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While on Wookiepedia I discovered the existence of the so-called Star Defenders. Are they really different from Star Dreadnought classes like Executor-class and Eclipse-class or the difference is only in the name?

Aside from being completely different ships, they're exactly the same.

They are in the same tonnage, role, and power range as the star dreadnoughts. The difference is that "star defender" sounds more peaceful.

The Star Defender not only has a more "peaceful"-sounding name, it also seems to have more built-out (hollowed-out?) hangar and repair facilities for smaller capital ships. It can literally carry a small fleet of frigate-sized vessels internally. Even moreso than SSDs, the Star Defenders seem built for a multitude of logistical purposes, like shipyards or space stations with more firepower. Other than that, they're meant to match the Star Dreadnoughts of the Empire. I would say that, much like "battle planetoid" or "battle station", this is a category of naval vessel more unique to space warfare than old nautical roles.

I apologize if this is considered necromancing; as this is still on the first page.

As an add-on to the difference between Star Dreadnought and Star Defender; Star Defenders have a decreased troop-carrying size compared to Star Dreadnoughts. It's mentioned in the starship guide to the galaxy that the designers assumed that the population supports the Star Defender and it would be used in that way, and not as a tool of oppression. Yes it's the New Republic (even the newly-built Fifth Fleet from the Modernization Program didn't have much in the way of landing troop capacity IIRC; most of it was on independent dropships, etc) but I found that funny still and a good piece of intormation. It's also stated that Star Defenders were in the planning stages for years, apparently predating the Black Fleet Crisis by years.

Unless they've changed something, I think the WOTC articles that flesh out the class say it was made because of the BFC. The New Republic lacked enough heavy ships to deal with similar instances of heavy enemy craft, so they decided to make their own.

Maybe the prior planning simply involved basic concepts, computer models, etc, ordered by the Admiralty, and it was the BFC that kicked the politicians into officially authorising the programme.

What is the source for the prior planning? =)

VT-16 wrote:What is the source for the prior planning? =)

THere's some degree of problem with the timeline itself. It was suggested in the latest edition of the "Starships of the Galaxy" that the Viscount was sent off to deal with the random Imperial Warlord. But then again, in Vector Prime, it was hinted that the ship had recently emerged from the yards and was doing a fly by at Coruscant.

Of course, there's no firm resource at all.

Well, the sourcebook, which I have, came out later than the novel, so it trumps it. The first ship fought rogue Imperials and then most likely went through maintenance, whereupon it was sent to the conflict zone at the start of VP.

VT-16 wrote:Well, the sourcebook, which I have, came out later than the novel, so it trumps it. The first ship fought rogue Imperials and then most likely went through maintenance, whereupon it was sent to the conflict zone at the start of VP.

The ship in the "combat zone" (if I'm understanding you correctly) at the start of VP was not Viscount, it was a Mediator-class ship.

It's entirely possible that the Viscount dealt with some Imperial warlord during the events of the early NJO. Not all ex-Imps joined Pellaeon's territory in the Rim as we know, and the Vong war took some time to heat up IIRC. Plently of room to allow for the Viscount to have a mopping up mission in that time without retconning away it's fresh-off-the-shipyards appearance in VP.

The Viscount is also mentioned, even though it isn't involved in the hostilities.

Anyway, the SOTGSE says it engaged rogue Imperials right before the YVW. The parade round in VP is probably just after a maintenance session following this campaign.