Star Wars: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Star Destroyers

10. Used By Jedi During The Clone Wars And Known As ‘Jedi Cruisers’

While movie fans first saw Destroyer ships being used by the Emperor and Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, they canonically were around before then. Known as Venator-Class Star Destroyers, or sometimes Jedi Cruisers due to their role of transporting troops and Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars, the Destroyer ships have a history long before the rise of the Galactic Empire.

With a crew of 7,400 these earlier Destroyers were smaller than their later Imperial counterparts but still packed a punch when it comes to weapons. Boasting eight heavy turbolaser turrets, two medium dual turbolaser cannons, and 52 point-defense laser cannons, the Venator-Class Star Destroyer was fast enough to chase down blockade runners and big enough to lead independent missions such as the liberation of Utapau, when Obi-Wan Kenobi takes down General Grievous and his forces.

These early Destroyer ships had one design flaw that was rectified for later models. The opening and closing process of the deck’s armoured bow doors was incredibly slow, leaving the ship vulnerable. Although once doors were operational and open, the long dorsal flight deck enabled hundreds of starfighters to launch rapidly.