![Image for article titled The History of Thrawn's Secret Invasion Weapon in Star Wars' Expanded Universe](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/2f282d4fbec495589fd45059476edd85.jpg)
Decades even before the Republic was made aware of the existence of the Kaminoan clone army, the Senate backed multiple elaborate projects to support and enhance the effectiveness of the various, smaller defense forces aligned with the Republic and its member worlds. One such project, completed in 46BBY—14 years before the events of The Phantom Menace—was the Katana Fleet.
A 200-ship strong fleet made entirely of Rendili StarDrive dreadnaught heavy cruisers, the Katana Fleet was valuable to the Republic not because of the ships themselves or its size, but because of the manpower required to sustain the fleet. Before the Clone War, the Republic Judicial Forces’ Starfleet was a fraction of the size of Republic navies at the height of its reach and influence. The Katana Fleet, carrying complements of experimental walkers to assist in ground assaults, should’ve needed roughly 16,000 officers to fully crew an armada of its size, but through the use of experimental, remote-controlled computer networks known as slave-rigging, the Katana dreadnaughts could be operated by a crew a fraction of the size, roughly 2,000.
In a time where the Republic had no standing army beyond the peacekeeping forces of the Judicial branch, the Katana Fleet—also known as the Dark Force, both for the cruisers’ dark paint jobs but due to the fact they were all dimly lit, due to each vessel requiring limited life support and crew space—represented what could be the future of Republic military actions, given increasing stressors in the Outer Rim such as piracy and the slave trade representing growing issues for the Republic: a dominant Fleet that could protect Republic interests, at the fraction of the sentient effort.
Trending Products
![Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L Micro-ATX Tower with Magnetic Design Dust Filter, Transparent Acrylic Side Panel…](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51WfytAtGCL._SS300_.jpg)
Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L Micro-ATX Tower with Magnetic Design Dust Filter, Transparent Acrylic Side Panel…
![ASUS TUF Gaming GT301 ZAKU II Edition ATX mid-Tower Compact case with Tempered Glass Side Panel, Honeycomb Front Panel…](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41JUuW8Yc5S._SS300_.jpg)
ASUS TUF Gaming GT301 ZAKU II Edition ATX mid-Tower Compact case with Tempered Glass Side Panel, Honeycomb Front Panel…
![ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 Mid-Tower Computer Case for up to EATX Motherboards with USB 3.0 Front Panel Cases GT501/GRY/WITH…](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41j9qzlOi2L._SS300_.jpg)
ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 Mid-Tower Computer Case for up to EATX Motherboards with USB 3.0 Front Panel Cases GT501/GRY/WITH…
![be quiet! Pure Base 500DX Black, Mid Tower ATX case, ARGB, 3 pre-installed Pure Wings 2, BGW37, tempered glass window](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41xW6xrbicL._SS300_.jpg)
be quiet! Pure Base 500DX Black, Mid Tower ATX case, ARGB, 3 pre-installed Pure Wings 2, BGW37, tempered glass window
![ASUS ROG Strix Helios GX601 White Edition RGB Mid-Tower Computer Case for ATX/EATX Motherboards with tempered glass…](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41T-2v3IuML._SS300_.jpg)
ASUS ROG Strix Helios GX601 White Edition RGB Mid-Tower Computer Case for ATX/EATX Motherboards with tempered glass…
![Bgears b-Voguish Gaming PC with Tempered Glass ATX Mid Tower, USB3.0, Support E-ATX, ATX, mATX, ITX. (Note: Fan NOT…](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41p2u3NJN6L._SS300_.jpg)