Star Wars: That Time They Tried and Failed to Replace the Star Destroyer – The First Order Star Destroyer Breakdown
Disney attempted to replace the classic Star Destroyer but in the end, it failed– all you need to know about the First Order Star Destroyer
There is perhaps no starship as starkly intimidating as the Imperial Star Destroyer. These wedge-shaped hulls moved like a shark through the depths of space. Wherever they go, they spread the terror and subjugation of the Galactic Empire.
The Original Destroyer
A single Imperial I-class Star Destroyer could devastate an entire city with its firepower. And with a complement of crew and troops in the tens of thousands, they could occupy territory as well.
A whole fleet could devastate an entire world, if not a system. The Star Destroyer cemented a dread reputation. It’s little wonder that the First Order would want to develop an iconic ship all their own. After all, their stock and trade was inheriting the Empire’s mantle.
Enter the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, also called the Resurgent-class Battlecruiser. It’s also know, somewhat derisively, as the First Order Star Destroyer.
The First Order Star Destroyer
The Destroyer was first developed by Kuat-Entralla Engineering, an offshoot of the infamous Kuat Drive Yards. They also manufactured many of the Imperial ships of the line.
The Resurgent-class Star Destroyer was intended to showcase the First Order’s emergent might. And like most First Order technologies, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer was almost twice as big and thrice as costly as its counterpart.
It also required twice the crew to operate. Crews were often forced to work closely together, working in multiple four-hour-shifts to keep the ships operational.
In order to keep the crew as fresh as possible, an estimated 74,000 personnel were stationed on a given Resurgent-class vessel. And that’s before the additional compliment of 8,000 stormtroopers. And those guys had a full training complex below their on-board barracks!
Resurgent-Class Star Destroyer Weapons
Many of these ships were gunners. A typical Resurgent-class Star Destroyer carried a complement of more than 1,500 turbolasers, ion cannons, and point-defense laser cannons.
This massive suite of weaponry enabled Resurgent-class vessels to engage in their primary roles: orbital assaults and ship-to-ship combat.
In a typical ship-to-ship engagement, the turbolasers would be used to overload enemy shields and tear through armor. Meanwhile, the ion cannons would help disable critical systems.
And because the First Order wanted to make sure that everyone knew they were like the Empire but better, they also had upgraded turbolasers. They delivered more firepower with a faster recharge rate than old Imperial Era turbolasers.
The secret to the upgrades wasn’t better technological engineering, but kyber-focusing crystals harvested from a secret source deep in the Unknown Regions. Unfortunately, this limited resources reduced the number of ships that could employ the upgraded turbolasers.
Of course a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer also boasted a full complement of concussion missile batteries. These would work in conjunction with the point-defense turrets to take down smaller enemy fighter craft.
Of course, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer carried plenty of starfighters on their own. They each have two full wings of TIE/fo and TIE/sf space superiority fighters. The ships also have a full suite of atmospheric landers and troop transports.
But ultimately, there were too few of these produced to replace the classic design. They just cost too damn much!
May the Force be with you.
