Corellian Engineering Corporation

For other uses, see Corellian.

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Corellian engineering. A CEC ship will keep going until it hits something.Han Solo

Corellian Engineering Corporation, abbreviated CEC and originally called Corellian Engineering Corps, was one of the three largest starship manufacturers. This corporation was widely considered the most prolific starship manufacturer in the galaxy.

Description

CEC, whose shipyards were located in the Corellian system, owed much of its success to the abnormally high numbers of skilled designers, engineers, and shipwrights the system produced. The shipyards were well known for their modular freighters which could be upgraded for combat with both legal and illegal after-market kits. These popular freighters ranged from the YG-series first made centuries before the Battle of Yavin to the VCX series produced shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong War.

CECO01AB1 — Corellian Engineering Corporation advertisement flier for the CR90 Corvette and YT-1300

Unlike the company's main competitors (Kuat Drive Yards and Sienar Fleet Systems), CEC relied almost solely on civilian sales rather than military contracts. Even so, CEC's reputation for solid spaceframes and excellent engines meant that it was often subcontracted to build warships using other companies' designs: Star Destroyers built by CEC had a reputation for being the fastest ships in the Imperial Navy, both at sublight and hyperspace speeds.^[7] The smuggler Han Solo boasted of having outrun such ships. CEC also constructed vessels for the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

In the centuries before the Clone Wars, the Corellian sector was guarded by warships bigger than Acclamator-class assault ships. These were presumably also homemade designs rather than imports from other notable shipwrights, like Kuat Drive Yards or Rendili Star Drive.

CEC also teamed up with Loronar Corporation to jointly fund The Nerfworks, a radical think tank responsible for a number of starship designs, including some droid starships. In addition, it jointly owned Chempat Engineered Defenses with Kuat Drive Yards. A competing shipwright, Corellia StarDrive, was bought by CEC after their senior design team was killed in a shuttle crash.

History

The guilty party is Corellian Engineering Corporation. The oldest ship manufacturer in Republic history.Darth Charnus

The Corellian Engineering Corporation was one of the oldest starship manufacturers in Republic history^[17] and claimed to be the longest-operating business entity in galactic history.^[15]

CEC Tower — The CEC Island during the Battle of Corellia

During the Galactic War, CEC supported the Galactic Republic in the war against the Sith Empire. Prior to the Battle of Corellia, Imperial Intelligence attempted to infiltrate the offices of the Corellian Engineering Corporation in Coronet City in order to take control of the corporation's powerful defense systems. However, the operation was a failure and all Intelligence's operatives were uncovered.^[15] When the Sith invasion of Corellia finally started, in 3640 BBY,^[18] the company found itself on the frontline of the battle. In the Incorporation Islands, powerful local corporations, particularly the CEC, supported the Corellian forces and attacked Imperial troops. Furthermore, CEC used ion weapons to neutralize Coronet's rocket trams that were used by the Empire to move its troops. The CEC headquarters soon became the main _target of the Sith but Imperial forces were not able to pass through the company's formidable defensive system. Darth Charnus therefore ordered his special operatives and commander Jastal of the Imperial Guard to capture the hull-cracker experimental weapon from the Czerka Corporation.^[17] After securing the weapon, Imperial operatives directly attacked the CEC Island and fought CEC's massive army of security droids. The operatives were finally able to disable the droids by destroying signal towers.^[19] The Empire then used the hull-cracker to breach the CEC headquarters. Imperial troops assaulted the Central Tower and pummeled all resistance, including the powerful C-9X battle droid. The Sith forces eventually slaughtered the CEC board of directors and took steps to replace them.^[8] Although the Sith Empire was eventually drove out of Corellia, resulting in a major Republic victory,^[20] the Battle of Corellia was a major disaster for the Corellian Engineering Corporation.^[8]

During the rule of the Eternal Empire, the Corellian Engineering Corporation was rumoured to be developing an experimental stealth technology for a mysterious buyer.^[21]

Some time after the fall of the Corellian monarchy in 312 BBY,^[22] the Corellian system became a corporatocracy. The Corellian government was fronted by a puppet ruler known as the Diktat while the state was in fact ruled the boards of directors of powerful corporations, including CEC. The only interest of this regime was the development of economy and the growth of Corellian companies.^[1]

During the last decades of the Republic, prior to the Clone Wars, the Corellian Engineering Corporation provided the bulk of the Republic warships by producing Consular-class cruisers, Republic light assault cruisers,^[23] and CL-1c Lancet interceptor for the Judicial Fleet.^[1] In 60 BBY, CEC constructed the YT-1300 light freighter YT 492727ZED, later known as the Millennium Falcon, at Orbital Assembly Facility 7.^[24]

Battle of the Corridor — A fleet of CEC-manufactured Rebel starships destroy an Imperial Star Destroyer

After the Declaration of a New Order, CEC became a voting sponsor of the Corporate Sector Authority.^[2] During the Galactic Civil War, the Corellian Engineering Corporation was not a major supplier of the Imperial Navy but CEC starships were favored by the Rebel Alliance. The polyvalent CR90 corvette became one of the most iconic vessels of the Rebellion.^[25]

After the Battle of Yavin, CEC performed asteroid mining operations in the Corellian,^[26] Dathomir,^[9] Endor,^[10] Karthakk,^[12] Kashyyyk,^[13] and Kessel systems.^[14] These operations were supervised by Thom Steele^[27] and Captain Koh.^[28] CEC mining operations were often threatened by pirates such as the Asteroid Bandits.^[26]

After the Battle of Yavin, a number of CEC employees disappeared in the city of Tyrena, on Corellia, and CEC sensitive data showed up on black market. The rival company Kuat Drive Yards was suspected to be responsible.^[1] In 1 ABY,^[29] the Corellian Engineering Corporation frequently recruited independent spacers to deal with minor troubles affecting the company. Such missions included the destruction of a gangster base involved in industrial espionage, the removal of dangerous wild animals from a CEC testing facility, and the elimination of a gang of criminals hired by an anti-armaments radical group to sabotage CEC weapon factories.^[30]^[31]^[32]