed and participated in the war's final battle. However, both Amity and Concord were destroyed in the fighting. Amity was destroyed after being rammed by the Star Destroyer Punishment, and Concord was destroyed by the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Ravager, though it managed to use its tractor beam to drag the Ravager down to the surface of Jakku in a final act.
More Starhawk-class vessels were produced during the New Republic Era, including the Mark II. At least one Mark II was produced and flew over the New Republic capital of Hosnian Prime alongside many T-65 X-wings.
Years later, as the Resistance's U-55 orbital loadlifters were being destroyed by the Supremacy after they evacuated from the Raddus, General Leia Organa imagined a miracle: Inferno Squad returning from their mission with a task force of _Starhawk_s.