So I've been looking at lists of Canon and Legends Star Destroyers and while some of them are quite good, I honestly couldn't use most of them with a straight face. So I put the question to you, dear forum trawlers; what would you consider to be "good" names for Imperial Star Destroyers? My first instinct would be to use names inspired by the British naval tradition of naming ships after martial virtues, and mix in some Orwellian undertones as well as names that are more subtly ominous than the apparent canon baseline.

So far I've come up with the following:

Imposition of Law

Destrier

White Herald

Implacable

Valour

Unified Will

Burden of Supremacy

Surprise

Tyranny of Choice

Duty of Man

Merciless

Banner of Peace

Vigilant

Divine Right

Folly of Tolerance

Diplomat

Call it Peace

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Alternate naming schemes?

Wanton Judge

Vicious

TLC (Turbo Laser Cannons)

Imperial Might

Concordance

Heavy Ordnance

Indomitable Charge

Invincible

Invunerable

Find a theme for the ship and it's crew then give it the latin name for said theme. I do that a lot for ships. I like to do that for ships all the time. Pick an ideal or theme then pick a foreign language and give them the name. This happens a lot when I create my own alien species. To me the Empire screams the use of Latin for things.

"Stop and we will shoot"

"I guess now the separatists look not as evil as you thought"

"I was standing in the wrong line when they handed out gravitas"

"Gravitas controls failing"

"May the gravitas be with you, always."

"I rather would have a super-laser than gravitas"

…

wait, you said imperial general system vehicle, right?

*looks at the topic*

Uhm … so Imperial Star Destroyers, huh?

So how about "Gravitas"?

In general imperial star destroyers seem to be named usually by power projecting adjectives or nouns.

Accuser, Agonizer, Avenger, Basilisk, Chimera, Conquest,, Engager, Invincible, Nemesis, Rage, Retribution, etc

For a more or less full list see here: http://www.theforce.net/swtc/isdlist.html

Obliterator, Annihilator, Decimator

Really any word that you could threaten someone with.

I recall there was a Legends book that explained that the Emperor specifically chose what we might call "evil" names in order to condition the Imperial navy to basically not care about evil stuff. By making them use these names on a daily basis it normalised villainy and made them less likely to hesitate when ordered to do something horrible.

Obliterator, Annihilator, Decimator

Really any word that you could threaten someone with.

This.

Everything about the Imperial military boils down to intimidation. Legions of faceless stormtroopers. Phalanxes of AT-ATs slowly and inexorably advancing, the ground shaking under every step. Colossal grey warships hovering over restless cities. The name of every ship, especially Star Destroyers, should convey menace, the more overblown the better.

Annihilator

Eviscerator

Deathbringer

Terror

Intimidator

Ravager

Exterminator

Another resource to consider would be German military units from WWI & WWII.

They also used fear inspiring names intended to shake the morale of the enemy.

And their evil emperor promoted that for the same reasons that Palpatine does . . .

And their evil emperor promoted that for the same reasons that Palpatine does . . .

Are you talking about Hilter, or are you talking about the actual German Emperor during WWI, Wilhelm II. I wasn't aware WWI era German units had deliberately scary names (although I no knowledge that suggests they did not), but Star Wars Empire borrows heavily from WWII era Nazi forces, so I feel like maybe maybe you mean Hitler?

It makes sense to give certain military units scary names. For example, there is a British nuclear submarine called the HMS Vengeance which is part of the nuclear deterrent system. It's mission is literally to just remain hidden beneath the ocean and if anyone nukes Britain annihilate them with nukes in turn so that nobody ever even gets that idea in the first place. Seems like an appropriate name for a ship that literally exists to make sure that if your country is wiped out which ever nation did it is as well.

And their evil emperor promoted that for the same reasons that Palpatine does . . .

Are you talking about Hilter, or are you talking about the actual German Emperor during WWI, Wilhelm II. I wasn't aware WWI era German units had deliberately scary names (although I no knowledge that suggests they did not), but Star Wars Empire borrows heavily from WWII era Nazi forces, so I feel like maybe maybe you mean Hitler?

While Hitler was the evil emperor, I was alluding to, the German culture had been fostering their naming schema for decades.

It's been a couple of decades since I've studied the German leadership during WWI so my memory is sketchy. But, yeah, the German leader who kicked off WW I wasn't a nice guy either.

As a student of history, I could also ascribe a certain amount of ignorance and stupidity to the kickoff of WW I, but I've also come across some interesting details recently which lead me to consider the fact that, no, Evil!

Maybe both.

Anyrate a really good source of information on Germany during both wars is Dan Carlin's hardcore history. His monologues are as exhaustive as they are insightful. He is really good about getting you to understand the cultures involved too while stripping away the hyperbole and melodrama. (Between his WW I & WW II chapters there's 30+ hours on both topics! Yeah, exhaustive).

[Edit Notes: I mispelled insightful so badly as to obfuscate the intended meaning].

Let's not get off into a discussion about past national leaders' personalities. That's tangential at best. The topic is naming Imperial Star Destroyers.

Did anybody use Devourer or Crusher?

And their evil emperor promoted that for the same reasons that Palpatine does . . .

Are you talking about Hilter, or are you talking about the actual German Emperor during WWI, Wilhelm II. I wasn't aware WWI era German units had deliberately scary names (although I no knowledge that suggests they did not), but Star Wars Empire borrows heavily from WWII era Nazi forces, so I feel like maybe maybe you mean Hitler?

While Hitler was the evil emperor, I was alluding to, the German culture had been fostering their naming schema for decades.

It's been a couple of decades since I've studied the German leadership during WWI so my memory is sketchy. But, yeah, the German leader who kicked off WW I wasn't a nice guy either.

As a student of history, I could also ascribe a certain amount of ignorance and stupidity to the kickoff of WW I, but I've also come across some interesting details recently which lead me to consider the fact that, no, Evil!

Maybe both.

Anyrate a really good source of information on Germany during both wars is Dan Carlin's hardcore history. His monologues are as exhaustive as they are insightful. He is really good about getting you to understand the cultures involved too while stripping away the hyperbole and melodrama. (Between his WW I & WW II chapters there's 30+ hours on both topics! Yeah, exhaustive).

[Edit Notes: I mispelled insightful so badly as to obfuscate the intended meaning].

Hah, yes, Dan Carlin's series is responsible for basically everything I know about WWI.

But I would never call Hitler and Evil Emperor because that detracts from the awful reality that he was elected. We forget that at our peril.

Assaulter, Annihilator, Decimator, Steel-Toed-Boot-In-The-Testiculator,...

Actually I'm a big fan of Burden of Supremacy.

Let's not get off into a discussion about past national leaders' personalities. That's tangential at best. The topic is naming Imperial Star Destroyers.

Did anybody use Devourer or Crusher?

I could never go with Crusher. Too many years of TNG reruns has made certain that whenever I hear the name Crusher I think of Dr. Beverely Crusher

A few names from Legends and a few of my own:

Exsanguinator

Avarice

Wrathful Intent

Emperor's Will

Medusa

Gorgon

Chimera

Angry Wind

Tempest

Contributor

Constrainer

Decapitator

Executioner

Let's not get off into a discussion about past national leaders' personalities. That's tangential at best. The topic is naming Imperial Star Destroyers.

Did anybody use Devourer or Crusher?

I could never go with Crusher. Too many years of TNG reruns has made certain that whenever I hear the name Crusher I think of Dr. Beverely Cr

Well, I haven't introduced that many SDs in my game, preferring to save them for special occasions, but here are a few of the names I've come up with:

Beheader
Castigator
Immolator
Lacerator

Warmonger

Those are the typical nasty words that end in -er and -or. I'm also, however, kind of partial to names that give kind of an impending sense of dread, like:

Demise

Apocalypse
Inescapable
Looming Shadow
Death Sentence

And then, for that extra evil commander who likes to make people mad, there's always one of my favourites:
Silence of Alderaan

Wow, Silence of Alderaan is cold.

Silence of Alderaan is marvellously cruel. I approve it as name of a Star Destroyer.

For the record here are the names of the Star Destroyers of Thrawn's armada in the Zahn's novels. I think they sound good.

Imperial Class:

Chimaera

Judicator

Death's Head

Nemesis

Peremptory

Stormhawk

Relentless

Bellicose

Victory Class:

Adamant

Interdictors:

Constrainer

Rampart

Sentinel

Other names from Darth Vader's Death Squadron:

Avenger

Devastator

Conquest

Stalker

Tyrant

Thunderflare

Wow, Silence of Alderaan is cold.

Is there anything in canon about the Imperial propaganda justification for destroying Alderaan? Did they deny responsibility? Claim that Alderaan was harbouring Rebel terrorists? If the Empire did confirm that the Death Star was responsible then Silence of Alderaan is a great name - though I wouldn't waste it on a mere ISD, I'd give it to a dreadnaught.

I thought I'd read somewhere that the Empire did claim responsibility and indicated that Alderaan it was a center of Rebel activity.

I think AoR mentions this? IIRC?

Wow, Silence of Alderaan is cold.

Is there anything in canon about the Imperial propaganda justification for destroying Alderaan? Did they deny responsibility? Claim that Alderaan was harbouring Rebel terrorists? If the Empire did confirm that the Death Star was responsible then Silence of Alderaan is a great name - though I wouldn't waste it on a mere ISD, I'd give it to a dreadnaught.

"Why is it called the Silence of Alderaan?"

"We don't ask these things."

I think the name is sufficiently ambiguous that the Empire could claim that it's named in memoriam of Alderaan, rather than as a reminder of the Empire's might. Especially given that said might was smashed by a farm boy in a snub fighter.

Which of course means that the rebels should have a ship - preferably a captured Star Destroyer - called Alderaan's Revenge. If they don't, then a pirate should.

I've always been partial to Earth-mythological names for SW warships. With the width & breadth of an entire galaxy to draw from, who's to say that there isn't - somewhere - a Chimæra, Kraken (good Mon Cal ship name), Hydra, Basilisk, etc? I like using existing "monsters," too, but most seem to have lent their name to a class of starfighters.

It does get a little confusing when you're using different forms of the same word -- Tyrant vs. Tyranny -- perhaps all the ships in a given sector fleet could follow the same naming conventions?