Superlaser/Legends

"No one will dare oppose the Empire after this demonstration."

- Wilhuff Tarkin, referring to the Destruction of Alderaan

A superlaser was a planet-destroying superweapon that used several separate "planetary proton beams" combined together as a single beam. This devastating device was designed to destroy planets with one shot.

Characteristics
"We're still pinned down by that superlaser!"

- Crix Madine



The power of the first Death Star's superlaser was estimated to have been more than 2.4*1032 watts, with an optimum range of 380,000 kilometers and a working range of 420,000 kilometers. Powerful enough to destroy a terrestrial planet, it was the most powerful energy weapon ever built.

Powered by the Death Star's massive hypermatter reactor, the tributary shafts generated eight beams that united to form the primary superlaser beam over the central lens of the weapon. These tributary beams were arranged around an invisible, central focusing field, firing in an alternate sequence to build the power necessary to destroy a planet.

The beam created in this way had more than half the firepower of the remainder of the Imperial Navy. A crew of one hundred and thirty-two gunners&mdash;fourteen per amplification crystal&mdash;were required to manage this sobering power.

The birth of the superlaser
"What Ki-Adi-Mundi didn't know, however, is that our unit of the 501st was really after a Mygeetan power source that the Chancellor wanted for his superlaser."

- Anonymous 501st clone trooper

The concept of the superlaser, Emperor Palpatine's most frightening weapon, was born in the mind of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. The use of such massive weapons became the core of his Tarkin Doctrine. The idea was later realized by Bevel Lemelisk, as well as by Geonosian weapons engineers.

The proof-of-concept model of the superlaser was built at the Maw Installation in the Kessel system. This model became known as the Death Star prototype. Finally, the first full-scale superlaser was installed in the first Death Star battlestation, becoming its primary weapon.

Use and deployment
The full-scale superlaser was built in the Death Star and was used twice&mdash;once as a secret test, to destroy the prison planet Despayre, and later to destroy Alderaan and demonstrate the Galactic Empire's strength. This power made the Death Star one of the most powerful weapons in the history of the Galaxy. Before it could fire a third time at the Rebel Alliance base on Yavin IV, it was destroyed at the Battle of Yavin.



In the months following the Battle of Yavin, Eclipse, the first ship and prototype for the Eclipse-class Star Dreadnoughts, had been undergoing construction for some time. This vessel was fitted with a superlaser, much smaller than the one on the Death Star, but powerful enough to destroy most capital ships in a single shot. The rogue warlord Tyber Zann was known to have attempted to capture this vessel for his fleet, but ultimately abandoned it after obtaining valuable info from its databanks in 4 ABY.

A smaller version of the first Death Star's superlaser was also installed on the Tarkin battlestation. This weapon was used by Grand Admiral Martio Batch to crack the planet Aeten II and acquire its deeply buried supply of remaining stygium crystals. It too would be destroyed by Rebel forces, who infiltrated the station while it was under construction and sabotaged the superlaser. When the superlaser was fired, it overloaded, destroying the station.

In the years leading up to the Battle of Endor, at least two habitation spheres were being built around Coruscant. They were claimed to be for peaceful purposes only, but had indentation marks identical to the focusing lenses on other superlasers. They were presumably destroyed following the collapse of the Empire in 4 ABY.

A superlaser was also built in a testing facility on the planet Dubrillion. It was used against a small Rebel fleet, but ultimately destroyed in the Battle of Dubrillion in 3 ABY.

Numerous upgrades were performed on the superlaser design when it was reincorporated into the Death Star II. Whereas the original superlaser took a full 24 hours to recharge, the new one possessed a rate of fire separated by minutes, not days. The new superlaser also had more individual beams&mdash;nine, in fact&mdash;with one in the center allowing better ease when aiming. The new targeting system allowed it to fire at smaller targets, such as capital ships, as opposed to only planets. Though this allowed the Imperial forces to inflict significant casualties on the Rebel fleet during the Battle of Endor, this station was also destroyed.



In the years after Endor, Eclipse was still undergoing construction, becoming fully operational for Operation Shadow Hand in 10 ABY. It was armed with a superlaser that could slash through planetary shields, sear the crust and blow apart entire continents. This made Eclipse and its successor, Eclipse II, the most powerful capital ships ever built. However, Eclipse was destroyed in the Battle of Pinnacle Base, and Eclipse II was destroyed after the Battle of Onderon, along with the Galaxy Gun.

In 11 ABY, the Death Star prototype was also destroyed when Kyp Durron lured it into one of the Maw's black holes.

The last known superlaser was built by Durga the Hutt for the Darksaber battle station. The forces of the New Republic attacked it before it was completed, and it was destroyed in the Hoth asteroid field. Rumors abound, however, that notorious smuggler Booster Terrik acquired Darksaber schematics, and installed a superlaser on his ship.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * Marvel Star Wars 51: Resurrection of Evil
 * Marvel Star Wars 52: To Take The Tarkin
 * The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
 * Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Dark Empire
 * Dark Empire II
 * Empire's End
 * ''Jedi Search
 * Champions of the Force
 * Darksaber