Summary

  • Palpatine needed the second Death Star as a trap to finally end the Galactic Civil War.
  • Developing a planet-destroying weapon was the real hurdle in finishing the first Death Star.
  • An unfinished Death Star made to seem vulnerable acted as an effective trap for the Rebellion.

Despite being the final weapon to crush the Rebellion, the Second Death Star was unfinished in 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 had to deal with bureaucracy and secrecy while completing a station as massive and detailed as the Death Star. Even so, these factors were no longer an issue in Return of the Jedi, and the main weakness had been corrected. A completed Death Star II would have been unstoppable, making it odd that it remained unfinished.

Star Wars Death Star from the outside to the left and from the inside to the right in a combined image
Related
Star Wars: How The Death Star Works & Why Luke Could Destroy It With One Shot

The Death Star was the Empire's most dangerous superweapon - but how diid its superlaser work, and why could Luke destroy it with one shot?

Palpatine Couldn't Afford For The Galactic Civil War To Continue

The rebels were stretching the Empire thin

Mon Mothma explained to the rebels in Return of the Jedi that the Empire was spread thin by hunting down the rebels. They had already destroyed one Death Star, escaped at the Battle of Hoth, and continued 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 may have been ideal, but his men were already being pushed to their limits to get it operational on time. Finishing it may not have made a difference anyway, as the rebels exploited a tiny design flaw in the first othanks to Galen Erso's influence. Palpatine had to have known that an attack on the second Death Star was inevitable, but one that could be turned to his advantage.

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 up. By leaking 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 disabled the shield protecting the Death Star. With the Death Star incomplete, the rebels could fly inside instead of taking a million to one shot. Palpatine may have come close to victory in Return of the Jedi, but an unfinished second Death Star proved his undoing.

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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
PG
Adventure
Action
Science Fiction
9/10
87
9.0/10
Release Date
May 25, 1983
Runtime
132 minutes
Director
Richard Marquand

Cast

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WHERE TO WATCH

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Return of the Jedi concludes George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy with Luke Skywalker and his allies seeking to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and facing a renewed threat as the Emperor attempts to obliterate the Rebellion through a second Death Star, broadening the epic battle between good and evil.

Franchise(s)
Star Wars
Studio(s)
Lucasfilm
Distributor(s)
20th Century
Budget
$32.5-42.7 Million