Interdictor

An Interdictor, or Interdictor vessel, represented a warship type with the capability to impede starships from initiating hyperspace jumps. They could also revert them to realspace through the use of gravity well projectors, which fabricated artificial mass shadows. The gravity well projectors had a circular configuration, and numerous Interdictor models featured four such projectors. Interdictors existed across various starship classifications, including Star Destroyer, heavy cruiser, cruiser, and frigate variants.

During the Imperial Era, one of the initial Interdictor models was the Detainer CC-2200 cruiser. It was distinguished by its short, wing-like lateral extensions that accommodated four gravity well projectors. Its design also incorporated robust armor, a sloping bow, and sublight engines. The CC-7700 frigate mirrored these traits but represented an advancement over the CC-2200. The Immobilizer 418 cruiser measured 600 meters in length and was outfitted with four spherical gravity well projectors integrated into its hull. Additionally, it carried a complement of twenty-four TIE fighter series craft and was armed with twenty laser cannons. Despite its cutting-edge design, the Immobilizer was initially beset by numerous technical difficulties upon its introduction.

The Interdictor-class heavy cruiser represented a progression from the Immobilizer, featuring a delta wing-shaped structure with four spherical gravity well projectors affixed to its hull. These projectors were susceptible to damage, and their destruction could jeopardize the entire vessel. Eventually, both the Immobilizer and Interdictor-class cruiser were discontinued and supplanted by the Interdictor-class Star Destroyer. This Star Destroyer, derived from the standard Imperial-class Star Destroyer, measured 1,600 meters in length and was considered to have superior protection.

Interdictor vessels were employed to establish interdiction fields, drawing enemy ships out of hyperspace or preventing their entry altogether. Utilizing these capabilities, Interdictors enforced blockades on planets, investigated potentially dangerous hyperspace routes, and participated in smaller battle groups or task forces to reinforce heavier capital ships while collaborating with frigates and starfighters. Interdictors were strategically positioned along patrol routes to intercept ships emerging from hyperspace, enabling boarding for inspection. While Interdictors ideally operated with escorts, they could function independently in dire circumstances.

For centuries, the technology required to create gravity well projectors demanded a substantial, stationary power source. Consequently, the development of Interdictor vessels was not possible. During this era, gravity well technology was primarily used to safeguard critical installations by preventing nearby hyperspace travel. However, research conducted during the Clone Wars led to more efficient projectors, and the Empire conducted field tests involving gravity well projectors mounted on spacecraft. Following the Clone Wars and into the Imperial Era, the Imperial Navy utilized Interdictor vessels to regulate hyperspace traffic, despite the technology's continued limitations. By 14 BBY, during the Berch Teller campaign, Imperial Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit proposed deploying Interdictors to retrieve the hijacked personal vessel, the Carrion Spike, of Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. The task force employed three Interdictor vessels, including an older Detainer CC-2200 cruiser, a more recent CC-7700 frigate, and an unproven Immobilizer 418 cruiser designed for the Deep Core Security Zone.

The task force activated its Interdictor vessels to capture the Carrion Spike corvette within the Obroa-skai system. However, the Interdictors failed, causing an incident that pulled numerous civilian ships out of hyperspace, resulting in civilian casualties. The Immobilizer was subsequently returned to the Corellian Engineering Corporation for resolution of its operational deficiencies.

By 4 BBY, a prototype Interdictor-class heavy cruiser, named Interdictor(interdictor (interdictor-class)), was undergoing evaluation in the Del Zennis system under the command of Admiral Brom Titus. The Interdictor-class cruiser represented an evolution of the Immobilizer 418 cruiser and belonged to the Interdictor line, which encompassed combat refits, suppression refits, and experimental refits. The Interdictor operated alongside two other Interdictor cruisers, extracting a CR90 corvette from hyperspace. The Interdictor eventually captured the rebel corvette Liberator and its crew, including Commander Jun Sato and Ezra Bridger. During a rescue attempt by other members of Phoenix Cell, the Interdictor and its accompanying Arquitens-class command cruisers were destroyed.

During the culmination of the Lothal campaign at the Battle of Atollon in 2 BBY, Grand Admiral Thrawn deployed two Interdictor-class cruisers alongside six Imperial-class Star Destroyers from the 7th Fleet to capture Rebel Alliance leaders and eliminate Phoenix Cell and the Massassi Group. One Interdictor, commanded by Admiral Kassius Konstantine, was destroyed when Commander Sato sacrificed himself and his flagship, the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier Phoenix Nest, by ramming the Interdictor. This created an opportunity for a rebel ship piloted by Ezra Bridger to escape and warn others. The other cruiser, the Constrainer, was destroyed when rebel Mandalorian reinforcements arrived from behind the 7th Fleet's formation, ambushing the Constrainer and destroying it with rockets. With both Interdictors eliminated, the surviving rebel forces managed to evade the 7th Fleet's blockade of Atollon. Years before the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, Lando Calrissian and L3-37 were ambushed in the Halthor sector by an Imperial interdictor while transporting a shipment of All Terrain Defense Turret walkers. The ambush resulted in Calrissian and L3 losing the entire cargo.

Between 2 BBY and 0 BBY, the Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, a derivative of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, was developed and actively serving in the Imperial Navy. One such Interdictor Star Destroyer, commanded by Admiral Gable Karius, captured the smuggling ship Windfall above Mustafar.

By 0 ABY, the Empire had discontinued production of the Immobilizer 418 due to its vulnerabilities, opting instead to integrate gravity well projectors into Star Destroyers, which offered greater resilience. Similarly, the Empire ceased production of the Interdictor-class heavy cruiser, which had proven to be an easy target for rebels, again favoring Star Destroyers for projector deployment. Nevertheless, Immobilizer 418 cruisers remained in service throughout the galaxy due to their widespread availability. One Immobilizer successfully extracted Luke Skywalker from hyperspace into the Daalang system after he liberated a high-value asset from the Empire. However, due to the ships frequent use against Alliance raiding groups, Luke Skywalker was able to form an attack strategy against the ship, ultimately destroying the vessel by splitting it in half with a Utheel Rockcrusher Compact Seismic Charge.

In 3 ABY, Hunter Fleet's secondary strike force deployed an Interdictor during a battle near Malastare against the Eighth Division of the Alliance Navy. Following the Syndicate War and other actions by Crimson Dawn, an Interdictor Star Destroyer was attacked by the Crimson Dawn flagship Vermillion. In 4 ABY, Interdictors constituted part of the Imperial forces during the Battle of Endor. The Imperial ships concealed themselves behind Endor and maneuvered to impede any immediate escape, while the fleet's Interdictors activated their generators to completely trap the Alliance fleet. Alliance starfighters outflanked the Imperial fleet and targeted the Interdictors and Imperial communications, and the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station was ultimately destroyed. The surviving Imperial forces retreated as a result of the defeat.

In 5 ABY, the Interdictor-class cruiser Spectral participated in the Battle of Fondor Shipyards against the New Republic, before retreating to Jakku. During its transit, a Republic starfighter managed to track the cruiser through hyperspace and damaged one of its projectors. Upon reaching Jakku's orbit, the starfighter was brought aboard, and the ship was sabotaged, leading to its crash on Jakku's surface. Shortly thereafter, the New Republic Defense Fleet arrived and initiated the Battle of Jakku against the royalist Imperial forces, which consisted of at least three naval battle groups. The Immobilizer Glaciate participated in the battle, during which it was infiltrated and seized by New Republic operatives acting under the orders of General Carlist Rieekan. This battle marked the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War and the final collapse of the Galactic Empire. Years later, scavengers from Niima Outpost attempted to navigate the wreckage of the Spectral to scavenge it.

The concept of the Galactic Empire disrupting hyperspace capabilities using Interdictor vessels initially appeared in the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game 1989 supplement Imperial Sourcebook and was later incorporated into Heir to the Empire, a 1991 novel by Timothy Zahn. This novel initiated a trilogy of events set several years after the conclusion of the final film of the original trilogy. While this trilogy is now categorized under Star Wars Legends and is no longer considered canon, Interdictor vessels were featured in novels like Tarkin and Heir to the Jedi, which are part of the current canon continuity.