"It's too big to be a space station"

I could be totally be wrong on this but didnt Han Solo use to be a Imperial officer? If he was, wouldnt he have heard about the Death Star? or was he only apart of the Empire while the station was in construction and didnt think anything of it. any thoughts?

 

That's news to me. But it does bring up a problem with having construction on DS1 start at the end of ROTS (in addition to why it took so long to complete): How could the Empire manage to keep it a secret for so long?

 

The Death Star was a closely guarded secret. Even the Senate was unaware of its existence. There is no way they could have kept the secret if the entire Empire knew. It was probably only a selected few that knew of its existence. Nobody that didn't work on the project would know, there would be no reason to tell them. Also, Han Solo was, I think, only a cadet or an ensign, and would know nothing of the secret projects discussed in the higher echolons (sp?.

 

Han Solo was an Imperial Officer? Where did that come from?

 

Never heard that about Han, but then again dont know much about him. As for keeping the Death Star a secret for so long, they probably told everyone that they were building a big lemonade stand.

 

The official Chewbacca biography says the following:

"For their brutish strength and technological savvy, Wookiees were enslaved by the Empire for use as labor. For a time, Chewbacca was a slave, toiling away for the betterment of the Empire until an impudent Imperial cadet named Han Solo freed him.

Drummed out of the military, Solo had few options but to return to the fringe lifestyle he knew so well. Chewbacca swore loyalty to Han, and became his partner in crime. The two of them became a well-known smuggling duo. When they came into ownership of the freighter Millennium Falcon, their exploits became legendary."

 

I don't think the Death Star was common knowledge. I'd imagine that it was kept as an uttermost secret, known only by a few select individuals for awhile. Eventually, as it neared completion and was actually finished, info must have leaked. But it's very likely that Han never heard of it as a Cadet, because it was classified.

 

Even in ROTJ, the Emperor claims that he let the rebels know about the knew death star and its location. The Emperor had ways of keeping things secret, like the planet where the clone army was being created.

 

True, Palpy is a poweriful man. I knew I heard Han was an Imperial cadet or whatever somewhere. He also knew The Empires schedule of dropping the garabage in ESB.

 

He also knew The Empires schedule of dropping the garabage in ESB.

Yes, but dumping garbage isn't really on the same level as a huge, highly secret and incredibly powerful Space Station being constructed...

 

Ha, i know i was just saying that for the arguement of him being part of the Empire, not knowing bout the Death Star.

 

Well of course. I mean, an armored space station with enough firepower to destroy a planet is one thing, but if you don't dump your garbage before entering hyperspace, the added mass could throw off all your calculations and you end up flying into a star at faster-than-light speeds. Ergo, proper dumping etiquette is of the utmost importance and Death Stars take second fiddle to them.

 

space is big, thats all there is to it.

Its possible for most people to not know about the Death Star being constructed.

 

Do low-ranking soldiers know top-secret military stuff?

 

The thing that gets me about this line, or rather EU authors, is that Centerpoint Station is supposedly bigger than both Death Stars. Surely Han knew about or most likely seen Centerpoint. Therefore, "it's too big to be a space station" makes little sense.

Again, not picking on the script but it was careless of the EU authors to disregard this 30 year old line

Now that's off my chest, i can rest easier

 

It is? Never noticed that. Never thought it was.

 

Do low-ranking soldiers know top-secret military stuff?

I would doubt it, unless it was pertinent to their mission or something.

 

I don't even try to understand it anymore. There is so many plotholes now thanks to the PT.

 

where's solo77 when you need him...

 

TLJ Edit: No.

 

Regards to the time frame of the death star:

Now the death star only featured to give us a connection closer to ANH. But let's face it, it is completely unrealistic. It only took what a year or so to build half of the DSII. Are we meant to provide GL with continuous excuses for plot holes.

 

For all of you who never heard about Han beeing an imperial Officer, read a few books in the real of SW and the Encyclopedia. The pants Han is wearing and imperial officer pants.

 

"Now the death star only featured to give us a connection closer to ANH. But let's face it, it is completely unrealistic. It only took what a year or so to build half of the DSII. Are we meant to provide GL with continuous excuses for plot holes."

It's not 1 year, its 4 years. And it wasn't even half-completed which means that it would have taken something like 8-9 years to complete. That's half the time of the first death star. It's not unreasonable.

1. The first Death star was built in secret and probably only recieved a very modest budget and work would have proceeded very slowly since A: The senate would be suspicous if this unimportant backwater planet suddenly recieved a lot of money, and B: there was no urgent use for the Death Star. It is likely that the production was only speed up during the last couple of years because of the rising rebellion. After Yavin, however, there was no pesky senate. Palpatine had apsolute control and he rushed the construction to have the second station finished as fast as possible.

2. Technology has advanced in 20 years, and it's always easier to build something the second time. Remember that this was a station the size of a small moon. Such an enermous project would have proceeded with insecurity, and likely some errors along the way.

What takes time is to invent something and build it for the first time. Once you know how to do it, its much easier to do it again.

As you said, its probably a tie-in to ANH, and it works cinematicaly. Is it a slight stretch? Perhaps, but it's still perfectly believable, IMO.

 

Insert standard: OMG!! Plothole line, followed by rolling eye face, here.

 

Pretty much no one knew about it until it made it's debut.