We can take it as canon that the Executor is indeed more awesome than a regular Star Destroyer, but specifics about size are lacking. The six huge ships are surrounded by a convoy of smaller spacecraft. It just says the following:ĭarth Vader's Star Destroyer, larger and more awesome than the five Imperial Star Destroyers that surround it, sits in the vastness of space. Does the script say anything on how big the Star Destroyer is supposed to be? Alas, no.
So we are forced to turn to text and see what's been written about the Star Destroyer length. Han & Chewie would go on to endlessly debate this view.īut even here there are camera-based unknowns like lens-type and focal length that could affect how big the objects in the image appear. Shots like this give us the closest clue: But the problem is that shots in Episodes V and VI rarely line up the ships perfectly for us to measure. If we accept that a regular Star Destroyer is a mile-long, then we have an accurate "yardstick" by which to measure the Executor. And it shows in the spin-off books and guides that have come after The Empire Strikes Back, in that the size of the Executor has varied over the years. And that's what's spawned all sorts of debate on what the intended size of Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer should be. That's a long way of saying it's hard to measure a ship by looking at the screen. Yes, they're built to a certain scale, but in the set-up of an optical composite, the arrangement of ships can be composed to the frame, and it gets harder and harder to establish what the true size of any given object can be. Motion control models, however, aren't as rigidly defined. Sure, some shots may fudge things in the composite, but in general, all the elements within a CG shot are to scale with one another, and by opening up the assets on a computer, you can find out how big a model is supposed to be. Today's era of computer-generated visual effects offer an advantage, in that there are set numbers that define the "real" size of CG starships.
What's the kerfuffle about? In case you haven't heard, the size of the Executor has, for years, been a contested thing. The last one, in particular, is a topic fraught with controversy with impassioned opinions that have sparked many a damned fool idealistic crusade. But now you've got another data point on the ongoing debate.Įtiquette dictates that to avoid upset feelings or arguments, there are three things you never discuss at the dinner table: religion, politics, and the lengths of Super Star Destroyers. I'll let someone else duke it out to settle that statistic. I say intended size, because I'm not about to weigh in here with a canonical size of the in-universe vessel after all these years.