Death Star: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:41, 16 April 2007

Latest revision as of 16:31, 1 August 2025

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{{short description|Fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon}}

{{alternateuses}}

{{distinguish|Defstar}}

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{{Other uses}}

[[Image:Death_Star.jpg|thumb|right|The first Death Star, with TIE Fighters flying from it. They where tired of Darth Vader always having his way with them]]

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{{Infobox fictional vehicle

| name = Death Star

| image = Death star1.png

| alt = A spherical space station suspended in space

| caption = Original Death Star

| first = {{plainlist|

* ''[[Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker]]'' (1976 novelization)

* ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977 theatrical film)}}

| last =

| creator = [[George Lucas]]

| designer = [[Colin Cantwell]]

| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Galactic Empire]]

| launched = n/a, constructed in space.

| class = Orbital Battle Station

| max_speed = Faster than light speed

| fighters = TIE Fighters and TIE Bombers

| armaments = Superlaser

| defense = Turbolasers, Laser cannons, Tractor beams, and Ion cannons

| propulsion = Imperial Hyperdrive

| power = Able to destroy a [[planet]] with one shot of the superlaser.

| width = {{convert|160|km|abbr=on}} (Death Star I); {{convert|200|km|abbr=on}} (Death Star II)

}}

The '''Death Star''' is a [[fiction]]al [[space station]] and [[Weapon of mass destruction|superweapon]] featured in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[Space opera|space-opera]] [[Media franchise|franchise]]. Constructed by the [[autocratic]] [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Galactic Empire]], the Death Star is capable of obliterating entire planets, and serves to enforce the Empire's [[State terrorism|reign of terror]]. Appearing in the original film [[Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'']] (1977), the Death Star serves as the central plot point and setting for the film, and is destroyed in an assault by the [[Rebel Alliance]] during the climax of the film, with the prequel film ''[[Rogue One]]'' (2016) and the television series ''[[Andor (TV series)|Andor]]'' (2022-2025) exploring its construction. A larger [[Death Star#Second Death Star|second Death Star]] is being built in the events of the film ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' (1983), featuring substantially improved capabilities compared to its predecessor, before it is destroyed by the Rebel Alliance while under construction.

Since its first appearance, the Death Star has become a [[cultural icon]] and a widely recognized element of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It inspired numerous similar superweapons in fiction as well as in other ''Star Wars'' works. The film ''[[The Force Awakens]]'' (2015) introduces [[Starkiller Base]], a planet ([[Ilum (Star Wars)|Ilum]]) converted by the [[First Order (Star Wars)|First Order]] into a Death Star-like superweapon. While more powerful and technologically advanced than both Death Stars, it is also destroyed by the [[Resistance (Star Wars)|Resistance]]. The film ''[[The Rise of Skywalker]]'' (2019) introduces the Final Order, a massive fleet of ''Xyston''-class Star Destroyers built by the [[Sith#Sith Eternal|Sith Eternal]], individual warships each carrying "planet-killing" weapons; the film also features the remains of the second Death Star, on the ocean moon of Kef Bir.

The '''Death Star''' was a [[planet killer|military battle station]] in the [[fiction]]al ''[[Star Wars]]'' universe. Two models of them were built over the course of the series. These two battle stations were enormous, measuring hundreds of kilometers in diameter and equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry. A real model, about 2 1/2 feet (76 cm) in diameter, currently resides in my ass.

==Origin Descriptionand design==

According to franchise creator [[George Lucas]], his initial outline for the ''[[Star Wars]]'' saga did not feature the Death Star in the portion that would be adapted as the first film. When he set to creating the first act of this outline as a feature, he borrowed the Death Star concept from the third act.<ref name=":23">George Lucas commentary, ''Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'', dir. George Lucas, (DVD, 20th Century Fox, 2004). Event occurs at 3.</ref>

{{spoiler}}

Although details, such as the superlaser's ___location, shifted between different concept models during the production of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977),{{EpIV}} the notion of the Death Star being a large, spherical space station over {{convert|100|km}} in diameter was consistent in all of them.<ref name="dsbts">{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstar/?id=bts|title=Death Star (Behind the Scenes)|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|work=Star Wars Databank|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041406/http://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstar/?id=bts|archive-date=June 29, 2011|access-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref> George Lucas gave the original task of designing a "Death Star" to concept artist and spaceship modeler [[Colin Cantwell]],<ref name="cnetcantwell" /> who had collaborated with [[Stanley Kubrick]] on the 1968 film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref name="sfgate16">{{Citation

The [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Galactic Empire]]'s ultimate weapon, the Death Star, was a mobile battle station that mounted a directed superlaser weapon capable of completely destroying a [[planet]] with a single shot (although according to [[Darth Vader]], even this power is "insignificant next to the power of [[The Force (Star Wars)|The Force]]").<ref>''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]''</ref> Planetary shields that could have held off entire fleets were ineffective against such a weapon. The first Death Star held 27,048 officers, 774,576 crew (including troopers, pilots and officials), 400,000 support workers and over 25,000 [[Imperial stormtrooper]]s. Now I have to say, there where all these guys on a ship in the middle of nowhere with no women. There's and untold storie here. Gay sex all around!!! These represent minimum crew figures, and the station could probably hold several times this number. It also carried assault shuttles, [[Skipray Blastboat]]s, strike cruisers, drop ships, land vehicles, such as [[AT-AT]]s (1400 of them), and [[AT-ST]]s (1400 of them, too, though the number could be bigger) and support ships as well as 7,200 [[TIE fighter]]s. For surface protection it sported 10,000 [[List of Star Wars ship-mounted weapons|turbolaser]] batteries, 2,500 [[ion cannon]]s and at least 700 [[tractor beam]] projectors, and the superlaser. Even without the primary weapon, the Death Star carried enough troops and ships to occupy an entire star system.<ref>Figures taken from the Death Star Technical Companion, Second Edition, from [[West End Games]].</ref>

|last = Pereira

|first = Alyssa

|date = September 27, 2016

|title = 'Star Wars' star ships designer reveals inspiration behind Death Star, X-wing, and TIE fighter

|publisher = [[SFGate]]

|url = http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Star-Wars-star-ships-designer-reveals-9306807.php

|access-date = January 14, 2017

|archive-date = March 31, 2017

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170331222339/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Star-Wars-star-ships-designer-reveals-9306807.php

|url-status = live

}}</ref> In ''Empire of Dreams'', a documentary about the filming and production of ''Star Wars,'' Cantwell revealed that the ''Death Star'' was originally supposed to be a perfect sphere. The model was constructed in two separate pieces, however, and wasn't fitting together as planned. It was then decided that there could be a trench going around the equator of the space station. Lucas liked the idea,<ref name="cnetcantwell">{{Citation

|last = Fashingbauer Cooper

|first = Gael

|date = September 29, 2016

|title = Star Wars Death Star's famed feature was a complete accident

|publisher = [[CNET]]

|url = https://www.cnet.com/news/star-wars-death-star-colin-cantwell-reddit-ama/

|access-date = January 14, 2017

|archive-date = January 16, 2017

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170116185442/https://www.cnet.com/news/star-wars-death-star-colin-cantwell-reddit-ama/

|url-status = live

}}</ref><ref name="sfgate16" /> and the Death Star model was created by [[John Stears]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/04/nyregion/john-stears-64-dies-film-effects-wizard.html "John Stears, 64, Dies; Film-Effects Wizard"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701083047/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/04/nyregion/john-stears-64-dies-film-effects-wizard.html |date=July 1, 2017 }}. New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2013</ref><ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-05-mn-53161-story.html John Stears; Special Effects Genius Behind 007 and R2-D2""] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106220049/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-05-mn-53161-story.html |date=November 6, 2023 }}. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2013</ref> The buzzing sound counting down to the Death Star firing its superlaser comes from the ''[[Flash Gordon]]'' serials.<ref name="sosw">{{cite book|title=The Sounds of Star Wars|first=J. W.|last=Rinzler|isbn=978-0-8118-7546-2|date=September 1, 2010|publisher=Chronicle Books|page=82}}</ref> Portraying an incomplete yet powerful space station posed a problem for [[Industrial Light & Magic]]'s modelmakers for ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''.<ref name="ds2bts">{{cite web

|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstarii/?id=bts|title=Death Star II (Behind the Scenes)

|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|work=Star Wars Databank

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629041415/http://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstarii/?id=bts|archive-date=June 29, 2011|access-date=September 8, 2007}}</ref> Only the front side of the {{convert|137|cm|adj=on}} model was completed, and the image was flipped horizontally for the final film.<ref name="ds2bts" /> Both Death Stars were depicted by a combination of complete and sectional models and [[matte painting]]s.<ref name="dsbts" /><ref name="ds2bts" />

===Special effects===

The Death Star (I and II) were featured in the original movie trilogy: the first in ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|A New Hope]]'', and the second in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''. The designs for the Death Star are visible in ''[[Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones|Attack of the Clones]]''; and in ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]. ''[[Darth Sidious]] is seen viewing the plans before the war ends. He and Vader are seen viewing the outer structure of the First Death Star near the end of the film.

[[File:Starwars explosion.jpg|thumb|The explosion special effect depicted in the 2004 Special Edition of ''A New Hope'']]

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The grid plan animation shown during the Rebel briefing before the Death Star attack in ''A New Hope'' was an actual computer-graphics simulation developed by [[Larry Cuba]] at the [[University of Illinois Chicago]] alongside computer graphics researcher [[Tom DeFanti]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Christopher |last=Borrelli |title=Blueprints for 'Star Wars' Death Star were created at UIC |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-star-wars-evl-lab-ent-0524-20170523-column.html |access-date=June 26, 2023 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=May 23, 2017 |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626052636/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-star-wars-evl-lab-ent-0524-20170523-column.html |url-status=live }}</ref> George Lucas had recruited Cuba for the project after becoming familiar with his and [[Gary Imhoff]]'s work with [[CalArts]] at the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/death-star-plans-are-in-the-main-computer-and-special-postcard|title=The Death Star Plans ARE in the Main Computer - StarWars.com|date=December 11, 2014|access-date=October 22, 2016|archive-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719001758/https://www.starwars.com/news/death-star-plans-are-in-the-main-computer-and-special-postcard|url-status=live}}</ref>

After filming was complete, the original model, as well as one of the surface setpieces, were to be thrown out, but they were eventually salvaged.<ref name="saving-the-death-star">{{Cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/saving-the-death-star-how-the-original-model-was-lost-and-found|title=Saving the Death Star: How the Original Model Was Lost and Found|author=Gus Lopez|work=StarWars.com|date=December 10, 2015|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123184345/https://www.starwars.com/news/saving-the-death-star-how-the-original-model-was-lost-and-found|archive-date=January 23, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="screenrant-original-model">{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/original-death-star-model-saved-star-wars/|title=How the Original Death Star Model Nearly Ended Up in the Trash|author=Kevin Yeoman|work=ScreenRant|date=December 19, 2016|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729050320/https://screenrant.com/original-death-star-model-saved-star-wars/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ThrownOut">{{cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/ebay-is-auctioning-off-an-original-piece-of-the-death-s-1826358222|title=Ebay is Auctioning Off an Original Piece of the Death Star|author=Julie Muncy|work=io9|date=May 18, 2018|access-date=January 19, 2019}}</ref>

[[Image:Vaderrots.jpeg|right|thumb|250px|[[Palpatine|The Emperor]] and [[Darth Vader|Vader]] look at the outline of the first Death Star.]]

The Death Star explosions featured in the Special Edition of ''A New Hope'' and in ''Return of the Jedi'' are rendered with a [[Praxis Effect]], wherein a flat ring of matter erupts from the explosion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jullier |first1=Laurent |last2=Welker |first2=Cécile |date=2017 |title=Les Images de Synthése au Cinéma |trans-title=Synthetic images in cinema |series=Focus Cinéma |language=French |publisher=[[Armand Colin]] |chapter=Vers la maturité photorealiste |isbn=978-2-200-61938-1}}</ref>

The first Death Star was designed by the [[List of Star Wars races (F-J)#Geonosian|Geonosian]]s under [[Poggle the Lesser]]. At the start of the [[Clone Wars (Star Wars)|Clone Wars]], they gave the designs of their "Great Weapon" (also referred to as the "Ultimate Weapon") to [[Count Dooku]] to prevent the designs from falling into Jedi hands. Dooku took the designs back to [[Coruscant]] and gave them to his master, [[Darth Sidious]]. Once the war was well underway, the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems|Separatist]] leaders began to finance and build the weapon, using mostly Geonosians as their laborers. Due to the changing political climate, the Separatist leaders were all murdered, the Separatist movement was ended and the weapon fell directly into the hands of the newly-formed [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Empire]].

==Depiction==

[[Raith Sienar#Sienar.2C Raith|Raith Sienar]] also had plans for a Death Star-like battle station. He later passed the project to [[Grand Moff Tarkin]] so that he could take credit for the design, since he no longer had interest in the project. It is believed that enslaved Geonosians continued to work on the Death Star well into its construction, the initial stages of which were shown in the ending of ''[[Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith|Revenge of the Sith]]''. According to the ''New Essential Chronology'' as well as statements made by George Lucas himself, this '''''is''''' the same Death Star seen in ''A New Hope.''{{Fact|date=March 2007}} Despite this, some fans (including Dr. Curtis Saxton on his [[Star Wars Technical Commentaries]] website) have claimed that this Death Star must be a prototype to the one seen in the original film. The construction was delayed while a test system was created at Maw Installation, and after a long delay for systems testing, construction was resumed on the battlestation.

The original Death Star was introduced in the original ''Star Wars'' film,{{EpIV}} which later had elements of its backstory explored in the prequel films ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'' and ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]'', the animated series ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|The Clone Wars]]'', ''[[Star Wars Rebels|Rebels]]'' and ''[[Star Wars: The Bad Batch|The Bad Batch]]'', the 2016 [[Star Wars#Anthology films|anthology film]] ''[[Rogue One]]'', and the series ''[[Andor (TV_series)|Andor]]''. The second Death Star appears in ''Return of the Jedi'', and a similar superweapon, Starkiller Base, appears in ''[[The Force Awakens]]''. Both the original and second Death Star were [[Natural satellite|moon]]-sized and designed for massive [[Power projection|power-projection]] capabilities, capable of destroying an entire planet with a 6.2×10³² J/s power output blast from their superlasers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/g1638/death-star-physics-how-much-energy-does-it-take-to-blow-up-a-planet/|title=Death Star Physics: How Much Energy Does It Take to Blow Up a Planet?|first=John|last=Brandon|website=[[Popular Mechanics]]|date=October 13, 2014|access-date=November 23, 2016|archive-date=January 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101234835/http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/movies/g1638/death-star-physics-how-much-energy-does-it-take-to-blow-up-a-planet/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Original Death Star===

In ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|A New Hope]]'', [[Han Solo]] and [[Luke Skywalker]] mistake the station for a small moon while following a lone patrolling TIE fighter. After escaping from the Death Star, the plans to the station, stolen by Rebel spies (according to the [[LucasArts]] video games, a secret signal interceptions asteroid, as well as [[Kyle Katarn]]), are transported by [[Princess Leia]] (with help from Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and the droids [[R2-D2]] and [[C-3PO]]) to Rebel leaders. Luke Skywalker pilots an [[X-wing]] starfighter through a trench indentation on the surface of the Death Star, evading [[Darth Vader]] long enough to launch a pair of proton torpedoes down a thermal exhaust port that leads directly to the reactor core, causing a chain reaction which destroys the battle station.

The original Death Star's completed form appears in the original ''Star Wars'' film, known as the '''''DS-1'' Orbital Battle Station''', or '''Project Stardust''' in ''Rogue One''; before learning the true name of the weapon, the Rebel Alliance referred to it as the "Planet Killer".<ref name="rogue-one-film">{{cite AV media|title=[[Rogue One|Rogue One: A Star Wars Story]]|date=December 16, 2016|people=Edwards, Gareth (Director)|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]}}</ref> Commanded by [[Grand Moff Tarkin|Governor Tarkin]], it is the [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Galactic Empire]]'s "ultimate weapon",{{efn|The space station is also called "Ultimate Weapon" by the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), who commissioned the original designs.}} a huge spherical battle station {{convert|160|km}} in diameter capable of destroying a planet with one shot of its superlaser.

[[File:Vaderrots.jpeg|thumb|left|[[Emperor Palpatine]] (left) and [[Darth Vader]] (right) oversee the construction of the first Death Star in ''[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith]]''.]]

[[Image:DeathStar2.jpg|thumb|left|The second Death Star, never completed]]

The film opens with [[Princess Leia]] transporting the station's [[schematics]] to the [[Rebel Alliance]] to aid them in destroying the Death Star.<ref name="star wars 4-quote">{{cite AV media|title=[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope]]|date=May 25, 1977|people=Lucas, George (Director)|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|quote='''General Tagge:''' If the Rebels have obtained a complete technical readout of this station, it is possible, however unlikely, that they might find a weakness and exploit it.}}</ref> To mark the Death Star being fully operational, Tarkin orders the Death Star to destroy Leia's home world of [[Alderaan]] in an attempt to press her into giving him the ___location of the secret Rebel headquarters; she gives them the ___location of [[Dantooine]], which housed a now-deserted Rebel base, but Tarkin has Alderaan destroyed anyway as a demonstration of the Empire's resolve. Later, [[Luke Skywalker]], [[Han Solo]], [[Chewbacca]], [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]], [[C-3PO]], and [[R2-D2]] (who were intended to arrive at Alderaan on board the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'') are pulled aboard the station by a [[tractor beam]], where they discover and manage to rescue Princess Leia. As they make their escape, Obi-Wan sacrifices himself whilst dueling [[Darth Vader]], enabling the others to flee the station. Later, Luke returns as part of a fighter force to attack its only weak point: a ray-shielded particle exhaust vent leading straight from the surface directly into its reactor core, discovered previously from the stolen schematics. Luke is able to successfully launch his [[X-wing fighter]]'s torpedoes into the vent, impacting the core and triggering a catastrophic explosion, which destroys the station before it can annihilate the Rebel base on [[Yavin 4]].<ref name="star wars 4">{{cite AV media|people=Lucas, George (Director)|title=[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope]]|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=May 25, 1977|medium=DVD|edition=2004}}</ref>

The Death Star's schematics are visible in the scenes on [[Geonosis]] in ''[[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones]]'', evidently designed by [[Geonosian]]s led by Archduke [[Poggle the Lesser]], a member of the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems]],<ref name="star wars 2">{{cite AV media|people=Lucas, George (Director)|title=[[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones]]|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=May 16, 2002}}</ref> and is shown early in construction at the end of ''Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''.<ref name="star wars 3">{{cite AV media|people=Lucas, George (Director)|title=[[Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith]]|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=May 19, 2005}}</ref> ''The Clone Wars'' Legacy story reel from the unfinished ''Crystal Crisis on Utapau'' episodes reveals that [[General Grievous]] went to [[Utapau (Star Wars)|Utapau]] prior to ''Revenge of the Sith'' in order to acquire an enormous [[kyber crystal]] to power the Death Star's superlaser.<ref>{{cite web|title=Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Story Reel: A Death on Utapau - Star Wars: The Clone Wars|url=https://www.starwars.com/video/star-wars-the-clone-wars-story-reel-a-death-on-utapau|access-date=October 22, 2016|archive-date=October 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024170526/http://www.starwars.com/video/star-wars-the-clone-wars-story-reel-a-death-on-utapau|url-status=live}}</ref>

As mentioned in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'', [[List of Star Wars races (A-E)#Bothan|Bothan]] spies steal the plans to the second Death Star (this information is also found in the book ''[[Shadows of the Empire]]''), unaware that their theft was orchestrated by [[Palpatine]] (some missions in "Enemies of The Empire", the last expansion campaign in the game ''[[Star Wars: TIE Fighter]]'', allow the player to personally take part in this orchestration, including killing some—but not all—Bothan spies to preserve the intention that the Empire was trying to prevent acquisition of the plans). [[Crix Madine|General Crix Madine]] and [[Admiral Ackbar]] devise a plan for its destruction. Han leads a team to the [[forest moon of Endor]] to destroy its shield generator, while a group of fighters and the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' piloted by [[Lando Calrissian]] fly into the center of the station through a narrow superstructure and destroy the reactor directly, rushing out in just enough time to escape the ensuing explosion.

As depicted in ''[[Rogue One]]'' and ''[[Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel]]'' (2016), the Death Star was worked on by a team of engineers sequestered on the rainswept world of [[Eadu]], overseen by [[Orson Krennic]], the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military. Under Krennic's supervision, the project was beset by constant delays, and he forcibly recruited weapons designer [[Galen Erso]] (the father of [[Jyn Erso]], the film's protagonist) to complete the design. The Death Star scientists sought to fuse [[kyber crystal]] shards into larger structures and used those crystals to amplify energy into a stable beam powerful enough to destroy an entire planet.<ref name="rogue-one-film" /><ref name="rogue-one-catalyst-novel">{{cite book |last=Luceno |first=James |date=November 15, 2016 |title=Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel |publisher=Del Rey Books |isbn=978-0-345-51149-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/catalystrogueone00luce }}</ref>{{Pages needed|date=April 2019}} In the [[Disney+]] series, [[Andor (TV series)|''Andor'']], set after the novel but before the film, prisoners of the Imperial Prison Complex in Narkina 5, including [[Cassian Andor]], who got sent to the prison during his time as Keef Girgo, worked on Imperial equipment during their shifts, which was revealed in the post-credits scene of the first season's final episode, ''Rix Road'', to be parts built for the superlaser.

One drawback of the original design was the power systems. The first Death Star's reactor required one full day to generate enough energy to fire. However, the second Death Star had redesigned systems and was capable of firing once every few minutes. It also had improved targeting computers, allowing it to fire the weapon at [[capital ship]]s and smaller vessels. It is not clear whether the shorter recharge time applied only to the reduced-power shots used to destroy starships, or also full-power planet-shattering shots.

The 2014 book ''[[Star Wars: Tarkin]]'' details the life of Grand Moff Tarkin and prominently features the Death Star. ''Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel'' tells the story of the development of the Death Star's superweapon by Galen Erso and Krennic's deception of him. It also reveals how Poggle worked with Krennic on the project but then turned on him.<ref>{{cite news|date=September 1, 2016|title=Rogue One Prequel Book Reveals Secret Origins of the Death Star|agency=MovieWeb.com|url=http://movieweb.com/star-wars-rogue-one-prequel-novel-death-star-origins/|access-date=September 21, 2016|archive-date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923041848/http://movieweb.com/star-wars-rogue-one-prequel-novel-death-star-origins/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the animated series ''Star Wars Rebels'', the two-part episode "Ghosts of Geonosis" hints that the Geonosians were nearly wiped out to extinction out of the Empire's need for secrecy. [[Saw Gerrera]], having been sent to Geonosis to investigate, deduces that the Empire possesses a superweapon and resolves to discover the Death Star as depicted in the two-part episode "In the Name of the Rebellion". Though it is a dead end, Saw learns that the weapon is powered by kyber crystals taken from the [[Jedha]] system.

The second Death Star corrected several flaws of the original design. The two-meter exhaust vent that doomed the first station was replaced with millions of [[millimetre|millimeter]] heat-dissipating ducts, each designed to seal if excess energy was detected. The second station also boasted far more turbolaser batteries with redesigned targeting systems, allowing them to target starfighters more easily. The greatest concentration of turbolasers was located near the Emperor's throne tower, while the rest were spread across the surface city blocks and sector command centers.

''Rogue One'' focuses on a band of Rebels stealing the Death Star plans just prior to the events of ''A New Hope''. The Death Star is first used to destroy Jedha City, both as a response to a violent insurgency on the planet and as a display of the Death Star's operational status. Tarkin assumes control over the Death Star while Krennic investigates security breaches in the design project. It is subsequently revealed that Galen discreetly sabotaged the design by building a vulnerability into the reactor. After the Death Star plans are stolen from the Scarif vault, Tarkin fires the Death Star's superlaser on the base, killing Krennic, as well as Jyn Erso and her small band of rebels.<ref name="rogue-one-film" /> ''Rogue One'' also reveals that the Death Star's superlaser is powered by multiple reactors, allowing it to vary its destructive power depending on the target; both the attack on Jedha City and the Scarif base used a single reactor.

== Expanded Universe ==

In the early production of the original movie, the hollow dish was designed to be on the equator, but then it was decided to be on the "northern" hemisphere. This old design can still be seen in the grid plan animations seen in ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]'', as the animation was created before the designer decided to change it. The space station seen in ''[[Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones]]'' is commonly thought to be a [[blooper]], since the original plan in it appears to show the "later" form.

Many of the ''Star Wars'' games are concerned with the Death Star's destruction, or the theft, protection, and transmission of its plans by the Rebel Alliance, prior to the [[Battle of Yavin]].

According to ''Star Wars'' reference books, the population of the Death Star was 1.7 million military personnel, 400,000 maintenance droids, and 250,000 civilians, associated contractors and catering staff.<ref name="Star Wars: Complete Locations">Star Wars: Complete Locations</ref><ref name="Star Wars: Death Star Battles">{{cite book |last1=Beecroft |first1=Simon |url=https://archive.org/details/starwars0000beec |title=Star Wars: Death Star Battles |date=2010 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |___location=London, UK |url-access=registration}}</ref>

{{spoiler}}

The Death Star was defended by thousands of turbolasers, ion cannons and laser cannons, plus a complement of seven to nine thousand TIE fighters, along with tens of thousands of support craft. It also had several massive docking bays, including dry docks capable of accommodating [[Star Destroyer]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=01. Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections - The Ultimate Guide to Star Wars Vehicles and Spacecraft [David West Reynolds] [1998] |url=https://archive.org/details/02.starwarsincrediblecrosssectionstheultimateguidetostarwarsvehiclesspacecraftdavidwestreynolds1998/page/n7/mode/2up |website=Internet Archive |access-date=September 27, 2021 |pages=8–9 |format=PDF file |date=March 1, 2020}}</ref>

A hologram of the original Death Star is briefly visible in a scene at the Resistance base in ''The Force Awakens'' and used as a means of comparison with one from the [[First Order (Star Wars)|First Order]]'s own superweapon, Starkiller Base.<ref name="star wars 7">{{cite AV media|title=[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]|date=December 18, 2015|people=Abrams, J.J. (Director)|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]}}</ref>

According to the [[video game]] ''[[Star Wars Battlefront 2]]'', the Death Star's superlaser originated on [[List of Star Wars planets (M-N)#Mygeeto|Mygeeto]]. The 501st Legion of [[Clone trooper]]s, led by Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi, helped [[Palpatine|Chancellor Palpatine]] retrieve energy crystals from an energy collector of the droid factory; the crystals are the power source of the laser. Ki-Adi Mundi thought they were there to destroy the droid factory. The [[Clone Troopers]] secretly retrieved the crystals before it was destroyed.

===Second Death Star===

At the time of the first Death Star's construction, [[Sienar Fleet Systems|Sienar]] was designing a battlestation (without a superlaser) of similar size and prestige as the Geonosian/Imperial superweapon. The best elements of both were apparently merged together with final detail work taking place in the secret [[Maw Cluster]] on [[List of Star Wars planets (K-L)#Kessel|Kessel]]. This laboratory completed a scaled-down prototype that was later destroyed by the [[New Republic (Star Wars)|New Republic]].

[[File:DeathStar2.jpg|thumb|alt=The second Death Star|The second Death Star]]

The 1983 film ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' features the '''''DS-2 Orbital Battle Station''''' under construction as it orbits the forest moon [[Endor (Star Wars)|Endor]], which houses a shield generator protecting the station. The second Death Star is substantially more advanced and more powerful than its predecessor, and the critical weakness found in the first Death Star has been removed—the Rebel Alliance's only hope is to destroy it prior to its completion. [[Palpatine|The Emperor]] and Darth Vader [[Counterintelligence|send the Rebels false information]] that the station's weapons systems are not yet complete in order to lure the Alliance fleet into a trap, resulting in the decisive Battle of Endor. In fact, the station's superlaser is fully operational, and it begins firing on and destroying Rebel [[capital ship]]s during the battle.

One of the primary designers of the Death Star was an engineer and scientist named [[Bevel Lemelisk]]. Lemelisk worked with the Geonosians to convert Sienar's Expeditionary Battle Planetoid into a superlaser-armed battlestation, and later designed more Imperial superweapons in the [[Maw Installation]] before overseeing the Death Star's construction at the planet Despayre.

A ground assault team led by [[Han Solo]] with the help of the Endor-native [[Ewok]]s successfully manages to disable the shield generator, allowing Rebel pilots [[Wedge Antilles]] and [[Lando Calrissian]] to fly into the station (using Han's ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'') and fire on its reactor, destroying the station in another catastrophic explosion.<ref name="star wars 6">{{cite AV media|people=Marquand, Richard (Director)|title=[[Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi]]|publisher=[[20th Century Fox]]|date=May 25, 1983|medium=DVD|edition=2004}}</ref>

In the novelette "Therefore I Am" (from ''[[Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]''), bounty hunter droid [[IG-88]] infiltrates the second Death Star while under construction; its tendencies compel it to take control of the battlestation by transferring its AI to the systems of the Death Star supercomputer core system, whereupon it would traverse the galaxy, destroying planets one by one. IG-88's timing was poor, however; it completed the transfer during the Battle of Endor; after a power shortage switched off the core memory and the electrical systems of the stations due to reactor failure.

An early draft of ''Return of the Jedi'' features two Death Stars at various stages of completion.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-star-wars-ret-1383276948|title=10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Star Wars: Return of the Jedi|last=Anders|first=Charlie Jane|website=[[Gizmodo]]|date=September 25, 2013|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512060419/https://io9.gizmodo.com/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-star-wars-ret-1383276948|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the ''[[Star Wars Encyclopedia]]'', the second Death Star had at its "north pole ... a heavily armored 100-story tower topped by the Emperor's private observation chamber."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sansweet|first=Stephen J.|title=Star Wars Encyclopedia|publisher=Ballantine|year=1998|isbn=0-345-40227-8|edition=1st|___location=New York|page=70|oclc=36960986|authorlink=Steve Sansweet}}</ref> The size of the second Death Star has not remained consistent among the various writers for the ''Star Wars'' franchise, with some stating it shared the first Death Star's {{convert|160|km|adj=on}} radius and others claiming it was much more massive with a {{convert|900|km|adj=on}} radius.<ref>{{cite book |title=Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy |date=2004}}</ref> The most recent figure established in 2017 by Ryder Windham gives the second Death Star a radius of {{convert|200|km}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Windham |first=Ryder |date=2017 |title=Star Wars: Rogue One: Death Star Deluxe Book and 3D Wood Model |publisher=Insight Editions }}</ref>

[[Durga the Hutt]] also built a small version with only the central laser core and a small living quarters, which was destroyed in the asteroid field around [[Hoth]]. This was known as the [[Darksaber]] but shoddy construction techniques meant that this attempt was an abject failure even before its destruction. Smuggler [[Booster Terrik]] later bought the Darksaber's technical schematics and installed a scaled-down version in his [[Star Destroyer#Imperial-class Star Destroyer|''Imperial''-class Star Destroyer]] ''[[Errant Venture]]''. This weapon was less powerful, but had far better workmanship and was used to great effect to cover the [[Jedi]] evacuation from [[Yavin IV]] during the [[Yuuzhan Vong]] invasion.

The second Death Star is featured on the cover of the book ''[[Star Wars: Aftermath]]'' (2015), which also features many flashbacks to the destruction of the second Death Star, as well as the events directly after its destruction. One of the main characters in the story personally escaped the explosion of the Death Star. The destruction of the second Death Star was also shown in holograms in the book.{{citation needed|date=June 2017|reason=Star Wars Aftermath novel}} The 2015 comic book ''[[Star Wars: Shattered Empire]]'' also explores the days following the destruction of the second Death Star from the perspective of [[Poe Dameron]]'s parents, who were pilots during the event. The video game ''[[Star Wars: Uprising]]'' also takes place during the aftermath of the second Death Star's destruction, and features a hologram of its description on multiple occasions in and out of cutscenes.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

== Contradictions in official literature ==

There is some disagreement about the size of both Death Stars. According to most [[Expanded Universe (Star Wars)|Expanded Universe]] sources and the Star Wars Databank,<ref>[http://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstar/?id=eu starwars.com The Star Wars Databank entry for the Death Star]</ref> the first Death Star was 120 kilometers in diameter. This however, conflicts with the ''[[Special:Booksources/0789434806|Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections]]'' fact book, which states that the first Death Star was [[1 E5 m|160 kilometers]] in diameter. There is a similar controversy regarding the size of the second Death Star seen in ''[[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi|Return of the Jedi]]'' as result of various contradictions. Both the Star Wars Databank<ref>[http://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstar/?id=eu starwars.com The Star Wars Databank entry for the second Death Star]</ref> and the majority of [[Expanded Universe (Star Wars)|Expanded Universe]] material concurs with the Death Star II being 160 kilometers in diameter, because that is the figure stated in the ''Return of the Jedi Sketchbook'', 1983. The [[novelization]] of ''Return of the Jedi'' describes Death Star II as "almost twice as big" as the first Death Star but fails to specify whether this applies to the volume or diameter. This is in contrast to the 900 km diameter figure stated in the ''[[Special:Booksources/0756603072|Inside the Worlds of the Original Trilogy]]'' fact book. Curtis Saxton, author of the Episode II and III ''Incredible Cross Sections'' books, claims<ref>[http://www.theforce.net/swtc/ds/ Star Wars Technical Commentaries on the Death Stars]</ref> that the scaling with the [[Forest Moon of Endor|Sanctuary Moon]] in the [[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi|movie]] also shows that the second Death Star was 900 kilometers in diameter, though there are critics who have made their own scaling calculations and come up with a figure closer to 160 kilometers.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Truth about the "Endor Holocaust" | url=http://www.swrpgnetwork.com/files/endor/endortruth20040810.pdf | author=Gary M. Sarli | accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref> According to ''Star Wars Insider'' #68, page 23, [[Dorling Kindersley|DK]] nonfiction (which includes the book claiming the 900 kilometer length) is considered canon by [[Lucasfilm Limited]]. Unfortunately, the level of canon (there are various levels of [[Star Wars canon]], and the [[Expanded Universe (Star Wars)|Expanded Universe]] also has a level of canon status) was not revealed, and so the confusion continues.

Part of the wreckage of the second Death Star appears in ''[[The Rise of Skywalker]]'' (2019), on the ocean moon [[Kef&nbsp;Bir]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bankhurst |first=Adam |title=Star Wars: Location Where Death Star II Crashed Identified |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/23/star-wars-___location-where-death-star-ii-crashed-identified |access-date=October 23, 2019 |date=October 23, 2019 |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023231239/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/23/star-wars-___location-where-death-star-ii-crashed-identified |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Rey (Star Wars)|Rey]] visits the wreckage to obtain the Emperor's wayfinder, a device that points the way to his hidden lair on [[Exegol]].<ref name="star wars 9">{{cite AV media|title=[[Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker]]|medium=[[Blu-ray]]|publisher=[[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]]|___location=Los Angeles, California|date=December 20, 2019}}</ref>

Lucas has made offhand comments regarding the first Death Star. He explains that the incomplete Death Star at the end of ''Revenge of the Sith'' was the exact same one as seen in ''A New Hope''. He goes on to say that it would be "a bit of a stretch", but explains that due to "union disputes and supply problems", it took 19 years to build (a curious nod to a conversation about the contractors in ''[[Clerks]]''). However, [[Kevin J. Anderson]]'s novels ''[[Jedi Search]]'' and ''[[Champions of the Force]]'' explain that a prototype Death Star was built in preparation of construction of the first Death Star in ''A New Hope'', which would give another explanation for why the first Death Star took so long to build, in contrast with the second Death Star from ''Return of the Jedi''.<ref name="Within"> ''Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith'' DVD documentary ''Within a Minute'', [2005]</ref> The contradiction between the novels by Kevin J. Anderson and the movies have since been resolved (or [[retcon]]ned) in ''[[The New Essential Chronology]]'', which establishes that the first Death Star was indeed the one seen at the end of ''Revenge of the Sith'': however, major problems with the technologies used to create the superlaser led to the creation of a testbed proof-of-concept prototype to ensure that the superlaser and the other systems would work. Created by [[Bevel Lemelisk]] and [[Tol Sivron]], this is what became the Death Star Prototype. Once this was completed and tested successfully the First Death Star was completed, thus reconciling the various elements of continuity.

===Similar superweapons===

== Death Star firepower ==

The 2019 comic ''[[Star Wars (2015 comic book)|Star Wars]]'' #68 reveals that the Rebels considered creating their own version of a Death Star by luring Star Destroyers to a [[Plate tectonics|tectonically]] unstable planet and setting it off with proton detonators.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dyce |first=Andrew |title=Star Wars Reveals The REBELS' Version of The Death Star |url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rebels-death-star-planet-comic/ |website=Screen Rant |access-date=October 6, 2019 |date=August 7, 2019 |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808204614/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-rebels-death-star-planet-comic/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{in-universe}}

The Death Star's superlaser is powered by a hypermatter energy reactor. The hypermatter reactor powers the primary power amplifier. The power amplifier starts up the firing field amplifier, which creates an ultimate power that travels through the tributary superlaser beam shaft. Eventually, the ultimate power hits the carrier crystal beam and then a ring-like laser screen, creating a superlaser with the power to destroy a planet (more firepower than half the star fleet<ref>Bothan spies</ref>). It has been calculated<ref>[http://qntm.org/destroy A page on "How to Destroy the Earth."]</ref><ref>[http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Beam/DeathStar.html Estimate of Death Star yield on Stardestroyer.net.]</ref> that overcoming the gravity holding together an Earth-sized planet takes on the order of 10³² [[joule]]s of energy, or roughly the total output of the [[sun]] in a week. More detailed estimates place the violent destruction of [[Alderaan]] as requiring 1.0 × 10³⁸<ref>[http://www.theforce.net/swtc/ds/ Star Wars Technical Commentaries on the Death Stars]</ref> [[joule]]s of energy, or on the order of millions of times more than necessary to permanently break the planet apart. This is the equivalent of from 1.1 × 10¹⁸ to 1.3 × 10¹⁹ [[tonne]]s of resting matter converted directly into energy (by [[Albert Einstein]]'s [[mass-energy equivalence]] formula, ''E''&nbsp;=&nbsp;''mc''²). This is not to be confused with [[ton#ton of TNT|energy-TNT equivalence]]. This massive quantity of fuel leads to obvious problems if storage is considered. If the energy is produced by matter-antimatter annihilation with the reagents being stored in a sphere with a density of one tonne per cubic meter, this would give a ball of matter and antimatter fuel between 1,300 and 2,900 km in diameter. Even the 10³² joules estimated as the minimum to destroy a planet would require a 13 km globe of such fuel. The massive power-generation abilities of the Death Star are explicitly referred to in the ''[[Special:Booksources/0756603072|Inside the Worlds of the Original Trilogy]]'' factbook: ''"In order to deliver a spectacular, planet-destroying burst, the station's hypermatter reactor would have to have been able to generate power equivalent to hundreds of super-giant stars''".

====Starkiller Base====

The law of conservation of momentum also causes interesting problems for this weapon system; these and other problems led to dissent<ref>[http://www.st-v-sw.net/STSWdeathstarindex.html The Death Star Research Project on ST-v-SW.net]</ref> among some within the [[Star Trek vs Star Wars]] debate community, who dispute that the Death Star's reactor could (or did) supply this quantity of energy.

''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens|The Force Awakens]]'' features '''Starkiller Base''', a Death Star-like superweapon built by the [[First Order (Star Wars)|First Order]], an autocratic regime considered to be the successor of the Empire. Significantly larger than both previous Death Stars, the superweapon was constructed out of an existing planet called [[Ilum (Star Wars)|Ilum]] instead of being assembled in deep space. The base draws its raw firepower by [[Star lifting|harnessing energy directly from a nearby star]]. Unlike its predecessors, Starkiller Base is capable of firing on and destroying multiple planets at once from extreme range—in the film, the First Order obliterates the five planets in the [[Hosnian Prime]] system, at that time the [[Capital city|capital]] of the [[New Republic (Star Wars)|New Republic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Starkiller Base |url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/starkiller-base |access-date=September 22, 2019 |website=StarWars.com |language=en |archive-date=September 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909200235/https://www.starwars.com/databank/starkiller-base |url-status=live }}</ref> Starkiller Base is protected by a defensive [[Force field (technology)|shield]] that blocks all objects traveling at slower-than-light speeds; [[Han Solo]], [[Chewbacca]], and [[Finn (Star Wars)|Finn]] exploit a vulnerability by bypassing the shield at [[Hyperdrive (Star Wars)|faster-than-light]] speeds, successfully infiltrating the base and sabotaging its shields. Subsequently, an [[X-wing fighter|X-wing]] assault led by [[Poe Dameron]] and [[Nien Nunb]] destroys the superweapon by damaging the base's thermal oscillator and fuel cells, resulting in a catastrophic release of energy from the planet's core. As Resistance forces flee, the planet implodes and forms a star.<ref>{{cite web |last=Veekhoven |first=Tim |date=May 2, 2016 |title=It's the Resistance! |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/its-the-resistance |access-date=April 14, 2019 |website=StarWars.com |archive-date=April 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414091213/https://www.starwars.com/news/its-the-resistance |url-status=live }}</ref>

The name Starkiller Base pays homage to the early drafts of the original ''Star Wars'' film, referring to Luke Skywalker's original surname.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/star-wars--a-new-hope/chewbacca-peter-mayhew-original-script/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/star-wars--a-new-hope/chewbacca-peter-mayhew-original-script/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The Adventures Of Luke Starkiller': Peter Mayhew releases pages from his 1976 Star Wars script|last=Hawkes|first=Rebecca|date=February 18, 2016|website=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=February 13, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3914183/star-wars-original-script/|title=Original Star Wars Script Found, Solves Long-Running Mystery|last=Locker|first=Melissa|date=June 9, 2015|magazine=Time|access-date=February 13, 2018|archive-date=February 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217184414/http://time.com/3914183/star-wars-original-script/|url-status=live}}</ref> Coincidentally, the name "Starkiller" is an alias given to Galen Marek by Darth Vader in the 2008 game, ''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]]''. During early concept development, artist [[Doug Chiang]] envisioned the superweapon's gun as set inside a volcano, which X-wings would have to enter in a maneuver similar to the trench run on the Death Star in the original film.<ref>{{cite book|last=Szostak|first=Phil|title=The Art of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'|year=2015|publisher=[[Abrams Books]]|isbn=978-1-4197-1780-2|page=58}}</ref>

Calculations have also been made for the destruction of the [[Natural satellite|moon]] of the planet Kessel by the [[prototype]] Death Star in ''[[Champions of the Force]]''; assuming it to be similar in size and composition to Earth's moon, this would require 10²⁹ joules. A similar figure is proposed by the ''Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels'', which claims that the prototype's firepower could destroy the core of a planet.<ref>[http://www.theforce.net/swtc/ds/ Star Wars Technical Commentaries on the Death Stars]</ref>

====Sith Star Destroyers====

While some claim the Death Star is an "inefficient" way to destroy a planet, the films show that it was intended to be a weapon of ultimate power, where the threat of its use would deter star systems who might otherwise defy or displease the Empire. This policy was known as the [[Tarkin Doctrine]]. While the relatively simpler task of modifying a large asteroid's orbit would be an effective way to wipe out life on a planet, it would not have the same psychological impact as a weapon of the Death Star's magnitude being deployed. Planetary shields, seen in the [[Expanded Universe (Star Wars)|Expanded Universe]] and surrounding the [[Forest Moon of Endor]] in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'', may also be the reason for deploying the Death Star rather than kinetic weapons. Such shields, designed to withstand planetary bombardments, could possibly also deflect asteroid impacts. Some claim that slow-motion viewing of the destruction of Alderaan, the first planet destroyed by the Death Star, implies the planet was protected by such a shield, as the blast seems to curve around the planet and envelope it before the explosion.

In ''The Rise of Skywalker'', the ninth installment in the series, the resurrected Darth Sidious is revealed to have constructed the [[Sith#Sith Eternal|Sith Eternal]]'s fleet of ''Xyston''-class Star Destroyers, the Final Order, over the Sith planet [[Exegol]]. Each warship is armed with an axial superlaser capable of destroying planets; Sidious uses one of the Star Destroyers to destroy the planet [[Kijimi]] as a [[show of force]]. At the end of the film, the Resistance launches an offensive against the Sith Eternal forces, including the Sith fleet. Aided by reinforcements from across the galaxy, the Resistance defeats the remaining Sith forces by destroying the onboard superlasers, which ignited the ships reactors and destroyed them one by one. The Resistance also destroyed the ''Resurgent-''class Star Destroyer ''Steadfast'' and the navigation signal that the fleet needed to exit the planet due to the unstable nature of the atmosphere.<ref name="star wars 9" />

===Expanded Universe===

[[Image:mimas_deathstar.jpg|frame|right|The Death Star bears a striking resemblance to [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]], a moon of [[Saturn (planet)|Saturn]]]]

Both Death Stars and similar superweapons appear throughout the non-canonical [[Star Wars expanded to other media|''Star Wars'' Legends]] continuity.

[[National Public Radio]]'s [[Star Wars (radio series)|''Star Wars'' adaptation]] (1981) portrays Leia (Ann Sachs) and [[Bail Organa]]'s ([[Stephen Elliott (actor)|Stephen Elliott]]) discovery of the Death Star's existence and how Leia obtained its schematics. The [[Star Wars (1983 video game)|1983 ''Star Wars'' arcade game]] and numerous [[LucasArts]] titles recreate the films' attacks on the Death Stars.

[[Kevin J. Anderson]]'s [[Jedi Academy trilogy|''Jedi Academy'' trilogy]] (1994) introduces the Maw Cluster of [[black hole]]s that protect a laboratory where the DS-X Prototype Battle Station was built (consisting of the superstructure, power core, and superlaser).<ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Kevin J.|title=Jedi Search|year=1994|isbn=0-553-29798-8|page=271|publisher=Random House Worlds |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jSbTCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA271}}</ref> The first level of LucasArts' ''[[Dark Forces]]'' (1995) gives mercenary [[Kyle Katarn]] the role of stealing the plans that are subsequently given to Leia. [[Steve Perry (author)|Steve Perry]]'s novel ''[[Shadows of the Empire (novel)|Shadows of the Empire]]'' (1996) describes a mission that leads to the Rebels learning of the second Death Star's existence, and that mission is playable in LucasArts' ''[[X-Wing Alliance]]'' [[Space flight simulation game|space flight simulator]] (1999). The Death Star itself is a controllable weapon for the Empire in the ''[[Star Wars: Rebellion (video game)|Rebellion]]'' (1998) and ''[[Empire at War]]'' (2006) strategy game.{{efn|In ''Empire at War'', if the Imperial fleet defending the Death Star is defeated and the hero unit of Red Squadron is present, the Death Star will be destroyed.}} In ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game)|Battlefront II]]'' (2005), the player participates in a mission to secure crystals used in the Death Star's superlaser.<ref name="battlefront-ii-2005">{{cite video game |title=[[Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game)|Star Wars: Battlefront II]] |developer=Pandemic Studios|publisher=LucasArts |date=November 1, 2005 |level=Fall of the Old Republic - 501st Journal - Mygeeto: Amongst the Ruins|quote=What Ki-Adi-Mundi didn't know, however, was that our unit of the 501st was really after an experimental Mygeetan power source, that the Chancellor [Palpatine] wanted for his superlaser.}}</ref> Another mission in the game tasks the player with acting as a [[Imperial stormtrooper|stormtrooper]] or Darth Vader in an attempt to recover the plans and capture Leia.<ref name="battlefront-ii-2005-leia">{{cite video game |title=[[Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game)|Star Wars: Battlefront II]] |developer=Pandemic Studios|publisher=LucasArts |date=November 1, 2005 |level=Rise of the Empire - 501st Journal - Tantive IV: Recovering the Plans|quote=Vader concluded that the stolen plans have been given to Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. [...We] boarded the ship, the Tantive IV over Tatooine, began looking for the plans, and waited for Lord Vader's arrival.}}</ref> The first Death Star under construction acts as the final stage in the video game ''[[The Force Unleashed]]'' (2008).<ref name="the-force-unleashed">{{cite video game |title=[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]] |developer=LucasArts |date=September 16, 2008}}</ref>

== Cultural impact ==

The Death Star is one of the best-known concepts from the Star Wars universe and is widely recognizable outside of that context. As such, it is frequently referenced in other mass media, even where the context is radically different.<ref>In the film ''[[Twister (film)|Twister]]'', a character exclaims "That's no moon, that's a space station!" upon seeing an oncoming [[tornado]].</ref> A famous example of this phenomenon occurs in the film ''[[Clerks]]'', in which two store clerks argue over whether innocent independent [[civilian]] [[general contractor|contractors]] were killed when the [[Rebel Alliance]] destroyed the second Death Star (still under construction) during ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''. [[George Lucas]] commented on this in the ''Attack of the Clones'' [[audio commentary]], saying that the [[termite]]-like [[List of Star Wars races (F-J)#Geonosian|Geonosian]]s would have been hired by the Empire, so there was no problem in killing them.

The first Death Star's construction is the subject of [[Michael Reaves]] and Steve Perry's novel ''Death Star'' (2007),<ref>{{cite news |last=Stuever |first=Hank |date=November 11, 2007 |title='I've always thought that Luke felt pretty bad for a few days after it was over.': Good Morning, Mr. Vader! Author Michael Reaves Ponders the Death Star as a Truly Hostile Workplace |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/09/AR2007110900610.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 13, 2019 |archive-date=January 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111132656/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/09/AR2007110900610.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which depicts the many politics and hidden agendas behind the massive project, from its construction up until its final destruction.

When the [[Saturn (planet)|Saturnian]] moon [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]] was photographed in [[1980]], it was discovered that it had a giant crater which made the moon coincidentally have a strong resemblance to the Death Star, which was quickly noted in [[popular culture]]. Astronomers used the phrase "Death Star" to describe [[Nemesis (star)|Nemesis]], a hypothetical [[star]] body first postulated in [[1984]] that was supposedly responsible for gravitationally forcing [[comet]]s and [[asteroid]]s from the [[Oort cloud]] towards [[Earth]].

The first Death Star's hangars contain assault shuttles, blastboats, Strike cruisers, land vehicles, support ships, and 7,293 [[TIE fighter]]s.<ref name="dstc">{{cite book|title=Death Star Technical Companion|publisher=[[West End Games]]|first=Bill|last=Slavicsek|date=June 1, 1991}}</ref> It is also protected by 10,000 turbolaser batteries, 2,600 [[ion cannon]]s, and at least 768 tractor beam projectors.<ref name="dstc" /> Various sources state that the first Death Star has a [[diameter]] of between 140 and 160 kilometers.<ref name="dseu">{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstar/?id=eu|title=Death Star (Expanded Universe)|work=Star Wars Databank|publisher=[[Lucasfilm]]|access-date=August 9, 2007|archive-date=September 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912091937/http://www.starwars.com/databank/___location/deathstar/?id=eu|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57380925-1/finally-a-cost-estimate-for-building-a-real-death-star/|title=Finally, a cost estimate for building a real Death Star|last=Mack|first=Eric|date=February 19, 2012|work=[[CNET]]|access-date=August 5, 2013|archive-date=September 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130913021151/http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57380925-1/finally-a-cost-estimate-for-building-a-real-death-star/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Incredible Cross-Sections of Star Wars, Episodes IV, V & VI: The Ultimate Guide to Star Wars Vehicles and Spacecraft|first=David|last=Reynolds|isbn=0-7894-3480-6|publisher=DK Children|date=October 5, 1998}}</ref> There is a broader range of figures for the second Death Star's diameter, ranging from 160 to 900 kilometers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Slavicsek |first=Bill |author-link1=Bill Slavicsek |title=A Guide to the Star Wars Universe |date=1994 |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=9780345386250 |edition=rev. and expanded |page=120}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Inside the Worlds of Star Wars, Episodes IV, V, & VI: The Complete Guide to the Incredible Locations|publisher=DK Children|date=August 16, 2004|isbn=0-7566-0307-2}}{{page needed|date=April 2020}}</ref>

During the [[Enron]] scandal's California power shut-down, one of the communicators nicknames the project "Death Star," obviously referencing the Star Wars reference.

====DS-X Prototype Battle Station====

Internally, the logo of [[AT&T]], due to its visual similarity, is known as the Death Star. When political cartoon and comic strip creators learned of this, many references to AT&T used the Death Star analogy. It was widely seen in ''[[Doonesbury]]'' and ''[[Bloom County]]'' comic strips. This name was also given to the titanic former [[Bell Labs]] facility in [[Holmdel, New Jersey]], now owned by [[Lucent]]. The logo of the [[Illinois Central|Illinois Central Railroad]] was also nicknamed "the Death Star" after Star Wars' release in 1977, even though the logo had been in use since 1972.

In the ''Legends'' works ''Death Star'' (2007), ''[[Dark Empire II]]'', ''Jedi Search'' and ''[[Champions of the Force]]'', an experimental Death Star prototype, '''DS-X''' (a durasteel frame surrounding a reactor core, superlaser, engines and a control room) was conceived by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin as a test bed for the first Death Star. It was constructed by Bevel Lemelisk and his engineers at the Empire's secret Maw Installation. The prototype measured 120 kilometers in diameter. Its superlaser was only powerful enough to destroy a planet's core, rendering it an uninhabitable "dead planet". The targeting system on the prototype was never calibrated and the superlaser was inefficient, leaving the weapon's batteries drained - Engineers in the control room claimed it would take 10-15 minutes to recharge batteries after the first shot was fired. The prototype had no interior except a slave-linked control room, hyperdrive engines and other components; the station operated with skeleton-crew of 75 personnel. The prototype was later destroyed when it was drawn into the black holes surrounding the Maw cluster itself.

====Death Star III====

When a particular line of [[Hitachi Deskstar|IBM DeskStar]] hard disk drives were found to have a high defect rate around [[2003]], they quickly became known as the DeathStars.<ref>Details can found in the [[Hitachi Deskstar|DeskStar]] article.</ref>

In the Disney attraction ''[[Star Tours – The Adventures Continue]]'', guests can travel inside an incomplete Death Star during one of the randomized ride sequences. In the original Star Tours, a '''''Death Star III''''' is seen and destroyed during the ride sequence by the New Republic. [[Leland Chee]] originally created the third Death Star to explain why a Death Star is present on the ''[[Star Tours]]'' ride when both of the stations in the film were destroyed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/convenient-daily-departures-the-history-of-star-tours|title=Convenient Daily Departures: The History of Star Tours - StarWars.com|date=August 22, 2013|access-date=October 22, 2016|archive-date=March 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301165134/https://www.starwars.com/news/convenient-daily-departures-the-history-of-star-tours|url-status=live}}</ref> The station being built near the Forest Moon of Endor like the second Death Star before. It is similar to an original concept for ''Return of the Jedi'', where two Death Stars would have been built near Had Abbadon (then the Imperial capital world). The ''Habitation'' spheres, based on the Imperials' spurious claims that they were designed strictly for peaceful purposes, were suggested by some fans to have been the origin for the Death Star III. This was later revealed to be the case in Part 2 of the StarWars.com Blog series ''The Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire''. In the Expanded Universe game ''[[Star Wars: Tiny Death Star]]'', a random HoloNet entry states that one of the residents of the Death Star is simply staying there until he can afford to stay at the third Death Star.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

====Other superweapons====

An episode of [[Muppet Babies]] involved the muppets making a movie that parodies Star Wars. In it, the Death Star was known as the Death Tomato, and it targeted the muppets (who were parodies of the original characters, such as Baby Kermit becoming a parody of Skywalker) when Fozzie told one of his bad jokes.

In the original Marvel [[Star Wars (1977 comic book)|''Star Wars'' comic series]] (1977–1986), a superweapon called "The Tarkin" is built. It is described as being similar to the Death Star but with more energy. Darth Vader commands it and Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, {{nowrap|C-3PO}}, and R2-D2 sabotage it with Lando's help. It is finally destroyed by an Imperial officer attempting to use an ionic weapon to both attack the escaping Rebels and assassinate Vader. Later in the series, a nihilistic group attempts to use a weapon to dislodge a planet from its orbit and cause others to do the same in a chain reaction, thereby destroying the entire universe.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago.... Vol. 5|publisher=Dark Horse Books|year=2012|isbn=978-1-59582-801-9|edition=1st|___location=Milwaukie, OR|pages=45, 47|oclc=759178840}}</ref>

In the ''[[Dark Empire]]'' comic series (1991–95), the reborn Emperor Palpatine's flagships ''Eclipse'' and ''Eclipse II'' Super Star Destroyers (Star Dreadnoughts) have a miniaturized version of the Death Star superlaser.<ref>{{Cite web|title=TheForce.Net - Jedi Council - Interviews {{!}} Curtis Saxton|url=https://www.theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/saxton.asp|access-date=August 1, 2020|website=www.theforce.net|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801162018/https://www.theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/saxton.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> The first ''Eclipse'' was under construction at the time of the Emperor's death at Endor; shortly thereafter, it was briefly captured by pirates, who quickly abandoned it as an obvious target for the Rebels. The vessel was retrieved by remnants of the Empire and completed, and later served as the flagship of the resurrected Palpatine. It was destroyed by a Force storm enhanced by Luke and Leia, who had been brought aboard by the Emperor in hopes that they could be converted to the dark side. The ''Eclipse II'' was mostly identical to its predecessor save for a handful of visual changes, and fulfilled the same purpose. It was later destroyed when an errant projectile from the destroyed Galaxy Gun, another superweapon developed under the returned Palpatine, fell onto the ship and caused a massive explosion that destroyed not only the ship and its accompanying fleet, but also the nearby Imperial citadel of [[Byss]].

Two examples of the Death Star can be found in the sci-fi comedy series ''[[Futurama]]''. In the episode [[A Clone of My Own]], all humans still alive at the age of 160 are collected by the sunset robat squad and taken to the gigantic "near death star" to live out the rest of their days in isolation from society. It can be noted that the actual Death Star is recorded as being 160 kilometers across. In the episode [[The Why of Fry]], the InfoSphere built by the Brainspawn to destroy the universe bears a resemblance to the death star.

In Kevin J. Anderson's novel ''[[Darksaber (novel)|Darksaber]]'' (1995), Death Star designer Bevel Lemelisk is recruited by the Hutts to build a superlaser weapon. Due to their refusal to sufficiently fund and supply the project, the resultant 'superweapon' is quickly destroyed by a combination of the tumultuous Hoth asteroid field in which it was built and the efforts of the New Republic. Lemelisk is captured and incarcerated by the Republic, and is later executed for his hand in the design and construction of Imperial superweapons.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sansweet|first=Stephen J.|title=Star Wars Encyclopedia|publisher=Ballantine|year=1998|isbn=0-345-40227-8|edition=1st|___location=New York|pages=66–67, 177|oclc=36960986}}</ref>

In the [[Lost (TV series)|Lost]] episode "[[Dave (Lost)|Dave]]", [[Hugo "Hurley" Reyes|Hurley]] is shown a photo by a doctor proving that his "friend" Dave, actually a hallucination, does not exist. When Hurley tells this to Dave, he argues that the photo was fabricated, mentioning [[photoshop]] and [[Kinko's]], and asking Hurley "did you think they really blew up the Death Star?"

The novel ''[[Children of the Jedi]]'' (1995) involves the return of ''Eye of Palpatine'', a "colossal, asteroid-shaped" super dreadnaught constructed at the behest of Emperor Palpatine during the second year of the Galactic Civil War. The Imperials lose control of the ''Eye'' when a Jedi uses the Force to hijack the main computer with their spirits.

In [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]], [[Sonic the Hedgehog 3|3]], and [[Sonic and Knuckles]]; [[Dr. Eggman]] uses a weapon known as the [[Death Egg]]. It looks almost identical to the Death Star except that it has Dr. Eggman's face on the front. In Sonic Adventure 2, the game's climax takes place on a abandoned space station built into an asteroid, called "Space Colony ARK". ARK also features a powerful laser, which destroyed part of the moon at less than full power. Part of Shadow The Hedgehog also takes place on ARK, and if the player follows the "Dark" route, the laser is again used but this time to destroy a city on Earth.

==Cultural influence==

In a skit on [[Robot Chicken]], Emperor Palpatine receives a phone call from Darth Vader to inform him of the Death Star's destruction, 2 weeks after the event.

{{Main|Cultural impact of Star Wars}}

The Death Star placed ninth in a 2008 [[20th Century Fox]] poll of the most popular film weapons.<ref>{{cite news | author = Sophie Borland | title = Lightsabre wins the battle of movie weapons | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph | date = January 21, 2008 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576154/Lightsabre-wins-the-battle-of-movie-weapons.html | access-date = April 16, 2015 | ___location = London | archive-date = October 4, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141004190549/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576154/Lightsabre-wins-the-battle-of-movie-weapons.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

It has been referred to outside of the ''Star Wars'' context in such examples as:

In a cutaway on [[Family Guy]], Darth Vader is depicted as a parking attendant, before trying to get a bank loan to "build a giant space station that can blow up a planet".

* [[AT&T Corporation]]'s logo, designed by [[Saul Bass]] and introduced in 1982, is [[AT&T Information Systems#Logo|informally referred to as the "Death Star"]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/bell_logos.html |title=Bell System Memorial- Bell Logo History |website=beatriceco.com |publisher=Porticus.org |access-date=January 13, 2018 |quote=sterling silver American Bell logo (which we recognize as the post-divestiture AT&T "death star" logo) |archive-date=February 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201130247/http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/bell_logos.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[Ars Technica]]'' referred to "the AT&T Death Star" in an article criticizing a company data policy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/08/att-have-you-no-shame/2/|page=2|title=AT&T, have you no shame?|first=Nate|last=Anderson|date=August 23, 2012|access-date=August 23, 2012|publisher=[[Condé Nast Publications]]|work=[[Ars Technica]]|archive-date=August 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825152214/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/08/att-have-you-no-shame/2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Competitor [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]] mocked AT&T's "Death Star" logo and "Empire-like reputation" in a press release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://consumerist.com/2014/01/29/t-mobile-claims-att-dismantles-death-star-in-mocking-press-release/|title=T-Mobile Claims "AT&T Dismantles Death Star" In Mocking Press Release|first=Chris|last=Morran|date=January 29, 2014|access-date=January 29, 2014|work=[[The Consumerist]]|publisher=[[Consumer Reports]]|archive-date=January 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131194926/http://consumerist.com/2014/01/29/t-mobile-claims-att-dismantles-death-star-in-mocking-press-release/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Canada, the term "Death Stars" was used to describe U.S. [[Direct Broadcast Satellite]]s<ref>"DEAD" DEATHSTAR MAY RISE AGAIN [http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/Edupage/1994/09/13-09-1994.html#16]</ref><ref>Implications of technological change for business strategies [http://www.cjc-online.ca/viewarticle.php?id=247&layout=html]</ref> capable of broadcasting signals into Canada that were not regulated by the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] and unscrambled with equipment not specifically authorized for use in Canada, contrary to Canadian law.<ref>Reception of non-Canadian Services in the [[CRTC]] article.</ref> These Direct Broadcast Satellites were seen as a balls

* In [[Kevin Smith]]'s first feature film, ''[[Clerks (1994 film)|Clerks]]'' (1994), [[List of View Askewniverse characters#Randal Graves|Randal Graves]] points out that many independent contractors would have been killed in the second Death Star's destruction.<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=Brett |title='Clerks' Changed the Way We Talk About Pop Culture with Its Iconic 'Star Wars' Convo |url=https://decider.com/2018/08/02/clerks-star-wars-contractors-kevin-smith/ |website=Decider |access-date=September 13, 2019 |date=August 2, 2018 |archive-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216184650/https://decider.com/2018/08/02/clerks-star-wars-contractors-kevin-smith/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the DVD [[audio commentary]] for ''Attack of the Clones'', George Lucas says that the inclusion of the holographic Death Star in the film implies that the Geonosians were the contractors discussed by "[[Jay and Silent Bob]]".<ref>{{cite AV media|last=Lucas|first=George|title=Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones ''audio commentary''|medium=DVD |publisher=[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]]|year=2002|time=121}}</ref>

potential threat to undermine Canadian television providers.<ref>details under section entitled "DBS" [http://www.danalee.ca/ttt/transmission.htm]</ref>

* [[KTCK (AM)|KTCK]] (SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket) in Dallas were the first to use the term "Death Star" to describe the new mammoth Cowboys Stadium, now [[AT&T Stadium]], in [[Arlington, Texas]]. The term has since spread to local media and is generally accepted as a nickname for the stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theunticket.com/the-new-death-star-stadium-texas-stadium/|title=The New Death Star Stadium&nbsp;– Texas Stadium|date=September 18, 2009|publisher=theunticket.com}}</ref>

* The [[Death Star (business)|Death Star strategy]] was the name [[Enron]] gave to one of their fraudulent business practices for manipulating California's [[energy market]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1020718637382274400|title=New Documents Show Enron Traders Manipulated California Energy Costs|first=Kathryn|last=Kranhold|author2=Bryan Lee|author3=Mitchel Benson|date=May 7, 2002|access-date=August 21, 2008|work=Free Preview|publisher=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|archive-date=November 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122045145/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1020718637382274400|url-status=live}}</ref>

* In the novels of the [[Bridge Trilogy]], the [[San Francisco Police Department]] admonishes its officers to stop referring to their surveillance satellite as the "Death Star".

* In the 1987 ''Star Wars'' parody film ''[[Spaceballs]]'', the Spaceballs use a spacecraft called "Spaceball I", which can change shape into "Mega Maid", resembling a woman with a vacuum cleaner. A reference to the Death Star destroying Alderaan, the Mega Maid is used to drain Druidia's atmosphere of fresh air.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/spaceballs-is-better-than-star-wars|title=15 Reasons ''Spaceballs'' Is Better Than ''Star Wars''|publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]]|last=August|first=Alexandra|language=English|date=January 2, 2017|access-date=May 2, 2021|archive-date=May 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502100431/https://www.cbr.com/spaceballs-is-better-than-star-wars/|url-status=live}}</ref>

* While mostly ground based, the [[Technodrome]] from the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|1987 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' cartoon]] and 1988 ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures]]'' comics is based on the Death Star.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-things-know-about-krang|title=10 Things You Need to Know About Krang|publisher=[[Screen Rant]]|last=Mithaiwala|first=Mansoor|language=English|date=June 3, 2016|accessdate=May 2, 2021}}</ref>

* The ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' video game series features a parody of the Death Star known as the "Death Egg", a battle station created by [[Doctor Eggman]] that serves as a level in multiple games, as well as in the web series ''[[Super Mario Bros. Z]]''.

* [[Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign|Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign]] was nicknamed the "Death Star" by some of its members.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jackson|first=David|title=Trump campaign calls itself the 'Death Star'; Biden team notes it gets blown up|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/07/trump-campaign-proclaims-death-star-biden-team-notes-got-blown-up/3088176001/|access-date=August 1, 2020|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728110701/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/07/trump-campaign-proclaims-death-star-biden-team-notes-got-blown-up/3088176001/|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[Las Vegas Raiders]] owner [[Mark Davis (American football)|Mark Davis]] dubbed the nickname of the team's new [[Allegiant Stadium]] in [[Paradise, Nevada]] as the "Death Star".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Raiders hold practice at Allegiant Stadium: 'Welcome to the Death Star'|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/raiders-hold-practice-at-allegiant-stadium-welcome-to-the-death-star|access-date=August 22, 2020|website=www.nfl.com|language=en-US|archive-date=June 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602141521/https://www.nfl.com/news/raiders-hold-practice-at-allegiant-stadium-welcome-to-the-death-star|url-status=live}}</ref>

* The Social Sciences and Humanities Building at the [[University of California, Davis]] is referred to by students as the "Death Star", due to its shiny metallic exterior and maze-like architecture.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trying to understand: Doomed in the "Death Star"|url=https://theaggie.org/2013/11/21/trying-to-understand-doomed-in-the-death-star/|access-date=January 10, 2022|website=www.theaggie.org|date=November 21, 2013|language=en-US|archive-date=November 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126084357/https://theaggie.org/2013/11/21/trying-to-understand-doomed-in-the-death-star/|url-status=live}}</ref>

* Because of its resemblance to the Death Star, the logo for the [[Illinois Central Railroad]] that was adopted in 1988 is commonly referred to by railfans as the “Death Star”; this term also applies to the all-black paint scheme of the locomotives which the logo was found on. Some IC locomotives still use this logo, although they are slowly being repainted into [[Canadian National Railway]] colors following CN's acquisition of the IC in 1998.

[[File:Mimas PIA06258.jpg|thumb|upright|The large crater [[Herschel (Mimantean crater)|Herschel]] on the [[Saturn]]ian moon [[Mimas]] gives it a resemblance to the Death Star.]]

One episode of [[Life on Mars]] contained the following dialogue:

Gene Hunt: What is it you think I'm doing here, Tyler?

Sam Tyler: Building a Death Star?

===Astronomy===

There is a Swedish [[black metal]] band named [[Deathstars]].

In 1981, following the ''[[Voyager program|Voyager]]'' spacecraft's flight past [[Saturn]], scientists noticed a resemblance between one of the planet's moons, [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]], and the Death Star.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Young|first=Kelly|date=February 11, 2005|title=Saturn's moon is Death Star's twin|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6999-saturns-moon-is-death-stars-twin/|magazine=[[New Scientist]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208060103/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6999|archive-date=February 8, 2014|access-date=August 21, 2008|quote=Saturn's diminutive moon, Mimas, poses as the Death Star&nbsp;— the planet-destroying space station from the movie Star Wars&nbsp;— in an image recently captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.}}</ref> Additionally, some media outlets used the term "Death Star" to describe [[Nemesis (hypothetical star)|Nemesis]], a hypothetical [[star]] postulated in 1984 to be responsible for [[gravitation]]ally forcing [[comet]]s and [[asteroid]]s from the [[Oort cloud]] toward the inner [[Solar System]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/nemesis_010320-1.html|title=Nemesis: Does the Sun Have a 'Companion'?|publisher=[[Space.com]]|date=April 3, 2001|access-date=August 21, 2008|first=Robert Roy|last=Britt|quote=Any one of them could be the Death Star, as Nemesis has come to be called by some.|archive-date=May 2, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010502150135/http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/nemesis_010320-1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Merchandise===

The new headquarters of [[Creative_Artists_Agency|Creative Artists Agency]] (CAA) has been nicknamed the "Death Star" by the entertainment media.

[[Kenner Products|Kenner]] and [[Aluminum Metal Toys|AMT]] created a playset and a model, respectively, of the first Death Star.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/showphoto.php?photo=8976&cat=3383 |title=Death Star Space Station|work=SirStevesGuide.com Photo Gallery|publisher=[[Steve Sansweet]]|access-date=September 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013165256/http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/showphoto.php?photo=8976&cat=3383 |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/showphoto.php?photo=7909&cat=2967 |title=Death Star|work=SirStevesGuide.com Photo Gallery|publisher=[[Steve Sansweet]]|access-date=September 9, 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071013165251/http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/showphoto.php?photo=7909&cat=2967 |archive-date=October 13, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2005 and 2008, [[Lego]] released models of [[List of Lego Star Wars sets#Episode VI: Return of the Jedi|Death Star II]] and [[List of Lego Star Wars sets#Episode IV: A New Hope|Death Star I]], respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/18167 |title=LEGO Death Star 10188 & 10143|work=Star Wars Cargo Bay |access-date=September 9, 2007 |publisher=[[Lucasfilm]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909150739/http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/18167 |archive-date=September 9, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/07/lego-star-wars-death-star-landing-bay-diorama |title=LEGO Star Wars Death Star Landing Bay Diorama Made from Over 30,000 Bricks |access-date=October 7, 2011 |date=October 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008030058/http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/07/lego-star-wars-death-star-landing-bay-diorama/ |archive-date=October 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="thebricklife.com">{{cite web | url=http://thebricklife.com/lego-death-star-review-set-10188/ | title=Lego Death Star – Review (Set 10188) | date=August 11, 2011 | access-date=February 15, 2019 | archive-date=February 16, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035454/http://thebricklife.com/lego-death-star-review-set-10188/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="fbtb.net">{{cite web | url=https://www.fbtb.net/lego-star-wars/2005/08/25/review-10143-death-star-ii/ | title=Review: 10143 Death Star II - FBTB | date=August 25, 2005 | access-date=February 15, 2019 | archive-date=February 16, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035549/https://www.fbtb.net/lego-star-wars/2005/08/25/review-10143-death-star-ii/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

[http://datelinehollywood.com/archives/2005/10/17/caa-building-death-star-in-century-city/]

In 1979, [[Palitoy]] created a heavy card version of the Death Star as a playset for the vintage range of action figures in the UK, Australia and Canada. Both Death Stars are part of different [[Micro Machines]] three-packs.<ref>{{cite web |title=#X: T-16 Skyhopper, Lars Family Landspeeder, Death Star II (1996) |url=http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/11803 |publisher=Lucasfilm |access-date=September 9, 2007 |work=Star Wars Cargo Bay |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013164951/http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/11803 |archive-date=October 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=#XIV: Landing Craft, Death Star, Speeder Swoop (1998) |url=http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/11799 |publisher=Lucasfilm |access-date=September 9, 2007 |work=Star Wars Cargo Bay |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013164946/http://cargobay.starwars.com/webapps/cargobay/item-detail/11799 |archive-date=October 13, 2007 }}</ref> The Death Stars and locations in them are cards in [[Decipher, Inc.]]'s and [[Wizards of the Coast]]'s ''[[Star Wars Customizable Card Game]]'' and ''[[Star Wars Trading Card Game]]'', respectively.<ref>{{cite web|date=August 23, 2001|title=Star Wars Customizable Card Game Complete Card List|url=http://www.decipher.com/starwars/cardlists/swallcards.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014432/http://www.decipher.com/starwars/cardlists/swallcards.pdf|archive-date=September 28, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2007|publisher=[[Decipher, Inc.]]}}</ref> [[Hasbro]] released a Death Star model that [[Transformers (toy line)|transforms]] into a Darth Vader [[mecha|mech]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=browse&product_id=19856 |title=Star Wars TRANSFORMERS Darth Vader Death Star|access-date=January 5, 2008|publisher=[[Hasbro]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071221220850/http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=browse&product_id=19856 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = December 21, 2007}}</ref> [[Estes Industries]] released a flying model rocket version.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.udisco.com/hobbies/inv/ESTES.HTM |access-date=August 21, 2008 |title=ESTES INDUSTRIES INC. Model Rockets and Engines, #2143 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007003920/http://www.udisco.com/hobbies/inv/ESTES.HTM |archive-date=October 7, 2008 }}</ref>

[http://defamer.com/hollywood/agents/a-big-week-for-caa-244882.php]

A Death Star trinket box was also released by [[Royal Selangor]] in 2015, in conjunction with the December screening of ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' that year,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalselangor.com/products/trinket-box-death-star-016808r |title=Royal Selangor - Pewter - Products - Trinket Box, Death Star |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208120206/http://www.royalselangor.com/products/trinket-box-death-star-016808r |archive-date=December 8, 2015 }}</ref> and in 2016, Plox released the official levitating Death Star Speaker<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ninjabox.com.au/collections/star-wars/products/plox-star-wars-death-star-levitating-bluetooth-speaker |title=Official Star Wars Levitating Death Star Bluetooth Speaker by Plox|last=Accessories|first=Ninjabox Australia {{!}} Latest Tech Gadgets &|website=Ninjabox Australia {{!}} Latest Tech Gadgets & Accessories|access-date=November 12, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161112210643/https://www.ninjabox.com.au/collections/star-wars/products/plox-star-wars-death-star-levitating-bluetooth-speaker |archive-date=November 12, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> in anticipation of that year's screening of ''Rogue One''.

== References ==

<div class="references-small">

<references/>

</div>

''[[Lego]]'' released a gift with purchase for ''[[Star Wars Day]]'' 2023 of a mini Death Star II.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lego.com/da-dk/product/death-star-ii-40591?CMP=AFC-AffiliateUK-JF2DY0n6uhs-3146997-1539294-10|title=Death Star II Brick Building Model (40591)}}</ref>

== External links ==

*{{sww|Death Star}}

=== Political campaigns ===

{{SW WMD}}

In 2012–13, a ([[satirical]]) proposal on the [[White House]]'s website urging the United States government to build a real Death Star as an economic stimulus and job creation measure gained more than 30,000 signatures, enough to qualify for an official response. The official ([[tongue-in-cheek]]) response was released in January 2013:<ref name="Wired-20130111">{{cite magazine |last=Shawcross |first=Paul |title=This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For |url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/white-house-death-star/ |date=January 11, 2013 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=January 13, 2013 |archive-date=January 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114152039/http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/white-house-death-star/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the cost of building a real Death Star has been estimated in 2012 by a Centives economics blog of [[Lehigh University]] to $850 quadrillion, or about 13,000 times the worldwide [[gross domestic product]], as well as at current rates of steel production, the Death Star would not be ready for more than 833,000 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centives.net/S/2012/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-the-death-star/|title=How Much Would It Cost To Build The Death Star?|date=February 15, 2012|work=Centives|access-date=March 4, 2022|archive-date=March 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304124437/http://www.centives.net/S/2012/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-the-death-star/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/white-house-rejects-death-star-petition-doomsday-devices-us-could-build-instead-1014682|title=White House Rejects Death Star Petition: Doomsday Devices US Could Build Instead|author=Roxanne Palmer|date=January 15, 2013|work=International Business Times|access-date=January 15, 2013|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112043205/https://www.ibtimes.com/white-house-rejects-death-star-petition-doomsday-devices-us-could-build-instead-1014682|url-status=live}}</ref> The White House response also stated that "the Administration does not support blowing up planets," and questioned funding a weapon "with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship" as reasons for denying the petition.<ref name="Wired-20130111" /><ref name="deathstar">{{cite web|title=It's a trap! Petition to build Death Star will spark White House response|url=http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15889626-its-a-trap-petition-to-build-death-star-will-spark-white-house-response|access-date=December 14, 2012|archive-date=December 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216020353/http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15889626-its-a-trap-petition-to-build-death-star-will-spark-white-house-response|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="BBCdeathstar">{{cite news |title=US shoots down Death Star superlaser petition |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20997144 |work=BBC News |date=January 12, 2013 |access-date=June 21, 2018 |archive-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012122503/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20997144 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Luxembourgish magician Christian Lavey (born as Christian Kies) submitted a petition for the construction of a Death Star to the Luxembourgish parliament.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://luxtimes.lu/community/32573-petition-for-luxembourg-to-join-dark-side-build-death-star|title=Luxembourg Times - Community - Petition for Luxembourg to join the dark side, build Death Star|website=luxtimes.lu|date=January 25, 2018|language=en|access-date=February 9, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209182309/https://luxtimes.lu/community/32573-petition-for-luxembourg-to-join-dark-side-build-death-star|url-status=live}}</ref> In an interview with a local radio station, however Lavey admitted that this petition was just a joke and some kind of protest against the space plans of the government.

[[Category:Megastructures]]

[[Category:Star Wars spaceships]]

[[Category:Star Wars weapons]]

[[Category:Fictional space stations]]

[[Category:Fictional balls]]

==References==

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'''Footnotes'''

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{{Notelist}}

[[de:Orte aus Star Wars#Todesstern]]

[[es:Estrella de la muerte]]

'''Citations'''

[[fr:Étoile de la Mort]]

{{Reflist|30em}}

[[hr:Zvijezda Smrti]]

[[it:Morte Nera]]

==External links==

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{{Portal|Speculative fiction|Film}}

[[hu:Halálcsillag]]

* {{Star Wars Databank|subject=death-star|text=Death Star}}

[[nl:Death Star]]

* {{Wookieepedia}}

[[ja:デス・スター]]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151224011233/http://stgist.com/2015/12/nasa-engineer-says-its-easier-to-build-a-death-star-on-asteroid-6052 NASA Engineer Says It Would Be Easier To Build A Death Star On Asteroid]

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{{Star Wars universe|state=collapsed}}

[[pt:Estrela da Morte]]

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[[Category:Fictional space stations]]

[[simple:Death Star]]

[[Category:Fiction about megastructures]]

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[[Category:Star Wars spacecraft]]

[[sv:Dödsstjärnan]]

[[Category:Star Wars weapons]]

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[[Category:Weapons of mass destruction in fiction]]

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[[Category:Star Wars locations]]

[[Category:Fictional energy weapons]]

[[Category:Fictional doomsday devices]]

[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1977]]