The MC80 Mon Calamari Cruiser originally was a luxury, deep-space exploration and colonization vessel until it was converted, with supreme effort into a pure combat vessel. After Mon Calamari joined the villainous Rebellion, they handed over a number of their ships for use as the Rebels saw fit. This series of Mon Calamari vessels was among the first to undergo war conversion, and would later form the core of the Rebel fleet. Efficiency, structural strength and aesthetic appeal is what these ships are designed for. When these vessels were first encountered by Imperial forces, their capabilities were greatly underestimated, much to the chagrin of the Imperial Navy. After several individual engagements in which even our mighty Imperial-class Star Destroyers came out more bloodied, the Imperial Navy reassessed the MC80 to a far more serious threat level. These vessels not only serve in the direct combat role, but also serve as starfighter carriers, support ships, and medical ships.

    At first glance, it appears that this design was grown instead of constructed. Each Mon Calamari Cruiser is distinct, each with its own smooth, aesthetically-pleasing shape, since each vessel is hand-crafted and individually designed. Its organic-like features include blisters, bumps, bulges, and pods that seem to be randomly placed. Originally, these features were transparent viewports for grand observation decks. They have long since been covered with hull plating, heavy blastdoors and anything else available; and now contain recessed armaments, shield generators, sensor arrays, and observation decks. To partially compensate for its lack of firepower falls upon the shoulders of the gunnery crew's skills. These areas are considered modular in nature. Due to the several years lead time required to construct warships, the Mon Calamari have concentrated the efforts on converting their existing ships.

    This design boasts three times as many shield generators for a (Imperial) ship of comparable dimensions. Although, individually, each generator is more feeble compared to an Imperial unit. Dozens of shield generators provide unusually powerful overlapping deflector shields, which in addition to its thick hull plating serve to protect the MC80 from the rigours of combat. The advantage of the extra redundant shield system, is that damaged or exhausted shield arrays can be rapidly replaced during combat without leaving the ship exposed. Should one system go down, it is deactivated, and power is rechanneled through the remaining links within the chain. While the rechanneled shield is weaker than a complete chain, the shield nevertheless remains intact. This effectively makes it much more difficult to grind down a MC80's defences.

    Engine placement for these vessels vary from ship to ship. In some, all engines are found in the aft, while in others engines are aft-ventrally placed with flanking forward-dorsally placed engines, or the reverse of that configuration (aft-dorsally and flanking forward-ventrally). In the variant with all aft engines, the main reactor is above the engines and is the most-aft placed structure. Meanwhile, the bridge is dorsally placed, with it in the aft third of the design. Its sensor array is ventrally located, just forward of the engines.

    While the wretched Mon Calamari wholeheartedly supported the Rebellion, they have mourned the conversion of their "works of art" into weapons of war, as their once smooth hulls are now "marred" by military equipment. Since each ship is unique, and has customized systems and components, this has led to continuous stream of problems and frustrations for Rebel and later New Republic technicians. Each ship is fitted with a large number of redundant systems, which makes the MC80 extremely reliable and painstaking to disable in battle. On the other hand, this configuration makes servicing difficult, and requires constant maintenance to ensure the MC80 is operating at peak efficiency. An inordinate amount of man hours is consumed on understanding the unusual systems of a particular MC80 than on maintenance work on other ships. Furthermore, these cruisers are notoriously difficult to repair, although they seldom receive damage in combat.

    The command crew is almost exclusively composed of Mon Calamari, since the controls and displays are calibrated to their physiology. Due to the Mon Calamari's wide vision spectrum, the bridge holodisplays and battle-graphics appear to be distorted and warped to other species. An MC80 is controlled not only by standard interfaces, but also by specific movements in the command chairs. While this is second nature to the Mon Calamari, it is difficult to emulate by most other species. To alter this setup would require the MC80 to be completely retooled, an expense that far outstrips the Rebellion's meager supply of credits. Interestingly, the current setup does have one benefit, for the Mon Calamari command crew form a bond between each other, which has proven effective in the field of combat. Unfortunately, these ships have proven instrumental to a number of Rebel victories. Their surprisingly effectiveness on the battlefield is primarily due to superior crew training.

*After Endor* Around five years after the tragedy at Endor, a task force of six MC80s remains in permanent orbit around Coruscant, the former and rightful seat of Imperial power, as a "symbol" of unity and strength of the wretched New Republic. These vessels are generally deployed near the inner New Republic aligned worlds, and only venture to the front in either dire emergencies or as part of an attack force to challenge Imperial-class Star Destroyers.