DS-1 Orbital Battle Station

"That's no moon. It's a space station."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, upon seeing the Death Star for the first time.

The Death Star was a battle station, the size of a small moon, capable of destroying an entire planet. The station was designed by the Geonosians sometime before the Clone Wars, and it was constructed and operated by the Galactic Empire. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, its construction was complete and its planet-destroying superlaser was fully operational. During that time, it was commanded by Imperial Governor Tarkin, who used it to destroy the planet Alderaan.

During the war, Tarkin and other members of the station's command hierarchy believed that the Death Star was the ultimate power of the universe, and that fear of the station would prevent star systems from joining the Rebel Alliance. Others, however, feared that the Rebel Alliance would be strong enough to destroy the station, as the Alliance had stolen plans to the Death Star that they hoped would show a weakness in its design. These fears were confirmed during the Battle of Yavin, when the Rebels launched an attack and Luke Skywalker destroyed the station by shooting a proton torpedo into its exhaust port. The Empire later built a new Death Star, which was destroyed by the Rebels during the Battle of Endor.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi