Death Star
The Death Star is a type of fictional mobile space station and galactic superweapon featured in the "Star Wars" space opera franchise. The first Death Star is stated to be more than 100 km to 160 km in diameter, depending on source. It is crewed by an estimated 1.7 million military personnel and 400,000 droids. The second Death Star is significantly larger, between 160 km to 900 km in diameter depending on source, and technologically more powerful than its predecessor. Both versions of these moon-sized fortresses are designed for massive power-projection capabilities, capable of destroying multiple naval fleets or entire planets with one blast from their superlasers.
Death Star
The anthology film "Rogue One" focuses on a band of Rebels stealing the plans for the first Death Star prior to the events of "A New Hope". The Death Star project was overseen by Orson Krennic, the Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military. Under Krennic's supervision, the project was beset by constant delays, and he forcibly recruited weapons designer Galen Erso (the father of Jyn Erso, the movie's main protagonist) to complete the design; nevertheless, it was another fifteen years before the Death Star was operational. The Death Star's primary laser was powered by kyber crystals mined from the desert moon of Jedha, and is first used to destroy Jedha City both as a response to a violent insurgency on the planet, and as a display of the Death Star's operational status to restore the Empire's confidence in the project. Grand Moff Tarkin assumes control over the Death Star while Krennic investigates security breaches in the design project. It is subsequently revealed that Galen discreetly sabotaged the design by building a vulnerability into the reactor. This is the same vulnerability that Luke Skywalker takes advantage of during the events of "A New Hope". After the Death Star plans are stolen from the Scarif vault, Tarkin fires the Death Star laser on the base killing Krennic, as well as Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor.