Viscount-class Star Defender

The Viscount-class Star Defender was intended to be the New Republic's answer to the Executor-class Star Dreadnought. The initial prototype measured 3 km in length, classifying it as a battlecruiser, while the fully realized production model stretched to 17 km, making it a true dreadnought. Though slightly shorter than the Executor-class, the Mon Calamari's advanced engineering allowed it to accommodate a larger complement of starfighters. Furthermore, the vessel could be operated with a significantly smaller crew. Its overall form was also more condensed than the Executor-class, and it boasted superior and more extensive armor plating. The inclusion of numerous docking clamps facilitated simultaneous direct docking with numerous other capital ships.

The Viscount-class was armed with over five thousand weapon emplacements, including powerful turbolaser batteries and assault concussion missile launchers. Similar to previous Calamari designs, the Viscount's shields were layered with backups, granting them exceptional regenerative capabilities. Its computer systems, electronic warfare suites, and sensor arrays surpassed those found on Imperial Star Dreadnoughts. It also included a HoloNet transceiver. Its heavy armament rivaled that of the Empire's Executor Class Star Destroyer.

These ships were capable of carrying hundreds of starfighters, along with numerous smaller support craft, including frigate-sized vessels. The class also featured sufficient life pods to accommodate its own crew, as well as the crews of any embarked support vessels, resulting in a total passenger capacity of 500,000 individuals. The ship also had enough repair droids to maintain the entire vessel during emergency repairs.

To assist wounded personnel, the Viscount-class featured hundreds of self-replenishing bacta tanks within its medical bays. It also incorporated dedicated fighter repair bays, for the repair and maintenance of the ship's starfighters.

The design program started shortly after the Battle of Endor. Despite the victory over the Executor during that pivotal battle, Admiral Gial Ackbar identified the remaining Super Star Destroyers in Imperial possession as the primary threat to the emerging New Republic Navy. Consequently, he advocated for the development of Super Star Destroyer-scale warships to counter these Imperial assets.

The development program required several years, coupled with the menace of the rogue Executor-class Star Dreadnought Intimidator during the Black Fleet Crisis, to gain momentum and ultimately produce the larger dreadnoughts.

While the New Republic had previously employed Mon Calamari battleships and Bulwark-class battle cruisers in past decades, it had never undertaken construction on this scale. Nevertheless, the Mon Calamari initiated development of the Viscount-class following the Black Fleet Crisis.

Construction of the class proceeded slowly, as the threat from the Imperial Remnant waned and the New Republic captured several Star Dreadnoughts during the conflict.

The first vessel of the class, the smaller prototype battlecruiser Viscount, was eventually finished in time to engage rogue Imperial warlords, pirates, and hideouts. It was noted as being commissioned in 25 ABY, shortly before the Yuuzhan Vong War commenced.

The Viscount's brief period of Civil War-related engagements represented the only instances in which the class fulfilled its original purpose of combating Imperial forces. At least one encounter involved an Executor-class Star Dreadnought on the opposing side.

The Calamari Viscount battlecruiser and dreadnoughts, alongside Corellian-built _Viscount_s and the Corellian Strident-class, were the only known Star Defender ship types, all of which saw action in the Yuuzhan Vong War. When the New Republic transformed into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, the Viscount-class remained a vital component of the fleet. These ships were even considered the backbone of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force.

In 27 ABY, the dreadnought Krakana was dispatched to Kuat to serve as an orbital weapons platform, but rumors circulated that it was ambushed and destroyed by the Vong en route. Its sister ship, the Bounty, though still incomplete, successfully defended Mon Calamari from direct Yuuzhan Vong attacks for several years.

When the war finally reached Mon Calamari, the power of the Viscount-class Star Defender was clearly demonstrated during a major naval battle. The Viscount itself formed part of a trio of heavy warships deployed in formation by the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet. The other two vessels were the Executor-class Guardian and the Mon Calamari battle cruiser Harbinger. These three large warships employed their powerful, long-range weaponry to strike at the heart of the Yuuzhan Vong armada. The Viscount's heavy guns played a critical role in destroying numerous enemy warships.

By the time of the Sith–Imperial War, the Viscount-class and other heavy warship designs in the battlecruiser and dreadnought categories had been retired from service. Fleet doctrine shifted towards smaller, more compact weapons platforms, and new Calamari designs reflecting this change, such as the MC140 Scythe-class main battle cruiser, became dominant in Alliance fleets.