# It's a Star Destroyer not a Star Destroyer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494 "2022-08-11T15:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/1 "2022-08-11T15:00:53Z")
I saw this pointed out online and it kind f blew my mind. I always assumed the name “Star Destroyer” was Imperial aggressive marketing where they give their stuff scary names (a la the Death Star) in that " Grrr this ship is so scary it can destroy a STAR!!!" (although it can’t but the Empire wants you to think it’s scary). But no, it’s more prosaic than that. It’s a Destroyer class vessel but in space instead of the ocean thus, a Star Destroyer. George Lucas is heavily influenced by WWII; it makes perfect sense and I never realized it. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/2 "2022-08-11T15:02:42Z")
If that’s the case though why is it called a Super Star Destroyer and not just a Star Battleship? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/3 "2022-08-11T15:07:09Z")
“Star” is the company that builds them. They also make household appliances. As for the OP, I disagree. I think they are Star Destroyers, not Star Destroyers. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/4 "2022-08-11T15:07:23Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > why is it called a Super Star Destroyer and not just a Star Battleship? Because the name looks cooler on a toy package? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/5 "2022-08-11T15:08:43Z")
Yeah, that explanation doesn’t make any sense - Star Destroyers were the Empire’s biggest capital ships, capable of carrying other ships. It’s in no way a parallel to naval destroyers. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/6 "2022-08-11T15:15:40Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > George Lucas is heavily influenced by WWII To be fair, Lucas was influenced by WWII _movies_, particularly in developing the Death Star battle at the end of the original movie (the film _[The Dam Busters](https://www.slashfilm.com/557980/dam-busters-influenced-star-wars/)_ was a particular inspiration). I’ve never seen anything to suggest he was a student of WWII itself, or particularly knowledgeable about the minutiae of naming conventions. Everything I’ve read about him, and his early life, indicates that he was a film nerd, and a science-fiction nerd, as well as a fan of auto racing. IMO, he picked names which sounded cool to him, without much concern about whether or not they mapped well to actual Earth usage for military vessels. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/7 "2022-08-11T15:20:22Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > It’s in no way a parallel to naval destroyers. It is if you can build a destroyer in less than 10 parsecs. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/8 "2022-08-11T15:30:13Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > "Star” is the company that builds them. _translated from droid noises - beep boop squeal_ They’re actually produced by Kuat Drive Yards. > **[Kuat Drive Yards](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Kuat_Drive_Yards)** > > Kuat Drive Yards (KDY) was a starship manufacturer based on the planet Kuat. The main production facility of Kuat Drive Yards was the Kuat Drive Yards Orbital Shipyards, a ring around the planet Kuat. It produced many of the galaxy's most terrifying... ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/9 "2022-08-11T16:17:46Z")
I thought ‘Star Destroyer’ was the nickname for the Star Wars prequels, since they destroyed the careers of Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/10 "2022-08-11T19:34:03Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > IMO, he picked names which sounded cool to him, without much concern about whether or not they mapped well to actual Earth usage for military vessels. Which explains how Han Solo went from smuggler pilot to frozen dinner to General in the span of three films while Luke Skywalker is apparently not even assigned a military rank. ‘Death Star’ always seemed to be an unironic co-opting of John Carpenter’s _Dark Star_ and doesn’t make a lot of sense although at least it isn’t as transparently generic as “Starkiller Base” which literally sounds like something a screenwriter threw in as a placeholder for an actual name. I mean, why not at least name it “Darth Vader Memorial Rebel Annihilator”? I swear, I’m surprised the Ewok homeworld wasn’t just called “Little Teddy Bear Moon”. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/11 "2022-08-11T19:36:38Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Which explains how Han Solo went from smuggler pilot to frozen dinner to General in the span of three films while Luke Skywalker is apparently not even assigned a military rank. In the first third of Empire Strikes Back, when Luke was the head of Rogue Squadron on Hoth, he apparently held the rank of Commander, and was referred to by that title once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/12 "2022-08-11T19:41:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In the first third of Empire Strikes Back, when Luke was the head of Rogue Squadron on Hoth, he apparently held the rank of Commander, and was referred to by that title once or twice. So, apparently in the Rebel Alliance bereft promotions come fast and furious, or else cronyism means that anyone associated with Princess Leia gets promotion priority. No years-in-service and time-in-grade requirements here! And the consequences of failure don’t mean that you are psychokinetically throttled by a sociopath whose only restraint was vaporized in the destruction of their most powerful weapon constructed with a deep vulnerability. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/13 "2022-08-11T19:47:12Z")
I always thought “Cruiser” would have been better. “Star Cruiser” sounds good and is generic enough that it can mean a variety of ships: Heavy Cruiser, Light Cruiser, Armored Cruiser, Fast Cruiser, etc… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/14 "2022-08-11T19:54:24Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > So, apparently in the Rebel Alliance bereft promotions come fast and furious, or else cronyism means that anyone associated with Princess Leia gets promotion priority. No years-in-service and time-in-grade requirements here! Not to mention Lando, whom they make a General in RotJ, despite him having limited-to-no actual military experience (primarily apparently consisting of a “maneuver at the Battle of Taanab”), as well as only being with the Alliance for about a year. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/15 "2022-08-11T20:00:14Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I swear, I’m surprised the Ewok homeworld wasn’t just called “Little Teddy Bear Moon”. That would probably hurt sales of their delicious dried flesh. Little Teddy Bear jerky doesn’t sound right. > **[Ewok Jerky](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ewok_Jerky)** > > Ewok Jerky was a dish made using the meat of Ewoks, a sentient species native to the forest moon of Endor who were hunted by offworld raiders in order to make the dish. A popular snack on Outer Rim worlds, it was served by the chef Borkus at Power... Oh my god, the funniest thing just happened. I’m in the lunchroom at work and mentioned to a coworker that I’d just learned that Ewoks are hunted to make jerky. She replied, in all seriousness, “Oh, I didn’t think they were real.” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/16 "2022-08-11T20:07:31Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Not to mention Lando, whom they make a General in RotJ, despite him having limited-to-no actual military experience (primarily apparently consisting of a “maneuver at the Battle of Taanab”), as well as only being with the Alliance for about a year. He did join right after Hoth, so there were probably a lot of vacancies they needed to fill. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/17 "2022-08-11T20:08:00Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > So, apparently in the Rebel Alliance bereft promotions come fast and furious, or else cronyism means that anyone associated with Princess Leia gets promotion priority. No years-in-service and time-in-grade requirements here! There’s a war on. I know of one man who enlisted after Pearl and was a chief by the end of the war, and a boon I was reading the other day mentioned a WWII light colonel with only five or six years in. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/18 "2022-08-11T20:08:12Z")
The Star Destroyers in the movies are the second generation of the design, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer. The general idea dates back to the Republic with the Victory-clasd Star Destroyer. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/19 "2022-08-11T20:47:11Z")
Back in the days of wind-powered navies, performing some great act such as taking a superior enemy ship as a prize was the quickest way to promotion. So blowing up the Death Star and saving the Alliance seems it should be good for a few steps. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494/20 "2022-08-11T20:51:11Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Oh my god, the funniest thing just happened. I’m in the lunchroom at work and mentioned to a coworker that I’d just learned that Ewoks are hunted to make jerky. She replied, in all seriousness, “Oh, I didn’t think they were real.” Should’ve replied, “They’re extinct now. We ate them all, just like mastodons and unicorns.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-star-destroyer-not-a-star-destroyer/969494.md?page=2)