Expeditionary Battle Planetoid

The Expeditionary Battle Planetoid was a theoretical spherical battlestation developed by Raith Sienar in 29 BBY. It was one of the precursors to the finalized Death Stars.

Concept
The Expeditionary Battle Planetoid was the first true precursor to the designs that would eventually give birth to the Death Star project. The design was similar to the Death Star, although it differed in a number of key ways, most notably, in that it lacked a superlaser and was therefore designed for space combat, not the annihilation of planets.

Legacy
Around the time of the Second Battle of Zonama Sekot, Raith Sienar presented the plans for the Battle Planetoid to Republic Outland Regions Security Force Commander Wilhuff Tarkin, who was enamored of the idea. Tarkin turned around and showed the plans to then-Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Sienar, however, had since abandoned the idea of developing the weapon himself, and appeared indifferent to the apparent backstabbing.

With the formation of the Confederacy of the Independent Systems in the months before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Palpatine gave the plans to his Sith apprentice and Confederate leader, Count Dooku. The Geonosians took the designs and from them developed their Ultimate Weapon, transforming the Battle Planetoid with a functional superlaser in order to transform it into a planet-killing superweapon.

After the Declaration of the New Order in 19 BBY, the Ultimate Weapon's design was refined into that of the Death Star, and construction on the station began and, ostensibly as a reward for 'his' design, Tarkin became the Moff overseeing the project.