The Empire is hiding something terrible. Rumors swirl around the galaxy about the Empire’s latest plan to keep the galaxy under its under fist, but no one can imagine the depth of the terror that the galaxy is soon to experience…. follow along with this week’s Legendary Adventure as we see visit Death Star!
“Peace is found neither in hot blood nor in cold sweat.”
Ever since the inception of the Empire, loose alliances have stood up against the them. Jedi-led guerilla groups attacked the Empire on Imperial Center while some species were openly antagonistic to Imperial propaganda. At the onset of Imperial reign, surviving Jedi also provided a threat to Sheev’s growing power. Initial efforts to tame Rebellion, such as the dangerous Inquisitorious, could only take care of so many problems at once. This was proved when Darth Vader’s former secret apprentice, Galen Marek, grew bold and broke from Vader. He united Imperial Senators Mon Mothma, Garm bel Iblis, and the Organas to be founding members in a new Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Empire needed something bigger if it wanted to keep its power…something far bigger and far more deadly.
So, the Empire started using slave labor to put together a massive battle station. The Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, liberated from the Separatists by Yoda, Quinlan Vos, and Luminara Undili was soon turned to an Imperial slave world. Wookiees were shuttled off-world to many different systems and battle stations to provide cheap, massive labor for the Empire. Even Imperial prisoners became labor: those sentenced to death found themselves not executed, but transported to the world of Despayre. There, they would build what would soon be known as the Death Star.
The origins of the Death Star reach back to even before the Invasion of Naboo. Rath Sienar, noted designer of Republic vessels across the galaxy, was secretly working on a battle station of epic proportions. He showed his plans to Republic official Wilhuff Tarkin, whose interest was piqued by the potential power of the station he was shown. At the same time, Geonosian droid builders were also working on massive battle stations. These plans were turned over to the Confederacy at the first Battle of Geonosis, right as the Clone War opened. These plans were combined by Imperial engineers to create one of the galaxy’s most destructive, and feared, battle stations to ensure peace and squash rebellions.
Unfortunately for the Empire, construction on the Death Star would be hampered time and time again. Despite construction beginning close to the end of the Clone War, the battle station wouldn’t be complete for almost 20 years. Set-backs on Kashyyyk, with the destruction of the Skyhook and loss of Wookiee slaves, set the construction back just as the Alliance was forming. Elsewhere, Rebel groups unknowingly attack Imperial supply lines, limiting the material coming to the station. Grand Moff Tarkin brings in his secret lover, Grand Admiral Daala, to oversee the efforts to stop the Rebels. Well, that’s what she was brought in for on the surface. In reality, they spent more time getting to know each other in more intimate settings than stopping Rebel attacks.
Surprisingly, it wouldn’t turn out to be Rebel groups who proved to be the Empire’s greatest opponent: instead, the Death Star project would be attacked from the inside. When construction of the Death Star was hampered on the planet Despayre, the Death Star took action against the planet. Turns out that Alderaan was not the Death Star’s first target. Instead, the Empire fired upon its own slaves, setting the construction back.
Maybe the greatest enemy of the Death Star was it’s own designers… Prisoner/architect Teela Kaarz discovers a thermal exhaust vent that goes straight to the reactor core. Normally, Kaarz is known galaxy-wide for her ability to search out and discover such technological failures. But with the destruction of Despayre, and coupled with the fact that she is a prisoner, Kaarz lets this discovery go, not fixing the flaw that would be known as the fatal error in the Death Star’s construction…
We don’t just see the evolution of the Death Star. We also see a bit of the innards of the day-to-day operations of the Death Star. Other characters include a bar tender, a martial arts instructor, and a TIE Pilot. Thankfully, these characters don’t humanize the Empire. Instead, we get the insider perspective on the Empire from more POV than just Rebels. The evils of the Empire – whether seen in a bar or commands on the battlefield – are becoming way too evident for some people, even on the Death Star, to ignore. The crew plans a daring escape, one that we will revisit when another band of Rebels is captured on the Death Star….
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor!
Dark Times Era: Republic Commando – Order 66 | Kenobi | Dark Lord: Rise of Darth Vader | Coruscant Nights I – Jedi Twilight | Coruscant Nights II – Street of Shadows | Coruscant Nights III – Patterns of the Force | The Last Jedi | Han Solo Trilogy #1 – The Paradise Snare | Han Solo Trilogy #2 – The Hutt Gambit | The Force Unleashed | Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu | Lando Calrissian and the Flamewinds of Oseon | Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka