Warship

A starship intended for participation as a combatant in naval warfare was called a warship, or military starship, by the navy. Throughout history, a variety of factions made use of warships that differed in size, type, and intended function. Warships were integrated into the service of numerous militaries, where they were equipped with armaments like proton torpedoes and laser cannons for both offensive and defensive roles, in addition to protective measures like deflector shields. In addition to armed forces, warships were employed by other entities like planetary defense forces, mercenaries, pirates, and megacorporations for their own objectives. Warships had a variety of functions, since they were made for fighting and could be used in a wide range of roles, from conquest and attack to piracy, protection, transportation, and supply.

Warships saw extensive use in combat and were employed in a wide range of roles. Warships functioned as transports, supply ships, picket ships, carriers, hospital ships, evac ships, dropships, and in some cases, as consular ships. They also served as command ships, such as the flagship of a fleet or flag officer, battleships, and assault ships.

Throughout the ages, the names and classifications of military starships were inconsistent because shipwrights, species, and guilds all used their own metrics and terminology. Despite this, all classification systems agreed that a capital ship was a warship with a length of 100 meters or greater.

During the Clone Wars that started in 22 BBY, the Anaxes War College System was first used and became the standard system for classifying capital ships in the galaxy. At that time, it created three new warship classes: the dreadnought, the battlecruiser, and the destroyer. Because warships could move up or down in class depending on their armament or function, the system's classifications were flexible. Beyond this, the system's designers created a general shorthand that categorized starfighters, transports, and corvettes as gunships; cruisers as frigates and light cruisers; and battleships as larger warships of the line.

When measuring more granular, capital ships that were between 100-200 meters were classified as corvettes; 200-400 meters as frigates; 400-600 meters as cruisers; 600-1,200 meters as heavy cruisers; 1,000-2,000 meters as destroyers; 2,000-5,000 meters as battlecruisers; and 5,000 meters and larger as dreadnoughts. Certain warship types, such as the Subjugator-class, which was classified as a star dreadnought, dreadnought, battleship, battlecruiser, heavy cruiser, and the Free Virgillia-class Bunkerbuster, which was regarded as a corvette, frigate, and cruiser, could fall into multiple classes.

Additionally, the phrase "sub-capital ship" was used to describe specific warships, however some sub-capital ships, such as the 282-meter Pelta-class frigate, were also regarded as capital ships.

There were additional varieties of small warships employed in naval combat in addition to capital ships. These included a variety of space-capable gunboats, including missile boats, escort gunboats, and assault gunboats. The Corsair was another style of warship.

Other types of starships, while not categorized as warships, could nonetheless be used for military objectives. Yachts that had been retrofitted and freighters were frequently employed in combat.

For thousands of years, military starships, particularly capital ships, served as the cornerstone of navies, and their designs evolved in response to developments in technology and economic incentives.

In the decades of peace leading up to the Clone Wars, the Kuat, Humbarine, and Corellian sectors constructed numerous enormous and powerful warships to safeguard their immense industrial wealth. However, in contrast to later models, their hyperdrive jump ranges were restricted to the local area.