The 'Star Wars' Shipyard That Built The Republic And Imperial Navy
For many fans of Star Wars, their first exposure to the galaxy far, far away was witnessing Darth Vader's behemoth Star Destroyer capturing Princess Leia aboard Tantive IV. To this day, many fans will fondly remember how blown away they were the first time they saw the sheer scale and intimating presence of the signature Imperial vessel. Armed to the teeth with dozens of turbolaser batteries, ion cannons, and multiple tractor beams, the I-class Destroyer instilled dread in rebel cells and dissenters across the galaxy during the Galactic Civil War. Produced by Kuat Drive Yards for the Imperial Navy, the Empire followed in the Republic's footsteps by having Star Destroyers as the backbone of their fleet. Wherein the Empire employed the modern I-class, the Republic deployed the Venator and Acclimator class ships, both cutting edge for their time. What all these vessels have in common is their production by Kuat Drive Yards at their orbital shipyards encircling the planet Kuat. KDY has a long history of innovation, political significance, and military might.
As the name implies, Kuat Drive Yards is headquarter on Kuat, with the majority of their production taking place on their orbital shipyard. A huge man-made station encircling the planet, KDY employed most of it's native populace and good amount of off-worlders to produce it's lone export; starships. The interior of the shipyard space station was devoted mostly to production, leaving little room for their workers to live, eat, or recreate. Quarters were small and often shared between workers while sustenance focused on ease of preparation and bare nutritional value. Hobbies, culinary skills, and leisure were all set on the back burner in favor of efficient assemblage of Star Destroyers. Serving both the military and civilian market in early years, the production lines shifted virtually entirely to the manufacture of warships with the onset of the Clone Wars. While KDY itself produced the flagships of the Republic Navy, its subsidiary company Rothana Heavy Engineering busied itself with the production of gunships and other lighter vehicles for the clone army.
The Drive Yards allied with the Republic over a decade before the Battle of Geonosis after the bloodbath at the Eriadu Conference. This supposed political summit was a meeting between multiple large corporate conglomerates, such as KDY and the Trade Federation, and Republic Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. It ended in disaster when members of the Nebula Front, an anti-monopoly guerilla force, assassinated the Federation leadership, several representatives of KDY, and narrowly missed claiming the life of Chancellor Valorum. This slaughter drove Kuat into the fold of the Republic, seeking both personal and financial security, while alienating the Trade Federation, who appointed Nute Gunray to fill the power vacuum left by these assassins. At the prompting of the mysterious Darth Sidious, Gunray severed ties with the Republic, eventually leading to the invasion of Naboo.
As the Clone War ended and the Republic was dissolved into the Galactic Empire, Kuat Drive Yards continued to be a staunch supporter of Emperor Palpatine. The conflict with the Separatists had made KDY executives rich, and as the war machine rolled on and expanded under the Empire, the pocketbooks on Kuat fattened even more. With no qualms about instilling a police state across the galaxy, the Empire's demands for warships exceeded that of even the Republic's peak-war needs. After the Alliance to Restore the Republic's victory at Scarif, the destruction of the Death Star, and the declaration of all-out war with the Rebels, KDY's shipyards reached new peaks of production. Star Destroyers, light cruisers, and walkers all rolled off the line and into combat against the Rebels. This made Kuat a high priority target for the Alliance. However, with a long standing ground and space garrison and a small fleet of destroyers guarding the station, sacking the shipyards remained impossible until the death of the Emperor.
After the Battle of Endor, with the Imperial command structure in tatters and Admirals, Moffs, and politicians scrabbling to consolidate their own power Admiral Ackbar led the New Republic Defense Fleet to Kuat and laid siege to the yards. The battle was a drawn-out and bloody affair that lasted several weeks and cost many lives on both sides. Blade Squadron, composed of B-wing bombers and an escort of X-wing starfighters, was tasked with destroying several key emplacements along the orbital ring. Flying against AT-ATs, TIE fighters, and gun batteries, Blade Squadron was able to annihilate fuel depots, ammo dumps, and finally cripple the Imperial Command Hub. These surgical bombing strikes allowed the New Republic to break the deadlock and force the surrender of Imperial Moff Pollus Maksim. With Kuat Drive Yards under New Republic control, the Imperial Remnant's military might was severely limited and their leadership was finally forced into peace talks.
Source(s): Wookieepedia