The
Death Star is a fictional space station and superweapon featured in the
Star Wars space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire, the Death Star is capable of annihilating entire planets into rubble, and serves to enforce the Empire's reign of terror. Appearing in the original 1977 film
Star Wars, the Death Star serves as a central plot point and setting for the movie, and is destroyed in an assault by the Rebel Alliance in the climax of the film, with the 2016 prequel film
Rogue One and the 2022 television series
Andor exploring its construction. A larger second Death Star is constructed in the events of the 1983 film
Return of the Jedi featuring substantially improved capabilities compared to its predecessor, before it is destroyed by the Rebel Alliance while under construction.