When we think of the Empire in Star Wars, we may think first of memorable characters such as Darth Vader or The Emperor. We may also think of Star Destroyers–the ships that help define the Empire.
The opening of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope provides the most memorable scene of a Star Destroyer chasing after the Rebel ship with Princess Leia on board.
Starships are important to the Empire. Who built ships for the Empire? Answering this question requires thinking about orbital shipyards and deepdocks.
Table of Contents
Three Main Shipyards of the Empire
The Empire’s ships were built at many orbital shipyards. The three main ones were based around the planets Kuat, Corellia, and Fondor.
Kuat is located in the Core Worlds, known to be the center of technology in the galaxy. Kuat is best known for Kuat Drive Yards, or Kuat engineering, the largest shipbuilding corporation during the Galactic Civil War.
Kuat Drive Yards produced most of its starships on their orbital shipyard. This shipyard was an enormous man-made station encircling Kuat that employed most of Kuat’s population and workers from other worlds.
The Kuat shipyard first built military ships for the Galactic Republic before becoming a main provider to the Empire. Kuat Drive Yards constructed the I-class Destroyer that appears in the opening scene of A New Hope. Star Destroyers like this one are the heart of the imperial fleet.
As the capital planet of the Corellian system, Corellia was the second primary shipyard for the Empire. Corellia is part of a system of planets called the Five Brothers. Corellians became well known for their ability to build starships.
The Corellian Engineering Corporation arose as one of the top producers of ships for the Empire. They became especially known for building freighters such as the YT-1300 light freighter.
Fondor is the third main planet that built ships for the Empire. The shipyards of Fondor were responsible for constructing central imperial flagships. The Super Star Destroyer Executor is a prime example. This is Darth Vader’s flagship.
Even though Kuat and Corellia ranked higher in production levels, Fondor built the warships that helped define the Empire.
Deepdock Shipyards and Other Orbital Yards
When the Galactic Empire reached its peak, the Order of Battle specified that at least two deepdock shipyards be built in each sector of the galaxy. Deepdock stations were mobile shipyards of the Imperial Navy or Imperial Starfleet.
As the Galactic Civil War continued, the Empire constructed more deepdock stations to support defeating the Rebels. Deepdocks were also able to travel through hyperspace, which made avoiding Rebel attacks easier.
In addition, more orbital yards were built to maintain imperial rule. Right before the Battle of Endor, 31 shipyards had been reserved for the Imperial military. 30 civilian and 6 non-affiliated shipyards also supported the Empire.
The Force website that explores warships for the Empire indicates that a more extensive array of shipyards were used to create the Imperial Starfleet. Construction is depicted as “a military-industrial system encompassing countless worlds.”
Given the Empire’s security needs, “many thousands of dedicated shipyards” would have been needed to support them.
This same site specifies some specific shipyards. Sienar Fleet Systems, for example, only built minor warships, but they were the main producer of TIE starfighters.
Rendili StarDrive is known for constructing unique ships such as the Victory star destroyers used during the Clone Wars.
A vast array of deepdocks and regular orbital shipyards seems to fit the Imperial picture better than a more modest scale.
What Ships Did the Shipyards Build?
Star Destroyers and TIE fighters come readily to mind for warships built by the orbital shipyards. Yet, many distinctive ships were built for the Empire.
Super Star Destroyers impressed audiences in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Around the Battle of Endor, the Empire had about 12 Super Star Destroyers, including Darth Vader’s flagship Executor.
The Imperial Light Cruiser had the same overall design as the Star Destroyer, but was smaller and made to move more quickly. The Light Cruiser still had many laser turrets and double-barreled turbolaser batteries.
The Lambda-class Imperial Shuttle stood out in the Imperial fleet. It had a unique design and distinguished itself from the mainly gray and large starships of the Empire. In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the Lambda Shuttle became the main ship for Darth Vader and the Emperor.
The TIE fighter had unique variations.
Darth Vader’s TIE fighter has an angled wing design to set it apart from the already impressive regular version. The TIE Bomber showed new destructive capabilities in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
And, the TIE Interceptor became even more menacing with its forward-facing panels with dagger points.
The list could continue, but we realize that the ships produced for the Empire were numerous and varied.
The Empire’s Ships
The three main orbital shipyards primarily constructed starships for the Imperial Navy. Deepdock shipyards also produced ships, especially during the height of the Empire. Additional shipyards aided the expansion of the Imperial Starfleet.
Military and civilian locations across the galaxy built a vast array of starships. Many, like the Star Destroyer, were quite impressive.