

These former diplomatic ships became small combat frigates armed with laser cannons, light defenses, and point defense laser cannons. These starships were refitted early in the war under orders from the Republic's Supreme Chancellor to increase the small number of warships available to the Republic Navy shortly after the war began. They were fitted with their own sensors and life-support systems so they could be ejected from the main ship in an emergency and sustain the passengers for a considerable time in deep space.The Consular-class cruiser was a recognizable design of starship used originally by the Republic's diplomatic corps. At the time of production there were many different kinds of salon pods available, but since the ship is now considered out dated by many spacers it has become increasingly hard to find these pods. This was done to accommodate the many kinds of alien physiology in the galaxy. Just below the cockpit of the ship there is a so called salon pod, that is interchangeable. This was also the first ship to use an ion generator ring that ionized ignited fuel prior to the turbine injection, a feature now common in almost all of the starship engines in use in the galaxy today. The object of this was to give the diplomats using the ship, or the traders, if the ship was used for commercial purposes, the ability to communicate with any species or culture it encountered. Because during those days there was no standardized communications net, the Consular-class is equipped with a wide range of dish and communication antennas, designed to be able to pick up any form of communication in the galaxy. The Consular class on the other hand was built on a completely utilitarian design, nothing fancy, only functional. It was first produced during the age that all other starship design was elegant and companies were more concerned with the appearance of the ship, like the famous J-type series and the Naboo Star Skiff. The Consular-class Cruiser is a Corellian design that would eventually lead to the development of the Corvette. A vessel that is considered outdated today, but was a revolution in starship design when it originally came out.
