Star Wars: 10 Expanded Universe Starships You Didn't Know Were Canon Again

In the EU, the Dreadnought-class was not particularly noteworthy: it was slow, poorly armed, fragile for a ship of its class, and required a large crew compliment. But it was far cheaper than a Star Destroyer, making it a valid, if not first, choice for admirals on a budget.

Then why do EU fans remember the design fondly?

Because of the story it was part of.

Two hundred examples were refitted as part of an experiment into using automation to reduce crew requirements. Named the Katana Fleet – unofficially ‘the Dark Force’ because of its dark grey colour scheme – the fleet was lost when a virus broke out among the crew, driving them insane and forcing the commander to jump to hyperspace to prevent its spread.

For decades the Dark Force remained lost until, by the time of New Republic, it was rediscovered, sparking a race between the weak New Republic military, the Imperial Remnant, and various rogue warlords to secure it.

The design entered canon in the Star Wars Rebels episode ‘A Fool’s Hope,’ appearing as part of the Imperial fleet blockading Lothal, with its technical name later confirmed in the 2019 reference book, Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition.