Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The Death Star ’s exposure was retconned for theStar Warscanon continuity inRogue One : A Star Wars Story , and while the cinema famously tied into the franchise ’s 1977 first appearance , the conflict post ’s retcon was unnecessary . Rogue Onecreated an all - newfangled cast of fictional character , each of whomjoined the Rebel Allianceand take part in the climactic Battle of Scarif for different reasons . In the case of Jyn Erso , one of her need was to finish her beginner ’s employment of sabotaging the Empire ’s ultimate weapon , the Death Star , despiteA New Hopesuccinctly explaining its helplessness .
The Death Star , infamously , had a belittled caloric exhaust port that led directly to its main nuclear reactor . Rebel fighters exploited this failing inA New Hope , with Luke Skywalker guiding a dyad of proton torpedo through the port and into the reactor , put down the place . For old age , viewers have question the logical system behind a small and seemingly easily - exploitable weakness being the ruin of a moon - sized peregrine space station that can destroy an entire planet , which likely motivatedRogue One’sretcon .
touch : How Leia ’s Role In Stealing The Death Star Plans Is spoiled In Star Wars Canon
Jyn Erso ’s father , Galen Erso , helped design the Death Star ’s superweapon , but secretly sabotaged the post by making the independent nuclear reactor fluid . Erso pave the way for the Rebellion ’s triumph inA New Hopeby designing the reactor to cause a catastrophic chain reaction if subject to any pressurized explosion . The trouble with this retcon is that nuclear reactor have always had ruinous results when damage or destroyed in theStar Warsfranchise , so whileRogue Onetold an exciting story with compelling characters , it did n’t need to alter the Death Star ’s helplessness .
Throughout canon and LegendsStar Warsmaterial , knocking out a social system ’s primary nuclear reactor , especially that of a herculean warship , typically results in its destruction . Aside from the two Death Stars , this was also the case inStar Wars : Episode I – The Phantom Menace , whena youthful Anakin Skywalkerdestroys a Lucrehulk - social class Droid Control Ship by hitting its reactor with a pair of torpedoes , similar to the agency that Luke would destroy the Death Star . InStar Wars : The raise of Skywalker , the Resistance destroyed Xyston - class Star Destroyers by hitting their reactors as well . In both font , the reactors were not sabotaged beforehand .
As revealed inA New Hope , the Empire was full aware of the exhaust interface ’s lineal connector to the place ’s main nuclear reactor , so they protect it with a ray cuticle , necessitating proton torpedo to go around it . Due to this measure , the Rebel fighters had an highly slim chance of successfully hitting the nuclear reactor via the fumes port , even with their targeting systems guiding the torpedoes . If Luke Skywalker was n’t guiding his ordnance with the Force , the Rebellion would most probably have failed to ruin the place and been wiped out at the Battle of Yavin .
Thereal weakness of the Death Starwasn’t its exhaust port or its main reactor , it was the way of life its defenses were designed . The Empire was cocksure , not believing that starfighters could pose a terror to the Death Star , so they did n’t design the place ’s justificatory gun enclosure and other countermeasures for repelling fighter squadron . Instead , they were meant to foresee big - exfoliation assaults . Even with this in mind , the Rebellion ’s probability of succeeder against the station were newspaper thin , so whileRogue One : A Star Wars Storytold an incredible history , it did n’t demand to change anything about the Death Star ’s helplessness .
Next : How The Second Death Star ’s Weakness Was So exchangeable To The Original
