What It Took to Build the Death Star

Although Galen Erso’s research had allowed for great advancements to be made in developing the battle station’s superlaser weapon, the scientist eventually realized that his kyber research—fueled by the recovery and acquisition of the crystalline material from various worlds and fallen Jedi in the wake of Order 66—was being used for military purposes in the wake of the disastrous first test-firing of the superlaser on the planet Malpaz. Meanwhile, while continued research into the final details of the Death Star’s energy and weaponry systems—continued under the public and internal message as being for Emperor Palpatine’s continued energy projects—eventually saw Krennic and the ISB launch a years-long propaganda and occupation campaign on the planet Ghorman, attempting to oust the native populace and strip-mine the world for supplies of the mineral Kalkite, necessary to the final completion of the reactors that would power the Death Star’s superlaser. Completed just days before Rebel Alliance intelligence forces managed to confirm the existence of the superweapon, the Death Star was first officially tested with the firing of its superlaser at the planet Jedha, wiping out its capital city as well as devastating most of the planet, and then at Scarif itself, when Tarkin commandeered the station in an attempt to stop Alliance forces assaulting the facilities on the world from obtaining the Death Star’s schematics.

Author: James Whitbrook

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