Concave Dish Composite Beam Superlaser

"Juno, where am I?''" "''Some sort of convergence array. According to my schematics, there are seven others just like it spread around the station's dish. The firing tube you were in is just one of sixty-four, all being directed into a single, massive beam. I can't even imagine what the Empire could do with this sort of power."

- Galen Marek and Juno Eclipse during the Battle on Death Star I

The Concave Dish Composite Beam Superlaser was the type of superlaser used on the Death Stars.

Characteristics


The first Death Star's superlaser had eight tributary beams arranged in a circle around the concave dish. The second Death Star's superlaser had seven tributary beams arranged around the concave dish in an octagonal array encompassed by a circle, and an eighth beam in the middle. These beams would then combine to form the main superlaser by the usage of an invisible forcefield in the shape of a cone. The tributary beams were themselves composed of eight smaller beams, which converged in one of the eight Superlaser Convergence Chambers, totaling 64 beam tubes.

Originally, the Death Star's superlaser could only fire at planets and required hours to recharge the superlaser. By the time the Death Star II was built, the superlaser was able to fire on large capital ships and required a much lower recharge time, a matter of minutes. The power source of the laser were special power crystals that the 501st Legion took from Mygeeto on the orders of Darth Sidious.

History
The first full-scale superlaser was installed in the first Death Star battlestation, becoming its primary weapon. In 2 BBY, Galen Marek traveled through one of the firing tubes in the superlaser dish during the Battle on Death Star I, causing structural damage in the process.

The full-scale superlaser was built in the first Death Star and was used six times&mdash;it was first used during a Rebel raid on the Death Star, when Rebel agent X2 used the yet-unfinished superlaser to destroy one of the escorting Star Destroyers, then it was fired once with four percent power to destroy the Fortressa, a Lucrehulk-class battleship under Rebel control, three shots were fired as a secret test shortly after, to destroy the prison planet Despayre, and another shot with full power to destroy Alderaan and demonstrate the Galactic Empire's strength. This immense power made the Death Star one of the most powerful weapons in the history of the galaxy. However, before it could fire a seventh time at the Rebel Alliance base on Yavin 4, it was destroyed at the Battle of Yavin.

Behind the scenes
In the StarWars Blu-ray special edition collection section both the first and seconded Death Stars Concave Dish Composite Beam Superlaser area are called the "Laser eye."

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
 * Death Star (novel)
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * ''Star Wars Battlefront II

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga