Thrawn's fleet (Galactic Empire)

Approximately five years following the Battle of Endor, the conflict which saw the Rebel Alliance defeat the Empire and the death of the Emperor, Thrawn made his return from the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. Upon his re-emergence from the Unknown Regions, for the second instance in his lifetime, Grand Admiral Thrawn held a high-ranking position within the Imperial military, specifically the rank of Grand Admiral. Described by historians such as the young Devaronian history scholar Pollo Tipn as one of the most strategically brilliant and resourceful officers under the Emperor's command, Thrawn's exceptional tactical skills facilitated his ascension to the rank of Grand Admiral despite his status as a Chiss and the Emperor's well-documented xenophobia. While he had previously commanded vessels prior to the Battle of Endor, Thrawn's access to a substantial fleet was curtailed following the Empire's defeat and subsequent fragmentation. Nevertheless, Thrawn endeavored to retain control of a number of ships, aiming to secure leadership of the Imperial Remnant, the surviving elements of the Empire, in his capacity as Grand Admiral.

Despite the perception among several commanders and warlords that they surpassed him in terms of significance, tactical acumen, and overall competence, Thrawn managed to assemble a fleet that, while smaller than the pre-Battle of Endor Imperial Navy, was sufficiently large to position him as the de facto leader of the Empire, a status acknowledged by the Moffs, the governors overseeing Imperial sectors, and the Ruling Council, a body comprising numerous Imperial Advisors. The nucleus of Thrawn's burgeoning fleet consisted of his personal armada, centered around his flagship, the Chimaera, and five additional Imperial-class Star Destroyers.

The initial phase of the campaign involved a series of Imperial operations targeting the planet Bimmisaari, with the objective of capturing the pregnant Leia Organa Solo, sister of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and a prominent member of the New Republic's governing body, the Provisional Council. Thrawn, whose identity and position were then unknown to the New Republic, initiated the mobilization of the Imperial Remnant and his fleet. The first instance of combat involving a vessel from Thrawn's fleet occurred on the planet Nkllon, where the Judicator launched an assault on the mobile mining facility, Nomad City. This facility was owned by the human Lando Calrissian, a friend of Organa Solo and a former General in the Rebel Alliance during the Battle of Endor. During the Raid on Nomad City, the outpost was raided, and the Empire commandeered fifty-one mole miners, substantial mining vehicles.

The criminal mastermind Talon Karrde rescued Luke Skywalker from pursuing Imperial forces before incapacitating him and confining him within their base on the planet Myrkr. Han Solo, Leia's husband and a former smuggler, and Lando Calrissian endeavored to locate Karrde, receiving information from a member of his organization regarding the base's location on Myrkr. Following Skywalker's escape from captivity, the Chimaera emerged from orbit above the planet concurrently with a member of Karrde's organization initiating pursuit. Landing craft were deployed by the Chimaera to Karrde's camp. Patrols were dispatched to apprehend Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade, a member of Karrde's group. Through a plan devised by Karrde's group, Han and Lando facilitated the rescue of Skywalker and Jade, with the Empire and the Chimaera failing to take them into custody.

The subsequent engagement involving the fleet occurred during the first significant battle of Thrawn's campaign, the raid on the planet Sluis Van, aimed at acquiring additional vessels for his cause. Utilizing a cloaking device obtained from the Empire's private storehouse on the planet Wayland, Thrawn concealed his warships and the mole miners seized from Nkllon, infiltrating the shipyard. By employing the mole miners to breach the command centers of the vessels, Thrawn intended to seize the entire fleet from the New Republic. However, Calrissian activated the mole miners' thrusters, utilizing a control code, rendering the ships Thrawn sought to acquire inoperable. Of Thrawn's fleet, five of the six Imperial Star Destroyers participated in the battle. The ship absent from the engagement was the Judicator, undergoing refitting following the strike on Nkllon. These five ships were augmented by a close support squadron of twelve Strike-class medium cruisers and a picket line of twenty-two Carrack-class light cruisers, with thirty TIE squadrons deployed as a fighter screen.

Following the Battle of Sluis Van, Han Solo encountered former Rebel General Garm Bel Iblis and his private militia. Among the vessels comprising Bel Iblis' militia were those from the Katana fleet, a fleet of ships long presumed lost. The Empire, seeking to augment its fleet, as Thrawn had acquired the technology to cultivate clones, eagerly sought to acquire these vessels to be crewed by the clones. By reaching Hoffner, the individual possessing knowledge of the ships' location, the Empire was able to navigate to the Katana fleet's position. However, the New Republic eventually discerned the location and dispatched forces as well. Discovering the Empire already present, the Battle for the Katana fleet ensued, with the Judicator participating as part of Thrawn's personal Armada, alongside the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Peremptory. Capitalizing on their prior arrival, the Empire managed to relocate the majority of the ships before the New Republic's arrival. The New Republic's tactical victory resulted in the Judicator being driven off, and the Peremptory destroyed.

This enabled Thrawn's fleet to expand, providing the incoming clones with a substantial number of vessels to crew. Bolstered by these new ships, Thrawn intensified his campaign, initiating a three-pronged assault on the planets Crondre, Ando, Filve and Ord Pardron. A significant portion of Thrawn's fleet participated, with the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Bellicose attacking Ando, Filve being targeted by the Judicator, and Crondre by the Nemesis, an Imperial-class Star Destroyer from Thrawn's personal Armada. Thrawn's flagship, the Chimaera, also attacked the planet Ukio. The primary objective of the three-pronged assault was to deplete the New Republic base on Ord Pardron, facilitating its subsequent capture, a goal that was successfully achieved. The insane clone of the long dead Jedi Master, Joruus C'baoth, had been urging Thrawn to capture Leia Organa Solo and her unborn twins for him so he could "train" them. Following the failure of a strike team dispatched to the New Republic capital of Coruscant, Thrawn consented to personally lead the fleet there. Launching an attack on Ord Mantell to ensure the Republic failed to anticipate the attack on Coruscant, Thrawn took the Chimaera and another Imperial-class Star Destroyer in his personal Armada to Coruscant. In addition to the other ships, this made a strong attack force on the New Republic capital.

By establishing a siege around Coruscant, utilizing asteroids orbiting the planet to impede the entry or exit of vessels, Thrawn and his fleet effectively isolated Coruscant from the rest of the galaxy. Following a successful second attack on Calrissian's Nomad City, attack on Generis and on Xa Fel, the next major battle was the Battle of Bilbringi. All of Thrawn's personal Armada participated in this battle, in addition to the two Immobilizer 418 cruisers Sentinel and Constrainer. Despite an initially favorable trajectory for the Empire, the battle's momentum shifted. The assassination of Thrawn at the hands of his Noghri bodyguard Rukh left the Empire without a leader, prompting Thrawn's second-in-command, Captain Gilad Pellaeon, to issue the order to retreat. This marked the conclusion of the Thrawn campaign, with the Chimaera, the former flagship, now under Pellaeon's command.

Thrawn's personal armada was composed of six Imperial-class Star Destroyers. The first, Chimaera, served as the flagship and principal vessel of Thrawn's personal armada and, indeed, Thrawn's fleet overall. Commanded by Thrawn himself, with Pellaeon as his deputy, the Chimaera participated in numerous battles throughout the campaign. Death's Head, under the command of Imperial Captain Harbid, saw action at engagements such as the assault on the New Republic base of Ord Pardron, the Siege of Coruscant, and the Battle of Bilbringi, where it made its final appearance. The third ship in Thrawn's personal armada, Inexorable, participated in the battles of Bpfassh, Sluis Van, and Bilbringi. The identity of the Inexorable's Captain remains unknown.

The fourth ship in the fleet, Judicator, was commanded by Captain Brandei and participated in three battles of the campaign. Having been one of the few ships in Thrawn's personal armada to have seen action at the Battle of Endor, Judicator first saw action under Thrawn with the attack on Nomad City. Judicator was also present at the Battle for the Katana fleet, where Captain Brandei became incensed at the New Republic for the destruction of the Peremptory. The final battle Judicator saw in the campaign was, like many of the fleet, the Battle of Bilbringi. The penultimate ship in Thrawn's personal armada, the Nemesis, saw action only at Sluis Van and Bilbringi. The final ship in Thrawn's personal armada, the Stormhawk, saw action in exactly the same battles as the Nemesis.

Three other Imperial-class Star Destroyers were part of the main fleet yet not of Thrawn's personal armada. The first, the Bellicose, was Captained by Imperial captain Aban. The three pronged attack on Ukio saw the Bellicose strike at the world of Filve.

The second ship in such a category was the Peremptory. It was destroyed by Han Solo in the battle for the Katana fleet. The final ship, the Relentless, was Captained by Imperial captain Dorja. This ship too, along with the Judicator, saw action at the Battle of Endor. The Relentless was first part of the battle over New Cov tangling with three of Bel Iblis's dreadnaught cruisers. Later, it would assist in the diversionary attacks necessary to take Ukio. The ship's final appearance was at the Battle of Bilbringi, where the Thrawn campaign came to an end.

Two Victory-class Star Destroyers were a part of Thrawn's fleet, neither seeing much action under Thrawn. The Adamant, the first of the two, was dispatched to the planet Abregado-rae to intercept Mara Jade. It saw very little combat under Thrawn, however remained as a part of the fleet.

Three Interdictor-class Star Destroyers were a part of Thrawn's fleet, none of them being a part of Thrawn's personal Armada. Commanded by Imperial Lieutenant Dezon, the Constrainer was first used in Thrawn's first attempt to capture Luke Skywalker, who he felt was a vital part of the New Republic. This attack was unsuccessful, however the Constrainer saw action again in the attempt to capture Talon Karrde on Myrkr, however was unsuccessful in that venture too. The final battle the Constrainer participated in was the Battle of Bilbringi, and the defeat of Thrawn's fleet.

The second Interdictor-class Star Destroyer was the Rampart, a cruiser in the Imperial Navy. The third, and final, was the Sentinel, which participated too in the Battle of Bilbringi.

The Grand Admiral primarily utilized the armada as a mobile strike force for planetary conquests and extended-range operations, exemplified by the assaults on Sluis Van and Ukio. It could also integrate with other forces during campaign warfare, serving as the focal point of larger fleet formations in major, pre-planned battles.

Thrawn's assembled warships might be considered analogous in scale and importance to the Death Squadron commanded by Darth Vader, though lacking a flagship of the Super Star Destroyer class. Observers noted that his combined forces represented only a fraction of the Empire's once-massive military strength, making its significant successes against the New Republic even more remarkable.

However, a lot of specifics are still unknown. The fleet's official designation, for instance, is a mystery. While the Chimaera seemingly acted as the flagship for the remnants of the Endor-deployed fleet for the five years preceding, the link between that larger group and this armada is unclear; Captain Brandei of the Judicator was a veteran of Endor as well, but at least one Star Destroyer within his group, the Inexorable, had apparently served alongside the Grand Admiral in the Unknown Regions during the intervening years.

It goes without saying that Thrawn's main battle force consisted of more than just a handful of Star Destroyers. Imperial-class and Victory-class Star Destroyers are documented to have directly supported the armada, and the armada's ships could be integrated with supplementary forces as needed by the tactical situation. For instance, in the lead-up to the assault on the shipyard mentioned earlier, the armada's ships were combined with other Star Destroyers and briefly formed into three battle groups of four ships each, with each Star Destroyer supported by a dedicated task force of around five smaller vessels, during a series of coordinated strikes on planets near Sluis Van.

The primary warships within the fleet included Imperial-class Star Destroyers, Victory-class Star Destroyers, Carrack-class light cruisers, Strike-medium class cruisers, Immobilizer 418 cruisers, Lancer-class frigates, Star Galleon-class frigates, and Interdictor-class Star Destroyers.

Following the Battle for the Katana fleet, 179 Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers were incorporated into the fleet.

The fleet utilized at least four Golan II Space Defense Platforms. It is possible that more were used. Thrawn possessed at least one more equipped with cloaking technology.

Thrawn had access to three starship production centers: the Yaga Minor shipyards, the Ord Trasi shipyards, and the Bilbringi shipyards.

The fleet's primary starfighters were TIE/LN starfighters, TIE/sa bombers, and TIE/IN interceptors. Scimitar assault bombers were later added to the fleet's arsenal.

F7 "Landing Brick" Drop-Ships were used prominently, alongside Lambda-class T-4a shuttles, Gamma-class assault shuttles, Beta-class assault shuttles, and a variety of other types of assault shuttles.

Imperial Naval troopers were deployed for duties such as guarding and maintaining military facilities and Star Destroyers.

The 181st Imperial Fighter Wing, Black Wing Squadron, Cloak Force, and Scimitar assault wing were all part of the armada, with the 181st Wing and Black Wing participating in the Battle of Bilibringi.

Given his position as Supreme Commander, Thrawn was able to amass a sizable armed force from the Imperial Army.

The primary walkers used by the fleet included All Terrain Armored Transports, All Terrain Scout Transports, and All Terrain Personal Transports. Other vehicles used were LAVr QH-7 Chariots, HAVr A9 Floating Fortresses, Swift Assault 5s, PX-4 Mobile Command Bases, S-1 FireHawke Heavy Repulsortanks, Imperial-class 1-H Repulsortanks, HAVw A5 Juggernauts, Repulsor Scouts, 74-Z speeder bikes, and armored transport carriers.

Imperial Army troopers were stationed to protect planets under Thrawn's dominion.

As commander of the Stormtrooper Corps, Thrawn had command over the remaining members of the 501st Legion during his campaign.

Storm commandos and Noghri Death Commandos were deployed on specialized operations.

Stormtroopers, Land assault troopers and Biker Scouts were utilized for conquests and planetary defense. During the attack on the Sluis Van Shipyards, Zero-G Assault Stormtroopers boarded the battleships. Radiation zone assault troopers were deployed to attack the radioactive surface of Qat Chrystac.

Despite the supposed demise of Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard and the official disbandment of Imperial Intelligence, the organization persisted and was extensively used by Thrawn.

Thrawn personally selected Major Molo Himron to lead his Imperial commandos to Coruscant to capture Leia Organa Solo's twins. Their secondary mission involved neutralizing Mara Jade, who had defected to the New Republic.

Before launching strikes against New Republic installations, Thrawn discovered Delta Source, a collection of audio intelligence recording devices concealed within the trees of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant.

After locating Mount Tantiss on Wayland, Thrawn exploited its cloaking technology and spaarti cloning cylinders.

The cloning cylinders were instrumental in expanding Thrawn's army, addressing the shortage of soldiers in his fleet.

The cloaking devices were used extensively; several starships were cloaked, and Thrawn employed cloaked asteroids as siege weapons during his retaking of Coruscant.

During the Thrawn Crisis, Thrawn's fleet utilized several siege platforms positioned above the planet Qat Chrystac, deploying Imperial Radiation Troopers to destroy a clandestine New Republic base on the planet's surface.

Torpedo Spheres were deployed within the fleet.

During the Battle of Woostri, Thrawn deployed cloaked attack cruisers to launch a surprise assault on the planet.

Thrawn maintained a crystal gravfield trap at the Imperial shipyards in the Bilbringi system. Shield barriers were also in place for defensive purposes.

Thrawn's forces relied heavily on Ysalamir to counter force-sensitives.

During the Raid on Nomad City, 51 Plasma-Jet Mole Miners were stolen and subsequently used to hijack New Republic ships at the Sluis Van Shipyards.

• Grand Admiral Thrawn
• Captain Gilad Pellaeon
• General Freja Covell
• Captain Aban
• Captain Brandei
• Captain Harbid
• Captain Dorja
• Stormtrooper Colonel TC-1289
• Lieutenant Dezon
• Lieutenant Tschel
• Ensign Rejlii Mithel

The Chimaera, along with Inexorable, Death's Head, Stormhawk and Nemesis, appear together in mission 6:2 of Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance.