Which Republic Navy Ship Was Designed The Best?
While the Separatists could rely on a variety of different battleships during the clone wars, the Republic applied a much smaller diversity in this regard.
Still, each of these ship classes had its advantages and disadvantages, and it takes a look beyond the pure stats to decide which one had the best design. (In this context, design means that they are best suited for a galaxy-spanning war).
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The following focuses on larger vessels with a crew of at least several dozen men. The smaller dropships of the Republic Navy are not taken into account, as aren’t starfighters like the ARC-170 or the Jedi Interceptors.
Arquitens-class Light Cruiser
Source: Wookieepedia
With a length of 325 meters and a width of 135 meters, this was the smallest of the more giant battleships. It required a crew of only 100 people and could carry up to 100 passengers.
Its hull was not particularly prone to attacks, and its armament was not especially impressed with 4 turbo-laser batteries, 4 quad laser cannons, and 4 missile and torpedo launchers. These ships were primarily built for speed, not for major attacks and they worked well in this regard.
Acclamator-class assault ship
Source: Wookieepedia
This ship class was the Swiss army knife of the Republic fleet. It was 752 meters long and 460 meters wide and had a much stronger hull than the Arquitens as well as better weaponry. With a crew of just 700, it could carry up to 16.000 soldiers and a vast amount of material while still preserving its speed and manoeuvrability. Later versions of the ship could even carry a small number of starfighters.
Venator-class Star Destroyer
Source: Wookieepedia
These massive battleships were the backbone of the Republic Navy. With a length of more than 1 kilometer, a width of 548 meters, and 8-10 ion thrust engines, the Ventor was a sight to behold. A powerful energy shield protected its hull, and it was equipped with an array of heavy turbolaser turrets, artillery cannons, and point-defence laser cannons.
Designed as troop transports and carriers these ships were often (mis)used as attack crafts on the frontline although their hangars which ran across the upper hull made them especially vulnerable to enemy attacks. And it required a crew of 7.400 people to operate.
Victory-class Star Destroyer
Source: Wookieepedia
These 900-meter-long vessels were introduced relatively late in the clone wars. They were very well armored and armed with twelve quadruple turbolaser batteries, forty dual turbolasers, ten tractor beam projectors, concussion missile launchers, and had a crew of about 5.000. Unlike the Venator-class these ships were designed as frontline assault vessels.
But being rushed into production, it was slow in manoeuvrability and plagued by many design flaws, leading to a bad reputation.
Taking this all into account, the price of the best-designed ship in the Republic Navy has to go to the Acclamator-class assault ship, as it possessed the best overall mix of speed, durability, and firepower, but its biggest plus was its versatility and relatively low requirements regarding crew numbers.
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