Imperial-class Star Destroyers are 1.6 kilometers long.ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: The Empire's awesome wedge-shaped Imperial-class Star Destroyers form the core of the Imperial Navy. True marvels of starship engineering, Star Destroyers are 1,600 meters long and have over one hundred weapons emplacements for deep-space combat.
What are Rebel fleets normally made up of?ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: The mere presence of such a vessel in orbit is often enough to quell uprisings on Rebel-sympathetic world, and Star Destroyer commanders can engage whole Rebel fleets and still expect victory.
120 cannonsISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: Standard Imperial Star Destroyers have sixty turbolasers for ship-to-ship combat and planetary assult. A Star Destroyer's sixty ion cannons are used to disable enemy ships in preparation for boarding. The Star Destroyer's superstructure features an immense command tower housing essential systems, computer controls, and the bridge. The command tower is topped by a pair of deflector-shield generator domes.
60 turbolasers
60 Ion cannons
Is it really a good idea to put essential systems in a tiny tower that screams shoot me?
If the command tower houses many if not all of the essential systems what is the point of the secondary bridge I have heard about? Wouldn't the ship be dead in space?
This makes it sound like Star Destroyers are mostly large open areas of empty space on the inside.ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: Star Destroyers have two ventral landing bays. The aft docking bay-the main launch and landing bay for shuttles, support and cargo ships, and TIEs-accommodates ships at least 150 meters long. It connects to forward interior bays and storage sections, all of which connect to immense lift shafts. Ahead of the storage sections is the forward launch bay.
ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: The forward launch bay is used primarily to deploy assault shuttles, walker landing barges, and ground forces vehicles; it also can serve as an auxiliary launch or landing bay for TIE fighters if the main docking bay is disabled.
That seems like a lot of fighters,.ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: A full wing of seventy-two TIE fighters (six squadrons of twelve ships each) is standard aboard each Destroyer. As of the Battle of Yavin, a standard Star Destroyer maintained four squadrons of TIE/Ins, one squadron of TIE interceptors, and one squadron of TIE bombers. (Lower-priority vessels have a squadron of TIE/gts.) By the time of the Battle of Endor, an additional TIE interceptor squadron had replaced one of TIE/In squadrons.
One has to wonder how much space those hangers take up.
Again it looks like a Star Destroyer is mostly empty space.ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: Support ships, all maintained aboard the Destroyer include eight Lambda-class shuttles, fifteen storm trooper transports, five assault gunboats, and a variable number of Skiray blastboats and Gamma-class assault shuttles.
What is an assault gunboat, and is a Gamma-class assault shuttle?
That seems like a lot of people and stuff to have just sitting around a ship just in case.ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: Star Destroyers carry planetary assault teams, with landing barges, drop ships, 20 AT-AT, 30 AT-ST scout walkers, and 9,700 troops. For a long-term planetary occupation, the Destroyer can deploy a prefabricated garrison base with eight hundred troops, ten AT-AT, ten AT-ST, and forty TIE fighters. Full planetary invasions often require a full fleet, normally six Destroyers , heavy and light cruisers, and carrier ships.
A full planetary invasion in the Imperial era only took 4,800-to- 58,200 ground troops?
They didn't think that maybe putting all that essential stuff in the command tower was a bad idea?ISBN 0-590-02361-6 Page 80 wrote: An upgraded version called the Imperial II began appearing shortly after the Battle of Yavin, boasting a heavily reinforced hul and more powerful heavy turbolaser batteries and cannons. In addition, there are seeral Star Destroyer variants for specialty missions.