EDITORS NOTE: I have slightly improved the legibility of the various posts and fixed spelling errors where applicable.

Thelea's Calculations

From: Commander Thelea
Subject: The Calculated Imperial Order of Battle!
Date: 2000/02/21
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.vs.starwars

Here's something that will answer all of those nagging questions about the size of the Imperial Starfleet. It is based entirely on Canon and Official information, with considerable research into the naval practices of the Galactic Empire and comparable governments on Earth to fill in the gaps; Consider this to be the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM for the Imperial Starfleet based on all currently available information, but it is NOT random; I will explain each estimation below it's listings. This figures are based on the WEG "One Million Member Worlds and 50 million Colonies, Protectorates and Governorships" statement.

Sector Group:

2 x Mobile Deepdocks
120 x Very Heavy Repair Ships
2,260 x Non-combatant resupply ships
240 x Torpedo Spheres
28,372 x Corvettes/Gunships/Light Frigates 101-449 meters long
11,902 x Heavy Frigates/Light Destroyers 450-1,000 meters long
80 x Heavy Destroyers 1,001-1,600 meters long.

Calculated using the full augmentation for each force inside a Sector Group, at maximum ships for each line. It's safe to assume that since the book is set immediately after Yavin, that by the time of Endor, all sector fleets would be at this strength, considering Imperial manufacturing capabilities as based on the second Death Star, which was built secretly, after all.

Sector Groups (Total):

3,200 x Mobile Deepdocks
192,000 x Very Heavy Repair Ships
3,616,000 x Non-combatant resupply ships
384,000 x Torpedo Spheres
45,395,200 x Corvettes/Gunships/Light Frigates 101-449 meters long
19,043,200 x Heavy Frigates/Light Destroyers 450-1,000 meters long
128,000 x Heavy Destroyers 1,001-1,600 meters long.

Based on the 1,026 Sector estimate based on the Phantom Menace, and giving it a total of 1,600 Sector Groups based on a rough estimate of the number of Sector Groups assigned to "Oversectors", 250 Sector Groups hidden in the Unknown Regions, those hidden in the Deep Core, and any additional sectors that might have been added since the time of The Phantom Menace.. The Empire was almost certainly highly expansionistic.

Colonies, Protectorates and Governorship defence fleets:

300,000,000 x Corvettes/Gunships/Light Frigates 101-449 meters long
300,000,000 x Non-Hyperdrive equipped Light Picket Ships
50,000,000 x multi-purpose defence stations.

Based on using the Bakuran defence force of two 350 meter long light frigates (Carrack Cruisers) and 4 x 125 meter long gunships, along with one multi-purpose orbital station, and a patrol group of 6 IPV-1 picket ships that was mentioned in the Truce at Bakura sourcebook by WEG.

Member World defence fleets:

2,000,000 x Heavy Destroyers 1,001- 1,600 meters long
6,000,000 x Corvettes/Gunships/Light Frigates 101-449 meters long
6,000,000 x Non-Hyperdrive Equipped Light Picket Ships
2,000,000 x Golan-III Battlestations (Or firepower equivalent in larger number of smaller stations.)
1,000,000 x Multi-purpose defence stations.

I used the two Golan-IIIs as a firepower representation, and also based on the two guarding Coruscant that were presumably captured from the Empire, during "The Krytos Trap". The Heavy Destroyers (ISDs) are based on the assumption that the two left behind by Ysanne Isard were part of Coruscant's defence fleet. There was no reason to leave them behind otherwise; Considering how few ships she had, she needed them badly. It would only make sense to leave them behind if they were part of Coruscant's traditional defence fleet. This figure has limited support from several comics as well that suggest at least one ISD is stationed above major worlds at all times. The rest of the fleet is identical to that in size and ship-types to a Colony world's fleet, assuming that the heavier platforms and ships are added on for the member worlds to that standard fleet.

Imperial Navy:

25,000 x Heavy Destroyers 1,001-1,600 meters long
5,000 x Light/Medium Cruisers 1,601 meters long to 4,999 meters long
5,000 x CA/BC/CV/BB/Command-ships 5,000m to 17,600+ m long (Est. max superlaser equipped: 250.)
Also: 1 Un-augmented Systems Bombard Group.

Based on the "25,000 ISD" claim from WEG for the Imperial Navy. This claim was highly odd, because WEG's own figures suggest a minimum of 128,000 ISDs in their Order of Battle. Likewise was the claim that only 6 Torpedo Spheres were in service when the Order of Battle suggested over 300,000 Torpedo Spheres (Which made me conclude the idea of finding weaknesses in planetary shields was hogwash; With one bombardment fleet and one assault fleet, you'd have 200 Torpedo spheres, IE, 10,000 proton torpedoes a salvo, firing at the shields. That would batter them down using pure firepower, especially if the other armed ships joined in.). I chose a different interpretation; The 6 Torpedo Spheres and 25,000 ISDs are in the "Imperial Navy" according to WEG.

In the Canon movies, it's always called the "Imperial Starfleet". Therefore, I concluded that the ENTIRE Imperial Starfleet has far more ISDs and Torpedo Spheres, while there is a group of the Imperial Starfleet specifically devoted to heavy combat engagements as opposed to "Coast Guard" style work that the Sector Groups and planetary defence forces work on. This fleet contains the 25,000 ISDs and 6 Torpedo Spheres, along with the following ships: A minimum of 5,000 ships larger than ISDs, as based on a 5 ISD escort for the Executor at Hoth. However, according to one computer game (Which are official according to Curtis Saxton's interpretation; by the rules of the FAQ, disregard the 10,000 figure and use the 5,000 figure), a ESB Arcada Game, another ship larger than ISDs participated at Hoth, namely, in the search for the Falcon, though was not at the initial attack; it possibly had a slower Hyperdrive, and it Lord Vader's haste, he left it behind. I concluded then that three of the ISDs would be the Executor's escort, and two that of the other ship. From this, I derived the 10,000 heavy ship figure, split evenly between light and medium cruisers and vessels larger than that. The one un-augmented systems bombard group contains the six Torpedo Spheres assigned to the Imperial Navy and some escorts. I was two damned lazy to re-do all the figures after I realized it was necessary.

Totals for the Imperial Starfleet:

3,200 x Mobile Deepdocks
192,000 x Very Heavy Repair Ships
3,616,000 x Non-combatant resupply ships
384,000 x Torpedo Spheres
351,395,200 x Corvettes/Gunships/Light Frigates 101-449 meters long
306,000,000 x Non-hyperdrive equipped light picket ships
19,043,200 x Heavy Frigates/Light Destroyers 450-1,000 meters long
2,153,000 x Heavy Destroyers 1,001-1,600 meters long
5,000 x Light/Medium Cruisers 1,601 meters long to 4,999 meters long
5,000 x CA/BC/CV/BB/Command-ships 5,000m to 17,600+ m long (Est. max superlaser equipped: 250.)
51,000,000 x multi-purpose defence stations
2,000,000 x Golan-III Battlestations
Other Support ships/Stations/Outposts: UNKNOWN
Also: 1 Un-augmented Systems Bombard Group.

The one un-augmented systems bombard group contains the six Torpedo Spheres assigned to the Imperial Navy and some escorts. I was two damned lazy to re-do all the figures after I realized it was necessary.

This is everything added together, and separated by ship type, as you can see, except that blasted bombardment group.

The total number of combat ships is around 378,000,000 of all types, roughly, plus 306,000,000 Non- hyperspace capable picket ships, and some 51,000,000 platforms, plus gods know how many we don't have accurate figures for. Also, around 4,000,000 resupply and support ships that are unarmed, and probably a lot more we have no accurate figures for, and finally 3,200 mobile Deepdocks, plus all the non-mobile construction/repair facilities that we cannot accurately guess of in total numbers.

In a total of all Hyperspace capable combat starships over 100 meters in length, divided among the 51,000,000 inhabited worlds, we get an average of around 7, that's right, only SEVEN ships PER INHABITED PLANET. I sincerely hope this gives you a true sense of the scope and scale of the Galactic Empire.

In terms of an invasion force, ONLY the Imperial Navy, with it's one Systems Bombard group, 25,000 Heavy Destroyers, and 5,000-10,000 Cruiser/Battleship/Carrier/Command rate ships would be capable of entering and invading another galaxy. The other 378,000,000 combat starships would HAVE to stay in their home galaxy to police it against rebels, pirates, smugglers, terrorists, and potential yet highly unlikely enemy raids from the invaded galaxy or the unknown regions. Considering that the Imperial Navy is the only truly mobile force out of all these ships, the Galactic Empire would have essentially ZERO offensive capacity in it's own galaxy during an invasion; only defence, except for the direct pacification of known, rebelling planets, and small operations within sectors. Any large scale offensive against the rebels or Unknown Region species would be impossible with the Imperial Navy committed to another galaxy; The Starfleet would just have to hold the line until the pacification either succeeded or failed and the Navy returned, or what was left of it. Certainly, though, the Starfleet is quite capable of holding the line; it just simply doesn't have the resources to conduct it's own offensive operations.. That's the Navy's job.

Well...There you have it. The Starfleet and the elite offensive part of it called the Navy, that make up the space-combat arm of the Galactic Empire's military machine.

NOTE/EDIT: My apologies for not including this: Superlaser figures: Based on the number of Superlaser equipped ships seen (A total of 6), compared with a rough estimate of my observations from all official/canon source of the numbers of Imperial Capital ships 5,000km and over in length, both multiplied so as to compare with the already calculated 5,000 ship figure for vessels of that size.

For calculating Superlaser Firepower for each of those 250 superlasers, to see how the Dodonna calcs stand up to their inclusion, I suggest using a firepower for each Superlaser, as a minimum, of twice the energy released by the Comet strike that produced the "K-T event" on Earth that exterminated the dinosaurs. However, it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that all 250 Superlaser equipped Command-ships/Battleships/Battlecruisers were in service at that time; Therefore, any such figures of the Dodonna calcs with those Superlasers included will probably be a bit low from what they really are, but should be close enough to either support or undermine the BDZ calcs with the one hour assumption.

Notes: If you disbelieve these figures, calculate the rough mass of all the ships and objects I have described, and then compare them to the mass of a fully complete DS2. You will discover that they are well within the range of Canon Imperial manufacturing, even more so when the facts that the DS2 was built in secrecy, and the Empire inherited many of these ships from the Old Republic are factored in.