Braha'tok


The Braha'tok, a gunship of the Braha'tok-class, served under the leadership of Kiles L'toth within the ranks of the Dornean Navy. During the conflict of 4 ABY, amidst the broader Galactic Civil War pitting the Galactic Empire against the Rebel Alliance, the world of Dornea provided the Braha'tok—alongside its sister vessel, the Torktarak—to bolster the forces of the Alliance Fleet for their offensive targeting the second Death Star orbital station positioned above the Forest Moon of Endor.

During this pivotal engagement, the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty met its end at the hands of the Death Star's devastating superlaser weapon. In a valiant effort to rescue survivors, L'toth strategically positioned the Braha'tok to form a protective barrier for the departing rescue vessels. While offering this crucial support, the Braha'tok, with assistance from the Torktarak, successfully engaged and obliterated the Carrack-class light cruiser Eminence. Despite this victory, the Braha'tok sustained significant battle damage and, following the Alliance's ultimate triumph, was returned to Dornea where it was repurposed as a war memorial.

Description

The Braha'tok, a Braha'tok-class gunship within the Dornean Navy during the Galactic Civil War between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire, was a product of the Dornean Braha'ket Fleetworks Conglomerate. Measuring ninety meters in length, the Braha'tok boasted an armament of eight double turbolaser batteries and eight concussion missile launchers. It had limited aircraft storage capacity and lacked provisions for a ground force contingent. The vessel was equipped with integrated targeting, maneuvering, and command systems, all centrally managed from the command deck. Furthermore, the Braha'tok featured propulsion systems enabling it to traverse hyperspace.

History

A Braha'tok-class gunship

In the year 4 ABY, the Alliance Fleet requested assistance from Dornea, which had been independently engaged in a conflict against the Empire for many years, seeking warships to aid in their impending attack on the second Death Star. This Imperial weapon of mass destruction possessed the capability to obliterate an entire planet and was still under construction while orbiting the forest satellite of Endor. The Dornean people decided to dispatch the Braha'tok, accompanied by its sister vessel, the Torktarak, under the respective command of Kiles L'toth and Etahn A'baht. Given that the Braha'tok-class vessels had never ventured beyond the region surrounding Dornea prior to 4 ABY, and to avoid raising suspicion from Imperial Intelligence, the Dornean government publicly declared that the two ships were undergoing a routine "shakedown cruise."

The Braha'tok and Torktarak rendezvoused with the Alliance Fleet orbiting Sullust, which was under the command of the Mon Calamarian Admiral Gial Ackbar. Both Dornean gunships then proceeded with the Alliance fleet towards the Endor system. However, upon emerging from hyperspace above Endor, the Alliance fleet found itself ensnared in a trap orchestrated by Emperor Palpatine. The Alliance discovered that the energy shield protecting the second Death Star, which was expected to be deactivated by an advance team already deployed on Endor, remained active. Furthermore, the Alliance fleet was confronted by a substantial Imperial naval force under the command of Admiral Firmus Piett, effectively trapping them within the system.

The Alliance fleet engaged the Imperials, hoping that the shield generator would be destroyed by the ground strike team before the Imperial fleet overwhelmed them. During the ensuing space battle, the MC80 Liberty type Star Cruiser Liberty was obliterated by the Death Star's superlaser, a capability previously unknown to the Alliance. To provide cover for the rescue craft retrieving survivors, L'toth maneuvered the Braha'tok into a defensive posture. While providing this protection, the Braha'tok successfully defended against the Carrack–class cruiser Eminence, a vessel more than three times its size. The ship sustained considerable damage during its engagement with the Eminence, but the combined efforts of the Braha'tok and the Torktarak resulted in the destruction of the Eminence after the Torktarak flanked the Imperial warship.

Following the destruction of the Eminence, the Torktarak continued to shield the damaged Braha'tok while it persisted with its search-and-rescue operations. The Alliance fleet ultimately destroyed the second Death Star and secured victory after the superweapon's shields were finally deactivated by the ground team on Endor. In the aftermath of the battle, Ackbar initially proposed scuttling the severely damaged Braha'tok. However, at the insistence of the Dornean Navy, it was returned to Dornea to be refitted as a war museum.

Commanders and crew

The Braha'tok was manned by a crew of seventy-five Dornean naval personnel under the command of Kiles L'toth. Following the Battle of Endor and the Braha'tok's conversion into a war museum, L'toth retired from active service in the Dornean navy.

Behind the scenes

The Return of the Jedi Braha'tok-class gunship, to the lower left of a CR90 corvette, during the Battle of Endor

The Braha'tok originated from Ello137's winning submission to the StarWars.com Hyperspace feature, "What's The Story?." This initiative invited fans to develop the background stories for specific elements of the saga, in this instance, the Braha'tok-class gunships. Ello137's initial intention was to use a mythical Dornean name for the ship, but ultimately found it difficult to integrate seamlessly into the "flow" of his final submission. The details regarding the Braha'tok from Ello137's entry were subsequently incorporated into the entry on the Braha'tok-class gunship within The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

In Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, a Braha'tok-class gunship is visible in the background during the space battle above Endor. However, it has never been definitively identified as either the Braha'tok or the Torktarak.

Sources

  • "What's the Story, Ello137? Funny you should ask …" — Apocalypse Later — Ello137's StarWars.com Blog (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
  • Dornean gunship in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link) (First mentioned)

Notes and references

Appearances