How big is the Imperial Fleet?

I've heard some huge numbers thrown about over time, as would befit a Galactic fleet. But Han's line in ANH when considering the idea that the Empire destroyed the planet makes the fleet out to be much smaller. What do you think?

The Imperial Sourcebook does not give the exact number of Imperial Warships. However it does state that at the time of the Battle of Endor, the Empire has at least four Super - Class Star Destroyers and over 25,000 Imperial Class Star Destroyers.

4? I knew about the Executor, and suspected that maybe another couple existed - what were the other three called, anyone? 😕

The Terror (which gets destroyed in Rebel Assault 2), the Lusyanka (which is in Crimson Empire), and the Guardian (which is in Wanted By Craken).

Those are EU, so, sorry, no good.

Known ship names are: Executor, Avenger, and Devastator.

No other name has official status.

Han's line in ANH makes it clear that the Imperial Fleet numbers less than a thousand ships.

You asked a question and you got an answer. That should be good enough for you. One other thing, EU IS revelant. I am sick of fans saying EU doesn't count. It DOES count. Check out the post I started (under a different name) "EU IS relevant" on the old board.

Yes, but you are utterly wrong. I'm sorry, but that is simply a fact. No EU source has any canonical status in Star Wars. This is not a matter of opinion. It doesn't matter how sick you are, you are plain wrong.

I don't mind answers based on EU, but they are no more correct than any opinion that you and I may come up with independantly. And they are certainly overridden by Han's line in the film.

[ April 13, 2001: Message edited by: Ushgarak ]

Han doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. He's just a space pirate, not someone who would know more about the Imperial Fleet stats like Ars Dangor, Sate Pestage, or Grand Admiral Thrawn.

DArth Ninja, I take it you were Darth Heinous?

The point about Han is possibly true, though in the EU isn't it generally accepted that Han is ex-military? Certainly he sounds like someone who knows his tuff.

However, the idea that Han is in error is possible.

I always understood that Han's backstory was that he was a pilot in the Correlian military and dropped out. That was why he had the piped pants, they were military issue.

I know, this is all EU...

To be honest, most discussions on the Fleet Size will be EU, because it is not really discussed in the films. My main point is that Han's line in ANH may oput the mockers on some of the previously accepted figures.

In the the first novel Star Wars: From The Adventures Of Luke Skywalker, Han comments "The Empire couldn't destroy Alderaan. It would take more than a thousand ships with more firepower than has ever been invented." My guess is that Han was just trying to get the point across that to blow up a planet would require ALOT of power.

One other thing, I recovered from an illness that was supposed to be terminal. So now that I'm back, you can look forward to more cool EU related posts, especially on The Force, Jedi, Sith, Qui-Gon Jinn and the Mandalorian Warriors (most notably Boba Fett).

Well, some of those will certainly be problem areas...

But using 'a thousand ships' as an exaggeration is rather telling, isn'tit?

One thing that puzzles me is when the beardy-Melin like guy (don't know his name, head hung in disgrace) gives the mission briefing in episode 4, he says that the Death Star posesses a firepower greater than half the starfleet. Does that mean the superlaser, or the surface turbolasers?

Good point. Difficult to be sure, really. Probably the best interpretation is that the DS is, overall, more dangerous than half the starfleet.

General Jan Dodonna was comparing the secondary weapons of the Death Star to the Alliance fleet, not the Imperial fleet.

In terms of the size of the fleet given that they are always producing new weapons and ships doesn't this infer that there can never be a set number in the fleet in the period of the films given there will always be more. For instance the Executor didn't turn up for 5 years. It was only after the ROJ that it is possible to have a semi set number and this will be presumeably depleating...

Actually, there's no accurate info on when the Executor turned up... it's all a bit misty right now...

If in EU territory then it was built at the beginning of Awareness of the Black Sun that led to Shadow of the Empire era which means about a year before ESB, As I think in the Encyclopedia it suggests they aided funding for it...