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Death Star


Name/Model#
Death Star
Designer/Manufacturer
Tol Sivron/Lemelisk, Imperial Engineering
Combat Designation
Mobile Battle Station
Length
120000 meters (2nd Death Star 160000 meters)
Crew
27,048 officers
774,576 troops, pilots, and crewers
378,576 support and maintenance crewers
400,000 support droids
25,000 stormtroopers
Weapons
5,000 turbolaser batteries
5,000 heavy turbolaser batteries
2,500 laser cannons
2,500 ion cannons
768 tractor beam generators
One Superlaser
Fighter Capacity
600 Squadrons
Other Craft
4 Capital Ships
3,600 Lambda-class assault shuttles
2,480 blast boats
1,860 drop ships
1,400 AT-ATs
1,400 AT-STs
178 Mobile Command Bases
1,420 repulsortanks
1,420 repulsorcraft
355 Floating Fortresses
4,843 Juggernauts
Era Introduced
Shortly before Battle of Yavin

The Death Star was a satellite-sized battle station designed by Tol Sivron at the Maw installation, and was built by Bevel Lemelisk and Imperial Engineering. Grand Moff Tarkin had asked for a superweapon with which he could control the entire Outer Rim Territory, and the Death Star was the result. It housed a huge superlaser which combined the output of multiple lasers into a single, focused beam. A huge focusing lens was built to accomplish this; it was located on the upper hemisphere. The superlaser was designed to be targeted at anything from a capital ship to a planet. This objective was known only to a select few, for Tarkin and the Maw's top scientists decided that they should downplay the role of superweapon to keep the project on schedule. They told the project engineers that the station would be used to break down dead planets in an effort to reach the core of elements easier. The funding for the original Death Star came from funds diverted form the Departments of System Exploration and Public Works. The interior of the initial Death Star was planned to have 84 unique levels, each 1,428 meters in height. Each level was subdivided into 357 sublevels. The entire design was then divided into two hemispheres, each with twelve zones. The crew of the first Death Star design was 27,048 officers; 774,576 troops, pilots, and crewers; 378,576 support and maintenance crewers; 400,000 support droids; and 25,000 stormtroopers. The human inhabitants were provided with an array of parks, shopping centers, and entertainment facilities, since the average length of service aboard the station was to be six years without leave. At the north pole of the station was constructed a 100-story tower, which was heavily shielded and virtually impenetrable. This tower held Palpatine's operational headquarters, for those times when he was aboard the station. According to Imperial sources, the first Death Star took too long to construct, exceeding Palpatine's every deadline. It was built in orbit around the prison world Despayre. Labor for the construction was taken at will from the prison below. When the first Death Star was complete, Tarkin ordered the superlaser tested on the planet Despayre itself. Needless to say, this initial test exceeded even Tarkin's wildest dreams. However, despite its formidable weaponry, the original design was flawed, as it vented its main reactor directly to the outside. This allowed the Alliance to fire proton torpedoes into the exhaust shaft and destroy the station. The original station was 120 kilometers in diameter. The second model was modified to eliminate these flaws, and was slightly larger than the original at 160 kilometers in diameter. However, during its construction in orbit around Endor's forest moon, the Alliance succeeded in knocking out its primary shield and destroyed the main reactor, exploding the unfinished station. The outer hull was made from quadanium steel for protection. For defensive measures, the Death Star was to house 4 capital ships, 7,200 TIE fighters, 3,600 Lambda-class assault shuttles, 2,480 blast boats, 1,860 drop ships, and 13,000 support craft. These included 1,400 AT-ATs, 1,400 AT-STs, 178 Mobile Command Bases, 1,420 repulsortanks, 1,420 repulsorcraft, 355 Floating Fortresses, and 4,843 Juggernauts. The original Death Star had the following design features: * 5 Access trenchs (2 at the poles, 2 midhemisphere, and 1 at the equator) * Surface City Blocks * Main Reactor Core with surrounding Power Cells * 2 Ready Power Cells (midsection) * 2 Hyperdrive Motivators, driven by 123 generators (midsection) * 2 Sublight Drives (midsection) * 2 Computer Cores * Deep Armory and Hangar Bays (bottom hemisphere) * Command Core (upper pole) * 2 main Hangar Bays (upper pole and upper hemisphere) * Deep Storage Bays * Dry Bulk Storage Bays * Liquid Bulk Storage Bays * 5,000 turbolaser batteries * 5,000 heavy turbolaser batteries * 2,500 laser cannons * 2,500 ion cannons * 768 tractor beam generators. -Source: Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia

After the Rebels, against all odds, destroyed both these superweapons in their infancy, a few more have been created by various parties, but they also have failed to achieve any longevity. Apparently the galxy was not meant to support Death Stars, and no more have ventured to build another.