Is An Exact Death Star Possible?

[Plaedium]

Hello!

Just a fun little topic, one I often find interesting to discuss and has sometimes caused (friendly) debate! Is building a Death Star possible?

Before answering, some factors to consider:

- Money is no issue.
- We have all the resources in our Solar System available to us.
- Humanity is a unified species (Imagine the UN has reformed into the... FIRST, GALACTIC, EMPIRE!).
- We are building the Death Star EXACTLY to its known and canonically presumed specifications.
- Can Kyber Crystals (The MAIN weapon's fuel) be supplemented?


I believe this may have been a topic asked, and answered in segments spread massively across the internet, but I have never found a detailed section for this type of discussion, unfortunately.

Finally, would you want a Death Star to really exist? Providing we're on the side that has the Death Star!

 

[monitorlizard]

Given the total resources of the Solar System
and given unlimited funds
and given a reason
and given we invent whatever death ray that thing puts out
and given that Darth Vader exists to push the project forward exactly as it is in the movie...

Sure.

But why "exact"?

If, in in 1821, you were given the exact specs and video of a Tesla...could you build an exact replica at some point in your future?
Probably.

But you probably wouldn't. Whatever you built would end up being something else.

 

[ThePatriotBeast]

It miiiiight be possible... But I wouldn't want a Death Star to exist (what if it fell into the wrong hands?!!?!?!?!)

 

[Plaedium]

It miiiiight be possible... But I wouldn't want a Death Star to exist (what if it fell into the wrong hands?!!?!?!?!)

Good thing we're keeping the exhaust ports!

 

[Pogo]

View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=TQzj88rAstA&feature=share

Is a Death Star really possible?

 

[monitorlizard]

Is a Death Star really possible?

Given appropriate levels of handwavium, anything is "possible".

Given current 21st century human knowledge and technology? No.

 

[COLGeek]

Given appropriate levels of handwavium, anything is "possible".

Given current 21st century human knowledge and technology? No.

...don't forget the unobtainium.

 

[Catastrophe]

With all the caveats:
- Money is no issue.
- We have all the resources in our Solar System available to us.
- Humanity is a unified species (Imagine the UN has reformed into the... FIRST, GALACTIC, EMPIRE!).
- We are building the Death Star EXACTLY to its known and canonically presumed specifications.
- Can Kyber Crystals (The MAIN weapon's fuel) be supplemented?

. . . . . . is not the questioner setting up (at least with fictional licence) the very situation which occurred in the film, in which case the answer would have to be 'yes'. If any conditions differ (and I am not that familiar with the film), then that would form the basis as to why the answer might be 'no'. If those caveats include all the material requirements, we would need to know/assume the requisite technology.

Cat

 

[Connor]

I think that it could exist, with the proper "dose" of sci-fi tech.

 

[sam85geo]

To me the Star Wars Death Star was an analogy of the way H. Sapiens behaves towards those considered "lesser" or "evil". Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Viet Nam War were brought to mind by that movie in the same vein as the post WWII Japanese made Godzilla movies.

 

[Trevize62]

Not of the kind that we can see in Star Wars. Instead, a direct-energy weapon capable of destroying all complex lifeforms on an entire planet is theoretically possible, using an X-ray laser triggered by the explosion of a great number of enormous multi-stage nuclear bombs , and despite we have to forget the possibility to make the planet explode, the efficacy in strategic terms would be exactly the same.. But also having similar technologies, remains the problem is that, for obvious reasons, a similar weapon would be built and placed at a distance of many light years from the objective, with obvious difficulties to target the objective. See also the book Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku.

 

[sam85geo]

I apologize in advance for my cynical comments. On this the U.S. Memorial Day weekend, references to a Death Star, direct-energy weapons, etc seems grim and shuddering. I've just looked at some the documentation photos of the TET offensive during the Viet Nam war; horrendous, but worse in actuality. My opinion is that violent human history repeats down through the generations, but with ever more lethal and destructive capabilities and effects. Again, my jaded, maudlin opinion: H. Sapiens is a genetically violent, dangerous species that has a significant probability of fulfilling the "self destruct" condition of the Drake equation. Yet there is hope and remembrance that we can avoid repeating history despite our preoccupation with weapons development and contention.

 

[Catastrophe]

I apologize in advance for my cynical comments. On this the U.S. Memorial Day weekend, references to a Death Star, direct-energy weapons, etc seems grim and shuddering. I've just looked at some the documentation photos of the TET offensive during the Viet Nam war; horrendous, but worse in actuality. My opinion is that violent human history repeats down through the generations, but with ever more lethal and destructive capabilities and effects. Again, my jaded, maudlin opinion: H. Sapiens is a genetically violent, dangerous species that has a significant probability of fulfilling the "self destruct" condition of the Drake equation. Yet there is hope and remembrance that we can avoid repeating history despite our preoccupation with weapons development and contention.

Sadly, I have posted along similar lines on several occasions. Cat

 

[Helio]

To the OP, the answer is yes, IMO, but I won't suggest how it could be done, in part because I had a draft number for Vietnam, so I relate well with sam85geo's comments.