Rogue One and Death Star II (Possible Spoilers)

[Solariabsg25]

Given that the Death Star used Kyber Crystals in it's superlaser, and considering the

Spoiler

destruction of the source of the Kyber Crystals on Jedha

is it possible that this could explain the vastly larger size of the Death Star II in Return of the Jedi? Whereas part of this could be the whole Empire "Bigger is more intimidating" thing, they really didn't need anything larger than the first Death Star. Plus although the First Order were obviously overcompensating with the Skykiller Base, the first Death Star was capable of destroying a planet, so it's not like the superlaser needed to be bigger or more powerful to do the same job.

A reasonable assumption could be made that inferior crystals from other sources, or some artificially created alternatives, could have required a much larger main reactor and superlaser focusing system which would necessitate a larger hull.

 

[publiusr]

I'd like to see what the Death Star without the flaw might have been.

I can see the dish on the south pole of the DS--with the Emporer's tower on the north pole.

The inside of the Borg cube from First Contact seems a better interior than the layered blueprints.

Inside the torus--we see a combination of the core of the ID4 mothership and the reactor that fell in ROTJ.

A similar collapse is in PASSENGERS.

 

[Reverend]

The idea that the Death Star II was "vastly bigger" than the original came from the EU and from what I gather, it's not something they're sticking with. It may be a *bit* bigger, but of a more reasonable order of magnitude, if at all.

From the novelization it seems the exhaust ports were just a compromise to deal with radiation build-up from the reactors. The alternatives required either further R&D for the reactor technology, or disassembling the norther hemesphere command sections and installing a particle funnel & recycler. Both of which would have taken considerably more time in an already endlessly delayed project, so Krennic just signed off on the simple stop-gap of thermal exhaust ports. For the DS2, they'd have the extra time to go back and either fix the cause of the excess radiation (aka Galen's "fuse") or install that particle recycler from the get-go.

Also; Jedah was not *the* source of kyber crystals, just *a* source of kyber crystals. We've also seen them on Lothal, Illum and I think 'Catalyst' also mentioned Mygeeto & Christophsis also having kyber deposits. I wouldn't be shocked if it turns out they're on Dagobah, Malachor, Ossus, Ahch-To, Moraband & Tython as well. Though rare, there are presumably still thousands of such worlds in the galaxy and the Empire was very motivated to track as many of them down as they could.

 

[Set Harth]

I think 'Catalyst' also mentioned Mygeeto & Christophsis also having kyber deposits.

Mygeeto... interesting. Could this be a shout-out to Battlefront II?

 

[Kemaiku]

They were still mining the planet heavily despite the superlaser already being mounted to the Death Star and ready to set off on it's first test fire very shortly after.

Those crystals were still raw and being transported all over the place for processing. Obivously the DS 1 already had everything it needed, so either those crystals were for another purpose, or they were being stockpiled for further weapons.

The Death Star 2 may well have been planned as the second build, and hastily redesigned in areas as mentioned above, with the crystals processed and cut ready for it's laser.

But I don't get the impression of a shortage from R1.

 

[Tosk]

We've also seen them on Lothal, Illum and I think 'Catalyst' also mentioned Mygeeto & Christophsis also having kyber deposits.

Is Ilum the one depicted in The Clone Wars TV series? (The one where younglings go through a trial there to get their own crystal.) If so, the Ahsoka novel even talks about the Empire tearing open the planet to mine the crystals there.

 

[Ithekro]

Illum is the planet seen in The Clone Wars. It is speculated that it became Starkiller Base.

 

[Tosk]

Huh. I hadn't heard that before. I guess they both have snow, and Ilum has a huge chunk carved out of it already, so...I can see that.

 

[Solid Snack]

Maybe it was only capable of 'single reactor' firing-we only saw it take out those ships, after all.

 

[Reverend]

Maybe it was only capable of 'single reactor' firing-we only saw it take out those ships, after all.

That doesn't appear to have been the thinking as there's a cut scene where Palpatine orders Jerjerrod to destroy Endor if they managed to bring the shield down. So that thing should have been able to fire off single reactor shots and full power shots in fairly rapid succession.

 

[Booji]

Illum is the planet seen in The Clone Wars. It is speculated that it became Starkiller Base.

I really doubt that. In the 'Ahsoka' novel, Ahosoka goes to Illum and mentions how entire parts of the planets surface have been destroyed and chunks have been carved away revealing rock and lava (this is all visible from space, too). Apart from the canon section of Starkiller Base that could possibly sit on one of those chunks, the rest of that planet is in really good shape and I doubt the First Order cared to fix up and green, or in this case whiten, the planet. Plus, Starkiller Base runs on solar, not fossil (khyber) fuels.

 

[Ithekro]

The weapon's powered by solar, but the reaction is kyber-based (like all the superweapons it seems).

 

[Solariabsg25]

The idea that the Death Star II was "vastly bigger" than the original came from the EU and from what I gather, it's not something they're sticking with. It may be a *bit* bigger, but of a more reasonable order of magnitude, if at all.

From the novelization it seems the exhaust ports were just a compromise to deal with radiation build-up from the reactors. The alternatives required either further R&D for the reactor technology, or disassembling the norther hemesphere command sections and installing a particle funnel & recycler. Both of which would have taken considerably more time in an already endlessly delayed project, so Krennic just signed off on the simple stop-gap of thermal exhaust ports. For the DS2, they'd have the extra time to go back and either fix the cause of the excess radiation (aka Galen's "fuse") or install that particle recycler from the get-go.

Also; Jedah was not *the* source of kyber crystals, just *a* source of kyber crystals. We've also seen them on Lothal, Illum and I think 'Catalyst' also mentioned Mygeeto & Christophsis also having kyber deposits. I wouldn't be shocked if it turns out they're on Dagobah, Malachor, Ossus, Ahch-To, Moraband & Tython as well. Though rare, there are presumably still thousands of such worlds in the galaxy and the Empire was very motivated to track as many of them down as they could.

Wow a lot of information there (yet another reason why I'm peeved that have no access to be able to watch Rebels at the moment, but the temptation to get on DVD gets higher the more I hear about it).

IIRC isn't it mentioned somewhere in the official Force Awakens material that the Finalizer uses Kyber Crystals in some of it's weapons?

 

[Reverend]

Wow a lot of information there (yet another reason why I'm peeved that have no access to be able to watch Rebels at the moment, but the temptation to get on DVD gets higher the more I hear about it).

If it makes you feel any better the only piece of information in all that which came from 'Rebels' is the part about kybers being on Lothal. Most everything else was either from the Rogue One novelization or the tie-in novel 'Catalyst'.

IIRC isn't it mentioned somewhere in the official Force Awakens material that the Finalizer uses Kyber Crystals in some of it's weapons?

I have a vague recollection of that. Probably in the crossection book.
Also of potential relevance: Jakku (where the remnants of the Imperial fleet rallied before fleeing into the unknown regions and founding the First Order) was the site of an Imperial weapons lab of some sort. Also, *something* very old was buried in the sand that Palpatine was very interested in excavating on the quiet.

 

[Solariabsg25]

Haven't got round to Catalyst yet just going through the Alien Vs Predator Rage War trilogy at the moment, but it's next on my list when finished.

 

[Tuskin38]

The idea that the Death Star II was "vastly bigger" than the original came from the EU and from what I gather, it's not something they're sticking with. It may be a *bit* bigger, but of a more reasonable order of magnitude, if at all.

Yeah, no sources have given an exact size yet, only that it is bigger then the first.

IIRC isn't it mentioned somewhere in the official Force Awakens material that the Finalizer uses Kyber Crystals in some of it's weapons?

That is mentioned in the Cross-sections book.

A character in Rogue One says kyber crystals are at the heart of stars. But he may not have been serious.

But Starkiller eating stars... hm.

 

[Reverend]

Yeah, no sources have given an exact size yet, only that it is bigger then the first.

Strictly speaking I don't think we even know that much. There's nothing in the dialogue and all the opening crawl says is "...a new armored space station even more powerful than the first dreaded Death Star."
"Even more powerful" need not translate to an increased diameter. Also, so far as I can recall the miniature and matte paintings don't give any indication that they significantly upped the scale from the old one (the only real point of reference being the docking trench.)

A character in Rogue One says kyber crystals are at the heart of stars. But he may not have been serious.

I suppose it depends on whether kyber is an element unto itself or some kind of natural compound. If it's the former then there may be something to it considering most known elements in our universe are formed either in the cores of high-mass stars or their eventual super-novae. Perhaps kyber is just such an element?

Also I believe the line was "the strongest stars have hearts of kyber." In context it seemed like a common adage so it could be literal or figurative.

Considering the crystals resonate with the force and are referred to as "living crystals" by the Jedi (also possibly figurative) this could mean there are living stars out there, strong in the force. What if that's what the "Whills" really are? We know Lucas read at least one book by Frank Herbert, maybe he read another one too?

But Starkiller eating stars... hm.

Well if we want to be super nit picky SKB seemed to drain the energy off a star, not the mass. Logically there should be a dark core of stellar matter where the star used to be. I doubt it'd be kyber though. Seems to me that a low mass star is plenty massive and energetic enough to power a planet killing weapon.

 

[Ithekro]

Yes...but a multi-planet killing weapon that can fire through hyperspace (or sub-hyperspace...yea).

 

[Tosk]

How the hell do they move Starkiller Base anyway?

 

[Tuskin38]

Strictly speaking I don't think we even know that much.

One of the new canon sources says it is bigger, Star Wars Complete Locations, Just no exact size.