Ravager


The Ravager was an Executor-class Star Dreadnought of the Imperial Navy. It was also one of the largest and most powerful military warships ever constructed by the Galactic Empire. By the time of the Rebellion on Akiva, the Ravager was known to be the last remaining Super Star Destroyer in the Imperial Navy, commanded by Fleet Admiral—and later Counselor to the EmpireGallius Rax, who was presumed dead by the majority of the remaining Imperials in the months following the Battle of Endor.

Description


One of the largest and most powerful vessels ever created for the Galactic Empire, the Ravager was 19,000 meters long, and boasted more than 5,000 turbolasers and ion cannons. Like other Executor-class Star Dreadnoughts, the center of its arrowhead-shaped hull was covered by a city-like superstructure, while the underside hosted most of the engineering systems. The aft end of the Ravager was marked by a trapezoid command tower crowned by two geodesic communication and deflection domes. At the bottom end of the hull were 13 engine thrusters responsible for its movement.

Gallius Rax's office on the Ravager featured an aquarium full of diaphanous water creatures, weapons, an ornate tapestry and a holo-map of the galaxy. Rax also had a garden on his ship.

Rax's flagship


Constructed by Kuat Drive Yards, the Ravager served as the flagship of Gallius Rax. Prior to the Battle of Endor, Rax and the Ravager were sent by Emperor Palpatine to hide in the Vulpinus Nebula until the events of a shatterpoint felt by Palpatine were resolved. In the months following the pivotal battle that saw the Alliance to Restore the Republic destroy the Galactic Empire's second Death Star and the Executor, flagship of Darth Vader's Death Squadron, it eventually became the last known Super Star Destroyer in Imperial possession. Due to this, the Ravager became the most prized ship in the Imperial Navy, sought by self-appointed Grand Moff Valco Pandion. Aware of its power, Pandion attended the Imperial meeting on Akiva to seize control of the Ravager, rumored to be in possession of Admiral Rae Sloane, commander of the Vigilance. Secretly an envoy of Rax, Sloane returned to the bridge of the Ravager, then located near the Vulpinus Nebula, to report the failed negotiations to him after the Rebellion on Akiva.

In 5 ABY, the Ravager continued to serve as the headquarters of the now-Grand Admiral Sloane, who commanded Imperial forces in the Vulpinus Nebula. In reality, Sloane served as a front for Fleet Admiral Rax, who posed as her adviser. Under Rax's orders, Sloane convened the Shadow Council to rebuild the Empire. The Ravager also had a private upper garden for Rax, who used it for recreational purposes. Rax used the Ravager to initiate the attack on Chandrila. Following Sloane's disappearance on Chandrila, now-Counselor to the Empire Rax used the ship to command the Imperial fleet scattered across the galaxy.

Battle of Jakku


The Ravager engages in combat with the Amity

The Ravager engages in combat with the Amity

Months later, the Ravager served as the flagship of the Empire, which had relocated to Jakku. During the Battle of Jakku, the Ravager acted as the Imperial command ship and was commanded by Grand Moff Randd. Randd's tacticians devised a tactic of having the other Star Destroyers encircle the Ravager to form a defensive perimeter. Throughout the battle, the Star Destroyers would open formation to allow the Ravager to bombard the New Republic Defense Fleet. New Republic forces under Fleet Admiral Ackbar succeeded in tightening the Imperial formations but were unable to break through.

Randd's strategy unraveled when Captain Groff of the Star Destroyer Punishment rammed into the Starhawk-class battleship Amity, which created a gap in the Imperial lines and allowed Commodore Kyrsta Agate to position her Starhawk Concord in the gap and bombard the Ravager. Despite being crippled by the Ravagers cannons, Agate managed to use her ship's powerful tractor beam projector to drag the Super Star Destroyer into Jakku's atmosphere. New Republic starships and fighters also pummeled the Ravagers engines, disabling the ship. Amidst the chaos, Randd fled into an escape pod.

The Ravager's resting place in the Graveyard of Giants

The Ravager's resting place in the Graveyard of Giants

After the Concords tractor beam failed, the Ravagers thrusters attempted to stabilize, but overcompensated, inverting the Empire's final Super Star Destroyer. The Ravager crashed in an area that became known as the Graveyard of Giants, crushing an AT-AT walker and several starfighters in the process. The destruction of the Ravager turned the tide of the battle in the New Republic's favor. Following the Battle of Jakku, the Empire capitulated and signed the Galactic Concordance with the New Republic.

Legacy


After it crashed, its rusting halls gained a sinister reputation among scavengers. In 34 ABY, twenty-nine years after its crash, Rey piloted the Millennium Falcon through the wreckage of the Ravager while evading a First Order TIE fighter while escaping, with Finn and BB-8, from Jakku.

Behind the scenes


The Ravager first appeared in the 2015 canon novel Aftermath. In the video game Star Wars Battlefront, the vessel was seen crashing during the beginning of matches on the Graveyard of Giants map. The Ravager's wreckage then appeared in the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.

Non-canon appearances


  • LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sources


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