Lucasfilm Story Group member Emily Shkoukani takes a look at the genesis and construction of the orginal and terrifying Death Star battle station that cast a deep shadow over the galaxy.
Construction on the Death Star began around the onset of the Clone Wars. Overseeing the Death Star project was Wilhuff Tarkin, who managed the logistics of the massive operation. A subproject of the Death Star was called “Project Celestial Power,” which was led by Orson Krennic. The project was responsible for research and experimentation with the intent of discovering the means needed to power the Death Star’s superlaser. One of Project Celestial Power’s key scientists was Galen Erso, who specialized in crystallography. Galen discovered how to weaponize the kyber crystal, the key component in the Death Star’s superlaser. However, Erso grew suspicious of the project he was working on (being kept in the dark about the true reason for his research) and abandoned his position before his discovery could be used. Krennic would spend years searching for the defector to complete his research on the project. Although Krennic was eventually successful in tracking down and capturing Galen, Galen’s rebellious spirit never waned. Against his will, Galen completed his work on the Death Star’s superlaser but not without installing an intentional weak point that would later be exploited by the Rebel Alliance that resulted in the complete destruction of the battle station.
The Death Star was crewed by anywhere from 1.1+ to 1.2+ million Imperials, depending on its given mission. This crew included a sizable Naval and Army garrison, higher-ranking Imperial officials, and battle station operations.
The naval garrison was led by Chief of the Imperial Navy Admiral Conan Antonio Motti and was equipped with Star Destroyers, dreadnoughts, and other assault ships. The Army garrison was led by Chief of the Imperial Army General Cassio Tagge and was staffed by thousands of stormtroopers.
- Hardcover Book
- Candon, Emma Mieko (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 352 Pages - 10/12/2021 (Publication Date) - Random House Worlds (Publisher)
