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Battle station · Galactic Empire
Death Star
A moon-sized Imperial battle station that can destroy a planet, and a larger one still being built.
- Model
- DS-1 Orbital Battle Station; DS-2 Death Star II
- Maker
- Galactic Empire
- Diameter
- 160 km
- Crew
- About 1.1 to 1.2 million personnel
- Hyperdrive
- class 4
- Shields
- yes
- Armament
- Planet-destroying superlaser · XX-9 heavy turbolaser batteries · Ion cannons · About 1,000 tractor beam projectors · About 7,000 TIE fighters
Galactic EmpireCompare on the scale
Overview
The Death Star is the Galactic Empire's moon-sized battle station, a grey sphere about 160 kilometres across. A trench runs around its equator, and a huge concave dish on the upper hemisphere marks the muzzle of its superlaser[3]. Construction began in secret above Geonosis during the Clone Wars[1].
The station exists to destroy planets. Its superlaser, built around kyber crystals, fires a single green beam that can break a world apart[3][5]. Orson Krennic runs the project that builds the weapon, and Grand Moff Tarkin takes command of the finished station[1][3].
The Empire does not stop at one. A second, larger Death Star, about 200 kilometres across, rises above the forest moon of Endor, still partly an open frame while the builders race to finish it. A shield generator on the moon below protects it in the meantime[2][5][7].
Diameter 160 km
How it flies and fights
Everything about the station is built to overawe. Between 1.1 and 1.2 million Imperial personnel live and work inside the sphere, and its dry docks are big enough to take Star Destroyers[3]. For defence it carries ion cannons and XX-9 heavy turbolaser batteries, which are effective against capital ships but poor at hitting small, fast fighters[3].
The superlaser is the reason the station exists. Eight kyber crystals focus eight separate beams into one green shot, and the firing power can be varied[3][5]. Death Star II repeats the design on a larger frame, about 200 kilometres across[5][7].
Who flew it
Wilhuff Tarkin
Commander
The Grand Moff who takes over the station's construction and then commands it. He is the officer who orders Alderaan destroyed[1].
Orson Krennic
Commander
Director of the superlaser project, who presses the scientist Galen Erso to finish the weapon[3].
Darth Vader
Commander
Hunts for the stolen plans, rides aboard during the Alderaan crisis and later pushes the builders of the second station to finish on time[1].
Luke Skywalker
Pilot
A young rebel pilot who joins the attack on the first Death Star above Yavin 4[1].
Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod
Commander
Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod oversees the building of the second station above Endor, under heavy pressure from Vader to complete it[4].
Palpatine
Owner
The Emperor, who plans both stations and takes a close interest in the progress of the second one[2].
Chronicle
Key moments in the ship's life, in story order. Spoilers stay hidden until you mark the title as watched in the timeline.
-
22 BBY
Episode II — Attack of the Clones
As the Clone Wars begin, Count Dooku carries the plans for the Death Star from Geonosis to Palpatine[1].
-
19 BBY
Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
Spoiler from Episode III — Revenge of the SithShowyou've watched it
Revenge of the Sith closes on the first skeletal frame of the Death Star taking shape in space. Construction began in secret above Geonosis during the Clone Wars[1].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler from Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowyou've watched it
The newly operational station fires at reduced power on Jedha City, destroying about one eighth of the moon[3].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler from Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryShowyou've watched it
While rebels steal the plans on Scarif, Tarkin fires the superlaser at the base, killing Krennic and the rebel team on the ground[5].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler from Episode IV — A New HopeShowyou've watched it
Tarkin orders the superlaser fired on Alderaan. The planet is destroyed and billions die[1].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler from Episode IV — A New HopeShowyou've watched it
Rebel fighters use the stolen plans to strike the small exhaust port. Luke's torpedoes set off a chain reaction that destroys the station, with Tarkin still aboard[1].
-
4 ABY
Episode VI — Return of the Jedi
Spoiler from Episode VI — Return of the JediShowyou've watched it
Palpatine lets slip that the second Death Star is still under construction. The Rebel fleet attacks above Endor and flies into a trap: the superlaser already works[2].
-
4 ABY
Episode VI — Return of the Jedi
Spoiler from Episode VI — Return of the JediShowyou've watched it
Once the shield generator on the moon is down, the Falcon and X-wings fly inside and wreck the reactor. The station blows apart with the Emperor aboard[2].
-
35 ABY
Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker
Spoiler from Episode IX — The Rise of SkywalkerShowyou've watched it
A large section of the wrecked second station rests in the oceans of Kef Bir and appears in The Rise of Skywalker[2].
Where it flew
- GeonosisThe first station takes shape in secret in orbit above this desert world, where its plans first appear.
- JedhaThe Empire strips this holy desert moon of kyber crystals, the stones that focus the superlaser's beams.
- ScarifA tropical world with an Imperial vault where the station's technical plans are kept.
- AlderaanThe superlaser destroys this world to frighten the Senate into submission.
- Yavin 4The rebel base on this jungle moon is the station's next target.
- EndorThe second station is built in orbit of this forest moon, with a shield generator on the surface.
Where to see the Death Star
Films, series and games with the Death Star, in story order.
Episode II — Attack of the ClonesMovie · 2002Ten years later: Anakin guards Senator Padmé Amidala, and Obi-Wan uncovers a secret clone army.
Episode III — Revenge of the SithMovie · 2005The Clone Wars come to an end, and Anakin Skywalker's turn to the dark side changes the galaxy forever.
Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryMovie · 2016A band of rebels led by Jyn Erso sets out to steal the plans of the Death Star.
Episode IV — A New HopeMovie · 1977Farm boy Luke Skywalker, smuggler Han Solo and Princess Leia take on the Empire and its Death Star.
Episode VI — Return of the JediMovie · 1983The rebels attack the second Death Star, and Luke faces Darth Vader and the Emperor.
Episode IX — The Rise of SkywalkerMovie · 2019The final chapter of the Skywalker saga: Rey, Finn and Poe make their last stand against the First Order.
Variants
Behind the scenes
- The equatorial trench began as a modelling accident. The first sphere was built in two halves that did not fit together and left a gap, and concept modeller Colin Cantwell suggested keeping the gap as a trench[5].
- For Return of the Jedi, ILM completed only the front of the second station's model, which measured 137 cm (54 in), and flipped the image horizontally for the film. The unfinished side suits the story: the station is still under construction[5].
- The grid-style trench-run graphic in A New Hope is a computer animation by Larry Cuba, working with Tom DeFanti. Rogue One later shows the station as a new CGI build[5].
Did you know
- In Rogue One the superlaser draws power from several reactors, so its output can be varied, and the weapon's first shots use only one[5].
- The first station carries about 7,000 TIE fighters and about 1,000 tractor beam projectors, and one of those beams pulls the Falcon in[3].
- A sphere this size has its own hyperdrive. The first Death Star's is class 4, enough to move the whole station between star systems[3].
Death Star: questions and answers
How big is the Death Star?
The first Death Star is about 160 kilometres across — nearly 500 Eiffel Towers stacked one on top of another. The second station is larger, at about 200 kilometres[3][5][7].
Who built the Death Star?
The Galactic Empire built it in secret, with the first station taking shape in orbit above Geonosis. Director Orson Krennic ran the superlaser project, and Grand Moff Tarkin later took charge of the station[1][3].
Is the Death Star a moon?
No. It is an artificial battle station, though at about 160 kilometres across it is easily mistaken for a small moon, as Obi-Wan Kenobi remarks when it first appears in A New Hope[3].
