Star Wars: If You Think There Were Only Two Death Stars, You Might Be Wrong- The Death Star Prototype Breakdown
There are more Death Stars out there than you think. Here’s a look at the little-known Death Star Prototype.
Given how much the Galactic Empire loved its planet-killing superweapons, it’s no surprise they built more than one Death Star. But what is surprising, is exactly how many Death Stars there were.
Constructed in a secret facility known as the Maw, the Death Star appeard to be little more than a durasteel frame at first. But the prototype frame was almost fully operational–at least as far as the essentials of a battlestation go. With a functioning reactor core, superlaser, and several habitable floors, it was a first glimpse at the power of the Empire’s engineering corps.
The Death Star Prototype’s Fully Operational Capabilities
The Death Star prototype in its fullest, was 120 kilometers in diameter. Powered by a prototype reactor, the superlaser of the DS-X was only powerful enough to destroy a planet’s core or, ironically, a large moon. The prototype superlaser was a massive drain on the power systems, however. After firing the superlaser, the Death Star prototype’s batteries were depleted. The weapon could only be fired every fifteen minutes, during which time the station was immensely more vulnerable.
Further complicating the DS-X’s operational capabilities was its uncalibrated targeting system. The accuracy was dependent on the gunners, rather than the computer. And during the station’s construction, two decks were the primary crew quarters.
One floor housed a control room where all the computing power in the station had been routed, allowing the station to be fired–and even flown–while still under construction.
History of the Death Star Prototype
The Death Star prototype was created to see if the Empire was capable of manufacturing the theoretical planet-destroying superlaser. Work was completed in 3BBY, and once the superlaser proved viable, the prototype was left hidden away in the Maw Installation, never completed.
After the Republic won the Galactic Civil War, the DS-X had a slight role to play. Renegade Imperials commandeered the ship, flying it away from the Maw installation to Kessel where it proved capable of destroying the planet’s moon.
It was repelled by smugglers and a fast-acting Han Solo, and was destroyed in the battle of the Maw after missing several shots with its superlaser.
All that remains of the DS-X is a multi-kilometer access chute, rumored to be somewhere on Nar Shaddaa.
And that’s not even mentioning the Death Star III!
