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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

ST Death Star and Superweapons

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by LottDodd, Nov 2, 2013.

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  1. Biel Ductavis

    Biel Ductavis Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2015
    After the trailer i wonder if the destruction comes from a murdered star or from the energy beam itself. For now i go with the exploding star. What do you think?
     
  2. Sauron_18

    Sauron_18 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 1, 2005
    It's not only Wookiepedia that says Starkiller Base can destroy star systems, that bit of information comes from StarWars.com. The name refers to the whole planet, which the First Order converted into a superweapon. Based on the language used in the few references we have to it, I don't believe this is a one-time, suicide weapon. Whether the base has to travel to star systems to destroy them, or it can do so remotely, is unknown. However, considering that being in the system you're destroying is likely not the best idea in terms of survival, and that the planet has some kind of ecosystem, it doesn't seem outlandish to me to think it acts at a distance.

    In terms of the practicality of this weapon, although we don't know how much of the new literature is meant to have direct thematic ties to the new trilogy, there are some hints about the more significant impact of superweapons in Tarkin (and interviews with James Luceno), as well as in Rebels, The Clone Wars, and other canonical material.

    In Tarkin, a chapter ending with Palpatine's point of view shows him contemplating the role of the Death Star in his plans:

    "As powerful as the battle station might become, its real purpose was to serve as a tangible symbol and constant reminder of the power of the dark side, and to free Sidious from having to portray the part."

    The language is reminiscent of the EU/ANH novelization idea of "rule through fear of force, rather than through force itself" (also called the Tarkin Doctrine). Placing this in the thematic context of Tarkin, Aftermath, and Rebels, we also know there's a strong focus in the new material with the role of image/meaning in controlling or influencing the galaxy. Luceno's novel revolves around a plot by an independent rebel cell to undermine the Empire's burgeoning grasp on the galaxy by altering the image the galaxy has of the Empire by hijacking the HoloNet. In Rebels we also see the important role played by Imperial propaganda in preventing rebellion and maintaining a totalitarian regime. Similarly, Aftermath and Shattered Empire both emphasize how the post-ROTJ Empire tries to play off the death of Palpatine and Vader in Endor as "rebel propaganda", in an effort to maintain the image of the unyielding Empire that had been building for decades.

    So, the creation of a superweapon like Starkiller Base would not only give the First Order a terrifying and effective military weapon, it would strengthen their image and thus their power over the people of the galaxy. Whether they are an established power in the galaxy, or a newly-emerged player from the Outer Rim, a superweapon is an efficient way for them to legitimize their power.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Going beyond the role of a superweapon in political and military power, it may also play an important part in strengthening the power of the dark side itself. From The Clone Wars (and other material), we know that kyber crystals are "attuned to the Force, and connected to a Jedi Knight on a deeply personal level." Kyber crystals play a central role in the superweapons we've seen so far. In its page for the Death Star superlaser, StarWars.com says, "According to legend, the ancient Sith used massive kyber crystals to create superweapons..." Also, according to Wookiepedia, one of the unaired episodes of The Clone Wars (that was nonetheless written, voiced, and had begun being rendered), had this quote from Yoda: "Long ago in forgotten times when the Sith and Jedi fought for control of the galaxy, weapons there were of unimaginable power. Always at their heart a kyber crystal was."

    If kyber crystals are so attuned to the Force, and they are a central component in superweapons, then there may be a stronger connection between superweapons and the Force. Like Mungo Baobab said, it may be that the Starkiller weapon is powered by the living Force present in the planet's surface lifeforms. But looking beyond the source of the weapon's power, its link to the Force might be more about its effect on the dark side.

    Luceno's other recent novel, Darth Plagueis, though now considered part of Legends, gives us insight into the dark side that, for me at least, helped me understand much of what happened in the movies better. Central to this was that the dark side was more than a passive energy store for Sith or dark-siders to use, but an active force (no pun intended) that, to some degree, powered individuals based on their actions. In the novel, Plagueis refers to the training of Sidious as getting the dark side to "take an interest" in him. Brutal actions taken by the Sith are not born out of sadism (though that, too), but are a way of strengthening their connection to the dark side, by causing more pain and fear in the universe. To a dark-sider, performing an act of brutality results in a real increase in power, however this might manifest. This makes excessively inhuman actions, like Vader's killing of younglings, make sense in the warped, power-obsessed context of Sith training. Similarly, when we see Vader looking over Mustafar's infernal landscape after killing the Separatist leadership, I can also see him gaining strength and abilities he did not posses before, in a mystical and mysterious way, due to his brutal dark actions that, in turn, strengthen the dark side and his connection to it.

    This idea is also reflected in Tarkin, when Palpatine considers how with time, as his Empire continues to grow and strengthen, he will in turn develop his connection to the dark side and develop a better understanding of its "unnatural" abilities. Indeed, in an interview about the book, Luceno hinted at the idea of actions in the physical plane affecting the Force, and vice versa, in a constant back-and-forth manner. In a discussion about Palpatine's view of the Empire, and the Death Star, and their role in increasing his power and connection to the dark side, he says:

    "I see it as his vehicle to the next level. In my mind, he’s coming close to that as we get closer and closer to A New Hope. I’ve always wondered, why does he disband the Senate when he does? Is it simply because the Death Star is moving through space and about to become operational? I think it’s bigger. I think he was really onto something then, that something momentous was about to occur. And he’s undermined when he learns not so much that the Death Star has been destroyed, but that the son of the Chosen One is out there."

    This also relates to the quote from Tarkin that "the Force can strike back". A dark-sider can gain power, both in the Force and in the physical world, but there may be an almost automatic reaction on the part of the Force against it. The book hints that Palpatine sought to have enough power to eventually be beyond the Force striking back, something we know eventually failed. But the creation of superweapons - and the subsequent spread of pain, destruction, and fear - plays an important role in strengthening the dark side, and by connection the power of those attuned to it.
     
  3. MillenniumFalcon2015

    MillenniumFalcon2015 Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 18, 2013
    I was really fascinated with the possiblity of Leia leading the Resisitance Fleet with a superweapon ship that can ram into Star Destroyers or any enemy capital ships appearing at the climax of TFA. But we haven't seen it in any of the trailers including the recent one. Is the Sledgehammer still in TFA?? I also heard it might be destroyed at the climax of TFA. God I hope it doesn't. If It's a powerful ship/weapon as they say it is that it can ram into big warships. I would hope it survives the entire ST and beyond.
     
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  4. LunarMoth

    LunarMoth Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2012
    I wanna be........
     
  5. D'an

    D'an Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2014

    your SLEDGEHAMMER!

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. B99

    B99 Force Ghost star 6

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    Nov 10, 2014
  7. MillenniumFalcon2015

    MillenniumFalcon2015 Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 18, 2013
    I would hope there is such a ship to ram into Imperial Star Destroyers or any big enemy warships to keep making the space battles of SW especially future space battles at the climax of TFA,Episode VIII and the biggest armageddon-apoclyptic space battle yet to be seen at the climax of Episode IX. That battle would make the Battle of Endor a walk in the park.
     
  8. Rodie

    Rodie Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2014
    My guess is that, if this exists, it is something the Resistance is developing in TFA, but it's not ready yet, so we won't see it in action till the ultimate climax of Episode 9.
     
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  9. starocean90

    starocean90 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Feb 19, 2014
    wouldn't the Sledgehammer be outside in space fighting the Starkiller planet but according to rumors it gets destroyed anyways. What we see in the trailer is the fighting inside the planet not outside.
     
    MillenniumFalcon2015 likes this.
  10. Good Blaster

    Good Blaster Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2015
    How about.....

    The Resistance Shrink Ray??

    Turning First Order Fleets into Micro Machines baby
     
  11. MillenniumFalcon2015

    MillenniumFalcon2015 Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 18, 2013
    If that's true it could be the ultimate weapon of Episodes X-XII.
     
  12. MillenniumFalcon2015

    MillenniumFalcon2015 Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 18, 2013
    I'd love to see new weapons or ships that could outdo other ships or Death Stars/superweapons from previous movies. They the planet with the weapon in the centre is either Starkiller Base or it could the Resistance's Death Star. It may also be fun if there were a First Order Death Star vs. a Resistance Death Star or even better fleets of Death Stars from bothe sides battling each other in the space battle of TFA or in future battles including the climatic space battle of Episode IX. I heard somewhere that in Lucas and Gary Kurtz's original ideas for the ST including Episode IX was to a fleet of Death Stars battling against the Rebels or New Republic in Episode IX's climatic space battle. We should something like one Death Star run by the First Order vs. another Death Star run by the Resistance in TFA and then perhaps a fleet of Death Stars in the final space battle of Episode IX.
     
  13. miasma

    miasma Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 2013
    This guy would be great in Star Wars...
    [​IMG]
     
  14. Infinite Cactus

    Infinite Cactus Jedi Padawan star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2015
    I came in here with the intention of making a Peter Gabriel joke. It seems you all are already on it. Good work team.
     
  15. Dra---

    Dra--- Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 30, 2012
    I think we have three superweapons in TFA. [face_devil]
     
  16. EHT

    EHT Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Thread merge
     
  17. GregMcP

    GregMcP Force Ghost star 5

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    Jul 7, 2015
    Perhaps Leia should be brokering a Superweapon Nonproliferation Treaty.

    There's going to be trouble when every nutbag group in the Galaxy can lay their hands on a sun exploding device.
     
  18. MillenniumFalcon2015

    MillenniumFalcon2015 Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 18, 2013
    Sorry if I started a thread on the Sledgehammer. I thought there was a thread on it but couldn't find it.
     
  19. MillenniumFalcon2015

    MillenniumFalcon2015 Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 18, 2013
    Is StarKiller Base going to be destroyed in TFA? if it is I would be OK with it. But I was hoping that the Starkiller base planet would be a mobile planet like Zonama Sekot from NJO and go from one end of the galaxy to the other and survives TFA and doesn't get destroyed by Episode IX.
     
  20. MillenniumFalcon2015

    MillenniumFalcon2015 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Aug 18, 2013
    I meant to say I hope Starkiller base doesn't get destroyed until Episode IX. I still hope it's a mobile planet that go from one side of the galaxy to the other like the previous Death Stars. I hope it's a rogue planet like Zonama Sekot. It would be cool if the Resistance found or built a rogue planet weapon themselves to battle the First Order if Leia's weapon like ship the Sledgehammer fails. But there's no reason the Sledgehammer can't be rebuilt if it's destroyed in TFA.
     
  21. Jedi Ed

    Jedi Ed Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2015
    You haven't got a death star as such in the force awakens. It's looks by the 3rd trailer that the plant that star killer base is on, opens up the reveal a weapon, as you can see in the official poster. Death Stars ares quite easy to find. This weapon is hidden and its discovery by Finn is probably the source of his defection.
     
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