This odd-looking ship was designed by our friends at Kuat Drive Yards to better combat Rebel fighter craft attacking Imperial convoys. The larger vessels of the time were generally better suited for fighting other larger vessels; their weapons were designed around capital ship combat. This situation left a niche to fill, which the Nebulon-B does quite nicely. At 300 meters in length (this number seems to be accepted by most, although some will claim otherwise) and with 854 crew and 66 gunners, it boasts a weapons complement consisting of twelve capital-scale turbolaser batteries, twelve starfighter-scale laser cannons, and two tractor beam emitters. The placement of all of these is uncertain, much as it is for most ships in the Star Wars universe. The frigate also carries two TIE squadrons for support.

The starfighter focus of the Nebulon-B sent the Rebels back to the drawing board after several hit-and-run attacks were thwarted by the new frigate. To fight the Empire's new toys, they designed (admittedly with some outside help) the B-Wing Heavy Assault Fighter, which began to tilt the balance of power back to its previous position. Many Nebulon-B's either defected or were captured, and the Rebels converted them for use in their own forces. One was extensively remodeled into the Rebel Fleet's medical ship; many of the weapons were removed and replaced with medical suites, leaving only six turbolasers and eight laser cannons. The crew count remained about the same with 850, capable of taking care of more than 700 patients at one time.

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