Why isn’t the second Death Star finished in Return of the Jedi?

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Why isn’t the second Death Star finished in Return of the Jedi?

Summary

  • Palpatine needs the second Death Star as a trap to finally end the Galactic Civil War.

  • Developing a planet-destroying weapon was the real hurdle in ending the first Death Star.

  • An unfinished Death Star made to appear vulnerable acted as an effective trap for the Rebellion.

Despite being the ultimate weapon to crush the Rebellion, the second Death Star was unfinished Return of the Jedi. If Emperor Palpatine wanted the Rebel Alliance defeated, why would he set his plans in motion before it was finished? The answer would seem to be time, because the first Death Star took almost 20 years to build, but later Star Wars Movies and TV shows made this more complicated.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story revealed that the real hurdle to completing the Death Star was developing a weapon capable of destroying planets. Star Wars Creator George Lucas also explained that the Empire would have to deal with bureaucracy and secrecy while completing a station as massive and detailed as the Death Star. Even so, the reasons are no longer an issue Return of the JediAnd the main weakness was fixed. A completed Death Star II would have been unstoppableMaking it funny that it was left unfinished.

Related

Palpatine cannot afford for the Galactic Civil War to continue

The rebels stretched the empire thin

Mon Mothma explains to the rebels in Return of the Jedi That the empire was spread thin by chasing the rebels. They’ve already destroyed one Death Star, escaped the Battle of Hoth, and continue to fight back against the Imperial War Machine. No matter how much confidence he may have projected, Palatine needed the Galactic Civil War to be over.

Having the Death Star completely finished might be ideal, but his men are already pushed to their limits to get it operational in time. Ending it might not have made a difference anyway, because the Rebels exploited a tiny design flaw in the first Othanks to Galen Erso’s influence. Palpatine must have known that an attack on the second Death Star was inevitableBut one that could be added to the competition.

Palpatine envisioned the unfinished Death Star as a trap

Every good trap needs bait

Having the second Death Star unfinished made it look vulnerable, creating the perfect trap for the Rebellion. With Palpatine on the Death Star, a shield generator that could be destroyed, and the Imperial fleet nowhere in sight, it was too good an opportunity for the Rebels to pass up. By licking the information himself and putting the pieces where he wanted them, Palpatine believed he could control the final outcome at Endor.

Of course, Luke Skywalker was right about overconfidence being Palpatine’s greatest weakness. Han Solo, Princess Leia and the rest of the Rebel Strike Team successfully disable the shield protecting the Death Star. With the Death Star complete, the Rebels could fly in instead of a million to one shot. Palpatine may have come close to victory in Return of the JediBut an unfinished second death star proved his downfall.

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