Shield Gate

The Shield Gate was a wheel-shaped space station put in orbit around the tropical Outer Rim planet of Scarif by the Galactic Empire. It served as an opening through which Imperial starships could bypass the planet's impenetrable deflector shield. During the battle of Scarif, the Rebel Alliance launched a successful assault on the station, allowing them to bypass the shield and attack Scarif's Imperial security complex.

Description
The Shield Gate was an Imperial space station placed in orbit around the planet Scarif, an Imperial world housing the Empire's security complex, a research and development site for the Death Star project. The station consisted of a gray, wheel-shaped structure with adjacently-facing hangar bays that housed many TIE/LN starfighters. The purpose of the Shield Gate was to allow passage through Scarif's encompassing deflector shield. As Imperial starships and cargo approached, a gate officer would give clearance and create an opening in the center of the station, allowing the vessels access to the planet's surface.

History
Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, as part of their mission to steal the plans to the Empire's planet-destroying superweapon, the Death Star, the Alliance to Restore the Republic launched an assault on the Shield Gate in the hope of gaining access to the surface of Scarif. After an attack run by several T-65B X-wing starfighters, the Rebels successfully bypassed the shield and launched their attack on the planet's military installations. This victory eventually led to the successful theft of the plans and the destruction of the Death Star.

Behind the scenes
The shield gate was created and developed for the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The first footage of the shield gate was shown in the second Rogue One trailer on October 13, 2016.

Appearances

 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story