Prototype Death Star Operational Specs
Prototype Custom Deep-Space Battle Station
The prototype Death Star was built at the Maw Installation before theconstruction of the first Death Star battle station at Despayre, a planetin the Horuz system. Many of the original Death Star's systems wereconceived and designed by famed starship engineer Bevel Lemelisk andothers who worked at the Maw Installation . Under the direction of TolSivron, the Twi'lek chief scientist, the installation's specialists builta limited prototype specifically to see if an operational plat-destroyingsuperlaser could be created.
Initial construction efforts were a success, and soon Lemelisk and Tarkinwere headed to Despayre for the construction of a full Death Star. TheMaw Installation… and the prototype Death Star… were left behind andforgotten.
The prototype was never fully completed; its mission had been fulfilled,and it was simply anchored above the Maw Installation planetoids. Theconstruct had an open frame with support beams forming a giant globe 120kilometers in diameter. The only visible components inside the frame werethe giant reactor core, a few engines for sublight movement and theprototype superlaser itself.
The prototype super laser had several disadvantages compared with theworking model of the first Death Star. For example, the firepower was"only" sufficent to destroy the core of the planet: while the planetwould inevitably be rendered uninhabitable, the weapon did not completelyvaporize the victim world. The targeting system was never perfected, plusthe superlaser was also incredibly wasteful of power and the weapon'sstorage batteries took several hours to recharge fully. While the weaponcould be fired at reduced power, the superlaser's destructive ability wasreduced significantly.
The prototype Death Star was never intended to be a practical weapon ofwar, so there was no need to install the core or the hyperdrive enginesthat took up a huge amount of space in the actual Death Star spacestation. Instead, they rigged computer systems to control the superlaserand drive units. This computer system minimized personnel requirements,but such linked computer systems are prone to failure without constantmaintenance and are not practical for military starships.
The prototype was activated by Tol Sivron after the Maw Installation wasattacked by a New Republic task force. The space station was finallydestroyed when Kyp Durron, piloting the Sun Crusher, lured the prototypeDeath Star into one of the Maw's black holes, where it was crushed byincredible gravitational forces.
