Dark Omen

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For other uses, see Omen.

"Phoenix Squadron, keep those fighters busy. Green Squadron, attack the lead destroyer."
―Captain Hera Syndulla, to Alliance squadrons regarding the Dark Omen[1]

The Dark Omen was an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer of the Imperial Navy that was active by 2 BBY. During the Galactic Empire's Lothal campaign against rebel cells such as the Rebel Alliance's Phoenix Group and the Spectres, the Dark Omen was under the command of Captain Corf Ferno and assigned to Grand Admiral Thrawn's Seventh Fleet. At the campaign's Battle of Atollon, the Dark Omen led a squadron of Imperial-class Star Destroyers, or ISDs, until the arrival of Thrawn aboard the flagship ISD Chimaera. During the engagement, the Dark Omen was damaged by BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers of Green Squadron and participated in the orbital bombardment of the rebel base, though survivors managed to escape through a gap between it and the Chimaera.

Following the battle, the Dark Omen was repaired and continued to serve Ferno, who was promoted to vice admiral and selected to serve as a member of the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military by Supreme Commander Cassio Tagge. The Dark Omen and the remains of the Seventh Fleet were tasked with patrolling areas of the Outer Rim Territories in the Galactic Civil War. During the pan-galactic conflict, the Dark Omen participated in an Imperial ambush of a rebel convoy at Derra alongside Vice Admiral Rae Sloane and the Vigilance. Following this, the Dark Omen was among the ships present at the Battle of Endor, which resulted in the destruction of the second Death Star and the deaths of Galactic Emperor Palpatine and the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

In the battle's aftermath, the Dark Omen was dispatched by Grand Admiral Sloane to the factory world Kuat, taking part in the Defense of Kuat against New Republic forces. The failed defensive operation by Imperial forces to protect the Kuat shipyards hastened the end of the war, which ended soon after with the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. The Dark Omen was extensively mentioned by historian and Resistance paramilitary member Beaumont Kin in 35 ABY in his book, The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire. Files and information were recovered from the Dark Omen, including an image of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the far galaxy in 9 ABY.

Description

"Admiral Konstantine, deploy the fleet to these coordinates."
―Grand Admiral Thrawn orders his Star Destroyers, including the Dark Omen, to Atollon[1]

The Dark Omen[6] was an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer.[1] It was 1,600 meters long[2] and was outfitted with four port and four starboard quad turbolaser turrets, ventral cannons, a hangar bay,[1] two ISD-72x shield generator domes,[4] and a solar ionization reactor.[3] Behind its light gray hull, the Dark Omen was equipped with a hyperdrive system[1] and three Destroyer-I ion engines with four smaller Gemon-4 ion engines.[3] The Imperial-class Star Destroyer (ISD)[7] was also stocked with a tractor beam targeting array[5] situated above the starship's bridge and between the two deflector shield generator domes.[1]

History

Battle of Atollon

Onset of the Battle of Atollon

"Commander Sato. We have Imperial Star Destroyers incoming."
―A rebel pilot warns Commander Sato about the incoming squadron of Star Destroyers[1]
The Dark Omen (lead destroyer) and four other Star Destroyers arrive over Atollon.

The Dark Omen (lead destroyer) and four other Star Destroyers arrive over Atollon.

The Dark Omen served in the Galactic Empire as part of the Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War. By the time of the Lothal campaign,[1] the Dark Omen was under the command of Captain Corf Ferno as part of Grand Admiral Thrawn's Seventh Fleet.[6] After Thrawn pinpointed the location of the Rebel Alliance's Chopper Base on[1] the Lothal sector planet[8] Atollon[1] in 2 BBY,[9] he had Admiral Kassius Konstantine dispatch[1] a squadron[6] of five Imperial I-class Star Destroyers from Lothal,[1] another planet in that sector.[8] The Star Destroyers included Ferno's Dark Omen,[6] which was the lead destroyer[1] of the squadron.[6]

With the arrival of Imperial forces in the Atollon system, the Alliance's Phoenix Cell–which was headquartered at Chopper Base and preparing to launch an attack on Lothal alongside their reinforcements from the Massassi Group rebel cell[1] of the moon Yavin 4 elsewhere in the Outer Rim[8]–scrambled to evacuate their base of operations and disperse their fleet. Thrawn's flagship, the Chimaera, then arrived. Responding to rebel maneuvers, Thrawn ordered his ships to deploy TIE fighters and to reinforce the center of their formation. Meanwhile, Captain Hera Syndulla ordered the RZ-1 A-wing interceptors of Phoenix Squadron to clear the Imperial fighters while she commanded the BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers of Green Squadron to attack the Dark Omen.[1]

Continued actions at Atollon

"Green group, clear out for another pass."
―Green Leader instructs his squadron to make another bombing run on the Dark Omen[1]
The Dark Omen sustains minimal damage from an attack by Green Squadron.

The Dark Omen sustains minimal damage from an attack by Green Squadron.

After Phoenix Squadron cleared a path, a contingent of Green Squadron bombers broke through Imperial lines and made a run for the Dark Omen. Green Leader ordered the bombers to arm their proton torpedoes and to follow him during the bombing run, after which the BTL Y-wing starfighters managed to fly over the Dark Omen's dorsal hull and release a total of four warheads, causing three explosions. The rebel bombers then moved to the ship's portside to conduct another bombing pass but were forced to break off when one of their bombers was destroyed by attacking TIE fighters and the Dark Omen's port batteries.[1] Overall, the Dark Omen was lightly damaged by Green Squadron.[6]

Following the joint destruction of Kassius Konstantine's Interdictor and the rebel flagship, the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier Phoenix Nest, Jedi Lieutenant Commander Ezra Bridger escaped to summon reinforcements. Thrawn subsequently reorganized his formation, and all of his Star Destroyers launched an orbital bombardment of Chopper Base[1] to break rebel morale[6] after rebel forces had fled to the surface of Atollon. Despite the bombardment, Chopper Base's deflector shield generator held firm.[1]

The Dark Omen fires upon rebel ships escaping the blockade.

The Dark Omen fires upon rebel ships escaping the blockade.

After the subsequent ground assault by Thrawn to capture the rebel leadership and the destruction of the Interdictor cruiser Constrainer by Mandalorian reinforcements brought by Bridger, the last remaining rebel ships fled Atollon's surface and moved toward the Imperial blockade. The rebel ships pushed through a gap between the Chimaera and the Dark Omen. Although several rebel ships, including a CR90 corvette, were destroyed in this final push, the remaining rebel starships escaped the blockade and jumped into hyperspace.[6]

Atollon's aftermath

"While Captain Ferno would eventually be promoted through the ranks and escaped relatively unscathed, since his ship was not present at Lothal due to ongoing repairs, Captain Gilad Pellaeon–who survived the disastrous Lothal engagement–does not appear to have been immediately promoted in the same way, despite his obvious talents."
―Beaumont Kin in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, writing of the aftermath of the battles of Atollon and Lothal[7]

Following the Battle of Atollon, the Seventh Fleet and rebel forces again clashed at the Liberation of Lothal[7] in 1 BBY,[9] where the Empire was driven off the planet. The Dark Omen was absent from the engagement, as it was undergoing repairs elsewhere. Consequently, Ferno's career remained largely unaffected by the defeat, allowing him to continue advancing through the ranks despite the setback.[7]

After the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the DS-1 Death Star Mobile Battle Station, a power vacuum emerged within the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military. Due to this void, Supreme Commander Grand General Cassio Tagge promoted Ferno to Vice Admiral and placed him in command of the final remnants of the Seventh Fleet. By this time, the fleet was reduced to a handful of capital ships and support vessels that were not present during Lothal's liberation from the Empire, including the Dark Omen. Ferno was subsequently tasked with patrolling areas in the Outer Rim. This action allowed Tagge to place Thrawn's loyalists together to avoid issues with others in the Imperial fleet that believed these loyalists were compromised by their close association with the missing[7] Chiss[8] grand admiral.[7]

Ambush at Derra IV

"Though the Rebel Alliance were not able to ascertain exactly what happened at Derra IV, we know now that the Vigilance took the lead–given it was Sloane's plan–but was ably supported by the Dark Omen and, most importantly, the Interdictor cruiser Retention that helped isolate the convoy and enabled its destruction."
―The passage regarding Derra IV in Kin's The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[7]
The Dark Omen participated in the Derra IV ambush alongside the Vigilance (pictured in the foreground).

The Dark Omen participated in the Derra IV ambush alongside the Vigilance (pictured in the foreground).

For a period of time prior to the Battle of Hoth[7] in 3 ABY,[9] the Rebel Alliance had been transporting supplies through the Derra system in the Outer Rim. The Alliance convoys contained an array of weapons, equipment, food, and medicine that were in need by various rebel cells throughout the galaxy. In coordination with the remains of the Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Rae Sloane deduced the most probable possible rebel shipping routes in the Expansion Region and honed in on the astronomical object Derra IV from a selection of candidates. As Sloane planned the operation, her ISD Vigilance led Imperial forces with support from the Dark Omen and the Interdictor cruiser Retention.[7]

The Retention crucially aided in isolating the rebel convoy and allowing for its destruction. The ambush of the convoy and Renegade Squadron at Derra IV was considered a near-perfect victory by the Imperial Navy. The cutting off of the Rebel Alliance's supply line by the Dark Omen, Vigilance, and other Imperial forces significantly increased the probability of a larger Imperial strategic victory, which was carried out by Imperial officers and forces that were partially banished from standard Imperial operations.[7]

Battle of Endor

"Admiral Sloane and the Vigilance were present, as were Admiral Versio’s Eviscerator, Vice Admiral Ferno’s Dark Omen, and Admiral Montferrat with the Devastator. These ships and their commanders had seen extensive action against the Rebel Alliance across the entirety of the war."
―Beaumont Kin writing on the presence of experienced ships and commanders at Endor in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[7]
The Dark Omen was one of a number of Star Destroyers present at Endor.

The Dark Omen was one of a number of Star Destroyers present at Endor.

In 4 ABY,[9] Ferno and the Dark Omen participated in briefings along with the massing Imperial forces in preparation for anticipated action at the Forest Moon of Endor[7] in the Outer Rim's Moddell sector.[8] The Dark Omen was accompanied by other commanders and ships also considered experienced, including Sloane's Vigilance, Admiral Jhared Montferrat's Devastator, and ISB Admiral Garrick Versio's Eviscerator. Additionally, they were complemented by slightly less experienced officers and ships, such as Commodore Scaanos and his Steadfast and Captain Inalis with the Interrogator. Other officers and capital ships included Fleet Admiral Firmus Piett and the Star Dreadnought flagship Executor,[7] the battlecruiser Pride of Tarlandia,[10] and other ships such as the Annihilator,[11] the Harbinger,[12] the Subjugator,[11] and the Vehement.[10] Records of the briefings were kept by the Dark Omen.[7] The Star Destroyer presence at Endor totaled over thirty.[13]

The battle started when the Rebel Alliance Navy, consisting of various warships arrived near the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station. With the battle station's shield generator still operational, the Imperial naval forces trapped the Alliance and deployed their starfighters while Imperial capital ships kept their distance and prevented the Alliance fleet from escaping. After a ground battle that destroyed the shield generator and a close-quarters naval action between Imperial and rebel capital ships, the Death Star II was destroyed[14] while Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine and supreme commander of the Imperial fleet Lord Darth Vader were killed. Following the collapse of the command structure, Sloane aboard the Vigilance ordered a retreat.[7]

Defense of Kuat

"As it became apparent that the breakout was doomed, communications intensified between the Dark Omen and Moff Maksim and resulted in the surrender being issued."
―Beaumont Kin on the final actions in the Defense of Kuat as written in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[7]
The Dark Omen fought in the weeks-long Defense of Kuat.

The Dark Omen fought in the weeks-long Defense of Kuat.

With the Rebel Alliance reorganizing as the New Republic, the victors realized shortly after Endor that if their forces could at least blockade the Kuat shipyards or even capture it, then they would deprive the Empire of reinforcements and possibly shorten the war. Rae Sloane, now a Grand Admiral, dispatched reinforcements led by Ferno to the Kuat system to shore up Imperial defenses. Command of Imperial forces at Kuat generally fell to Moff Pollus Maksim, but control of the fleet was taken by the Dark Omen. The Defense of Kuat lasted for weeks as the New Republic Defense Fleet and Imperial forces initially attempted to hammer each other from long distances before the Republic incrementally pivoted to targeting vital sections of Kuat Drive Yards infrastructure such as fuel depots and supply monorails. Fighting was usually strenuously attritional due to the strategy New Republic Admiral Gial Ackbar and Commodore Kyrsta Agate employed, as they attempted to force the Empire into defending as much as possible while weakening the shipyards enough so that the Imperial fleet could not perform concurrent repairs.[7]

Imperial vessels were captured and Star Destroyers defending the shipyards were actively cannibalized to provide more weapons to attack New Republic forces. Maksim and local fleet commanders had numerous discussions on whether they should continue defending the shipyards or if they should attempt to break out through the blockade and escape. The surviving ships attempted to escape while Maksim remained on[7] the factory world[15] Kuat, unwilling to put his life at risk on a Star Destroyer. The Imperial fleet's remnants moved into battle formation and readied to charge the New Republic. With the arrival of the Starhawk-class Battleship Mark I Concord preventing breaching any gaps in the New Republic's formation, communications between Maksim and the Dark Omen intensified and eventually a surrender was issued.[7]

As a result, the shipyards fell to the New Republic, which captured the remains of seventeen Star Destroyers and an assortment of support ships. Ferno was imprisoned, and the defeat at Kuat proved devastating to the Imperial war effort. With the most vital industrial center out of their control, morale collapsed across the Empire's forces and Sloane made contact with New Republic Chancellor Mon Mothma to discuss possible peace terms. The failed Imperial defensive operation to protect the Kuat shipyards from the New Republic expedited the end of the war, which ended soon after with the Battle of Jakku[7] in 5 ABY.[9]

Legacy

"Similarly, the initial attack on Atollon had been led by the tactically astute Captain Corf Ferno aboard the Dark Omen. When Thrawn decided–unwisely–to lead the ground offensive, he could have returned command of the space battle to that ship."
―Beaumont Kin provides his opinion of Thrawn's failures during Atollon in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[7]
Historian Beaumont Kin wrote about Ferno and the Dark Omen in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire.

Historian Beaumont Kin wrote about Ferno and the Dark Omen in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire.

In 35 ABY,[16] the historian and Resistance paramilitary member Beaumont Kin mentioned and cited the Dark Omen in several instances in[7] his[8] book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire. The book contained an image of Thrawn[7] during his exile on the planet Peridea in the far galaxy[8] in 9 ABY[17] that was recovered from the Dark Omen. One record regarding the Seventh Fleet's reorganization following the disappearance of Thrawn was recovered from the Dark Omen and placed in the Imperial Archives Section: Fleet Compositions. The file was titled Seventh Fleet Reorganization.[7]

A reference to records of the Endor briefing recovered from the Dark Omen and the wreckage of the Devastator and Steadfast was cited in the book. Two records from the Dark Omen regarding the Defense of Kuat were also recovered from the Imperial Archives Section: Imperial Navy Operations, specifically the Defense of Kuat–Command Hierarchy and Defense of Kuat–Force Power Projection. Data regarding the Dark Omen's role at the Derra IV ambush was recovered from the damaged computer core of the ISD Vigilance in a file titled "Derra IV." The file was placed in Imperial Archives: Section Military Operations. Kin likewise cited those records in his book.[7]

Commanders and crew

Atollon and Derra IV

The Dark Omen was led by Captain Corf Ferno during the Battle of Atollon.

The Dark Omen was led by Captain Corf Ferno during the Battle of Atollon.

The Dark Omen was part of the Seventh Fleet under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Captain Corf Ferno served as the ship's commanding officer during the Battle of Atollon[6] and led the attack[7] despite Admiral Kassius Konstantine being placed in command of the Star Destroyer squadron's voyage to Atollon until Thrawn arrived. When Thrawn was planetside to oversee the ground attack against Chopper Base and Konstantine was killed, Governor Arihnda Pryce of the Lothal sector commanded the entire Imperial fleet at Atollon.[1] During the Imperial ambush in the Derra system, the Dark Omen was placed under Vice Admiral Rae Sloane's overall command as she led the action against the rebels.[7]

Endor and Kuat

"Command of the Empire’s forces at Kuat fell largely to Moff Pollus Maksim, though control of the fleet itself appears to have fallen to the Dark Omen."
―Beaumont Kin, in The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[7]

At Endor, the Dark Omen was directly commanded by Vice Admiral Ferno. Overall, Galactic Emperor Palpatine was the supreme leader of the Imperial forces and relayed orders to commanders, with Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod leading all Imperial forces. The Imperial naval detachment was led by Fleet Admiral Firmus Piett aboard the flagship Executor, and all surviving Imperial fleet forces retreated once Vice Admiral Sloane gave the order.[7]

Ferno and the Dark Omen continued to serve Sloane in her time as Grand Admiral. The Dark Omen fell under the overall command of Moff Pollus Maksim when it was dispatched by Sloane to bolster Imperial defenses, although Ferno's Dark Omen had control of the fleet.[7]

Behind the scenes

The Dark Omen was first pictured in the mid-season trailer for the third season of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels on January 4, 2017.[18] The ship made its first appearance in "Zero Hour,"[1] the final episode of the season. The episode was released in two parts, the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes of the season overall, on March 25, 2017.[19] The Dark Omen received its name in the 2021 reference book Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy.[6]

Appearances

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Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 Rebels-mini-logo Star Wars Rebels — "Zero Hour"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Zero Hour" establishes that the Dark Omen is an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, which measures 1,600 meters in length according to StarWars-DatabankII Imperial Star Destroyer in the Databank (backup link).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Zero Hour" depicts the Dark Omen with what Star Wars: Card Trader Set: Blueprints, Card: Star Destroyer identifies as a solar ionization reactor. It also identifies with what "Zero Hour" also depicts the Dark Omen as having three destroyer-I ion engines and four smaller Gemon-4 ion engines.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Zero Hour" depicts the Dark Omen with what Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 20 Starship Fact File: Imperial Star Destroyer identifies as two ISD-72x shield generator domes.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Zero Hour" depicts the Dark Omen with what the Droids in Distress book identifies as a tractor beam targeting array.
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 7.27 7.28 7.29 7.30 7.31 7.32 7.33 Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Star Wars: Timelines
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Levers of Power" — The Rise of the Empire
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lost Stars
  12. ↑ "Starships of the Empire and the Rebellion" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
  13. ↑ Star Wars: On the Front Lines
  14. ↑ Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  15. ↑ Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
  16. ↑ Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire states that thirty years have passed since the end of the Galactic Civil War and months have passed since the Battle of Exegol. As Star Wars: Timelines dates the end of the war to 5 ABY and the Battle of Exegol to 35 ABY, the in-universe The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire must have been published in 35 ABY.
  17. ↑ SWInsider "A Certain Point of View" — Star Wars Insider 228 dates the events of "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" to nine years after Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which corresponds to 9 ABY per Star Wars: Timelines. Preceding episodes, also take place in that year, since they take place after Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, which is dated to 9 ABY according to Timelines. As "Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord" takes place shortly after Part Seven, the events of Ahsoka as a whole must all take place within the same year.
  18. ↑ SWYT-Logo Star Wars Rebels Season 3 – Mid-Season Trailer (Official) on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
  19. ↑ SWInsider "Star Wars Rebels Season Three Episode Guide" — Star Wars Insider 174
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