One of the largest and most powerful Imperialvessels ever created, the Executor was 19,000 meters long,[5] eclipsing its escorting Imperial-class Star Destroyers,[9] and boasted more than 5,000 turbolasers and ion cannons. The center of the arrowhead-shaped hull, constructed of an alusteel alloy of reinforced titanium, was covered by a city-like superstructure, while the underside hosted most of the engineering systems. The aft end of the Executor was marked by a trapezoidal command tower crowned by two geodesic communication and deflection domes. The thirteen thrusters at the bottom end of the hull were responsible for moving the vessel.[5] It was considered the most important ship in the Imperial Navy, and could have feasibly destroyed entire fleets unaided.[19]
Crew
The Executor was staffed by a total crew of 280,784, including Imperial officers, pilots, and enlisted crew.[4] Many of the best and brightest officers of the Imperial Navy were stationed aboard the Executor, because Darth Vader's frequent termination of officers offered a fast chance for promotion.[19] There was also a throne room in one of the highest levels, used at least once by the Emperor himself, which was independent from the rest of the ship and boasted its own airlocks and life support systems.[12] At the time of the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY,[20]AdmiralKendal Ozzel was in command of the vessel, but he was executed by Vader, and CaptainFirmus Piett was promoted to admiral and took command.[9] Piett served as the vessel's last admiral until Endor.[21]
As in the Imperial I-[43] and Imperial II-classes,[44] the bridge of the Executor featured two elongated pits set below floor level, and a walkway where the superior officers stood. One notable difference was that,[9] around 3 ABY,[45] the pit consoles were aligned parallel to the walkway, instead of perpendicular.[9] However, by 4 ABY,[45] the arrangement of the consoles had been altered.[21]
Armament
The Executor boasted an armament of unimaginable firepower,[46] composed of over 5,000 turbolasers[7] including 750 twin heavy turbolaser batteries, 1000 turret-mounted twin light turbolaser batteries. The Executor additionally possessed 125 assault concussion missile launchers, 100 twin battleship ion cannons, and 250 turret-mounted quad laser cannons.[4]
Service history
Origins
The fleet will be yours. The Executor will be yours.Darth Sidious, to Darth Vader
When the rogue DoctorCyloattempted to take over the starship and initiate a coup against EmperorPalpatine, he was stopped by Lord Vader. As a reward, the Emperor gifted his apprentice the Executor and its fleet. Tagge tried to reason with Vader, who now possessed more authority than him, but Vader did not relent. The Dark Lord of the Sith quickly Force choked the Grand General to death for his blunders, and then asked Admiral Kendal Ozzel when the ship would be ready. Ozzel replied it would be about a month before the ship would be launched due to damages from Cylo's takeover, but Vader gave him two weeks. When the officer began to protest this, the Dark Lord threatened his subordinate by saying he sounded a lot like the late Grand General. Ozzel looked at the now-dead Tagge, and then assured Vader the ship would be ready. Vader looked out at space, and used the Force to briefly connect with his son, Luke Skywalker.[12]
The Executor became the command ship of the Death Squadron, the fleet of capital ships assigned to Darth Vader, and also continued to be commanded by Kendal Ozzel, whom Vader began to become increasingly annoyed at.[9] The ship replaced the Devastator as the Sith Lord's flagship,[49] and many of the stormtroopers who served aboard the vessel were selected due to their excellent performance in the Imperial Academy.[50] Due to the pivotal Battle of Yavin, that saw the Alliance to Restore the Republic destroy the Empire's Death Starsuperweapon, the Dark Lord and his flotilla were tasked with finding the Rebels' base.[9]At some point after the Executor was given to Vader, it was specially modified to have a meditation chamber, similar to the one at his abode on Mustafar.[3]
Mako-Ta Space Docks
I haven't seen anything that big since the Death Star. Vader. It has to be.Luke Skywalker
The Executor arrives at Mako-Ta
After QueenTrios contacted Lord Vader, revealing the location of the Alliance Fleet at the Mako-Ta Space Docks,[51] the Executor, along with the rest of Death Squadron, arrived at the rebel space station, initiating an attack on the fleet. From the Executor, the Dark Lord commanded the attack, ordering the destruction of the nearest cruiser, Yavin's Hope.[24] When the Millennium Falcon, piloted by the smugglerHan Solo, arrived at Mako-Ta and attempted to use a rebel proximity signal to open the locked fighterbay doors, Vader left his flagship to pursue them in his TIE Advanced.[8] Ozzel continue to command the attack from the Executor, ordering several more cruisers to be destroyed. Vader's attempt to stop Solo from opening the bay doors of Dodonna's flagship, the Republic, failed, and a squadron of X-wings lead by Luke Skywalker entered the battle, forming Rogue Squadron.[52]
The rebels on Mako-Ta continued to search Trios' files for a way to reactivate their fleet, and Leia Organa learned that the override code was located aboard the Executor. In order to board the flagship, Princess Organa used the transponder codes of the Shu-Torunmonarch'sship to pose as the queen, taking a team of GeneralDavits Draven's forces with her. They were cleared to land, and managed to sneak out of the ship, killing the Imperial officer who had come to greet them. As Draven ordered his forces out of Trios' ship, he noticed Vader's TIE Advanced heading towards them, alerting Organa. The rebels managed to escape, but the Dark Lord landed in the docking bay and drew his lightsaber, aware of their presence.[53]
The rebels succeeded in retrieving the override codes and made it to a hangar where a single TIE fighter was docked. After some discussion they agreed to have Leia take it back to Dodonna's flagship while Draven would lead the rearguard to delay Vader. This succeeded and the Princess escaped however the General and the rearguard were all killed by the Dark Lord. The Republic regained power and successfully fled the battle.[54]
As Vader and Ozzel watched the remaining rebel ships get destroyed, Dodonna's ship returned. It opened fire on the Executor, which led to the Imperials focusing on that ship. This was a distraction which allowed Han and Leia to take transports to the remaining cruisers to give them the codes to escape. The remained rebel vessels fled except the Republic as it had been too badly damaged and was finished off by the Imperials.[55]
Battle of Hoth
Move the ship out of the asteroid field, so we can send a clear transmission.Darth Vader
The Executor exited the Hoth asteroid belt for clear communication with the Emperor.
In 3 ABY,[20] an Imperial probe droid located the Rebel hideout, Echo Base, on the frozen planet of Hoth[9] while the Executor and its fellow ships were in the Juris sector.[56] Although Ozzel disagreed with Vader, Vader sensed they found the Rebels and commanded him to move the armada to the Hoth system. However, the Admiral brought their fleet out of hyperspace too close to the system, which allowed the Rebels to raise their defensive base shields, forcing the Empire to initiate a ground assault. Ozzel was subsequently killed by Vader for his failure, and Captain Firmus Piett to serve as his successor.[9]
The Millennium Falcon escapes from the Executor.
As the Empire evicted the Rebels from Hoth's surface, the Executor, accompanied by several Imperial-class Star Destroyers, pursued the fleeing Millennium Falcon, into the Hoth asteroid belt adjacent to the Anoat system. Lord Vader eventually ordered the Executor to abandon the pursuit and get clear of the asteroid field, in order for him to communicate with Emperor Palpatine without disruptions. He later directed the ship to the gas giantBespin, where he intended to trap the fugitives headed there aboard the Falcon in order to lure out his son, Luke Skywalker.[9]
After Lord Vader took Captain Solo, frozen in carbonite, from the Crimson Dawnauction on Jekara, he lured in Luke Skywalker and engaged in a dogfight. Simultaneously, General Hurst Romodi's shuttle was immobilized during the transportation of carbon-encased smuggler to the Executor. The bounty huntersBeilert Valance and Boba Fett, aboard the Slave I, moved in to retrieve Solo at the same time as Lando Calrissian, Leia Organa, and the rest of the crew of the Millennium Falcon. Meanwhile, the Hutt Clan was beckoned by Crimson Dawn into attacking the Executor, an overt affront to the Empire. Eventually, Fett acquired Solo, Valance was left for dead, and Vader slaughtered the treacherous Bokku and his fellow Hutt companions.[27]
Battle of Endor
We've got to give those fighters more time. Concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer!Admiral Gial Ackbar, issuing the destruction of Executor
The second Death Star was defended by the Executor and a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers in the Battle of Endor.
In 4 ABY,[20] the Executor, still commanded by Piett, served as the flagship for an Imperial fleet of Star Destroyers that assembled at the remote forestmoon of Endor, where the Empire's new superweapon, the second Death Star was under construction.[21] The Executor stood guard over Endor, taking clearance requests from any starship that entered the system.[57] When the Lambda-class T-4a shuttleTydirium arrived in the system, the Executor reached out for its code clearance, to which it received an older but still valid code. Just as Piett was going to allow the shuttle a chance to pass, Vader asked for more information on its destination after sensing there was more to the ship; the shuttle had actually been stolen by the Rebel Alliance and was transporting a strike team, among its members Skywalker, to the surface. While Piett was willing to hold the Tydirium, Vader led the ship pass to deal with the matter personally.[21]
When a Rebel fleet arrived into the system in an attempt to destroy the incomplete battle station, initiating the Battle of Endor, the Executor and the fleet moved into position to prevent the Rebels from retreating. Admiral Piett, however, did not attack the Rebels, as Emperor Palpatine wanted to demonstrate the destructive power of the Death Star's superlaser against the cornered Rebel capital ships.[21]
Fleeing the Death Star's firepower, the Rebels engaged Piett's Star Destroyers at close range while their ground assault team destroyed the shield generator protecting the superweapon, allowing the Rebel fighters to fly into its superstructure. The Alliance Fleet Supreme Commander, Admiral Gial Ackbar, wishing to buy more time for the fighters to accomplish their mission, ordered a concentrated barrage against the Executor. As the Alliance warships focused their fire on the Super Star Destroyer, two RZ-1 A-wing interceptors strafed the Executor's bridge deflector shields, bringing them down. In response, Piett ordered the forward batteries to intensify their firepower to prevent anything from penetrating the window of opportunity.[21]
The Executor was destroyed when it crashed into the Death Star.
Aware that the Executor would become the fulcrum of not only the battle but also the balance of power in the entire Outer Rim, Vice AdmiralRae Sloane moved her ship, the Vigilance to flank position on the Executor to try and defend it.[58] However, Rebel Green LeaderArvel Crynyd, with his A-wing starfighter badly damaged by fire from the Executor, managed to retain just enough control of his stricken ship to send it towards the Imperial vessel's unshielded bridge. Seeing the threat, Admiral Piett once again shouted to intensify the forward batteries, but, as Commander Gherant realized, it was too late; the Rebel fighter crashed into the Executor command tower. As explosions engulfed the bridge, the massive ship listed to port and plunged towards the Death Star's surface, exploding upon impact.[21]
With the destruction of the Executor, many of the best and most capable officers died along with the over 300,000 onboard. The destruction of the Executor ended any hope for the Imperials to win the Battle of Endor, which resulted in a crushing defeat for the Galactic Empire.[19]
Behind the scenes
We built Vader's six-foot-long ship, which had about 150,000 lights in it. George wanted the ship to play a much bigger role in the film, which justified spending more money on it—George wanted it huge.Lorne Peterson
In Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!, Tom Angleberger's retelling of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the Super Star Destroyer present at the battle of Endor was mistakenly referred to as "the Eclipse, the Emperor's own Super Star Destroyer."[63] In Angleberger's manuscript, that mistake had been caught and fixed by Hidalgo,[64] who even specifically added that "There's only one Super Star Destroyer [at Endor], and it's the Executor."[65] Despite Hidalgo's correction, the mistake still appeared in the released version of the story.[63]
↑Pablo Hidalgo (@pabl0hidalgo) on Twitter (December 30, 2023): "I cannot give you a final answer. I can tell you that I say it the first way, but that's just me. (In response to: "Okay @pabl0hidalgo I need a final answer: Is the Executor pronounced ig-ZEK-yuh-ter or EK-si-kyoo-ter?")" (backup link)
"Blade Squadron" — Star Wars Insider 149–150 (also reprinted in Star Wars Insider: The Fiction Collection Volume 1) (Appears on screen)
"The Racing Winner" — LEGO Star Wars 57
"Friends and Enemies" Episode Guide | The Clone Wars on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)
Admiral Ozzel in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link) (First identified as Executor)
Star Wars: Card Trader (Set: Base Series 1, Card: Admiral Ozzel - Imperial Officer)
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 27 (Starship Fact File: Super Star Destroyer – Executor)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 1 (Helmets: Darth Vader, Master of the Dark Side)
Star Wars: Build Your Own R2-D2 7 (Droid Directory: LOM-series Protocol Droids)
Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing 24 (Starfighter Aces: CR-978 – Elite But Expendable)
Every Droid in Star Wars | Star Wars By the Numbers on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (content now obsolete; backup link)
Star Wars: Armada — Super Star Destroyer Expansion Pack (Card: Executor)
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Practical"
"Imperial Troops" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
Go Beyond The Spires in Virtual Reality: Making of ILMxLab's Tales From The Galaxy's Edge SWCA 2022 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
4-LOM in the Databank (backup link) (Picture only)
