A cruiser of Mon Calamari design served within the Mon Cala Imperial Trade Fleet. During a Rebel Alliance team mission led by Leia Organa, this cruiser was positioned above the planet of Mon Cala. Later, this very cruiser became part of the fleet's mutiny, defecting to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. At least a pair of these cruisers actively fought in the Battle of Mako-Ta.
Following the mutiny on Mon Cala, General Vanden Huyck Willard took command of Yavin's Hope, a cruiser belonging to this class. It had undergone modifications using technology sourced from Shu-Torun. After the Rebel Alliance celebrated the assembly of this navy, Willard readied his cruiser for a jump to hyperspace. However, the technology provided to the rebellion proved faulty, including the hyperdrive on Willard's cruiser. Darth Vader's Death Squadron then appeared and obliterated Willard's cruiser, resulting in killing him and the ship's entire complement.
The Mon Calamari cruiser made its initial appearance, though without a name, in the 2018 canon comic book, Star Wars (2015) 44. The comic was penned by Kieron Gillen and features illustrations by Salvador Larroca.