Death Star (novel)

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"The untold story of the ultimate weapon—created to annihilate worlds…and enslave a galaxy!"

―Back cover blurb^[5]

Death Star is a Star Wars Legends novel written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. It was first published in hardcover by Del Rey on October 16, 2007, and a paperback edition was published in 2008. It focuses on an ensemble cast of Death Star crew members, and it spans a three-year period that concludes with the Battle of Yavin.

Publisher's summary

The Death Star's name says it all, with bone-chilling accuracy. It is a virtual world unto itself—equipped with uncanny power for a singularly brutal purpose: to obliterate entire planets in the blink of an eye. Its annihilation of the planet Alderaan, at the merciless command of Grand Moff Tarkin, lives in infamy. And its own ultimate destruction, at the hands of Luke Skywalker, is the stuff of legend. But what is the whole story, and who are the players, behind the creation of this world-killing satellite of doom?

The near extermination of the Jedi Order cleared the way for Palpatine—power-hungry Senator and Sith Lord—to seize control of the Republic, declare himself Emperor, and usher in a fearsome, totalitarian regime. But even with the dreaded Darth Vader enforcing Palpatine's sinister will, the threat of rebellion still looms. And the Emperor knows that only abject fear—and the ability to punish dissent with devastating consequences—can ensure his unchallenged control of the galaxy. Enter ambitious and ruthless government official Wilhuff Tarkin, architect of the Emperor's terrifying dream come true.

From inception to completion, construction of the unprecedented Death Star is awash in the intrigues, hidden agendas, unexpected revelations, and daring gambits of those involved on every level. The brightest minds and boldest egos, the most ambitious and corrupt, the desperate and the devious, all have a stake in the Death Star—and its potential to control the fate of the galaxy.

Soldiers and slaves, loyalists and Rebels, spies and avengers, the innocent and the evil—all their paths and fates will cross and intertwine as the Death Star moves from its maiden voyage to its final showdown. And a shadowy chapter of Star Wars history is stunningly illuminated in a thrilling, unforgettable adventure.

Plot summary

During the final phases of construction and activation of the first Death Star, several low-level crewers bond together in opposition to the battle station's monstrously destructive mission. Following the obliteration of the planets Despayre and Alderaan, this assortment of conscientious personnel from different walks of life arrange escape from the battle station during its approach to the Rebel base on Yavin 4. They flee the Death Star before it is annihilated and seek refuge with the Rebels. Among these deserters are:

Celot Ratua Dil: A convicted smuggler sentenced to imprisonment on the penal world of Despayre, which also served as a construction site for the Death Star, the crafty Ratua sneaks aboard a transport to escape confinement and manages to carve a survivable niche aboard the Death Star posing as a civilian contractor for two years. He falls in love with Memah Roothes, bartender at the onboard cantina, the Hard Heart.

Kornell “Uli” Divini: An Imperial surgeon conscripted into service after the Clone Wars, Uli grows weary of wartime duty. While stationed aboard the Death Star, he tends to captive Princess Leia Organa’s trauma after her Imperial interrogation and grows to sympathize with her cause. His research into Force sensitivity puts him on the Imperial wanted list just prior to the Battle of Yavin.

Memah Roothes: A bartender formerly based in the Southern Underground of Coruscant. When Memah's cantina on Coruscant, the Soft Heart, mysteriously burns down, the Empire recruits her to run a similar business aboard the Death Star. She brings with her Rodo, a hulking Ragithian bouncer. She develops feeling for Ratua despite his shady past.

Villian “Vil” Dance: A hotshot TIE fighter pilot always seeking a challenge, Vil grows to respect the Rebellion and is disturbed by the numerical superiority of the Empire. He falls in love with architect Teela Kaarz. When the Death Star obliterates Alderaan, it seals his commitment to leaving Imperial service. He pilots the escape shuttle away from the battle station, even briefly outflying Darth Vader during the Battle of Yavin.

Teela Kaarz: An architect and political prisoner incarcerated on Despayre, Teela is conscripted to help design and build interior spaces aboard the Death Star. Among the projects that passed her desk was a certain thermal exhaust port that would later prove to be the Death Star's exploitable weakness. Teela falls in love with Vil Dance, TIE fighter pilot.

Nova Stihl: An Imperial guard and martial arts instructor, Nova is troubled by vivid dreams and flashes of vision into the future. Examined by Dr. Divini, Nova discovers that he is Force-sensitive. During the rush to escape the Death Star, Nova and the bouncer Rodo – a sparring partner – stay behind to hold off pursuing Imperial guards. Rodo and Nova are killed in the exploding Death Star.

Aside from this desertion, the final phases of the Death Star's life are marked by other dramas. Gunner Tenn Graneet struggles with his role in firing the battle station's devastating cannon against planets, but he nonetheless continues to serve the Empire loyally. Meanwhile, incidents of sabotage plague the Death Star's final phases. Grand Moff Tarkin instructs his secret lover, Admiral Daala, to investigate these incidents. She is injured during a Rebel attack and must undergo emergency brain surgery that wipes her memory of these events.

Development

Authors Michael Reaves and Steve Perry intended to give Motti the first name "Zi" in Death Star, and the name was approved by Lucasfilm. However, after George Lucas jokingly named the character "Conan Antonio" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2007, a last-minute editorial change was made.^[6] One occurrence of "Zi" remains in the novel's thirty-eighth chapter.^[5]

Continuity

The Death Star novel spanned the battle station's last three years, culminating with its destruction at the Battle of Yavin. In The Essential Reader's Companion, in its reading chronology, the book was placed before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, so that the movie could be experienced first. Though the novel incorporated story threads from across the Expanded Universe, including nods to the Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy (1994-1995) and the short story Interlude at Darkknell (1999), noticeably absent was the Death Star's role as a location in The Force Unleashed (2008). It was because the game's story line would not be publicly disclosed until its launch a year after the Death Star's publication.^[4]

Media

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Editions

ISBN 9780345477422; October 16, 2007; Del Rey; US hardcover^[1]
ISBN 9780345477422; 2007; Del Rey; US hardcover, Science Fiction Book Club edition (1245028)^[7]
ISBN 9780345477439; November 25, 2008; Del Rey; US paperback^[2]
ISBN 9780307795847; June 28, 2011; Del Rey; US eBook^[3]

Cover gallery

Appearances

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By type

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Characters

Dramatis personae

Atour Riten; Imperial Navy commander, Chief Librarian (human male) (First appearance)
Celot Ratua Dil; convicted smuggler (Zelosian male) (First appearance)
Conan Antonio Motti; Imperial Navy admiral (human male)
Daala; Imperial Navy admiral (human female)
Darth Vader; Dark Lord of the Sith (human male)
Kornell "Uli" Divini; Imperial Surgical Corps captain (human male)
Memah Roothes; pub tender (Twi'lek female) (First appearance)
Nova Stihl; Imperial Marines sergeant (human male) (First identified as Nova Stihl)
Rodo; bouncer (Ragithian human male) (First appearance)
Teela Kaarz; architect, convict (Mirialan female) (First appearance)
Tenn Graneet; Imperial Navy master chief gunner officer (human male) (First identified as Tenn Graneet)
Villian Dance; Imperial Navy lieutenant (human male) (First appearance)
Wilhuff Tarkin; Imperial Navy Grand Moff (human male)