The Xyston-class Star Destroyer, alternatively known as the Xyston-class Destroyer, the Final Order Star Destroyer, the Sith Star Destroyer, Sith Destroyer, or simply the "planet destroyer," represented a specific Star Destroyer design. These vessels were exclusively operated by the fleet of the Sith Eternal, serving the Final Order. Kuat-Entralla Engineering produced these ships, which were fundamentally based on the classic Imperial-class Star Destroyer. What set the Xyston-class apart was its unique axial superlaser, a weapon capable of obliterating planets and ships alike. The Sith Star Destroyer embodied the vision of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, who sought to impose galactic submission through overwhelming military power and fear.
Secretly and patiently constructed on Exegol under Sidious' direction both during and long after the Galactic Civil War, the Xyston-class Star Destroyer would ultimately become the most formidable warship ever created in galactic history. A single destroyer posed a grave threat to nearly any world or vessel. Despite its successful raid and subsequent destruction of the planet Kijimi, the Xyston-class Star Destroyer remained largely unused until the decisive Battle of Exegol in 35 ABY, where 1,080 Sith Star Destroyers faced seemingly insurmountable odds.
Allegiant General Enric Pryde received orders from Darth Sidious to deploy the Xyston-class Star Destroyer fleet from Exegol. However, the destruction of the Sith fleet's flagship narrowly prevented their launch. Trapped within Exegol's atmosphere and unable to maneuver, the Resistance systematically destroyed the Sith Star Destroyers one by one, albeit at a significant cost. This destruction not only potentially saved numerous worlds and denied the First Order crucial reinforcements, but it also triggered the downfall of the Final Order, marking a turning point in the ongoing war in favor of the Resistance.
The Xyston-class Star Destroyer, an unparalleled and advanced warship, possessed the potential to be the ultimate weapon, guaranteeing the Sith Eternal's dominance over the galaxy. However, critical flaws in its design ultimately sealed its fate before it could reach its full potential. Following Darth Sidious' death and the subsequent annihilation of its forces at the Battle of Exegol, the Xyston-class Star Destroyer program was abandoned and discontinued.
The Xyston-class Star Destroyer, alternatively referred to as the Xyston-class Destroyer and recognized as the Final Order Star Destroyer, the Sith Star Destroyer, Sith Destroyer, and "planet destroyer," was a type of Star Destroyer that measured 2,406 meters in length and 682 meters in height. It was produced by Kuat-Entralla Engineering. Due to its considerable size, it was classified as a battlecruiser according to the Anaxes War College System. This starship was purposefully designed to evoke a sense of total destruction.
Given that their construction occurred during the era of the Galactic Empire, their design strongly resembled the historic Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Consequently, they appeared somewhat outdated when the Sith Star Destroyers were finally unveiled to the galaxy in 35 ABY. Conversely, they were enlarged and equipped with advanced automation systems, reducing the required crew size to 29,585 personnel. Each Xyston featured the distinctive red markings of the Sith Eternal along the outer edges of its dorsal hull. As a derivative of the Imperial-class design, the Sith Star Destroyer retained the same dagger-shaped hull and was distinguished by a conning tower positioned atop an armored superstructure.
The tower housed the crew decks, the bridge, and a powerful deflector shield generator. The tower's exterior incorporated two deflector shield generator domes on the port and starboard sides, along with an enhanced communications array that was physically identical to the tractor beam targeting array found on the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer. The bow of the Sith Star Destroyer contained a forward sensor cluster, forward atmosphere pressurization and circulation pumps, the atmosphere distribution duct, raw material stores, and liquid stores.
While equipped with a hyperdrive and deflector shields, Sith Star Destroyers were unable to activate either system while on Exegol due to the unstable atmosphere filled with static discharges. Although they possessed individual navigation systems, a navigational beacon from a navigation tower had to be connected to each Xyston-class ship's navigation systems, effectively ceding control of their flight systems to a central coordinating intelligence.
The defining characteristic of the destroyer's destructive capability was the axial superlaser cannon, a superweapon capable of annihilating entire planets to enforce Darth Sidious's rule. The weapon was triggered by a direct pulse of ionic energy from the reactor. Upon firing, the axial superlaser emitted a continuous beam that penetrated deep into a planet's surface. After breaching the surface, the beam pulsed continuously, powered by the reactor, until parts of the planet exploded, ultimately leading to the complete destruction of the celestial body in a massive explosion. The axial superlaser's barrel featured a forcing cone barrel head followed by a collimator assembly sleeve. The cannon was supported by articulation cradle servomotors and a superlaser power feed directly from the main reactor. Like the Death Star, these weapons were powered by kyber crystals. Hangar space and deep storage areas were reduced to accommodate the axial superlaser and its associated power distribution network.
The First Order's Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought was a test project derived from the design of the Xyston-class Star Destroyer. As the superlaser was directly linked to the ship's reactor, destroying one would inevitably destroy the other. The abundant power reserves required careful balancing and management by a team of skilled fleet technicians. Normally, ship systems would reduce power output to safe levels. However, because the superlaser was directly connected to the reactor, any miscalculation by the technical crews monitoring the reactor could have catastrophic consequences. Bridge-based duty stations were more sought-after positions for fleet technicians than the radioactive areas of the engineering section or superlaser maintenance. The reactor was situated near the primary power converters, a main power distribution trunk, a port main sublight engine power trunk, reactor coolant pumps, and a heavy weapons power converter. Within the superstructure were the hyperdrive generator and field projectors, the hyperdrive power distribution trunk, and an atmospheric processing plant. Towards the stern of the ship, the main sublight engine nozzles gave way to the coolant storage bottles, the main reactor fuel silo, the auxiliary reactor, and other systems.
For sublight propulsion, the Xyston-class employed seven ion engines (three primary and four secondary, with the smaller secondary engines flanking the larger main engines) at the vessel's aft. Main power was supplied by a solar ionization reactor that directly fed the Sith Star Destroyer's planet-destroying axial superlaser. At least two launch bays were located adjacent to the superlaser, and an engineering section was situated between the cannon and the reactor. The reactor was positioned on the ventral hull beneath the Star Destroyer's superstructure. The reactor consisted of a hypermatter annihilation chamber protected by multi-layered armor and a shielded dome. The heavily shielded carbonite- and durasteel-lined chamber collected the energy output from the power core and distributed it to intensive systems like the hyperdrive and sublight propulsion. With the injection of hypermatter catalysts, the reactor created a miniature sun, and the resulting energetic output was channeled directly into the kyber-focused superlaser.
The primary function of the Xyston-class was to enforce Darth Sidious's rule through its superlasers, resulting in a design that prioritized function over form. Nevertheless, for ship-to-ship combat and defense, Xyston-class ships were additionally equipped with forty heavy turbolaser batteries, forty ion cannons, forty point-defense laser cannons, thirty-five variable-ordnance warhead launchers, and ten heavy tractor beam projectors. The two launch bays housed a total of seventy-two TIE/dg starfighters, secured by docking clamps.
The intended purpose of the Xyston-class Star Destroyer was to rapidly deploy to key locations throughout the galaxy, eliminating any desire for freedom and establishing a permanent order. With its orbital bombardment capabilities, the Xyston could be employed for first-strike operations.
Shortly after the rise to power of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Sith Lord initiated the modernization of the shipyard forges within the Forbidden District on the Sith world of Exegol in the Unknown Regions. This served as a contingency to maintain a secret stronghold of power separate from the rest of the Galactic Empire. Covert shipments from Sith loyalists within various corporations upgraded the facilities to enable the production of the Xyston-class Star Destroyer and the new Sith TIE/dg starfighters. By the time of the Escape from Cloud City by members of the Rebel Alliance in 3 ABY, hundreds of Sith Star Destroyers were already under construction beneath the surface of Exegol by Sith cultists. When Sidious' Sith apprentice Darth Vader and the Sith assassin Ochi of Bestoon arrived during a mission to Exegol for Vader to uncover his Sith Master's secrets and challenge his power, the Emperor revealed the Sith armada of Star Destroyers to further demonstrate his power to Vader. Sidious also revealed a large kyber crystal near the shipyard used for the superlasers and corrupted it, resulting in a blinding light and Vader's submission to Sidious.
Following Sidious' initial death during the Battle of Endor, Vader's death, and the subsequent collapse of the Empire, Darth Sidious returned and orchestrated the rise of the First Order, a successor state controlled by his puppet Supreme Leader Snoke. The First Order deployed the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought, which was, in reality, a test platform for the axial superlasers intended for the Xyston-class Star Destroyers. After Kylo Ren, Snoke's apprentice, usurped the position of Supreme Leader and the continued war between the First Order and the Resistance, Darth Sidious announced his return to the wider galaxy. When Ren confronted Sidious on Exegol, the Sith Lord raised the entire Sith armada, named the Final Order, and all of its 1,080 Sith Star Destroyers from beneath the planet's surface. The Sith fleet was offered to Ren to augment the First Order's resources and to rule the galaxy under the enduring reign of a new Sith Empire.
The news of the legions of Sith Star Destroyers was discussed by the First Order Supreme Council, leading to a debate among the regime's top leaders. While the Supreme Leader expressed his belief that the Sith Eternal forces would enable the First Order to evolve into a true empire, General Domaric Quinn voiced his skepticism about the newly discovered Sith armada. Allegiant General Enric Pryde quickly countered and rebuked Quinn, asserting that the Final Order fleet would increase the First Order's resources tenfold and rectify the failure of Starkiller Base. As a consequence of the Sith armada, General Bellava Parnadee suggested to General Amret Engell that the First Order should increase recruitment efforts. However, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren subsequently killed Quinn for again expressing his doubts.
Following a duel on Kef Bir and Ren's subsequent return to the light side of the Force, reclaiming his identity as Ben Solo, Sidious contacted Allegiant General Pryde. He ordered Pryde to dispatch a Xyston-class Star Destroyer to Kijimi for its destruction as a demonstration of the Sith Eternal's power. He also instructed the general to travel to Exegol to oversee the launch of the Final Order and lead it. Reaffirming his loyalty to his Galactic Emperor, General Pryde complied with the orders.
The Sith Star Destroyer Derriphan, under the command of Captain Chesille Sabrond, was dispatched from Exegol to the Mid Rim world, marking the first launch of a Xyston-class ship into the wider galaxy. Once First Order forces had been evacuated under Protocol 13, the Derriphan fired its axial superlaser, destroying Kijimi. Following the planet's destruction, the Derriphan returned to Exegol and rejoined the Sith fleet.
After the Resistance regrouped on Ajan Kloss, they discovered that Rey had taken Luke Skywalker's T-65B X-wing Red Five to Exegol, transmitting navigation coordinates through the Unknown Regions. Generals Poe Dameron and Finn rallied the Resistance, proposing that destroying the navigation tower on Exegol's surface would trap the Sith fleet in the atmosphere without shields. Once this occurred, they would target the axial superlasers on the Sith Star Destroyers and destroy the fleet. Recognizing their numerical disadvantage, General Lando Calrissian and the Wookiee Chewbacca were dispatched on the Millennium Falcon through the Core Worlds to gather allies. Shortly after the briefing, Rey arrived on Exegol, announced by a Sith Eternal officer on a Sith Star Destroyer. Allegiant General Pryde promptly ordered the fleet to ascend to deployment altitude, and the Xyston-class Star Destroyers began to rise through the planet's surface.
Shortly after Rey entered the Sith Citadel, a Sith fleet technician on the Derriphan informed Captain Sabrond of incoming Resistance craft. Sabrond sought direction from General Pryde, who ordered the use of ion cannons. The Resistance fleet then arrived at Exegol, immediately coming under attack from the legions of Sith Star Destroyers. Following the chaotic entry, General Dameron ordered the Resistance ships to descend to the fleet's altitude, reasoning that the Star Destroyers could not fire without inflicting damage on themselves. Finn then located the navigation tower, but the Sith Star Destroyers launched swarms of Sith TIE fighters from their launch bays, engaging the Resistance fighters. As the Resistance approached the tower, General Pryde ordered the signal transferred to his flagship, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Steadfast.
Once the signal was transferred to the Steadfast, the Resistance shifted their attack to the Sith fleet's command ship, deploying Resistance troopers onto the hull near the ship's navigation tower, supported by air cover from the starfighters. After a skirmish on the Steadfast, the Resistance temporarily disabled the navigation system. They soon realized the Steadfast was rebooting the system and that reinforcements might not arrive. Dameron then ordered aerial Resistance forces to attack the Xyston-class Star Destroyers directly, but they began sustaining heavy casualties. Rey watched as she confronted Darth Sidious at the Citadel, witnessing the destruction of more Resistance fighters by the Sith forces. One starfighter, piloted by Major Temmin Wexley, was shot down and crashed into the hull of a Sith Star Destroyer, causing an explosion. Overwhelmed by the communications and visuals of his companions being destroyed, Dameron apologized to his pilots and began to lose hope.
At that moment, General Calrissian and Chewbacca arrived with a substantial force of 14,000 vessels, dubbed the Citizens' Fleet. Dameron promptly took command, ordering the ships to target the superlasers on the Xyston-class Star Destroyers. The Sith Star Destroyer Sutta, under the command of Captain Strok, became the first victim of the allied forces, with starfighters and the Millennium Falcon targeting its superlaser. The cannon exploded, triggering a chain reaction through the midship, resulting in multiple large explosions that consumed the Star Destroyer. Shortly after the Sutta's destruction was relayed on the Steadfast's bridge, General Pryde expressed confusion about the Resistance's ability to amass such a force. The spice runner Zorii Bliss, piloting a BTA-NR2 Y-wing starfighter, then targeted another Xyston's superlaser and destroyed it, causing multiple explosions on the Sith Star Destroyer's ventral hull.
The allied armada quickly followed the initial assault, bombarding the Sith fleet with laserfire, concussion missiles, and proton torpedoes. The Resistance no longer faced a numerical disadvantage, and the Xyston-class Star Destroyers crumbled under the attack, positioned too closely to each other. Consequently, many Sith Star Destroyers collided, while others lost their engines and began falling towards Exegol's surface. The massive vessels designed to destroy planets were unable to withstand the smaller vessels of the Resistance. One Sith Star Destroyer listed sideways with smoke billowing from its hull and collided with another, both plummeting to the surface. Another Star Destroyer fell after a pair of torpedoes struck its underside. Star Destroyers began falling out of formation, many exploding into multiple segments.
Simultaneously, Rey and the redeemed Ben Solo were incapacitated after confronting Sidious. The live Force of their Force dyad was consumed. Regaining his strength and obtaining untapped power, Sidious proclaimed to his Sith disciples not to fear the allied attack on the Final Order fleet. Sidious then unleashed a torrent of Force lightning into the atmosphere, targeting any vessels not affiliated with the Sith. The ships were disabled and began to crash onto the surface, but Rey, drawing strength from all the Jedi before her, once again confronted Sidious, forcing him to cease the lightning barrage. Recovering, the allied forces regrouped and continued their assault on the Sith Star Destroyers.
Rey soon killed Darth Sidious, and Finn and Resistance fighter Jannah destroyed the bridge of the Steadfast, resulting in the loss of the navigation signal. As Sith Star Destroyers crumbled around the Steadfast, the ship began to fall and crashed onto the surface of Exegol after Finn and Jannah were rescued. Many other Sith Star Destroyers began crashing onto the surface, and wreckage littered much of the ground. As Star Destroyers continued to crash, Rey in Red Five joined with the Resistance forces and the Citizens' Fleet, who were beginning to evacuate the planet. As news of the Sith Eternal's defeat and the destruction of the Sith spread, an uprising against the First Order erupted throughout the galaxy.
The Xyston-class Star Destroyer made its debut in the film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. Within the Star Wars Legends universe, the idea of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer enhanced with a superlaser is present, embodied by the Star Destroyer named Conqueror.