The Victory-class Star Destroyer was a type of Star Destroyer utilized by both the Republic Navy and the Imperial Navy. A notable ship within this class was the Victory II-class Star Destroyer. This Victory-class possessed the capability to deploy a garrison base and execute landings on planetary surfaces, further enhanced by its seven sublight engines. This vessel was suitable for providing protection to convoys, transporting various goods, and accompanying other vessels.
Initially employed by the Galactic Republic, the Victory-class continued its service under the Galactic Empire starting in 19 BBY, with the Harrow being an example of an Imperial vessel. In 14 BBY, the Empire made use of multiple Victory-class ships, including some stationed at Coruscant's Imperial Palace and Belderone's R/M Facility Four deepdock. During the Galactic Civil War, at least five Victory-class Star Destroyers were part of the fleet commanded by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader sometime after the Battle of Yavin.
The Victory-class Star Destroyer, a type of Star Destroyer, was characterized by a vertical structure extending upwards from its central tower, along with protruding flaps on each of its sides. In addition, it was powered by seven sublight engines and had the capacity to transport a minimum of one garrison base. The ability to land on surfaces was also present in the Victory-class.
The Victory II-class Star Destroyer represents one variant of the Victory-class Star Destroyer.
The task of providing security for freighters within a convoy could be fulfilled by the Victory-class Star Destroyer. Furthermore, the ship was capable of transporting essential cargo, such as Darth Vader's meditation chamber, and accompanying other Imperial Star Destroyers, for example the Imperial-class Star Destroyer and the Onager-class Star Destroyer.
The Republic Navy was the initial user of the Victory-class Star Destroyer. Sentinel Base, a monitoring station overseeing supply shipments destined for the first Death Star battle station, started as a garrison base deployed from a Victory-class Star Destroyer belonging to the Republic, later expanded through the addition of prefabricated modules.
The Victory-class continued to be used by the Imperial Navy after the rise of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. On one occasion, a space attack resulted in extensive damage to a Victory-class Star Destroyer by the MC75 Star Cruiser named Aspiration. In a separate event, two Victory-class Star Destroyers accompanied the Imperial Onager-class Star Destroyer Rakehell as it traversed a gas cloud in space.
The Harrow was an Imperial Victory-class ship that at some point was positioned above a planet. Another Victory-class served as the primary security for Imperial Convoy 8766, a group comprising four bulk freighters and six medium freighters, rumored to be en route to a clandestine Imperial facility. This convoy reached an Imperial depot over a period of three days, with the Star Destroyer arriving on the second day.
In 14 BBY, the Coruscant Imperial Palace's landing field was capable of accommodating Victory-class Star Destroyers. A contingent of stormtroopers under the command of Darth Vader transferred the Sith Lord's meditation chamber from a Victory-class ship stationed at the landing field to the corvette Carrion Spike, in preparation for Vader's mission to Murkhana alongside Moff Wilhuff Tarkin.
At Murkhana, rebel insurgents stole the Carrion Spike and used it to attack Galidraan Station. Tarkin and Vader pursued them to Galidraan III, but the insurgents soon escaped the system. Tarkin then inquired with an Imperial colonel about available Imperial resources, suspecting another strike. The colonel mentioned the Imperial Navy R/M Facility Four deepdock at Belderone, where several Victory-class Star Destroyers were stationed, along with CR90 corvettes, two Carrack-class light cruisers, and the Venator-class Star Destroyer Liberator. Tarkin decided to send the Liberator to Nam Chorios, considering it the most likely target, but the insurgents instead chose to attack Lucazec.
During the Galactic Civil War, sometime after the Battle of Yavin, at least five Victory-class Star Destroyers served alongside Vader's flagship, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Devastator, after the Sith Lord discovered that the rebel responsible for destroying the first Death Star was named Skywalker.
The initial appearance of the Victory-class Star Destroyer in the new Star Wars canon was in the 2014 novel Tarkin, authored by James Luceno. Its first visual representation was in Darth Vader (2015) 6, a 2015 comic book penned by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Salvador Larroca. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Victory class debuted in the 1979 novel Han Solo's Revenge, written by Brian Daley.