Mon Calamari Star Cruisers were the main cruisers in the Rebel Alliance/New Republic fleet for a significant portion of the Galactic Civil War.
First used as transports, designed by the Mon Calamari and primarily built in their shipyards, these were the first large capital ships available to the Alliance Fleet, giving it for the first time the ability to rival the larger Star Destroyers of the Imperial Navy. More advanced versions of Mon Calamari warships continued to fill major roles in the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances fleet.
The Mon Calamari cruisers were originally built for civilian purposes, serving in numerous peaceful roles like passenger ships and deep space exploration vessels by the Mon Calamari species. Yet, when the Galactic Empire invaded and conquered their home system and enslaved their people, the Mon Calamari converted their ships to capital warships. Admiral Ackbar convinced his people to join the Rebellion. They in turn donated their fleet of cruisers to the Rebel Alliance, while many Mon Calamari joined to serve in the Rebel Fleet. These cruisers were powerful enough to rival the Empire’s Star Destroyer.
In addition to these original retrofitted civilian ships, the Mon Calamari also designed military variants of the cruisers. The plans for these models, however, were confiscated by the Galactic Empire sometime before the Battle of Yavin. They were held on Carida to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, until Rebel leader Mon Mothma enlisted the assistance of freelance smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca to steal the schematics for the new Mon Cal cruisers. After encountering much resistance, the duo made their way off-world with the plans in tow.
Many different vessels were designed and deployed by the Mon Calamari during the Galactic Civil War. One such vessel was a cruiser attached to the New Republic’s headquarters in Space City orbiting Nespis VIII. One of the designs was characterized by a raised rear similar to the most common type of MC80 Star Cruisers, but with a much more streamlined profile. During the destruction of the Nespis VIII spaceport, this vessel survived the battle and escaped into deep space, along with the rest of the fleet.