Death Star

A Death Star was a moon-sized Imperial military battlestation armed with a planet-destroying superlaser.

The Death Stars, whose concept had been explored even before the Clone Wars, were the first in a long series of superweapons developed to execute the Tarkin Doctrine. The Death Star was designed to allow Emperor Palpatine to more directly control the Galactic Empire through fear. In most instances, a Death Star was to be commanded by a Moff.

One Death Star was completely built by the Empire, with a second and third one never reaching full completion, as well as a prototype being in existence. In addition, a scaled-down version, the Tarkin, and a Hutt knockoff, the Darksaber, would be created by the Empire and Durga the Hutt, respectively.

Both Death Stars were destroyed by the Rebel Alliance shortly after they became operational. The first Death Star was destroyed by Luke Skywalker, with the help of Han Solo, and the second Death Star was destroyed by Wedge Antilles and Lando Calrissian. Prior to the second Death Star being built, the Galactic Empire tested out a planetary superlaser for protecting it's installations on the planet of Dubrillion. At some point after the second's destruction, the Rebel Alliance also attacked and destroyed a third Death Star. Following their destruction, other planet-devastating superweapons followed, including the Galaxy Gun, the Darksaber, the Sun Crusher, and the World Devastators.

The Death Star II was the second Death Star battlestation to be constructed by the Galactic Empire. It was much larger than its predecessor, measuring over 160 kilometers wide, and was built after the destruction of the first Death Star at the Battle of Yavin. Emperor Palpatine insisted on the reconstruction of the battlestation, as it was an integral part in his plan to destroy the Rebel Alliance, leaving the galaxy in the hands of the Empire.

The Death Star's superlaser was revealed to be operational before the construction of the station was completed, surprising the Alliance attackers during the Battle of Endor. This was Emperor Palpatine's plan all along, and it nearly led to the loss of the Rebels. The Alliance ground forces on the forest moon of Endor managed to deactivate the energy shield surrounding the battlestation, and the Rebel fleet proceeded to destroy the station from within, signifying the beginning of the downfall of the Empire.