Approved Starship Tribunal-class Frigate

[Dark Forces]

Tribunal-class Frigate
"Ambition may conquer the day, but order will stand the test of time."
- Grand Moff Arage Bao​

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To flesh out the Imperial Navy of Darth Solipsis's Galactic Empire.
• Image Source: Fractalsponge.net
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: The Galactic Empire
• Affiliation: The Galactic Empire
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: Tribunal-class Frigate
• Production: Mass-Produced
• Material:
  • Quandanium Steel
  • Durasteel
  • Transparisteel
  • Electrical Components

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Frigate
• Length: 450m
• Width: 75m
• Height: 60m
• Armament: High
  • 10 medium turbolaser batteries (broadside)
  • 2 heavy turbolaser turrets (forward arc)
  • 12 point-defense laser cannons
  • 4 ion cannon batteries
  • 6 assault concussion missile launchers
• Defenses: Average
  • Composite Hull
  • Deflector Shields
  • Particle Shields
  • Electronic Countermeasures Suite
• Hangar Space: Low (2)
• Hangar Allocations:
  • Starfighters: 2 squadrons
  • Support Craft: 0 squadrons
• Single Craft Hangar: Yes
• Maneuverability Rating: Average
• Speed Rating: Average
• Hyperdrive: Yes, Class 2

STANDARD FEATURES

• Standard Operating Crew: 3,000 - Including Officers, Enlisted Crew, Droid Brains and Other Essential Personnel
• Minimal Crew: 300 - Including Officers, Enlisted Crew, Droid Brains and Other Essential Personnel
• Passengers: 1,000 - typically Imperial Army troops en route to a battlefield
• Primary Power Unit: Advanced Quantum-regulated Hypermatter Annihilation Reactor
• Secondary Power Unit: General Hypermatter Reactor Equipped with Stellar Fuel Bottles
• Escape Craft: Hull-integrated life boats and escape pods
• Consumables: 3 months

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

• Assault concussion missiles
• Advanced Communications Suite
• Advanced Sensor Suite
• Anti-Ordnance EM Probes
• Shrike-class Drop Pod Deployment Chutes

STRENGTHS

• Ship of the Line: The Tribunal-class is built to screen and eliminate mid-size threats to Imperial capital ships, and is well-equipped to do so. Its combination of powerful turbolasers and ion cannon batteries can rapidly overwhelm the shields of its targets, at which point the enemy ships can be targeted with heavy-duty assault concussion missiles that rapidly vaporize impacted hulls. When a group of Tribunals works together to fire a broadside, they can put out a truly withering barrage - one that other frigates, and even cruisers, must be cautious of. In addition, Tribunals carry two TIE squadrons and a complement of troops, who can be rapidly deployed to warzones using Shrike-class Drop Pods.

WEAKNESSES

• Cookie-Cutter: The Tribunal-class was designed with ease of training and manufacturing in mind, and while this allows rapid production and deployment, it means the ship has little that is truly special about it. Other ships of the Imperial Navy, like the Edict and Dunney classes, are highly specialized, but the Tribunal-class was designed as little more than a force multiplier - the poor man's miniature Star Destroyer. The frigates aren't particularly good at punching up or down; their turbolasers are slow to damage capital-grade shields, and their guns are too slow to hunt fighters. They have to pick on someone more or less their own size to be effective, or to work in tandem with other Imperial Navy vessels.

DESCRIPTION
In the days of Sheev Palpatine's Galactic Empire, there was perhaps no symbol of Imperial power and authority as potent and widespread as the Imperial Star Destroyer. Bristling with weapons, and capable of transporting entire invasion forces, these colossal starships struck fear into the hearts civilian populations and rebel groups alike whenever they appeared in orbit. When Darth Solipsis's Galactic Empire established its reign over the Core Worlds at the dawn of the 10th century ABY, it consciously adopted the aesthetic of Palpatine's Empire, from symbols to trooper armor to the dagger-shape of Star Destroyers.

The trouble with a Star Destroyer, of course, is that each such vessel represents a major expenditure of resources. The Empire would like to give the impression that its fleets are infinite, but the reality of a grinding war against every other major power in the galaxy is that the strongest vessels of the Imperial Navy cannot be everywhere at once, no matter how much of the civilian economy is given over to military production. Further, although an Imperial III-class Star Destroyer is an exceptionally potent warship, its sheer size - and slow speed - mean that it operates best when supported and screened by smaller vessels.

To address these problems, the Imperial Navy commissioned the Tribunal-class Frigate. Though they are a mere quarter the size of a Star Destroyer, the frigates use a similar dagger-shaped silhouette - partly for standard Imperial order, uniformity, and ease of manufacture, and partly because a Tribunal in high orbit is easily mistaken by civilians for a Star Destroyer in low orbit. Heavily armed and intimidating enough to send a message merely by appearing in-system, Tribunals are often deployed in situations where an actual Star Destroyer would be overkill. In battle, they provide close support for capital ships in packs of four or five.

The Tribunal-class is not a highly-advanced or groundbreaking class of warship. It mounts no secret special weapons, prototype shields, advanced reactors, or rare and expensive metals in its armor. It is merely a picket ship with a powerful broadside. It is sufficiently cost-effective to manufacture quickly and affordably, and standard enough in its systems and design that its crews can be rapidly trained to a high standard of effectiveness. It is excellent at intercepting mid-sized threats, leaving the Navy's capital ships to focus on hammering targets more worthy of their big guns. It is a workhorse, not a hero ship.

It is an essential cog in the machine of the Imperial Navy - no more and no less.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Under Review.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Dark Forces

Looks good! Fairly straight forward frigate, always love imperial designs. My only question is for your Assault Concussion Missiles, and Anti-Ordnance EM Probes. You didn't hyperlink the 's' in each of these. I figured i'd ask if you meant to do this before I stamped it, in case it was a mistake.

 

[Dark Forces]

Darth Prazutis

Thanks! I had it that way because the Wookiee articles aren't plural, but it looks kinda off, so I hyperlinked the full thing now.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Dark Forces

No worries! Looks good! Approved Pending Secondary!

John Locke

 

[MANIAC]

Darth Prazutis , Dark Forces

Nicely made sub again!

Approved.