When Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens this December, it jumps ahead 30 years after the end of Return of the Jedi. That’s a long time, and as we’re well aware of the pace at which technology evolves, things are bound to have changed quite a bit. And now we know that includes a new version of the Imperial Star Destroyer, and because that’s not scary enough on its own, it has a terrifying name to boot.
Just a warning, we may get into SPOILER territory beyond this point. Just wanted you to know so you can plan accordingly.
The folks at Star Wars 7 News got their hands on a photo from an upcoming Star Wars book called Star Wars: Ships of the Galaxy. It’s one of the many Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens books coming out over the next few months. The image shows a schematic drawing of the massive new vessel, reportedly a tool of the First Order, and also reveals the name: Finalizer.
That name is admittedly both silly and somehow scary as all hell. It sounds like something a little kid would come up with, but it’s also super ominous and intimidating at the same time. With a name like that, and in the hands of the First Order, who appear to be a pretty nasty strain of villain, you know Finalizer is sure to have finished some things in violent fashion. Maybe that’s what Daisy Ridley’s Rey is gawking at in the sky in that new footage that showed up yesterday, though I would guess it’s probably Starkiller Base.
While the design is instantly recognizable as a Star Destroyer, there are a few minor tweaks and changes, most notably to the bridge. Instead of protruding above the body of the ship, which makes for a nice target in the midst of a dogfight with Rebel pilots, the command center looks like it has been lowered and tucked more into the form of the craft, more in line with the super Star Destroyers. While the view might not be as killer, safety first, even for a tyrannical force bent on galactic domination.
It makes sense that the design of a Star Destroyer would have changed over the course of 30 years—and there are, of course, a number of different classes and designs to begin with. Sure they’re pricey, but in the wake of the Battle of Endor, it sounds like a number were destroyed (we saw the wreckage of one on Jakku in the trailer), and if you have to replace them, you may as well get an upgrade while you’re at it.
In addition to this fresh new Star Destroyer, The Force Awakens has also updated a number of other key elements from the franchise. We’ve see new-look stormtroopers, that cool black X-Wing fighter, and a new astromech droid in the form of that rolling cutie BB-8. There were also glimpses of what appear to be a new AT-AT, not to mention Kylo Ren’s cross-guard lightsaber, though we now know he made that bad boy himself, which explains why it looks so raggedy.
Star Wars: Ships of the Galaxy hits bookstores on September 4, and you can bet we’ll see lots of new stuff we never even dreamed about when Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits and takes over the world on December 18.
