Venator-class Star Destroyer

Venator-class Star Destroyers were vessels employed by the Galactic Republic's Navy during and after the Clone Wars. This class of warship represented a return to grand displays of military power in ship design becoming the first line of starships to receive the "star destroyer" nomenclature which came to prominence during the reign of the Galactic Empire.

Venator-class destroyers were both heavily armed and armored capable of leading planetary assaults while at the same time being large enough to carry hundreds of starfighters or thousands of soldiers. The Venator-class mades up the bedrock of the Republic Navy at the time of the Clone Wars, often serving as the flagships of Jedi Generals, making them commonly known as Jedi Cruisers.

The Venator cruisers saw continued use by the Empire following the Clone Wars, stripped of their Republic colors and used to protect Imperial worlds. Three were used to bombard Tipoca City on Kamino after all viable clones and personnel had been evacuated. In time, the Venator-class would be phased out by a newer model of Star Destroyer.

Armament
The Venator-class Star Destroyer carried a large variety of weapons ranging from heavy turbolaser turrets, medium dual turbolaser turrets, point-defense dual laser cannons, and heavy proton torpedo tubes.



Suggested by General Skywalker later in the war, several SPHA turbolaser canons were installed within the lower hangar bay of some Venator-class ships of the Open Circle Fleet. These weapons would have considerable effect during the Battle of Coruscant.

Complement
The Venator-class was designed with additional starfighter carrier roles in mind. Jedi Cruisers could carry 420 fighters:


 * 192 Alpha-3 Nimbus class V-wing fighters or V-19 Torrent starfighters
 * 192 Eta-2 Actis-class Light Interceptors
 * 36 ARC-170 starfighter.
 * 40 LAAT/i gunships
 * 24 military walker units

In addition to the lower hangar, the dorsal strip on the top of the cruiser opened to reveal a half kilometer-long flight deck. This hangar allowed the Venator to rapidly launch hundreds of fighters. Due to its carrier role, the Venator-class featured a dual bridge tower design; the port tower was the starfighter command bridge while the starboard side served as the ship's helm.

On the lower decks, the cruiser was outfitted with a detention level for transporting prisoners from their point of capture to Coruscant, such as Nute Gunray. The detention level was outfitted with numerous cell blocks with cells contained by ray shields and was intentionally located in a remote area of the ship that could only be accessed via turbolift, though Dark Side Acolyte Asajj Ventress succeeded in infiltrating the level through the ventilation shafts.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

 * "Cat and Mouse"
 * "Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) / novel
 * "Supply Lines"
 * "Ambush"
 * "Rising Malevolence"
 * "Shadow of Malevolence"
 * "Destroy Malevolence"
 * "Clone Cadets"
 * "Rookies"
 * "Downfall of a Droid"
 * "Duel of the Droids"
 * "Bombad Jedi"
 * "Cloak of Darkness"
 * "Dooku Captured"
 * "Jedi Crash"
 * "Defenders of Peace"
 * "Trespass"
 * "Storm Over Ryloth"
 * "Innocents of Ryloth"
 * "Liberty on Ryloth"
 * "Holocron Heist"
 * "Cargo of Doom"
 * "Children of the Force"
 * "The Zillo Beast"
 * "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back"
 * "Landing at Point Rain"
 * "Brain Invaders"
 * "Grievous Intrigue"
 * "The Deserter"
 * "Voyage of Temptation"
 * "Duchess of Mandalore"
 * "Death Trap"
 * "R2 Come Home"
 * "Lethal Trackdown"
 * "ARC Troopers"
 * "Assassin"
 * "Evil Plans"
 * "Heroes on Both Sides"
 * "Senate Murders"
 * "Nightsisters"
 * "Overlords"
 * "Ghosts of Mortis"
 * "The Citadel"
 * "Citadel Rescue"
 * "Padawan Lost"
 * "Water War"
 * "Gungan Attack"
 * "Darkness on Umbara"
 * "Escape from Kadavo"
 * "A Friend in Need"
 * "The Gathering"
 * "Bound for Rescue"
 * "A Necessary Bond"
 * "Secret Weapons"
 * "Missing in Action"
 * "Point of No Return"
 * "Sabotage"
 * "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"
 * "The Unknown"
 * "Conspiracy"
 * "Crisis at the Heart"
 * "Voices"
 * "Deal No Deal"
 * The Bad Batch"
 * "A Distant Echo" Appears on poster
 * "Unfinished Business"
 * "Old Friends Not Forgotten"
 * "Shattered"
 * "Victory and Death"

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

 * "Battle Scars" Wreckage only
 * "Reunion" Wreckage only
 * "War-Mantle"
 * "Return to Kamino"
 * "Kamino Lost"

Books

 * Star Wars: Darth Maul: Death Sentence
 * Star Wars: Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir
 * Star Wars: Dark Disciple

Video games

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures