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Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered a Venator-class before.

- Vice Admiral Ramcard

The Venator-class Star Destroyer is a highly successful Cyrannian starship, that has served in the navies of the United Republic of Cyrannus, the Galactic Empire of Cyrannus and the New Cyrannian Republic. A multipurpose cruiser known for its extensive involvement in the Great Cyrannus War, the Venator-class was designed to bridge the gap between a starfighter carrier and an attack cruiser, reflecting the changes in naval strategy prevalent upon the introduction of the Venator in 04 BNE. In addition, the Venator-class excels as a troop transport and flagship, capable of fighting in the depths of hyperspace and bombarding worlds to ash from orbit.

Since its introduction by the United Republic, the Venator has become a symbol of both Cyrannian democracy and Cyrannian imperialism. serving as the precursor to more advanced ships such as the Imperator-class Star Destroyer and the Phoebus-class Star Destroyer, utilised by the Empire and the New Republic respectively.

In 11 NE, Imperial Venator-class Destroyers were retired from active service and largely delegated to local patrol duties along the Outer Rim, a move most attribute to the non-Imperial origins of the vessel, in addition to the introduction of the Judicator-class Star Battlecruiser three years previously. Such a move, in the midst of the Cyrannian Cold War, prompted some in the Republic Senate to call for the decommissioning of the class in favour of more advanced successors such as the Praesator Star Destroyer. Ultimately however, President Nexarón Valkistair approved an extensive refit of the Venator-class, introducing technologies developed since the end of the New Cyrandia Wars, increasing weapon output and efficiency, while reducing crew requirement.

History[]

Designed by a team of shipwrights led by Tira Mizio, the Venator-class Star Destroyer was designed in keeping with lessons learned during the devastating Intergalactic War against the Cognatus Alliance. Following the retirement of the Republic's fleet of Liberator-class Star Destroyers in 05 BNE, production of Venator-class vessels was accelerated by order of the Senate, fearful that the Republic would be left defenceless should the Cognatus, or the newly emergent Confederacy threaten vulnerable Republic systems. Spearheading the design of the vessel, Mizio took inspiration from the venerable Hunter-class Star Destroyer, which served the Republic well during the Second Galactic War, before most were destroyed during the Cognatus crusades. In keeping with the prevailing naval wisdom of the day, the Venator-class was designed primarily as a starfighter carrier, capable of housing several wings of planes. Nevertheless, it was also designed to compete with the deadly Cognatus battlecrusiers which ravaged dozens of Republic fleets during the war.

Battle of Achiliquin

In battlefields above countless worlds such as Achiliquin, Venator-class Star Destroyers faced off against Confederate dreadnoughts, defining naval warfare during the Great Cyrannus War.

The first Venator-class launched from the shipyards of Cyroenia was christened the R.S.D. Dauntless, and was soon followed by over one hundred sister ships over the following year, including the Resolute under Fleet Admiral Willelmus Cretacea. By the time the Great Cyrannus War began, the Republic had a fleet of three hundred Venator-class destroyers, most of which were assigned patrol duty in the Core and Inner Rim when the declaration of war was exchanged between Orbispira and Carindes. Over the course of several months, Republic Command begrudingly began deploying Venators to contested Mid and Outer Rim worlds, where, when commanded by capable officers, proved to be one of the Republic's most prized wartime resources. For the duration of the conflict, the Venator-class Star Destroyer emerged as an abiding symbol of democracy, inspiring similar designs in both the Jovar Empire, and Rambo Nation.

By the closing months of 03 NE, Mizio began contemplating replacing the Venator-class with a more powerful, and fearsome, successor. Dubbed the President-class, this new project was funded by a power broker allied to Mizio, and was ultimately renamed the Imperator-class by the time the Star Destroyer Executrix left drydock under the command of Admiral Deoclet Caesarius. Nevertheless, by the time the war came to an end with the rise of the Galactic Empire of Cyrannus, the Venator-class remained the most common vessel in the new Imperial Navy, though after Martex 01 NE, no new Imperial Venators were constructed. Nevertheless, though eclipsed by the Imperator-class, and similar vessels, Imperial Venators continued active service, though were stripped of their iconic Republic-red colouration and replaced with drab grey. With talk of the possible obsolescence of the Venator in the months following the rise of the Empire, military contractors were employed to oversee an extensive refit, including additional turbolaser batteries and torpedo launchers. Furthermore, the success of the Venator's dual-tower design was later employed on the Imperial Ifrit-class Star Destroyer, while its role as a dual battleship and carrier, as well as its prominent keel, were later incorporated into the far larger Judicator-class Star Battlecruiser during the Cyrannian Cold War.

SGCW Battle of Cyranduas

Venator-class Destroyers represented the bulk of Admiral Quarantar's armada during the Battle of Cyranduas in 16 NE.

The Venator-class remained common in the service of various remnants of the United Republic following the end of the Great War, and later became the mainstay battleship of the New Cyrannian Republic, upon its formation in 03 NE. The New Republic, now in possession of the extensive shipyards above Coruaan, began active production of the Venator-class, alongside newer vessels such as the Praesator-class, developed as the Venator II-class Star Destroyer, and the Legacy-class, which had seen limited service during the Great War. As part of their membership in the Mou'Cyran Accords, the New Republic shared Venator ship designs with the Naakjian Confederation, who dubbed their own Venators Omni'kyo-class.

In 11 NE, fifteen years after the class was initially introduced, the Venator was formally phased out of active service by the Imperial Navy, in favour of larger and more advanced vessels such as the Judicator-class. However, multiple Venators avoided the scrapheap by remaining in local defence fleets, as well as a handful of mobile academies and museum ships in the Core. Simultaneously, militarist representatives in the New Republic's Galactic Senate such as Roth Caesenn of Coruaan and Theodynak of the Plazith Rim, argued for the decommissioning of the class—fearing that it was now utterly obsolete when faced with the Empire's war machine. Swayed by Senators Apollo and Aneen Daerethal, President Nexarón Valkistair instead signed an executive order, recalling all Venator-class Star Destroyers to their nearest starbase, where they would receive a five month long refit, introducing new technologies designed to improve the efficiency of weapons, shields, engines and crew. By the time the Second Great Cyrannus War began in 15 NE, the Venator-class represented the backbone of the Republic Navy, continuing active production, and serving admirably against the Empire.

Following the conclusion of the Second Great War in 26 NE, a new model of Venator, dubbed the Venator II-class, entered development. Dedicated to ship-to-ship warfare and power projection, the Venator IIs would serve alongside the older model, which remained the mainstay of Republic fleets for decades to come.

Overview[]

Beautiful vessels, a personal favourite in Cyrannus I must say.

- Warlord Kilnok

The Venator-class is 1,952 metres long, making it larger than most Cyrannian vessels and yet small enough to be underestimated by a weaker enemy. The size of a Venator is small enough to allow it to land on a planet's surface safely to unload troops for battle. This method was used notably during the Second Battle of Nosiso during the Great Cyrannus War. The distinctive profile of the Venator-class makes it arguably the most famous vessel constructed in the Cyrannus Galaxy, inspiring the development of multiple other ship designs both created by Cyrannians and those created by extragalactics. These include the Omni'kyo-class warship by the Naakjian Confederation and the Praesator-class Star Destroyer by the New Republic while the dual bridge design would inspire the Rambo Delphator-class starship.

Roles[]

VDY-261HeavyTurbolaserTurret

New Republic Venators are equipped with eight VDY-261 superheavy turbolaser turrets, designed to pummel capital ships and planetary shields. While in violation of peacetime Naval regulation, they are capable of unleashing petatons of energy on a planets surface, an operation codenamed 'Base Delta Zero'.

Primarily designed for ship-to-ship combat, the Venator-class Star Destroyer was deployed in the tens of thousands during the Great Cyrannus War, during which it excelled during broadside maneavors against Confederate destroyers during pivotal battles such as the Second Battle of Nosiso and the Battle of Orbispira. Additionally, secondary roles of the Venator-class include a starfighter carrier and troop transport, being one of the few Republic starships capable of landing on a planetary surface. Venator-class Star Destroyers utilised as flagships can be distinguished by red conning towers and are generally equipped with more advanced technologies pioneered on starships such as the C.R.S. Aeolus.

Notable Ships[]

Quotes[]

VenatorComparison

A Venator I (right) on patrol with a Venator II in the post-war era.

I deal in absolutes: from my point of view, if my ship's not a Venator, then it's not worth flying.

- Commissar Aerlon

Cyrannian steel. Sweet.

- Overseer Daali

Beautiful vessels, a personal favourite in Cyrannus I must say.

- Warlord Kilnok

Man, I gotta get me one of those.

- Kirta Clett

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The Venator is of course named after and based on the Venator from Star Wars, Cyrannian's favourite science-fiction ship.
  • Dinoman82 provided the quote seen at the top of the page.

Further Reading[]

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